Notre Dame is a private Catholic University, extending from the West Coast of Australia in the beautiful and historic City of Fremantle, to the North-West town of Broome and across the continent to the heart of Sydney.
We embrace the ancient and esteemed traditions of Catholic Universities in Europe, North America and 2000 years of the Catholic Intellectual Tradition. We welcome people of all faiths or none at all. As an academic community, we welcome open and rigorous enquiry, debate and discussion.
We have an enrolment of over 12,000 students and offer a comprehensive range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs. Our student experience, employment and graduate outcomes are among the very best in Australia.
We provide our students with the theoretical knowledge and professional skills which will empower them to realise their potential, build interconnectedness with all peoples and willingly serve the community through active participation, engagement and reflection.
We have a powerful commitment to honouring the individual and recognise that each student is graced with their own gifts and talents. We believe that higher education should prepare students for a rich, fulfilling and reflective life, not just a career path.
We are a modern Catholic University, operating in a world in which the vast speed of change is felt in nearly all aspects of our daily lives. We bring to bear our traditions and our values to engage in scholarship and research, to address the developments and challenges of the modern world, to serve the common good and to assist all our students to achieve the academic excellence that we promote and expect.
Notre Dame extends coast to coast with campuses located in Fremantle and Broome in Western Australia, and in the heart of Sydney in New South Wales. The University’s seven clinical Schools are located throughout New South Wales and Victoria.
Fremantle Campus est. 1989
Our foundation Campus is located in the historic West End of the port city of Fremantle, south of Perth. Housed within beautifully restored heritage buildings, it provides a ‘town university’ of great character. The iconic Campus is close to the Fremantle Harbour, cafes, shops and the famous ‘Cappuccino Strip’, and all major transport hubs.
Broome Campus est. 1994
The University’s Broome Campus provides a unique environment for students, offering practical learning opportunities and cultural awareness training, in the heart of Australia’s iconic Kimberley region.
Sydney Campus est. 2006
Our Sydney Campus is based across two sites – Broadway and Darlinghurst – both located in the vibrant social hub of the harbour city.
The Broadway site is at the heart of Sydney’s uni precinct, a short walk from Central Station and close to Darling Harbour. Darlinghurst is situated to the east of the CBD, nestled in Sydney’s shopping and cafe district.
Clinical Schools
The University’s eight Clinical Schools are located in Sydney, Melbourne and regional New South Wales.
International links
Notre Dame has a number of international partners in North America, Europe and Asia. Students can study overseas for one or more semesters to complete courses towards their degree, as well as enjoy an intellectual and cultural experience of a lifetime.
The Australian Government’s Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching 2018 Student Experience Survey results place Notre Dame as one of the top universities in Australia
The university has a higher teaching to research staff ratio than most universities in Australia. The university either does not participate in or does not qualify for research-based university rankings including the Times Higher Education rankings, CWTS Leiden rankings and ARWU Shanghai rankings and is therefore unranked in those publications. Notre Dame University does, however, have a position on ARWU Shanghai Ranking's Global Ranking for Academic Subjects for nursing at #151–200 globally. University ranking organisations that rank universities regardless of participation such as Quacquarelli Symonds and U.S. News & World Report have ranked the university as #1511 and #1401+ respectively, though their reliability is subject to scrutiny.
The university is however known for its high student satisfaction rate, which according to the federal Student Experience Survey 2019 was the second highest in Australia and the highest among Western Australian universities. The university is also notable for having significantly higher practical placement hours than legally required in its nursing, physiotherapy and education programs.
In the 2023 Good Universities Guide, Notre Dame University rated among the top four Australian universities for teaching quality, skills development and learner engagement. It is also one of two national universities to have maintained a 5-star rating in teaching quality for 16 years consecutively.
