Who We Are


Avondale University is a not-for-profit private higher education provider established by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in 1897. Its mission is to foster a Christian learning community dedicated to serving world needs.

Avondale’s undergraduate, postgraduate and vocational courses and programs seek to develop the whole person—mental, physical, social and spiritual. Higher education include undergraduate degrees in humanities and the creative arts, business, education, nursing, science and mathematics, and ministry and theology. Postgraduate masters degrees, by both coursework and research, are available in many of the same areas. Doctoral degrees are available in Education, Arts, Nursing, and Ministry and Theology. Avondale also offers a higher education Undergraduate Certificate in University Preparation for those wanting a pathway for entry to a degree and vocational awards in outdoor recreation. All courses of study have received national accreditation.

Avondale accepts the challenge of learning and discovery, of striving for excellence, and of fostering creativity that blends individuality, wisdom and healthy self-evaluation. It values spirituality and believes nothing is of greater significance than each person’s relationship to God as Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. Avondale also values the sustainability of the earth and its peoples and encourages members of its learning community to realise their full potential and to live full and joyful lives. Avondale’s motto, “For a Greater Vision of World Needs,” leads to a more informed understanding of humanitarian needs and responses and to a greater commitment to fulfilling those needs.

Avondale is an entity of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific and welcomes a growing number of students of other faith traditions.

Avondale has two campuses, both in New South Wales. The Lake Macquarie campus is in a rural setting in the town of Cooranbong. The Sydney campus, home to the School of Nursing and Health, is in the North Shore suburb of Wahroonga, adjacent to the Sydney Adventist Hospital, the largest single campus private hospital in the state.