Today the traditional undergraduate College, comprising around 320 students, sits alongside St Paul’s Graduate House which is home to postgraduates and academics.
With the admission of the first female undergraduates in 2023, St Paul’s became fully co-residential and thus entered a new and exciting chapter in its history. The College is committed to admitting and maintaining equal numbers of male and female students going forward.
If you are like most people, you may be unsure exactly what a residential college is. Put briefly and simply, St Paul’s offers the very best full time, all-round university experience possible: the exhilaration of living and learning together within a supportive and caring community. As the University of Sydney’s population inches towards 75,000, the idea of being part of a college community small enough to give you a real sense of belonging, is attractive to more and more students.
The benefits of living in close proximity to the University of Sydney campus are obvious, but it would be wrong to think that St Paul’s is merely a convenient place to stay while studying. Many people are surprised to learn that St Paul’s is both a residential and a teaching college, modelled in part on the offerings of the great collegiate universities of the world such as Oxford, Cambridge, Yale and Harvard. Living in College for the duration of your degree enriches not just your academic journey, but your human journey. At St Paul’s you are able to integrate your academic, spiritual, cultural and sporting life along with social activities, leadership opportunities and community service.
At its core though, College is about friendship. Almost without exception Old Paulines (as our alumni are known) look back on their years here as one of the happiest and most formative times in their lives. Invariably the stories they tell are about the joy of shared experiences, their growth into adulthood and the lifelong friendships formed along the way.
St Paul’s aims to provide the best possible model of what an academic community of young people can be. We aim to foster intellectual leadership, academic excellence, moral responsibility and civilised values. True to our Christian foundation, we aim to reflect God’s love for us in the love and care we show for one another and our commitment to serve the community beyond.
The culture of St Paul’s College is inclusive, respectful, safe and fun. It fosters life-long friendships, leadership skills and academic excellence. Shaped by its Anglican identity, the College seeks to develop personal character traits of humility, generosity, service and compassion.
St Paul’s College sits amongst beautiful and extensive grounds and gardens at the heart of the University of Sydney. The neighbouring suburb of Newtown, with its bustling café, bar and restaurant scene, is a short walk from the College, as is Broadway shopping centre. Redfern railway station is just a few blocks away. Buses on City Road travel directly to Central railway station and the CBD with bus, rail and ferry connections to the airport, beaches and other Sydney attractions.
