VU Annual Report reveals record student enrolments in 2025

Victoria University (VU) has released its 2025 Annual Report, highlighting a year of standout results across record enrolments, strong student outcomes and a solid financial position as the tertiary sector undergoes significant national reform. 

In 2025, total student enrolments reached 52,656 - a 27 per cent cumulative increase since the beginning of the University’s current Strategic Plan period (2022 – 2030). This growth strengthens VU’s position as one of Australia’s fastest-growing universities in the country. 

The VU community included 39,571 higher education and 13,085 vocational education and training (VET) students, reflecting continued growth across both areas. A point of pride for VU is that growth is strongly aligned with our purpose – students from equity backgrounds represented 40.6 per cent of our student community and 41.3 per cent were the first in their family to attend university.  

VU also finished the year in a strong financial position, reporting a total surplus of $117.4 million. This result was influenced by several non-recurring and non-cash items. When investment income and one-off items are removed, the underlying operating result was $35.6 million. 

The result reflects disciplined financial management, diversified and mission-aligned growth, and positions VU well to continue to invest in students, staff and infrastructure while also navigating uncertainty across the higher education sector in the years ahead.  

Other highlights from the year included: 

• VU ranked second in Victoria for outstanding overall student experience in the QILT Student Experience Survey, 
• VU’s strong global reputation saw 13,589 international students study on our Melbourne campus’ during the year. 
• VU moved up to number six in the world for Sports Science in the Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (ShanghaiRankings).  
• Four new partnerships with Mercy Health, the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Westjustice and cohealth build on VU’s strong partner network - including the Western Bulldogs, Western Health and Ambulance Victoria - expanding access to high-quality placements and employment pathways for students 

VU Vice-Chancellor Professor Adam Shoemaker said the positive trajectory of VU reflects VU’s commitment to advancing equity:  

“We are thrilled to report another remarkable year for VU. Despite much uncertainty and many global challenges, students are showing up and choosing to study with us. We don’t take that for granted. Our constant strength in our equity cohort reflects our commitment to accessible education which remains front and centre as we work towards implementing the next phase of our Strategic Plan,” Professor Shoemaker said. 

Read the full report.