The verdant universities are a group of Australian universities founded in the 1960s and 1970s, which are sometimes called "gumtree" universities.[1] These universities were established in their state capitals, often next to native bushland (now nature reserves), and have lush vegetative campuses, to which the term "verdant" refers.
They are predominantly the second or third established university in their state; the only exception is Macquarie, which is the third university in Sydney, but the fourth university in New South Wales.
| University | Location | State | Established | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flinders University | Adelaide | SA | 1966 | |
| Griffith University | Brisbane | QLD | 1971 | |
| La Trobe University | Melbourne | VIC | 1964 | |
| Macquarie University | Sydney | NSW | 1964 | |
| Murdoch University | Perth | WA | 1973 |
The verdant universities were part of a broader effort to expand and reform tertiary education in Australia, based on similar reforms that led to the creation of the plate glass universities group in the United Kingdom. All these universities went on to form Innovative Research Universities in 2003.
While these five are considered the "main verdants" as they have the most in common, other universities have been labelled verdant or "gumtree".[1] [4] They include: