UWS Media Centre | 20 February 2014
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The University of Western Sydney is expanding its highly successful pathways program – UWSCollege – with the opening of a new multi-million dollar facility at the University’s Bankstown campus. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
The new UWSCollege Bankstown building was officially opened on 20 February 2014 by the Federal Minister for Education, Christopher Pyne.
The university says UWSCollege is having a transformative effect on students’ lives and the higher education participation rates in Greater Western Sydney, with thousands of students having successfully enrolled in and completed a UWS degree after coming through the pathways program.
UWSCollege students who successfully complete their diploma program are guaranteed entry into the second year of a UWS undergraduate degree.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Barney Glover says the niversity is proud of its UWSCollege initiative, which he says in terms of its size and scale, is unique in the Australian higher education sector.
We are giving students who may not have had the same academic preparation the chance to gain a place in a university course and prove to themselves and others that they can succeed at university, if they are given the right level of academic support.
By expanding UWSCollege to even more campus locations and significantly increasing its student enrolments to 4000 students within the next few years, UWS is well and truly fulfilling its mission to improve the educational outcomes for the people of Greater Western Sydney.
Key facts about UWSCollege Bankstown
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The new UWSCollege Bankstown facility will accommodate 1000 students.
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The proportion of students from low socio-economic backgrounds at UWSCollege is 27.5 per cent – significantly higher than the sector average of 16.8 per cent.
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State-of-the-art in its design and layout, the new Bankstown facility has lecture theatres, flat-floor teaching spaces, network and multi-use computer labs, student administration and staff spaces.
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It also has the capacity to add specialist chemistry, physics and biology labs in later years.
