Choosing the right university for you is a big deal, so it’s important to take all the help you can get! And when it comes to decision time, there’s nothing more helpful than a university open day.
With tours, events, seminars and more, open days are your opportunity to meet teachers, students and support staff, and get a feel for your prospective university.
Still not convinced? Keep scrolling for more on why university open days are always a good idea.
What is an open day?
University open days are your chance to get a taste of tertiary studies. Most universities run them as subject or faculty-specific tours of the learning environment and uni grounds. You’ll get to meet lecturers and researchers, get a closer look at how courses are run and get a better understanding of the opportunities that await you at the end of your studies.
If you’re planning on living on-campus, open days are also a great opportunity to visit the dorms and colleges and learn what kinds of social events and services they offer.
Some open day events also include information evenings, industry spotlights and lectures with guest speakers.
What happens on an open day?
Universities usually run a number of guided tours throughout a single open day, so your experience will depend on which tours you plan on attending.
With faculty or subject open day tours, you’ll usually visit the buildings where the particular faculty is housed to check out labs, lecture halls, information centres and amenities. These tours are often led by a current student, so be sure to ask any questions you have about the student experience.
Accommodation or college tours are your chance to see the residential areas of your prospective university. These tours are essential if you’re planning to live on campus during your studies.
See the campus for yourself
Open days are the perfect opportunity to get a good feel for your prospective uni campus. You’ll be able to figure out useful and important locations throughout the uni, like the locations of your subject’s classrooms, places to eat and social hot spots.
You should also take open days as an opportunity to experience the surrounding suburb or city where the uni is located to help you decide if it’s the right place for you to study.
Meet people
One of the most exciting and enriching things about open days is all the people you’ll meet. While it can be daunting to move to a new city or embark on tertiary studies, just remember there’ll be plenty of future students just like you at open days. Take the opportunity to start finding a new group of friends to make settling into your new life a little easier.
You might also get to meet a bunch of current undergraduate students, researchers, PhD students and teachers, so feel free to introduce yourself and ask them all about their work and uni life.
How many open days should I go to?
Although you’ll probably have to narrow down your options when selecting universities to visit, it’s still a good idea to go to as many open days as you reasonably can. You certainly don’t want to limit your options too soon. What’s more, there’s really only one way to understand the culture and environment of a university, and that’s to be there in person!
If you’re considering moving to another city or town for university, try looking up the open days at all potential universities in the area so you can make your own itinerary.
How do I find open days near me?
You can search upcoming open days at a range of universities by state, city and campus right here. That way, you can easily coordinate your open day visits to universities across the same city.
If you’ve already got a good idea of which universities you’re interested in, you can also find info on upcoming open days, seminars and tours by states by following the below links:
- NSW Universities
- QLD Universities
- ACT Universities
- VIC Universities
- WA Universities
- SA Universities
- TAS Universities
Open Day FAQs
Open days are tours, special talks and presentations that universities host to showcase their facilities and educational offering. They’re your best chance to get a good look at the uni before you choose to enrol.
University open days are ultimately what you make of them. They can be incredibly valuable ways for you to get advice about tertiary study, meet people and get to know what uni life could be like for you.
Ultimately, open days are for everyone! You don’t have to check out the open days on your own, and your parents, guardians or anyone else who might be helpful to take with you are welcome!
You should ultimately aim to do all the tours and attend all the events that interest you! But if you’re looking for a more comprehensive idea of what to do, check out this super helpful list.
