Riverina Institute is located in the Riverina region of south western NSW, about six hours drive from Sydney and 2½ hours from Canberra, the capital of Australia. It covers the agriculturally fertile Murray Irrigation Area to the NSW/Victorian border and westwards to the NSW/South Australian border. It has almost 15,000 students studying at 19 campuses. International students study at five of these campuses.

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Biggest city/town

Wagga Wagga (population: 46,700)

What's it like to live there?

The Riverina offers a rural lifestyle with friendly country people. Students can enjoy a good lifestyle here – no traffic jams, no crowds and cleaner, green communities with the services and facilities available in larger cities.

Wagga Wagga has great shopping, sports facilities, cafes, fine dining and a large, vibrant arts and cultural scene.

The Riverina is also Australia's largest wine-producing area and generates AUD$1 billion in horticultural and agricultural products each year. This means plenty of part-time jobs. Its location midway between Sydney and Melbourne makes it an ideal rural base to experience "the best of both worlds".

Generally, living costs are lower in the Riverina, especially for rent and fresh food. Small classes with mostly Australian born students will improve your English every day, which is important for those international students who may apply to live and work in Australia in the future.

Specialised campuses

• The Primary Industries Centre is a 200 hectare commercial farm teaching Agriculture and Horticulture.
• The National Environment Centre is a unique 182 hectare certified organic farm offering accredited training in Organic Production and Permaculture.
• Griffith Campus offers Enrolled Nursing, Aged Care Work, Health Services Assistance and Children's Services in a new state-of-the-art training facility.
• Wagga Wagga campus is home to the multi-award-winning training restaurant "On Course" and offers courses in Tourism, Events, Commercial Cookery and Hospitality Management.
• Albury and Wagga Wagga campuses offer specialist Digital Media and Information Technology courses including CISCO.

Student testimonial

"I come from Nairobi and now live and study in Griffith – a community of 26,000 people. Everyone knows each other – it's a friendly place where people smile when you pass them in the street.

In Kenya a regional area is a desert with no facilities and services – not here! The Riverina is beautiful, green and home to a thriving agricultural industry. Everything I need is here and it's a great place to study – no distractions.

The teachers explain what we are learning and are helpful and give you time to digest everything and ask questions.

There is much less theory than I expected and much more practical skills training. This makes learning easier. My class mates are good-natured – they realise that I am not Australian, they see that I am different but in a good way. Here, you are guaranteed to be rewarded for your efforts. The food here is great! Griffith provides almost everything that I like to eat in Kenya."

Sylvia, Kenya

Further information

Riverina Institute campuses are located within the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship's (DIAC) designated regional area for the purposes of skilled migration. For further information visit the Department of Immigration and Citizenship website

Campus locations and transport links

Campus	Address	Train	Bus	Parking
Albury Campus	Poole Street, Albury NSW 2640
Griffith Campus	Neville Place, Griffith NSW 2680
National Environmental Centre	Ettamogah Road, Thurgoona NSW 2640
Primary Industries Centre	Coolamon Road, Wagga Wagga NSW 2650
Wagga Wagga Campus	Macleay & Coleman Streets, Wagga Wagga NSW 2650