New Suburban University Study Hub opens in Ellenbrook to improve education access

Ellenbrook’s new university hub is expected to boost local tertiary participation and support students closer to home.

The first Suburban University Study Hub in Western Australia has officially opened in Ellenbrook, aiming to improve access to higher education in Perth’s growing outer suburbs.

The hub is also expected to benefit those studying early childhood education, helping to support the pipeline of future educators in Western Australia.

Located within the Ellenbrook Community Library, the new facility is part of a $66.9 million federal government initiative to more than double the number of University Study Hubs across the country, expanding from 34 to 69 locations.

While nearly 50 per cent of young Australians in their 20s and 30s hold a university degree, only 13 per cent of young people in Ellenbrook have attained one. The Ellenbrook University Study Hub is designed to help close this gap by offering students a dedicated space to study, access resources and connect with a support network, without needing to travel long distances.

Federal Minister for Education Jason Clare and Member for Hasluck Tania Lawrence attended the hub’s official launch this week, highlighting the project’s role in reducing education barriers.

“We know these hubs work,” Minister Clare said. “They increase university participation and bring education opportunities closer to where people live. For the first time, we are setting up these hubs in outer suburban communities like Ellenbrook, Armadale and Mandurah.”

More than 300 students are already registered to use the new Ellenbrook hub, which will support students studying both university and TAFE courses across various institutions.

Ms Lawrence said the initiative will particularly benefit residents whose homes are some distance from Perth’s main campuses, even with recent transport upgrades such as the Ellenbrook rail line.

“The hub provides a dedicated space for those who may not have a study area at home, and offers a close-at-hand support network while navigating higher education,” she said.

During the launch, Mr Clare shared stories of local students whose education journeys will be transformed by the hub’s opening. These included a young woman studying to become a teacher at Edith Cowan University, whose commute will now be reduced from over an hour to just five minutes, and a local PhD student enrolled at RMIT who can now study across the road from his home.

The Ellenbrook hub forms part of the Albanese Government’s broader plan to make higher education more equitable and accessible, especially in regional and outer suburban communities.

“Growing up in Western Sydney, many of my friends felt like university was somewhere else for someone else,” Mr Clare said. “I want that to change.”

To learn more about Suburban University Study Hubs, visit the Department of Education website.