The University of Newcastle, established in 1965, has a student population of just over 20,000 as of 2004. They offer over 150 undergraduate and graduate courses, delivered via their five faculties; Business and Law, Education and Arts, Engineering and Built Environment, Health, and Science and Information Technology.

There are two main campuses, both of which have won national awards for architecture and sympathetic environmental management. The larger campus at Callaghan lies about 12 km from the centre of Newcastle on a natural bushland site. Another campus is at Ourimbah on the Central Coast, about half way between Newcastle and Sydney, where about 1,800 students attend.

Although not a campus in the strict sense of the word, the UoN has a presence on two sites within the Newcastle C.B.D. School of Music and Conservatorium are located in the Civic Theatre precinct, while School of Law, Legal Centre, and Graduate School of Business are located in University House, a landmark art-deco sandstone building directly opposite Civic Park.

The University has its origins in the Newcastle University College, first established in 1951 at the site of Newcastle Technical College. After considerable agitation at the local level, the fully autonomous University of Newcastle was established in 1965. The student body annually celebrates the anniversary of the institution's independence on Autonomy Day.

The University of Newcastle is a member of Innovative Research Universities Australia (IRU Australia).

External links

• University of Newcastle
• 50th Anniversary of University Education in Newcastle 1951-2001
• Opus - University of Newcastle student magazine