Course offerings will reflect those popularly chosen by students in that region –  and will include business, information technology, nursing and law.

The new campus will initially take up two floors in Liverpool City Council’s Moore Street building before moving into the city’s new Civic Place development, due for completion in 2019.

UOW Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Wellings said he expected around 200 students would be enrolled at the start of the 2017 academic year – however envisaged that would grow to 7000 students by 2030.

‘’As part of our forward planning, we have been examining the changing demographic patterns in NSW,’’ Professor Wellings said.

‘’We know south and south-west Sydney are going to grow dramatically over the next 30 years which was a huge driver in our decision to develop a campus in the Liverpool CBD.

‘’There’s no major university campus in Liverpool, while 7000 people currently leave that city to go to university each year, so this campus will fill that void.’’

Professor Wellings was joined by NSW Premier and Minister for Western Sydney Mike Baird and Liverpool Mayor Ned Mannoun in Liverpool for the announcement on Monday morning.

As well as the campus, UOW will also establish a Western Sydney Nursing Education and Research Centre.

‘’The centre will be very close to Liverpool Hospital which is Australia’s largest stand-alone hospital,’’ Professor Wellings said.

‘’It will provide a massive opportunity for us to contribute to the health and education precinct that supports that hospital.

‘’Our nursing school in Wollongong is close to capacity as it’s dependent on the number of placements we can get training students in the NSW health system. This allows us additional space to grow the school of nursing.’’ 

Professor Wellings said the university had received a lot of support from Liverpool council, while Councillor Mannoun said the plan was a ‘’huge boost for our city, its people and a wise investment for the university’’.

Premier Baird also welcomed the partnership and the benefits it would bring to western Sydney.

‘’Providing quality educational facilities that allow people to study close to their homes and employment is vital, as is training the next generation of nurses who are the backbone of our health system,’’ he said.

This will be UOWs 11^th campus – it joins the main and innovation campuses, as well as two Sydney, four regional and two international campuses.