Visitors & the Community

For over 60 years, UNSW has been involved in many activities that provide support to the community. Staff and students are dedicated to sharing their energy and expertise with individuals, families and community organisations to make a difference.  UNSW's many Faculty Advisory Councils provide a highly valuable link to industry and the community as they lend their expertise to our staff and students and help shape programs.

Events
UNSW holds an array of concerts, workshops and public lectures at the various UNSW campuses, as well as off-campus. Subscribe to receive regular emails about upcoming UNSW events.

Campus Tours
Every Friday at 3:30pm, students, parents, high school staff and visitors are invited to participate in a tour of the UNSW Kensington Campus. Registration is essential as group size is limited to 10. 

Click on the headings below to learn more about the community services and programs UNSW has to offer:

Community Outreach

  • Australian Human Rights Centre (AHRC) aims to increase public awareness about human rights procedures, standards and issues within Australia and the international community. The Centre undertakes research projects on contemporary human rights issues and provides accessible information on developments within the field.
  • Football United - Refugee Youth Soccer Development Program seeks to assist young refugees in their immigration and integration to Australia by providing a supporting and enjoyable environment through a soccer development program.
  • Kingsford Legal Centre provides free advice and referral and ongoing assistance to the residents of the local area in relation to legal problems.
  • National Children's and Youth Law Centre is dedicated to addressing human right issues for children and young people through legal change.
  • Rural Clinical School Building in Albury-Wodonga as part of a federal Government-funded effort to address a shortage of medical practitioners in rural areas.
  • The Shack Tutoring Program  is run in partnership with the Shack Youth Services at Maroubra as part of their outreach services and provides tutoring for high school students from the local community on campus.
  • Centre for Social Impact has a profoundly important mission: to educate tomorrow’s social entrepreneurs and strengthen today’s social enterprises.
  • UNSW Community Development Project is a unique community development project based on strong relationships between the University, public housing tenants, and the NSW Department of Housing.

Arts and Culture

  • Art Collection  
    A walking tour of twelve works from the UNSW Art Collection entitled public art@UNSW has been created within the public domain of the Kensington campus.
  • College of Fine Arts (COFA)'s Public Exhibition Space regularly hosts exhibitions in its galleries.
  • School of the Arts and Media offers regular performances, screenings and research seminars by staff and students as well as special lectures and events from visiting artists and academics.  Venues and rehearsal spaces managed by the Creative Practice Lab are available for hire by performance companies, independent artists, filmmakers, students and community groups.
  • Australia Ensemble runs a free concert and workshop series as well as its subscription season.
  • The Collegium Musicum Choir typically involves around 100 singers in each program, and presents three concerts annually. Membership includes undergraduate and postgraduate students, staff, alumni and community members.
  • UNSW Orchestra was founded in 1989 to bring the live performance of fine music to the University community and to the many people who live in the surrounding suburbs.
  • UNSW Wind Band is a symphonic wind band consisting of around 50 woodwind, brass and percussion players. Band members are students, staff and alumni of UNSW.
  • UNSW Institute of Languages offers English courses for migrants funded by the Australian Government, Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) through the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP).
  • UNSW Literary Fellowship is funded by the University's volunteer U Committee, and awarded every two years to a distinguished writer (in any field), desirably with a work in progress that would benefit from a period at the University and with a willingness to contribute to university life.
  • UNSW Great Books Group is open to staff and students of UNSW and the community.  Each book is introduced to the group by a speaker with a general discussion held the following week.  Meetings are held every Friday during Semester at 1pm.  Please email paul.thomas@unsw.edu.au or call (02) 9382 4620.

Environment

  • myUNSW Carpools saves you money by sharing the cost of fuel, tolls and parking. The more people in your carpool, the more everyone saves!  All UNSW community members are welcome to join.
  • Learn about the University's sustainability initiatives, ensuring UNSW's operations are environmentally sound and socially responsible.

Health

  • Centre for Eye Health is the world's first ocular imaging centre to offer free diagnosis and management services to the general community.
  • UNSW Optometry Clinic offers comprehensive eye examinations in addition to a variety of specialist clinics to the public across campus.
  • Psychology Clinic offers affordable psychological services of a high standard for the general public and is actively involved in clinical research treatment trials that the general public may become involved in.
  • The Museum of Human Disease highlights the workings of the human body and reflects the changing patterns of disease in our society. Public visits and audio tours are available between 3-5pm weekdays.

Online

  • Online Lectures allows high school students to get a head start on university-level computing studies thanks to an innovative online learning project.
  • UNSW YouTube Community Channel runs student-generated content so that students can communicate with each other, articulating their ideas and experiences.
  • iTunes U allows students to receive podcast feeds of course material, delivered weekly direct to their computer or portable media device.

    Social Media
    UNSW has a presence on a number of social networking sites. Follow us on:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Flickr

School to University

  • UNSW's ASPIRE program works with ten partner high schools to coordinate a range of on-campus and school activities which encourage students to aspire to a university education.
  • Gifted Education Research, Resource and Information Centre (GERRIC) offers a range of holiday programs for gifted and talented students, conferences, short-courses for parents and teachers and a range of teaching resources.
  • Indigenous Communities Staff and students at Nura Gili Indigenous Programs Centre support community outreach programs to actively spread the message of the availability of tertiary studies.

Other Community Programs and Services

  • Sport and Recreation Centre offers very flexible and competitively priced membership options, with no lock-in contracts and no joining fees. Membership is open to the general public.
  • UNSW Library
    Community borrower library membership can be purchased for an annual fee.
  • UNSW Venues and Events offers discounted rates to community and not-for-profit organisations and the venues and rehearsal spaces managed by the Creative Practice & Research Unit, School of the Arts and Media, are available for hire.
  • Retail outlets
  • Food courts
  • Bookshop
  • Bar
  • Dental Services
  • Gardens
  • Library
  • Market Days
  • Medical Services
  • Post Office

To find out more about accessing these services on campus please visit the A-Z Services Guide.