Welcome and introduction to Southern Cross University

Rob: Welcome to the National Virtual Expo and this session on Southern Cross University. I'm Rob Malicki, joining you on Garigal land in Sydney. I'm really excited to be joined by Sam Klock from SCU to cover everything that makes this institution special. If you're watching along live, please drop your questions into the chat wherever you are: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, or the session hub for the virtual expo. If you're watching the recording, you can still ask questions and get answers via the Choosing Your Uni Discord -- details are in the description below. There's also a Facebook community for parents, so please don't hesitate to ask your questions and get independent, unbiased answers. Without further ado, let's have a chat with Sam Klock from Southern Cross. Sam, welcome to the National Virtual Expo.

Guest: Thanks for having me, Rob. Really happy -- super stoked to be here chatting about Southern Cross.

Rob: I think you live in paradise, I'll be honest.

Guest: Yeah, it's not too bad here on the Gold Coast. I've been up here for four years now and it is really nice. The sun's coming down, the water's still warm. It is a really fantastic spot.

Rob: It's one of those parts of the country I spent a bunch of time travelling around during Covid. Pretty much the only place in Australia I think we may have moved to was that little pocket of northern New South Wales and south-east Queensland. It's just magic. And for the right person, such a great place to go and study.

Guest: It is, and it doesn't feel like the big city. It still has that regional feel to it. I really like it. Sydney can get a bit overwhelming sometimes. The whole coast is just beautiful with the beaches. Very, very lucky.

SCU's campuses: from regional heartlands to metro hubs

Rob: We're really looking forward to this deep dive on Southern Cross. We're going to be talking about academic strengths, research strengths, hearing from students, graduate statistics, what you can study -- all that kind of stuff. But since we've started off talking about that magical corner of south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales, why don't we talk about campuses to begin with?

Guest: Yeah, exactly. I think that's probably the greatest misconception about Southern Cross. People think the university is just one centralised campus, but that's certainly not the case for us. We have three main campuses: Gold Coast, where I am at the moment, Lismore -- which is about an hour and a half south of the Gold Coast in northern New South Wales -- and then Coffs Harbour, about another hour and a half further south. They're all near a beach, really, which is fantastic. Lismore is a really special area, and at Coffs Harbour you're about 100 metres from the beach, which is where our Marine and Environmental Science Centre is. So those are our three main campuses.

Guest: Something I didn't know when I first came here is that we also have metro campuses, which does surprise a lot of people. We have smaller metro campuses in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth. So anyone listening right now, you're not limited by location. And then there's online study as well, which plays a big part. Since Covid, online study has become a major part of our education and we've really leaned into it intentionally. We offer online study options across a lot of faculties -- not all of them, but most. It's not because we want to devalue on-campus learning. We do recognise the reality of life: full-time work, part-time work, health, travel, caring responsibilities, whatever it may be. We just don't want anyone excluded from a university education. We don't treat flexibility like a compromise -- it's built into how we teach. And if you're on campus in Lismore, we have a koala sanctuary, and in Coffs Harbour the Marine Science Centre actually has an aquarium open to the public. You can do a virtual tour of the Coffs Harbour facilities online as well.

Rob: I'm really keen to explore that flexibility element because I think it is one of the things that stands out for SCU. Having been to literally every university in the country and to most of the SCU campuses, what I really love is that they all have their own flavour but are very tightly focused around their communities. It's not a massive inner-city university with 70,000 students offering literally every subject area. It's about the communities, about people who need flexibility and who want access to incredible teaching alongside some incredible locations. Can we hang on flexibility for a second, because SCU has the block model of teaching, which is pretty special. I'll let you talk to that, Sam, and then I'll chip in a little bit.

The six-week block model: how it works and why it matters

Guest: Yeah, it'd be great to hear your thoughts on it too, because it's still relatively new -- we've had it for a few years now. The block model is probably something I really want to emphasise. It's pretty much our DNA. It's most unique to a lot of other universities. Your average university runs roughly a 10-to-12-week semester, right?

Rob: That's right, yeah.

Guest: So we decided to change that up. In a world where we're consuming more content at a faster rate, we wanted to go with that rather than against it. Our model essentially has six-week terms across five terms per year. Your average student will do four terms. You get a two-week break in between each term and then move on to the next one. At the end of the year it still adds up to the same total study as a regular university -- it's just done differently. The best way I explain it: most universities have two semesters with four subjects and 12 teaching weeks. If I told you those four subjects were tennis balls and you had to juggle all four for 12 minutes, that seems pretty hard unless you're a professional juggler. Whereas if I asked you to juggle two tennis balls for six minutes, have a little break, and then go again -- that seems a lot more achievable. That's how we apply it to education. Students have really found it useful. It helps with their mental load. They're not juggling four subjects with deadlines all piling up at the end. They can really hone in and focus on those two subjects.

Rob: The academic research around this model of learning is unequivocal. I think there might be one, maybe two institutions in all of Australia with a similar structure. But the research is absolutely clear: having shorter teaching periods with more focus on a smaller number of subjects is better for learning. You're not being flooded with information that all gets mixed up. You've got clarity, you're honing in on a couple of subjects, you take a break, the learning consolidates, and then you go again. And when it comes to flexibility, it's incredible for so many types of people. If life circumstances pop up, you might step out for six weeks, skip one term, and then jump back in. That's something most institutions simply can't offer. So I'm a massive advocate for this model of learning.

Guest: And the results show. Since implementing the model, academic results, student satisfaction -- it's all really gone up. It's not just me promoting it. We have testimonials from students who can really speak to it. And for me personally, going from school with 10-week terms and then straight to a 12-week university semester was a bit of a kick in the gut. To have that switch up, the shorter load, the flexibility -- if you have work, placements, or family commitments, you get those two weeks off to do what you need to do. It is really fantastic.

New degree programmes: physiotherapy and veterinary medicine

Rob: Let's talk about what's new at Southern Cross in terms of academic areas.

Guest: So we do have two exciting new offerings this year. We have the Bachelor of Physiotherapy, which is new for us, and Veterinary Medicine as well -- which is a pretty big, in-demand degree. For Veterinary Medicine, we've just opened up our facilities on the Lismore campus -- we even have a dog as our mascot there, and I went in with a GoPro so there's a great video to look at online. Physiotherapy is on the Gold Coast campus and it's filling up fast, which is great. All the new staff are so fantastic -- I met them a few months ago and it's just exciting and fresh.

Rob: Veterinary medicine, believe it or not, there are very few places in Australia where you can actually study it. To have that option in northern New South Wales and south-east Queensland is absolutely awesome. And physiotherapy -- talk about a guaranteed job. A very in-demand skill set, and particularly if you're interested in potentially working in a regional area after you graduate, being able to study at an institution that has that regional footprint and brand recognition is a real advantage.

What you can study at SCU: full range of disciplines

Rob: Sam, why don't you run through the broader range of what students can study at SCU?

Guest: At the end of the day, the real reason a university exists is to provide an education. So SCU offers a really good range. You can study business, engineering, and then health is a big emphasis -- nursing, exercise science, physiotherapy, speech pathology, and much more. There's tourism, education and teaching -- we need teachers all over Australia so we have a big emphasis there. Indigenous knowledge, computing and IT, which has a pretty exciting future right now. And then environment: marine science, which we touched on earlier, and veterinary medicine. That range extends across bachelor degrees, diplomas, and postgraduate study. And if there's anything you want to look into further, our website is really well laid out. That should be your first stop.

Rob: One thing I'd add -- music. I remember visiting the Lismore campus years ago and meeting one of the academics in the music area and being blown away by what they were doing. Maybe not one of the big headline areas people look to, but it just shows that regardless of what you're interested in, you should really look under the hood, because there are some awesome little areas doing great work.

SCU's four research pillars: health, waste, reefs, and communities

Rob: Research is really important for universities. When an institution is researching at a high level, that flows through into teaching -- you're getting that cutting-edge knowledge. What are some of the areas where SCU has strengths? Tell me about those four pillars.

Guest: Great. So this is a natural progression towards real-world application. Research at SCU isn't something locked away in a lab. It directly informs what our students learn and how we respond to real problems. We recognise that the planet and our communities are facing some pretty urgent challenges. So instead of spreading our research thin, we've focused our efforts into four major impact areas -- four pillars -- where we believe we can make a real difference locally, regionally, and globally.

Guest: The first is Harvest Health. This is about improving health outcomes through sustainable food systems and natural products. Researchers here are working in plant science, crop innovation, bush medicines, and looking at the links between natural diets and preventing chronic disease. It's not abstract research -- it affects what we eat, how we farm, and how we prevent illness before it even starts.

Guest: The second is Zero Waste, which is pretty self-explanatory but incredibly important. It's about moving towards a circular economy, reducing waste at every stage from design to disposal -- recycling, pollution control, and a big emphasis on community education. A really cool current project is looking at how we can use plastic waste to 3D print houses. So the plastic water bottle on my desk right now could potentially contribute to providing homes for people. It addresses housing affordability and waste at the same time.

Guest: The third is Reefs and Oceans, which makes a lot of sense given where our campuses are -- Coffs Harbour is about 100 metres from the beach and the Gold Coast isn't far either. We're deeply committed to reef restoration and ocean conservation. One thing that really grabbed my attention is cloud brightening, which uses technology to increase cloud reflectivity so that less heat reaches the coral reefs and coral bleaching is reduced. People are essentially making clouds more reflective so less sun gets through to the reefs. It's incredible.

Guest: The fourth is Catchments, Coasts and Communities, which really hits home for the northern rivers region. This research covers community resilience, land management, water systems, and disaster preparedness. Our researchers have worked incredibly hard on strategies to reduce future flood risk and improve recovery for communities like those in the northern rivers who have been hit repeatedly by catastrophic flooding. When you zoom out, it's not just about prestige -- it's about impact on the environment, communities, and education for future generations. For students studying at this university, you have an impact beyond the classroom.

Rob: I love this, and going back to what I was saying at the top about what makes SCU distinctive -- that community element is literally part of the DNA. These are the core research areas: worrying about our communities, worrying about our ecosystems and environment, doing primary research around that, which flows into teaching, which flows through into the workforce and your ability to make a real difference. I'm just going to jump in on the marine science specifically -- this is an area of national and international strength for the university. If you're interested in water systems in any way, there are a couple of universities I would literally relocate for their marine programme, and SCU is absolutely one of them.

Health and education facilities: clinical labs, high-performance spaces, and beach views

Rob: Let's talk about health and education for a moment, because these are areas where employment outcomes are fantastic and SCU has real strengths -- nursing, physio, allied health, teaching. These are practical degrees that lead to fantastic job outcomes. And as I've said, studying those in a regional area gives you a real advantage when it comes to clinical placements -- it's much more manageable than living in Sydney and trying to survive on limited income as a practice student. But tell me about the health facilities, Sam.

Guest: The facilities here on the Gold Coast are fantastic. Our students learn in environments that mirror real clinical settings. One of the floors here at the Gold Coast campus for our nursing labs -- as soon as you get out of the lift, it looks and smells like a hospital. Students aren't just reading about clinical scenarios; they're working through them in environments that feel real. We also have high-performance labs with biomechanics equipment and strength and conditioning spaces -- the kind of structure you'd expect in professional sport or rehab. We have motion detection cameras, force plates that tell you exactly how much force is going into each leg and whether you need to adjust that, and VO2 max testing equipment. Students aren't just writing about anatomy or movement -- they're measuring it, analysing it, and applying it.

Guest: That gives students real confidence going into the workforce. They haven't just been sitting around reading from a textbook for a few years -- they've actually been in those clinics doing those placements. Because of our strong regional presence, local organisations really value SCU student placements, which we value just as heavily. And in the physio room on the Gold Coast campus, you look out the window and you can see the beach all the way across. Students sometimes spot whales jumping out of the water. It is truly incredible.

Rob: To speak to the international audience for a moment -- a lot of people have registered for the National Virtual Expo from overseas and might be looking at their options. When you study health and education disciplines in Australia, which university you go to doesn't matter as much as the experience you have on campus. All the programmes have similarities because in order to become accredited, the core content has to be quite similar across institutions. So if you're weighing up the University of Sydney for nursing versus Southern Cross for nursing, in terms of academic content, both degrees cover the same core material. Where the difference lies is in the experience. Looking outside the big universities has so many advantages: lower cost of living in these regional areas, better access to placements, lifestyle. If you're from overseas, you should absolutely be looking outside the big cities. You'll have a more unique Australian experience, and in terms of job outcomes, it's actually basically the same, if not better, in my view.

Guest: And just to touch on that for our international audience -- class sizes here are small. In some of these health labs you might have a class of five people. The lecturers know exactly who you are and each of your situations. Everyone's journey is different, and that personalised approach is really something special.

Global rankings, subject rankings, and QILT data

Rob: Let's move on to rankings and ratings. Just so everyone here at the expo really understands what these numbers mean: there are different types of rankings. We have global rankings, subject rankings -- which I personally find some of the most interesting -- and then what's sometimes called QILT data, the Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching. That's basically an Australian government data set that surveys hundreds of thousands of students. We actually have a whole session at the National Virtual Expo explaining the QILT data set in full -- you can find details in the session catalogue down below. But let's get into it. Sam, how does SCU perform on some of these scales?

Guest: Yeah. I know it can feel a bit dry to listen to rankings, but it really does tell an important story, especially for people trying to choose a university.

Rob: That's really important, because you can see a headline number like "this uni is number one in Australia" and honestly that can be completely meaningless if it's in a subject area that doesn't matter to you. Any rankings or ratings you ever see, you've got to put them in the context of your own story. Sorry -- I'll let you go.

Guest: Of course. So for global rankings, Times Higher Education has ranked Southern Cross University among the top 100 young universities in the world and in the top 500 universities globally. Just for context, the rankings usually span about 1,500 to 2,500 universities, so being in the top 500 is something we're really proud of.

Rob: In terms of the number of universities worldwide, that top 500 basically puts Southern Cross in the top 3 to 5% of universities globally. And just to put some context around Australia specifically -- the Australian university system is probably the strongest in the world on these rankings. We have more Australian universities in the top 1,000 than virtually any other country in proportional terms. Basically all of our universities are in the top 1,000. So we're very lucky here in Australia for our international reputation. Sorry -- let's keep going.

Guest: Exactly right. The ranking reflects teaching quality, research impact, industry collaboration, and international engagement. Beyond the overall ranking, some individual disciplines are performing exceptionally well. The Shanghai Rankings place SCU in the top 150 in the world for oceanography, in the top 300 for nursing, top 200 for tourism and management, top 300 for ecology, and top 500 for sciences and education. These are really exceptional results. And what excites me about these rankings is that we don't see them as a finish line. We're a growing university. We're still learning and looking at how things can improve through better teaching, better student experience, and stronger industry connections. In many ways it feels like just the beginning.

Guest: Then there's the QILT data -- Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching -- which is a government-funded initiative that independently surveys students across every university in Australia. These results can be confronting for some universities because students are very honest. For us, we performed quite well. We scored just under 80% for overall skills development, 75.7% for teaching quality, 73.7% for student support, and 83% for learning resources. What's most encouraging is that these results are improving over time -- they're not stagnant. I think the six-week model is a big contributor: more focus, better engagement, and a structure that supports students' day-to-day lives. It just gives us a direction to keep working towards.

Rob: Just a few more thoughts on global rankings: some of the big drivers for those rankings are research output. The top 100 or 200 universities in the world are large universities doing enormous volumes of research. That means regional and smaller universities that could be exceptional in teaching just don't hit those super-high numbers, simply because of volume. So once again, you've got to understand what you're looking for. If you want a massive research university, maybe that's Melbourne or Sydney. But that's not necessarily the experience you're going to have in the classroom, which is what really counts.

Graduate outcomes: employment rates and starting salaries

Rob: Can we hone in on graduate outcomes? People go to university because they want something out of it -- normally a job. How do those numbers stack up for SCU?

Guest: At the end of the day, we go to university to build a future career -- stability, income, support for our families. The Graduate Outcomes Survey conducted in Australia shows that SCU is ranked in the top ten public universities in the country for salary and employment outcomes. We report an 82.2% employment rate upon completion of study, which is extremely high -- it's above the national average of 79.4%. That might not sound like a massive difference, but it really does add up. These results don't happen by accident. They're linked to practical learning, strong industry placement opportunities, and a teaching model that prepares students for the real world, not just exams. Our students are really confident and prepared to go into the workforce.

Rob: Regional universities typically outperform the more famous universities in Australia when it comes to graduate employment and starting salaries. When you move to a regional area with a tertiary qualification, the demand for your skills is much higher than if you're graduating in the middle of Sydney. That flows through into employment rates and starting salaries. It's definitely an advantage of studying in regional Australia. And you know what's funny, Sam? I used to think, why would you move for uni? Just go to the closest one, it's all the same. I've totally swung on that. The more universities I've visited, the more I've realised it's just crucial to find your place, find your tribe. When you do, and it resonates with you, you enjoy the experience so much more, you participate more, you want to study more because it suits you better.

Guest: Exactly. And not to make it about my own experience, but I lived in a rural town in New South Wales and had never been to the Gold Coast before. I moved eight hours away just two weeks before my very first class. I'm so grateful I made that decision. It was the best thing I ever did. The connections I have now, the amazing job I have now, the people I live with -- it all came from just moving to the Gold Coast. I highly recommend it.

Applying, pathways, and scholarships at SCU

Rob: We're running a bit close to time. Let's get to some questions. First one is around applying to SCU -- maybe you could take that broadly, whether someone is a high school student or a mature-age applicant.

Guest: Great question. We make it really straightforward to apply to Southern Cross. You can apply directly through our website, whether it's direct entry, early offer, or other pathways like diplomas -- everything happens in one place. Some universities require external application systems and multiple accounts, but we've kept it simple and centralised. Once you apply and meet the criteria, you receive an offer directly from us. I also want to highlight our admissions and student support team -- they are unbelievably helpful. They're on the phones all the time answering questions. If you're on the website and something's a bit confusing, you're more than welcome to give us a call. International students: same deal, though timezones may apply, so we also have email contact and chat support that are really helpful. Everything is done directly through us.

Rob: Scholarships -- somebody is asking about what's on offer.

Guest: We definitely offer scholarships, and I think it's one of the most underrated parts about studying with us. We offer a wide range for different types of students at different stages of their journey. One thing that actually sets us apart: a lot of universities offer scholarships as a portion taken off your course fees -- so if your course costs $100,000 they might take off $20,000. At SCU, we actually have scholarships where the money is paid directly into your pocket. You can use it for whatever you like: tuition, a car to get to campus, rental assistance -- whatever your situation calls for. We offer Indigenous scholarships, resilience scholarships, equity scholarships, international scholarships, and merit-based scholarships as well. We don't focus only on academics -- we look at background and circumstances too. My advice: apply for every single scholarship you can. There's no reason why you shouldn't. Details are in the session description below.

Managing workload in the six-week model

Rob: A question came in about the six-week block model and workload -- the concern being that six weeks might mean a lot of work compressed into a short time. Can you speak to that?

Guest: It's a common question. The simple answer is it's definitely not harder. Compared with studying multiple subjects across longer weeks at other universities, it is definitely more manageable. Since introducing the six-week model, we've seen increased engagement and improved satisfaction. Students tell us they feel more focused and less overwhelmed. You've got six weeks until a break, which is quite motivating. Student testimonials come up again and again: many students say the transition from school to a traditional 12-week semester feels long, intense, and repetitive -- you're juggling four tennis balls. With us, you're juggling two tennis balls for a shorter time. It's a much nicer experience.

Rob: I'll throw my two cents in on that too. In psychology and learning research, task-switching has a real cognitive cost. The more times you have to switch between tasks and different subjects, the harder it is for your brain to process information. That's a very well-documented fact. Having focus on one or two subjects at a time is easier for your brain than having four different subjects competing for attention. It absolutely plays out in the research I've seen over a long period of time: institutions worldwide that have moved to these more condensed, smaller-subject models see real dividends. It's a massive advantage to be studying in block mode.

Wrapping up: final thoughts from Sam and Rob

Rob: Sam, we're out of time. It's been super good joining you in this session on Southern Cross. Any final thoughts before we wrap up?

Guest: Thank you for having me. It's great to have had a chance to answer some questions from people listening today. We've really only scratched the surface -- there are so many more resources and support available beyond what we've covered. If anything we've talked about has sparked your interest, I really encourage you to jump on and explore the website. There'll be a link below. No question is too small and we're always happy to help. I really appreciate the opportunity and hopefully we'll hear from you a bit more during the week.

Rob: Lots more sessions available -- not only about Southern Cross, but about all the things you need to know around university in general. There are great sessions already streamed from the Australian Government talking about funding support, and about Commonwealth Prac Payments. You can find all those details in the session catalogue down in the description below. I look forward to seeing you at another session throughout the week. I'm Rob Malicki and this has been Sam Klock from Southern Cross University. Thanks for joining us.

Guest: Thanks, Rob.