La Trobe University

La Trobe University is one of Australia’s leading universities, with more than 36,000 students. The University offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees with a focus on high quality learning, teaching and student experience; a commitment to employment outcomes; and innovative research.

La Trobe has built an international reputation for excellence, and is ranked among the top 100 universities in the world under the age of 50 (QS World University Rankings 2015). La Trobe currently hosts more than 7,000 international students from 110 countries and approximately 2,600 international students complete a degree at the University each year.

La Trobe is ranked among the top ten universities in Australia for the number of research fields rated at well above world standard in the 2015 Excellence in Research for Australia National Report. The University’s researchers work in some of the world’s best facilities, including the La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science and the Centre for AgriBioscience.

La Trobe has eight campuses in Victoria and New South Wales, and is the largest provider of university education in regional Victoria. La Trobe’s largest campus is located in Bundoora, just 14km from Melbourne’s city centre.

The university was established in 1964 following the assent of the La Trobe University Act by Victorian Parliament on 9 December 1964. The passing of the Act of Victorian Parliament to establish La Trobe University followed earlier University Acts to establish the University of Melbourne (1853) and Monash University (1958). The Minister of Education at the time and the appointed planning council were "unanimous in their enthusiasm that the new institution should be innovative in its approach", and the university adopted an academic structure based on schools of studies (rather than on faculties) and a collegiate format, where a large number of students lived on campus. At this time, Flinders University and Macquarie University were also establishing a schools-based system.

Many prominent Victorians were involved in La Trobe's establishment process, and there was a strong belief that it was important to increase research and learning in Victoria. One of the major individuals involved was Davis McCaughey, who later became Governor of Victoria. The university was named after Charles Joseph La Trobe, the first Governor of Victoria, and the university motto, 'whoever seeks shall find', is adapted from Charles La Trobe's family motto. The La Trobe University Coat of Arms incorporates the scallop shells from the La Trobe family bearings, the Australian wedge-tailed eagle to represent Australia, and sprigs of heath to represent Victoria.

Coursework degrees

Apply online, by post or through a La Trobe University representative in your country.

Research degrees

• check your eligibility to study for a Master's, PhD or Doctorate research degree
• identify a potential supervisor for in-principle approval for your project
• and then complete and submit your application documentation.

Sponsored programs

Register as sponsored student – that is, a student receiving funds from a government, organisation or company which covers the cost of study, for example tuition fees, living expenses, etc.

Check your Advanced Standing eligibility

You may be eligible for credit for studies already undertaken in your home country. See which universities and courses are eligible through our international partnerships.

La Trobe's world rankings have fluctuated over the years, and appears to be strongest in the arts and humanities, as is demonstrated by The Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

La Trobe was one of four non-Group of Eight universities ranked in the top 100 universities in the world in particular discipline areas.

Additionally, the 2015–16 THE performance indicators placed La Trobe as 12th in Australia for teaching, 11th for research, and 13th for industry income. It was also ranked in the top 100 universities for arts and humanities in the 2014-15 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, where it was the number one Australian university for industry income.

La Trobe also features a strong Masters of Business Administration (MBA) program which has been ranked in the top 200 business schools by QS Global Rankings since 2010. In 2014 the La Trobe MBA was ranked 14th in Asia, 4th in Australia and 2nd in Victoria by QS Global Rankings.

In 2015 La Trobe was ranked 3rd in Victoria in the Australian Research Council's Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) report.

During the 1960s and 1970s, La Trobe and Monash were considered to have the most politically active student bodies of any university in Australia. The Communist Party of Australia (Marxist-Leninist) was a prominent organisation on campus, often with the cover of a front organisation sometimes encouraging the name 'La Trot'. The following La Trobe alumni were all good friends at the time and took part in student politics: Bill Kelty from the ACTU and Australian Football League Commissioner, former Treasurer Tony Sheehan, Don Watson, Geoff Walsh (Bob Hawke's press secretary), High-profile union officials Brian Boyd, John Cummins and Garry Weaven, former federal treasury official and former Westpac CEO, David Morgan. Some other Labor figures and people from the left side of politics include Mary Delahunty, Phil Cleary and Michael Danby. Despite the general socialist/leftist atmosphere several conservative corporate/business figures and Liberal Party members have come from La Trobe.

Though the student body at La Trobe is no longer as politically active as it once was, the trend is similar at all Australian universities. Nonetheless, Socialist Alternative, and National Labor Students (NLS) are still very active, with both the SRC and Union President typically coming from NLS. La Trobe student organisations (both SRC and Union) were largely run by NLS over previous years, in coalition with various independent groupings.

The La Trobe University Students' Union is responsible for the Eagle Bar, Contact Student Services but its role has been considerably diminished as a consequence of Voluntary Student Unionism. There used to be three main student representative bodies on campus known as the La Trobe University Student Guild, the Student's Representative Council and the La Trobe Postgraduate Student's Association. The La Trobe University Student Representative Council, became the principal representative body on campus and a student advocacy group as well as student representatives for welfare, disability, women, queer, indigenous, environment, education and welfare and the Guild managed student services. In 2011 however, the Student's Representative Council, the La Trobe Postgraduate Students Association, the Students Guild and the university merged the three separate organisations into one body: the La Trobe Student Union.

The current President of the La Trobe University Student Union is Jake Cripps.

A very warm welcome to you from all of us at La Trobe University Australia. Australia is extremely multicultural and so is our university, with more than 8 000 students from 110 countries studying with us annually. At La Trobe we love celebrating and recognising different cultures from the Indian Film Festival to Chinese New Year and as Victorian people, we love attending festivals and events such as the cultural diversity week.

Everywhere you go, there is something special to see and do. Australia is a country and continent surrounded by the Indian and Pacific oceans with breathtaking costal views and beaches. We have six states (Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales, Western Australia, South Australia) and two territories (Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory – which is home to Canberra, Australia’s capital city).

Hugging the tip of Australia's east coast, Victoria is Australia's second-smallest state, covering 227 600 square kilometres – roughly the size of the British Isles; with a population of approximately 5 million people. Victoria has a mild, temperate climate with warm to hot summers, moderate autumns, cool to cold winters and sunny springs. Our 6 Victorian campuses are designed to accommodate for all weather conditions from beautiful outside grounds to cozy and stylish indoor spaces.

Melbourne is the capital city of Victoria, and is home to our largest campus which hosts over 25 000 students. Melbourne has been ranked the world's most liveable city for the sixth year running and scores the highest possible mark for all categories, including infrastructure, housing, education, access, environmental focus, crime rate, culture and cultural events, diversity and climate.

Australia is one of the safest destinations in the world, and all of our campuses have excellent safety records. Our Melbourne campus has security officers which are available at all hours to provide assistance and support, plus there is a 24-hour security hotline for emergencies.

Studying overseas is a life changing experience and we hope that you choose to come study with us!