When your child heads off to uni, you look back on the years leading to that point and hope you’ve done enough to prepare them for ‘life as an adult’. We understand that it’s a big deal when they leave the nest.

So we want to reassure you, when your child moves from home to join us, they’ll become part of another family – our Charles Sturt family. We’re friendly, warm and welcoming. And we know how to take care of your child.

Support for students isn’t an add-on

When your child studies at Charles Sturt University, they’re studying with us. At Charles Sturt, support services aren’t an ‘add-on’ – they’re part of your child’s everyday experience. Being supported is just a normal part of being in our family.

We’ll introduce your child to our academic and social support services early, and encourage them to use them often. We don’t just roll out the support if your child is in trouble. We support your child today, so they don’t find themselves in a pickle tomorrow.

Here are five reasons you can know your child is in safe hands with us.

1. Orientation

Orientation at Charles Sturt will set your child up for smooth sailing through the early weeks of uni. With three types of sessions in our program – academic, services and support, and uni life – your child will find out what’s expected of them in their course and discover for themselves all the support services available. They’ll settle into life as a Charles Sturt student and make their first uni friends. Their first week won’t be one long toga party – it’ll be fun, but it will also be informative and helpful!

2. Study support and advice

Charles Sturt provides free study support and advice whenever your child needs it – seven days a week, including in the evenings and on the weekends. Our learning advisers can be reached in person, on the phone, via email, Skype or online chat. And no question is too big or too small for your child to ask – from a query about their course, feedback on an assignment, or help with study planning and technique.

We also offer self-paced learning, interactive workshops, one-to-one training and online courses that cover the fundamentals of studying. So if your child needs help developing their critical thinking, research and reading skills, note-taking, academic writing, referencing or proofreading – we’ve got them covered.

3. Health and wellbeing

Your child’s health and wellbeing are important to us – as it is to you. We know that a healthy student is a happy student. We provide a wide range of services and information that will keep them in top physical, mental and emotional shape. These include regular health information sessions on campus and free, confidential counselling services. It’s comforting to know your child will have someone to talk to, if they need to.   

4. Religious support

If your family is one of faith, you’ll want to know that there’s religious or spiritual support available for your child when they get to uni.

Charles Sturt has on-campus religious support. Many of our campuses also host visiting spiritual advisers. And we have student clubs that support students of Christian and Islamic faiths that your child can join.

5. Financial assistance

Each year Charles Sturt University awards more than $3 million in scholarships and grants to students just like your child. Accessing some of that cash could take the pressure off both them and you!

You’ll also be pleased to know that we run free financial support and skills workshops. And we have finance and welfare officers who can help your child create a spending plan or develop a budget. There’s a program called Earn as You Learn on several of our campuses that can help them get a part-time job. And we have a variety of loans, subsidies and schemes that can assist your child if they get in a pinch.

Support services for everybody

Our Student Equity Office provides advice and support to ensure students from all backgrounds have the same opportunities to succeed, no matter what their circumstances are. Our Disability Service provides advice, support and adjustments if needed, to ensure students with disability can participate 100 per cent in their studies.

Our specialised Indigenous student support programs help First Nations students achieve their personal and professional goals in their community. And our Ally Program promotes a safe, inclusive and affirming environment for students and staff who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer or questioning (LGBTIQA+).

These are just some of the support services we provide to ensure that everyone – including your child – can create a world worth living in at Charles Sturt.

Breathe easy

As your child heads off to Charles Sturt, it’s reassuring to know that we’ve got their back from day one. So as you wave goodbye, you can breathe easy. And remember, you’re welcome to contact us whenever you need to – because we’re family.