Byron SAE/ACAP campus to wind down by 2028

The SAE and ACAP University Colleges at the Byron Bay campus will begin a long-term wind-down process, with operations to conclude by February 2028.

Established in 2004 as a degree centre for students in audio and film, it grew as a destination for aspiring creatives from around the world.

Matthew Evans, Executive General Manager, SAE University College said, ‘Byron Bay has been more than a campus – it’s been a creative hub for artists, educators, and innovators. However, our institution has evolved, and so has the education landscape’.

Student demand

‘International student demand has shifted, and domestic enrolment in the region is no longer sufficient to support future operations. With our lease concluding in 2028, this marks a natural end to our time at the Byron campus’.

In a statement, SAE and ACAP said the trimester 2 intake in May, ‘was the final cohort of new students to study at the campus with no new enrolments moving forward. Currently, the Byron Bay campus has approximately 180 students and 40 staff members.

‘All academic staff at SAE and ACAP University Colleges will remain in their roles in the immediate term. While there are many variables to student completion timelines, this slow wind-down has been designed to ensure that all current students at ACAP and SAE University Colleges have the opportunity to complete their studies undisrupted and to mitigate any student disadvantage.

‘ACAP and SAE University Colleges will work closely with all students and staff to ensure that students are able to finish their studies as undisrupted as possible and will support any students seeking alternate arrangements.

‘If a student’s current projected timeline will take them past February 2028, there are support services available to discuss options with them. These options include the potential to offer them scholarships to finish their studies at one of our other campuses or online, where they can continue to receive high-quality teaching from our experienced, industry-connected educators’.

Lara Jacques, General Manager, ACAP University College said, ‘We’re committed to engaging openly and respectfully throughout this transition. We will continue to engage with all impacted students and staff in proactive communications, and I encourage them to reach out if they have questions’.

The statement reads, ‘Flexible learning options will continue to be offered online for all Byron Bay students, as well as access to resources and support through the Brisbane campus’.

Other campuses to remain open

‘There are no plans to close other campuses. Both SAE and ACAP University College will continue to offer practical education from industry experts, across Australia and globally’.
The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) said they were ‘deeply concerned about the planned closure’ and that it would impact the region.

They said in a statement, ‘The Byron Bay campus was originally established through a global recruitment drive for both staff and students in 2004’.

‘It has become a unique regional hub for higher education in the creative arts, media industries and psychology industries – with no comparable institution in the Northern Rivers and potentially across all of northern NSW’.

The NTEU said, ‘The closure will impact local access to tertiary education in fields such as film, music, media, animation, graphic design, and games at SAE, as well as psychology and counselling at ACAP. With Southern Cross University (SCU) also teaching out or closing equivalent creative industries programs, options for regional students are rapidly disappearing’.

2022 flood impact

‘Part of the enrolment downturn at SAE and ACAP is linked to the long-term impacts of the 2022 Lismore floods. Many students lost their homes and were forced to pause or abandon their studies owing to the ongoing trauma and displacement that followed.

‘The closure will further limit educational opportunities and creative outlets for young people in Byron Bay and surrounding communitie,’ added the NTEU.