Country Universities Centre (CUC) Southern Shoalhaven

Who we are

The Country Universities Centre (CUC) model is designed and developed by regional people for regional people and their communities to provide equitable access to higher education. It is both a grassroots and agile model.

Each CUC Centre is owned, governed, and driven by its local community through an independent Board of Directors. This framework provides for place-based learning solutions. The CUC can respond quickly to the unique higher education challenges and needs of local communities.

In early 2019 the opportunity to implement a Country Universities Centre in the local district was floated with several business and community representatives. Over the next few months a Steering Committee was established to develop a formal  business case for State and Federal funding needed to establish a CUC in our Ulladulla region. Extensive community consultation to support our business case was conducted and found that sentiment for the concept was indeed overwhelming. Our submission was successful and after an initial phase Grant negotiations a Board of Directors was installed and the search for a site for the Centre began. Recruitment of our Centre Manager was finalised in November 2020 with the Centre opening to students in December, 2021. Official opening was in May 2022.

Why we are here

Regional and rural communities deserve quality opportunities to pursue their dreams without the need to relocate. Our mission is to provide regional people with the space and tools they need to create a vibrant and more prosperous future for themselves and their wider community.

Who we are here for

All people in the Southern Shoalhaven region who are studying higher education from any Australian university or non-university higher education provider. If you’re a local business or service provider interested in engaging locally trained university graduates and students, or hosting student placements and work-based learning, we are here for you too.

What we do

We are driving change in regional education by empowering the Southern Shoalhaven community to fulfil their potential through higher education. We are increasing access by providing a highly connected learning community in Ulladulla to overcome the barriers to success.

We have created a dedicated learning and study space in Ulladulla that has been designed for regional people by regional people. Our students have free access to high-speed Internet, modern technology, and general academic support all delivered here at CUC Southern Shoalhaven. Our students have the opportunity to build a network of like-minded fellow students and can take advantage of being part of a large regional learning community.