Australian Catholic University

Australian Catholic University, Stathfield campus in Sydney.

The Australian Catholic University is a multi-campus university, with facilities in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra. ACU is open to students from all religious (or non-religious) backgrounds. It specialises in non-technology fields such as education and health. If you have ever attended ACU, you're welcome to submit ratings and a review. This is a place for student reviews of the Australian Catholic University.

ACU Rating

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User Rating 2.78 (128 votes)
Comments Rating 1.95 (21 reviews)

Student Reviews

35 Responses

  1. Anna
    | Reply

    Crushing

    Utterly flattened by the quality of education at this institution.
    Firstly, administration is a hot mess. Enrolment guides posted last-minute, and forces students to pay a late enrolment fee. Course co-ordinators are nowhere to be found on the website (as literal ACU enrolment emails say they would be).
    If it were not for the hardworking and prompt staff at AskACU, I would have no idea how to get through such horrible administration processes.
    Secondly, teaching is simply not at standard, which is ironic, considering I am taking a teaching degree…
    Insurmountable amounts of content word-dumped on “modules”, which are just word pages with no organisation. Lectures are scattered for some reason in 10-20 min fragments. Hundreds of pages of reading, literally linking us to WHOLE textbooks (multiple!!) in a week AND having no page ranges to read in. The marking is SO inconsistent – I have huge dips (fails) and jumps (90+) in my marks with zero correlation with the amount of understanding and effort I dedicate to these tasks. That has never, ever happened in my history of education. My last institute was Melbourne University. My marks have always stayed in the 70-80 range (unless it was a subject of another faculty). This makes sense. The assignments are VERY confusing – lots of parts with no justification or exemplars. Just do it. There is not even WORD COUNTS. Zero equity or control measures in the quantity that students submit. Rubrics are very, very broad. Some categories of the criteria have 0 marks allocated? Why include it? Why is that allowed?

    Truly speechless. This is just my experience, but seriously contemplating dropping and changing back to Melbourne university. I do not want to waste any more of my money here.

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  2. Jacy
    | Reply

    No Longer Catholic

    Unfortunately there is very little that is Catholic about ACU, and is only another example of the sign of the times.
    Pray that this university finds it’s roots and once again becomes a true place of education and virtue.

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  3. hanna
    | Reply

    HELP

    hey, im planning to study for a bachelor of education (primary and secondary) at ACU Strathfield campus in Sydney. any thoughts?? is this a good university ?

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  4. Kiera
    | Reply

    What a disgrace of a Uni. Money hungry thieves.

    The university I chose has been an utter disappointment. I am appalled by their lack of support for students in need and their unprofessional attitude towards feedback. Despite their claims of being ‘inclusive’, I have been met with obstacles every time I try to reach out to any of their 17 services. Their inability to address my concerns and their constant referrals to other services have been unacceptable. As a student, I deserve to be heard and supported. It is unacceptable for the ‘second top-ranked university in the world’ to ignore their responsibility towards their students. I am fed up with their pretentious behavior, and I will not tolerate it any longer. I am actively looking into transferring to a better university that values its students and their education.

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  5. Naz
    | Reply

    Don’t go here for nursing, the graduates are rubbish

    As someone who works with nursing students, avoid this university.
    If you want a good career prospect, you want to get constructive feedback along the way. This University just pushes students through to take their money. Once they get registered, they end up on learning plans and get kicked out of the hospital for poor performance.
    Just be aware, whilst it’s an easy uni to pass, if you screw up in the workplace and get kicked out, no one else will want to hire you!
    Had to deal with dumb third year students who don’t even know what an aorta is or can’t calculate drug doses that a primary school child can. This is the rubbish they pass.

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  6. STUDENT
    | Reply

    LOWEST LEVEL UNIVERSITY IN THE PLANET

    I am writing to express my extreme dissatisfaction and disappointment with the quality of education and overall experience I have had at your institution. I believe it is crucial to provide honest feedback in order to highlight the areas that require improvement and to ensure that future students do not face the same challenges I encountered.

    Firstly, I must emphasize that the high cost of tuition fees does not align with the value and quality of education received. It is disheartening to witness international students, who invest significant sums of money, only to receive what I perceive as one of the lowest levels of education in this country. The lack of value for money and time is an undeniable concern.

    One of the most frustrating aspects of my time at your university was the online mode of learning. The fact that half of the semester was conducted fully online, with no regular lessons, was highly ineffective. Having only one lesson per week during the first and last three weeks of the semester is insufficient and fails to provide a conducive learning environment. This education model does not facilitate effective knowledge acquisition and is a disservice to the students who expect a comprehensive educational experience.

    Furthermore, the competence and qualifications of the teaching staff are questionable. I found that the instructors lacked the necessary expertise and teaching skills to effectively convey the course material. The fast-paced nature of the lessons, with an excessive number of topics covered in a single session, only added to the confusion and hindered the learning process. It is disheartening to realize that a significant portion of the education is left solely in the hands of the students, forcing them to teach themselves subjects they may not fully comprehend.

    In conclusion, I believe it is essential for your university to reevaluate its educational practices and prioritize the needs of its students. The current state of affairs not only fails to provide value for the exorbitant fees charged but also compromises the quality of education offered. I hope that my feedback prompts positive changes and improvements within your institution, ultimately benefiting future students and restoring faith in the educational experience you provide.

    DON´T LISTEN THE LIES ABOUT HOW GOOD THIS SCHOOL IS. IS CALLED MARKETING. That kind of misleading information should be illegal.

    • Student
      | Reply

      Dont Go Here For Nursing

      Teachers are nice but thats about it

  7. Green
    | Reply

    Absolute Rubbish

    Whatever you do, don’t come here. There is 0 social activities on campus aside from the bible bashing groups, no bar, the most uncomfortable chairs on the planet, 3 nursing students per bed in the overcrowded practice labs, the markers are absolutely hopeless and inconsistent -they won’t leave you any feedback on how you could improve, but they’ll sure as hell will expect you to CITE EVERY SENTENCE even if that whole paragraph is using only one reference which you have already put there. Everyone here is antisocial and shy so don’t expect to make friends. The lectures are either just ok or most of the time recorded on an old nokia phone on the bottom of the sea, The assignments are extremely vague and no one really knows what they are expected to do most of the time. The student website is by far the worst and most confusing I have tried to navigate- information is hidden in the most random of places. For nursing the tutorials (except the practical class which is what you are really there for) are all lame and rather than actually teaching you the information, they put you in groups to figure it out using google, and then read it out to the class which is extremely annoying since most of the time you either can’t hear or understand what the person from the other group is saying.

    The place is also the home of many right wing cookers who frequently go on sky news to voice their inane views. There is no culture on campus. It is soul crushing and the worst I’ve felt in years. Unsurprisingly the dean (head priest lmfao) is one of the highest paid in Australia. Rainbow flags were removed from the library under orders, so if you are LGBT, don’t come. The assignments are frequently essays with a ridiculous word count, because we all know how important essays are to be a nurse. Save your money and don’t come here at any cost, even if no other place will have you.

  8. Rebecca
    | Reply

    Disorganized, out of touch, and painfully unhelpful

    ACU is one of the most disorganized institutions I’ve ever been part of. The online learning environment is a hot mess, particularly for placements – instead of a straightforward process, you’re sent on a wild goose chase across multiple websites to find the mandatory documents that are scattered nonsensically all over the place. Lecturers and course co-ordinators regularly don’t reply, assessment instructions are often painfully vague, and student voices go unheard. The website & app UI is insufferable, coursework often doesn’t match assessment and can be completely irrelevant to the profession, and practicality is not a consideration.

    Do yourself a favour and enrol somewhere else.

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  9. Moni
    | Reply

    Love it here. Strathfield campus 100%

    I’m currently doing TAS Secondary Teaching at ACU Strathfield campus. I’ve never been to any other unis before but I must say that I’m very impressed with ACU at Strathfield. I’ll dot points what I like:
    – the staff are all really friendly and reliable.
    – there is an online QA system where you can chat live with a member from AskACU and they’ll answer any questions you have in real time.
    – the online learning platform LEO is really easy to navigate, everything is structured into weeks and type of content, with video lectures, reading resources, practice quizzes and more.
    – the tutors and lecturers are all very well informed, welcoming and are always there to help. They’ll answer any questions you have and usually respond on the same day if you send an email during weekdays. Some even on the weekends.
    – the other online platforms like the timetabelling system, library, event and activity platform, enrolment and more are usually quite easy to navigate and I rarely come across issues.
    – they have a Academic help system where you can book a free appointment once a week with an academic advisor to help you with any academic work or questions you have.
    – Strathfield campus has a cafe that you can eat and rest at and the campus as a whole is gorgeous and relaxing.
    – all the other students I come across are quite nice and friendly.
    – they have free counselling and the counsellors I’ve come across are really kind and understanding.
    – I originally come from a small country town so ACU being on the smaller side is quite comforting and closer to what I’m used to. Classes are usually smaller too which gives you more opportunities to connect more with tutors and other students. It feels very close knit and NOT like just a number is a system that I sense other unis may make one feel like.
    – they are always running events during the semesters with free food all the time lol it’s pretty neat and get free meals and snacks many days of the week in the main quad area.
    – they have a games room with tv consoles, arcade machines, board games, table tennis and more.
    – there are many student accessible facilities were you can keep stuff in the fridge, heat up stuff in the micro wave, they’ve got cutlery and dishes, dishwasher and sink and more.
    – lots of sitting areas that are chill and some with nice vibes like amongst the tress and grass which is chill.
    – the library is really chill with lots of study rooms, PowerPoints, many books, printers, chargers, desks and more. They library staff are really really nice too, and are always happy to help.
    -there are lots of student parking, on ground level but also a massive underground parking lot that’s never completely full, all parking is free and unlimited time.

    There is probably more but that’s all I can think of off the top of my head. I’m happy with my experience here so far. I would recommend the Strathfield campus 100%

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  10. George Hanna
    | Reply

    No Complaints. Exactly what you would expect from a small uni

    studied 2 years at ACU (B. Exercise and Sports Science), never had any issues, staff was very helpful and some of them replied to questions within a few hours, even on weekends. ASKacu (their main support entity) was very easy to contact, even used to do a live chat with them when I couldn’t call.

    And yes, some staff members were a bit more annoying than others and made things a whole lot difficult.

    In terms of their online learning, it was an A+ experience for me. I found it super easy to navigate LEO (their online learning platform). Everything was laid out neatly and well organised into weeks and topics and within those you could find video lectures, slides and practice quiz. When compared to other unis around the ACU level, I realised that ACU tops them with their ease of use.

    In all honesty, idk why this uni is getting too much hate. They do exactly what you would expect from an average/small uni.

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  11. Nereida
    | Reply

    awful course organisation and impossible to get support!!

    Course co-ordinator staff are impossible to reach! Ive been trying to sort out very important and time sensitive things relating to the enrollment and offering of some classes and it has been incredibly hard to contact anyone in regards to it. You can only email the course co-oridinators which is incredibly frustrating as you just never hear back from them. The online class options are also really hit an miss. Im studying teaching which was meant to be on campus but all my classes got pushed online. Only 1 of the 3 classes im currently taking is well organised and structured. one they simply assign way too much content, claiming its 2 hours, but itll be 1hr 30min of video content and 100+ pages of textbook readings. The other is outdated with broken links everywhere and im having to spend a lot of my time just hunting down resources. The tutorials for that class werent even organised by the teacher and didnt end up running…. They also organised assignments and placements awfully as i have 2 assignments due mid way into placement and then a few days after placement on the same day i have an assignment, an exam and placement documentation due. The organisation of this course is horrific and the only good part is the askacu line who are wonderful but cannot help with anything course specific which isnt very helpful.

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  12. Shelly Tire
    | Reply

    ACU is hopeless when it comes to organising pre placement requirements! they didn’t have enough places for mask fit tests so i had to drive an hour away. the Midwifery board is rude and does not care about their students and their wellbeing. Even the ACU medical centre said the faculty was unorganised.

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  13. Ben Dover
    | Reply

    ACU being stinky

    Wow… do they even have staff that help with enrolment for their students? It doesn’t seem that way. Does nobody work there? They rarely ever respond to emails and if they do, it is ridiculously late. Disgusting. Because of the lack of assistance, a very close friend of mine and student at ACU was screwed over. She emailed them months ago and they have the audacity to only reply now AND turn the blame onto her? Wow.

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  14. Sue
    | Reply

    THE WORST LAW FACULTY

    I was studying law and was achieving good grades and felt positive. It then started with one subject where I got a poor mark for an essay. I questioned it and the lecturer’s reason was that I had poor grammar even tho the legal analysis was ‘well engaged’. Other lecturers and tutors started started giving me bad marks even for participation which ended up completely f**king up my GPA. Everytime I questioned the lecturers, they started penalising me by deducting marks. I was really upset by this but they didn’t care, they just said get used to it. The Dean didn’t even bother to provide a formal response to my application to remark. I thought this won’t get any better and transferred to UTS. Should have transferred earlier.

  15. Katherine
    | Reply

    This is the only uni that I have encountered that would ask you to show cause if you fail a practicum and I have family friends who had high stress levels who had faced that reality. Thankfully she passed. I think people are allowed to make mistakes and to try again. Most universities will not require you to do that unless you fail the subject twice. Don’t go there. I found Sydney university to be a lot better and other universities too.

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  16. Jimmy
    | Reply

    Absolute Trash

    I studied at the ACU campus in Canberra. No support whatsoever for placements. They allocated me to somewhere far away without checking if I have a vehicle. I raised the issue to the staff and placement officer but they just turn the other cheek on me. Additionally, the materials presented were outdated, and the facilities are minimal to start with. I mean what uni has the main library closes on weekends, instead of reducing hours. Do you know that students may want to study even on weekends? Overall poor excuse of a university. Won’t recommend it at all, and certainly won’t want to go back there.

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  17. Soko
    | Reply

    Worst Uni in whole of Australia

    Worst Uni in whole of Australia I think. The assistance provided by the University is very poor specially the administrative staff. They don’t even respond properly. For international student like me who was taking class online, the service was pathetic. Please donot choose this Uni even if it is your last choice.

  18. Kate
    | Reply

    Should I study at ACU?

    I want to do a bachelor’s of Nursing at ACU because it’s close to home, is it worth it or should I look for another university?

  19. elyse
    | Reply

    0/5

    Honestly wished I picked another uni. I’m currently studying a bachelor of nursing and in semester one of 2021 my mental health took a massive decline and I ended up failing two subjects. Instead of being offered any support all I got was a meeting with a course co-ordinator who said I need to do ONE subject for each semester of 2022, pushing my course back a year. For a catholic university it is unbelievable how little care they have for their students. After telling everyone I know that I’m on the final stretch of my degree, I now have another 2.5 years to go. I’m stuck and they won’t do anything for me. 0/5 if that was an option.

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  20. Felicity Bryder
    | Reply

    Don't do Paramedicine here

    Awful course structure, unreliable staff (SINGULAR!!!), frustrating placement services who send you hours away without giving you the roster until the day before, no support, student society trying to pick up the pieces but don’t get paid for it. Feel like I haven’t learnt anything after 3 years. Run. Go to wsu or utas.

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    • Eselle
      | Reply

      what!!! that actually sucks to hear Felicity. I’m currently a year 12 and I put paramedicine at the top of my course preferences but now i’m in doubt.

  21. Claire
    | Reply

    Awful and unaccommodating

    Absolutely disgusting and disgraceful how this university conducts itself. I myself studied a bachelor of education and my sister is currently studying a bachelor of nursing. For both of us (studied at different campuses) we have found a disgraceful attitude from staff towards students with no concern and a consensus of “too bad, so sad” / “your problem not ours” whenever an issue arose. Majority of the time the issues were from their end which is even more frustrating that an apology and any form of help was never offered. For eg my sister submitted a finished assignment however due to a stuff up on their end they ended up discounting and disregarding that whole assignment and so all her time and effort was a waste of time. Considering the cost of each unit in addition to the fact it is a CATHOLIC University, you would think the staff would be more accommodating and appear as wanting to help you succeed instead of wanting you to fail. No display of Catholic values and attitudes whatsoever. Please do not waste your time or money on this uni. Would give 0 stars if I could.

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  22. Chlo
    | Reply

    ACU is the worst uni I have ever been to (and I’ve been to a few). There is no support from the lecturers and marking has been so inconsistent it’s actually a joke. They will crush your dreams and don’t care either. Don’t even consider going here (I do speech pathology and I wish I lived close enough to go to La Trobe). I would rate 0 stars if I could.

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  23. JO-ANN GILMOUR
    | Reply

    WHICH UNI FOR BACHELOR OF SOCIAL WORK

    Has anyone studied Bachelor of Social Work at ACU?
    It would be great to know your thoughts – I am currently trying to find the best university to study Bachelor of Social Work

  24. James
    | Reply

    Excellent

    I did physio in Brisbane and everything was fantastic. Small class sizes, good wet labs and clinics, excellent integrated clinical subjects , doctoral lecturers and multiple experienced tutors in every practice session. Final year ACU students got some of the best clinical placements and as a cohort we were disproportionately offered more hospital grad jobs than UQ, Griffith, CQU or JCU students. I did my first degree at UQ and had a much more underwhelming experience there, mostly due to the enormous class sizes.

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  25. Taho Tanoa
    | Reply

    Don't even think about it!

    Enrol in this university as an absolute last resort if you can’t get into ANY other university in Australia. Unprofessional bottom-of-the-barrel lecturers who treat you like high school students. Left my course after 6 months – went to Sydney University (breath of fresh air). Unfortunately, they kept my government funding from my enrolment, but it was worth it. Couldn’t wait to get out of there.

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  26. CV
    | Reply

    Hey guys, planing to take occupational therapy here, melbourne campus. Any feedback on the melbourne campus?

  27. Jill
    | Reply

    HELP

    Hey guys, I’m planning to do Speech Pathology in ACU how is it? I’m choosing between La Trobe or ACU? opinions?

    • jasmine
      | Reply

      Hi just wondering if you ended up going to ACU to do the speech pathology course?

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    • Crystal D
      | Reply

      Did you end up doing Speech Pathology? And where did you end up and what do you think of that uni?

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  28. Connor
    | Reply

    Hey guys, looking into doing a nursing degree at the Canberra campus, was wondering if anyone had any prior experience or information they wanted to share? Thanks.

  29. Graham
    | Reply

    Be very cautious if you are considering any online religious study at ACU. If you need to complete online study of RE to be qualified for teaching in a Catholic school I recommend you look elsewhere.

    The subjects delivered online are essentially “read this, respond to this and write an essay.” Very little teaching is done, instead you are given large amounts of content to read, most of which is difficult to understand and very abstract. The online lectures have little lecturing, instead students work in groups and basically guess the answers to questions while being confused together.

    If you have to complete RE certification for teaching, find another university that actually teaches you the content instead of just dishing out mountains of readings.

  30. Sam
    | Reply

    Outdated lecturers?

  31. Anna
    | Reply

    My experience at ACU North Sydney doing a nursing degree has been great. I’ve had really good hospitals for my clinicals and all the lecturers/tutors I’ve had I found to be of a high standard and helpful. The uni doesn’t have an extensive campus and so no gym or pool like some of the others so if that’s important to you you’ll be disappointed. I like the smaller classes though and you seem to get more individual attention if you need it.

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