Healthy Campus Projects

Bond University has muscled up for global health and wellbeing, joining the prestigious FISU Healthy Campus initiative — an international program designed to make university life healthier, more active, and more connected. And we’re not just dipping a toe in — we’ve already hit a major milestone, earning the International University Sports Federation’s (FISU), Bronze […]

Competitive sport versus social-cultural clubs in campus life. Research indicates that students’ participation in university-based extracurricular activities contributes to their graduate attributes such as leadership, teamwork, communication and resilience. However, it has yet to be determined which types of extracurricular activities are more impactful. Carmel Foley, Simon Darcy, Anja Hergesell, Barbara Almond, Matthew McDonald, Lan […]

As traditional sport participation stagnates or declines, flexible informal sporting forms are increasingly a focus for those with a vested interest in maximising participation in sport and physical activity. This study critiques existing definitions of informal sport as overly binary, largely unhelpful, and conceptually diffuse. We propose a more nuanced understanding of informal sport that […]

Notre Dame and UTS Join FISU Healthy Campus Program, Strengthening Australia’s Leadership  Australia continues to set the benchmark in fostering healthier university environments, with The University of Notre Dame Australia (Notre Dame) and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) becoming the 11th and 12th Australian universities to sign up for the FISU Healthy Campus Program. […]

Deakin University becomes 10th signatory to FISU’s Healthy Campus Programme Deakin University recently became the tenth higher education institution in Australia to sign up to the Federation of International University Sport (FISU) Healthy Campus Programme. Notably this registration made Australia one of the leading countries in this global platform with the largest % of member […]

Universities’ higher elite athlete program investment sees student athletes’ Olympic performance soar. By Don Knapp Australian University Sport began tracking the performance of student-athletes at Olympic Games in preparation for its Winning Edge funding submission to the Australian Sports Commission in 2012. At the 2004 Athens Games, 104 student-athletes were selected in the Australian Olympic […]

A report on the support and services provided to elite student-athletes by Australian universities. Research has revealed that elite athletes have the capacity to achieve simultaneous sporting and academic success (Henry, 2013; Wylleman, 2017). The 2008, 2012 and 2016 Australia Olympic team confirmed this with over 50% of medallists being current or former elite student-athletes […]

In 2018 UniSport conducted a research project with Griffith University and the University of the Sunshine Coast examining the elite student-athlete experience with Australian universities. Data was gained from 867 elite student-athletes from 27 universities. A full industry report on the findings is below. Download the full report below. (1MB)

University students are at higher risk of mental health issues, influenced by their subjective social status and social contact. This study found that higher perceived status and more social interaction with friends positively impacted mental health and well-being, leading to lower depression and increased well-being. Enhancing social connections and perceived social status can play a […]

University students, often seen as privileged, face significant physical and mental health issues, with a higher prevalence of psychological disorders compared to their community peers. This research on first-year Australian rural university students highlighted common health issues such as fatigue, anxiety, and depression. Despite most students having adequate access to medical and support services, concerns […]