UNSW has launched a new learning program that will give Canberra’s secondary school students early access to university study.
As part of the development of its new Canberra City precinct, UNSW has launched a new learning program that will give Canberra’s secondary school students early access to university study.
To be taught at UNSW Canberra’s City precinct in Reid, the UNSW ACTivate program will offer two courses initially to ACT Year 11 students, and later to Year 12 students – Cyber Security and Systems Architecture.
UNSW ACTivate is being launched following the introduction earlier this year of UNSW Canberra’s undergraduate Bachelor of Cyber Security course, the first out of its Canberra City precinct.
UNSW Canberra Rector and Dean, Professor Emma Sparks said the UNSW ACTivate program is an important part of the university’s increasing presence in Canberra and the commitment it has to developing the skills and knowledge of the ACT’s younger generation.
“UNSW Canberra is really excited to partner with the ACT Government to offer Canberra’s Year 11 and 12 students with the opportunity to experience university study and for them to potentially get some valuable insights into what sort of degree they might want to do after school,” Professor Sparks said.
“The participating students will be taking part in face-to-face learning on our campus which will give them a first-hand taste of what studying at university is like.”
Professor Sparks said that the UNSW ACTivate program will be an important part of the university’s focus on lifelong learning by giving young students the opportunity to experience the many benefits of tertiary education.
“UNSW is firmly committed to making education as accessible as possible for as many people as possible and we really want to give potential students a number of options to either start or continue down the path of higher education.”
UNSW ACTivate is part of the ACT Government’s H Course initiative which gives Year 11 and 12 students the opportunity to have a successfully completed course recognised towards an undergraduate degree with UNSW.
A ‘H classification’ is given to each specialist course, which is designed and accredited by UNSW and the ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies (BSSS). Students can include H courses and units to meet the requirements for an ACT Senior Secondary Certificate and Tertiary Entrance Statement. Scaled H course scores may also contribute to a student's Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) calculation.
The first two UNSW ACTivate courses will begin in ACT secondary schools’ term 2, 2026 and expressions of interest are currently being accepted. For more information and to register an expression of interest parents, students and teachers can visit: https://www.unsw.edu.au/canberra/study-with-us/city-campus-programs/unsw-activate
To be eligible, students must:
UNSW Canberra is currently operating out of what was formerly the CIT Reid campus whilst phase one of its new UNSW Canberra City precinct is being developed.
Construction of the new UNSW Canberra City precinct will begin in early 2026 and the first two new buildings are planned to be completed by the start of the 2028 university year.