Description

Founded in 1966, Flinders is a modern, progressive university with an international reputation for excellence in teaching and research. Flinders University was named to commemorate the explorer Matthew Flinders, who in 1802 was the first European to sail along the coast of the St. Vincent Gulf. The coastline described in his journals is the view seen today from the hilly Flinders University campus.

Located in Bedford Park, Flinders is 10 kilometers from the center of Adelaide in the southern foothills of the Mount Lofty ranges. The modern academic buildings are surrounded by parklands, natural bushlands, a tree-fringed lake, pine forest, athletic fields and the University Hall, where most IFSA-Butler students will live. The university combines the advantages of a safe, suburban location with the convenience of regular buses to the city, beaches, and hills. Farmlands and vineyards of the McLaren Vale are less than an hour to the south, and the sea is less than half an hour to the west.

Flinders is one of Australia's smaller universities, with an enrollment of about 11,000. More than 800 international students come from 55 different countries. Flinders is often described as 'user-friendly' or 'the students' university,' where students enjoy studying on the well-equipped, beautiful campus with its relaxed atmosphere and helpful staff. On-campus students will find a health and counseling center, computer facilities, two banks, a bookshop, pharmacy, post office, travel agent, tavern, wholefood shop, and numerous cafeterias and snack shops.

For recreation, Flinders has first-class playing fields for cricket, football, baseball, hockey, soccer and tennis. The two sports centers have excellent facilities for weight-training, aerobics, squash, badminton, basketball, five-a-side soccer, table tennis, volleyball and other indoor sports. There are three 'sweat tracks' in the pine forest located near the Registry, which are great for jogging or walking. Facilities for sailing, water skiing, parasailing and windsurfing are close by at Glenelg beach. Past IFSA-Butler students rave about Flinders, particularly the academics, location, student activities, and integration with Australians.

Flinders University is part of IFSA-Butler's Ultimate Australia program. Ultimate Australia allows students to experience the "real Australia" by studying in less touristy cities while enjoying an urban orientation in Sydney, followed by a visit to the Outback before the start of the academic semester.

Highlights

Australia is a land of compelling extremes. The oldest datable land forms on earth are found in Australia, but it was the last continent to be discovered by Western explorers. It is the longest continuously inhabited continent on earth but has a written history of only 213 years. It is the smallest continent on the planet but it is also the largest island. Settled as a convict prison, today the country of Australia is one of the freest democratic societies in the world. As large as the continental United States in land area, it is home to barely 18 million people, the same population as the state of California. In a land of vast unsettled spaces, over 80 percent of the population lives in one of the five major cities.

Originally the European settlers were almost exclusively English and Irish. Today the country has sizable populations of Italians, Greeks, Malays, Indonesians and Chinese to enrich the cultural mix of this once isolated island. It is this diversity and this incredible backdrop that make Australia truly an education by itself. Combine this with the academic excellence of its universities, and you have a study abroad destination like no other.

The academic year in Australia is reversed due to the seasonal inversion in the southern hemisphere. The academic year roughly follows the calendar year, beginning in late February and ending in late November. The application deadlines for IFSA-Butler programs in Australia are November 15 for the spring semester and academic year and March 15 for the fall semester. Remember that if you leave in February for your 'spring' semester, you will be arriving in Australia at the end of their summer and will stay until the middle of their winter season.

Degree Level

Bachelors Degree (Undergraduate)

Subject Areas

Cost in US$:

Inquire for more info.

Program Fees Include:

Tuition, housing, pre-departure advising and information, some fees, subsidized excursions, overseas orientation, fully-staffed IFSA-Butler office in Sydney and a Student Services Coordinator in each university city.

Experience Required

no