CHARLES Sturt University will be closing its three inner-city study centres in a bid to attract more international students to regional centres including Bathurst.
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The university has confirmed it will not be extending the 25-year agreement with Study Group Australia in which study centres in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane have been operated.
The metro centres, where about 70 per cent of CSU's international students conduct their studies, will shut at the end of 2022.
Charles Sturt pro vice-chancellor, community and global engagement, Tom Burton, said the decision was made in light of a new strategy which involves a heightened focus on the network of regional campuses.
As well as Bathurst, that includes Orange, Dubbo, Albury, Wagga and Port Macquarie.
Mr Burton said there will be a big push to bring future international students and researchers out to the regional campuses.
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"One of the key priorities is to continue to look at international education and international research as a key component and what we want to do is focus all our efforts on our main campus network in regional NSW," he said.
"We want to work with community and employers and the regions more broadly to deliver a really fantastic experience."
The existing cohort enrolled at the centres, which includes 1500 international students, will be permitted to finish their studies through a teach-out process.
Mr Burton said he was excited to enrich the regional Charles Sturt campuses with more bright international minds.
What we want to do is focus all our efforts on our main campus network in regional NSW.
"You've also got the ability to contribute to the regional economies in a direct and indirect way," he said.
If the plan to bring more international students to Bathurst comes to fruition, it will continue a rollercoaster couple of years for the local campus.
CSU was said to be musing over opening a new campus in the Bathurst CBD before coronavirus hit.
In the time since, the university has undertaken an extensive cost-cutting program, including redundancies and restructuring, and has faced criticism from federal Member for Calare Andrew Gee and state Member for Bathurst Paul Toole.
New vice-chancellor Renee Leon, who began in the role at the start of this month, said she was not perturbed by criticism from former regional education minister Mr Gee.
