Welcome to Sydney!
Whether this is your first or your 100th time in Sydney, we hope you’re excited about settling into your new home. We know it can be daunting to leave family and friends in order to pursue your aspirations and ambitions. That’s why we’re committed to supporting your move to Macquarie.
Prepare to live in Sydney
Arrange accommodation
Before you move to Sydney, it’s important to have your accommodation options sorted. Whether you prefer to live in on-campus accommodation or independently, our friendly accommodation team can help you search for options to suit your individual situation.
Explore scholarship options
Macquarie has a generous domestic coursework scholarships program. Some scholarships are awarded on the basis of financial need and/or other hardship, while others recognise factors, such as academic excellence, community involvement, leadership potential or sporting achievement.
Connect with a current student
Peer mentors are current Macquarie students who are trained to share their experiences and guide you through your first session of study. If you’d like to meet someone who knows their way around the university and Sydney, you can connect with a Peer Mentor.
Student Essentials
For a well prepared and successful start, we recommend you explore systems and basic essentials resources as they will help you set up all your systems and understand what you need at University.
If you have any questions about the University, contact the team at Service Connect. They’ll be able to help you or direct you to the right service.
Living in Sydney
Understand Sydney's Public Transport
We have our own train station, the Macquarie University Metro Station, which is just a few minutes walk from the centre of the campus. Buses from all over Sydney also stop on campus and in nearby streets.
You’ll either need an Opal card to travel or you can use other contactless payment options (debit/credit card or a mobile wallet). Find out more about buses and trains that get you to campus and how to get an Opal card on the Transport NSW website. We also suggest downloading a transport app, or checking out Transport NSW's Trip Planner resource to help you navigate your way around Sydney.
Travel concession for new students
If you’re enrolled as a full-time student at Macquarie, or you’re registered with Student Wellbeing for accessibility support, you may be eligible for a travel concession which allows for cheaper travel on public transport.
Find financial support
Centrelink offers various support services for remote, regional and rural students and family. These may include Youth Allowance, ABSTUDY and Relocation Scholarships to assist with the cost of moving for higher education studies.
Find paid employment
Macquarie's Career and Employment Service helps students become job-ready and facilitates paid employment opportunities on- and off-campus. Check out Employability Connect for more information, or contact the team via careers@mq.edu.au.
Are you an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander student?
Reach out to Walanga Muru's First Year Coordinator on +61 (2) 9850 4498 or at askWM@mq.edu.au. We’ll get all your questions sorted, and help you get ready to live in Sydney and learn at Macquarie University.