VU Kick Start Program

Get the best start at Victoria University (VU) with Kick Start!

VU Kick Start is a free program for first-year students who are of the first in their family to attend university. If neither of your parents attended university, you are eligible to join – even if you have siblings who have been to uni ahead of you. The program aims to provide you with resources to feel prepared, connected, and ready to take ownership of your VU experience.

You will learn more about university life and undergraduate study, so that you feel more confident as a student, develop better study habits, and build a strong support network from the moment you start at VU. The workshops are run just like VU classes, so you will know exactly what to expect on day one.

Eligibility

This free program is open to domestic students of all ages who are in their first year of a university degree.

It is specifically for students who are first-in-family, which means that neither of your parents attended university (but you may have a sibling at university).

Unfortunately, we are not offering the program to international or TAFE students at this time.

What happens

If you want to know what classes will be like, this is your chance. The workshops involve small groups of students, and have a similar format to standard classes. There are presentations, group discussions, campus tours, and other activities to get you moving and connecting with other students.

By the time you start classes, you will know:

• how your timetable, classes, written assignments, and tests work
• how to get the most out of your developing network at uni
• strategies for balancing study with other parts of your life
• where everything is on campus, and how to make the most of student services that are available.

Kick Start has a supportive atmosphere, with helpful staff, and students who have 1-2 years of experience at uni. You'll get a chance to ask a lot of questions and meet other first-year students, just like yourself.

You will be working with student mentors and teaching staff and there will be plenty of time for personal questions and support.

Dates

Kick Start lasts for three days.

Dates: 14, 15 and 17 July 2025
Time: 10am–12noon

Find out more

VU Kick Start began in 2019 and was developed and run by Dr Laurie Chapin and Dr Bert Oraison. The program was recognised with the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Learning and Teaching in 2020.

VU Kick Start has been featured a number of media outlets:

• The Australian: Victoria Uni Kick Start Program lends a hand to first-in-family students (article requires The Australian subscription)
• The Age: Jasmine is part of an under-recognised group. Now her university is tackling the stigma
• ABC Radio National: Being the first university student in the family.

VU has a 5-star rating for first-in-family admissions (Good Universities Guide 2024) and almost 40% of our domestic undergraduate students are the first in their family to go to uni.