In the spirit of our namesake, Charles Darwin, the naturalist, geologist and father of modern evolutionary theory, CDU places great emphasis on innovative study and research that will change the world and improve people’s lives. Today we have over 22,000 students enrolled in Higher Education, Research and VET spread across nine campuses and centres in the Northern Territory, as well as in Melbourne and Sydney. As one of a handful of universities in the country that provides both Higher Education and Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, we offer alternative ways to access education, particularly for mature-aged and Indigenous students. As well as gaining a qualification, CDU believes that every graduate should acquire universal skills, qualities and understanding regardless of their disciplines. Reasons to choose CDU: we are in the top two per cent of universities in the world and in the top 100 universities worldwide under 50 years old. (Times Higher Education 2013) we are the second-fastest growing university in Australia we are in the top four universities in Australia and New Zealand for research in environmental science and ecology we teach over 4000 Indigenous students each year.