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CUCs are a government-funded network of community-run centres operating in regional areas that are distant from universities. They provide study spaces, high-speed internet and support for students studying at universities across Australia and the world.

Regional people participate in higher education at half the rate of metropolitan Australians (Halsey, 2018; Commonwealth of Australia, 2019; Productivity Commission 2019). The mission of the Country Universities Centre (CUC) program is to address under-representation of regional, rural, and remote students in higher education by providing quality opportunities for local students to pursue higher education without the need to relocate.

The NSW Government supported establishment of CUCs in NSW and most recently allocated an $8 million grant to the CUC program to establish five new centres in regional locations by 2024. An evaluation of the CUC program is required under the Funding Agreement. The evaluation assesses CUC outcomes to see whether the aims of the program have been met. This evaluation was informed by primary data collection from key stakeholders, CUC-provided data, and ABS data.

The Social Policy Research Centre evaluated the CUC program using methods including surveys, interviews with CUC staff,students, and community members, and an operational costs analysis.

An independent evaluation of NSW Country Universities Centres by the University of NSW’s Social Policy Research Centre found that without the CUC program many regional and rural students would not have started or completed their university studies. The Final Report was released on August 14, 2024.