Southern Cross University has made the decision to drop its Creative Arts courses from 2025.

In a statement, SCU said:

Southern Cross University regularly reviews its course offerings to ensure they align with current and future student demand, and provide excellent graduate outcomes.

Unfortunately, demand for Creative Arts courses has steadily declined over recent years, both at Southern Cross University and across the sector. After careful and thoughtful consideration, the University had made the difficult decision to discontinue Creative Arts courses with no new intakes from 2025.

This includes the Bachelor of Art and Design, the Bachelor of Contemporary Music, and the Bachelor of Digital Media. This decision includes the Coomera Creative Campus at the Gold Coast (the University’s partnership with TAFE Qld) and online. 

This has been an extremely difficult decision as Southern Cross University has a long history of providing creative degrees in the NSW Northern Rivers region.

Students currently enrolled in these courses will be able to complete their degrees as planned. The University will support the current students through a teach-out period, which is expected to conclude in 2028. Approximately 1% of Southern Cross University’s 19,100 current students are enrolled in impacted courses. 

Staff teaching into these degrees will be required during the teach-out period. Potential redeployment for ten (10) impacted staff will be considered throughout the teach-out period. 

Southern Cross University remains fully committed to education in Lismore and the NSW Northern Rivers. We will continue to offer programs where there is demand and community need, including new courses in Veterinary Technology, Veterinary Medicine, and Physiotherapy over 2025 and 2026.

These decisions are part of a broader strategy to ensure that Southern Cross University continues to be sustainable amidst ongoing challenges in the sector. Southern Cross University remains focused on areas where it can deliver the most value to students, staff, and the wider community.