James Cook University

JCU is Australia's tropical research university, with its Townsville campus at Douglas the largest single site, set in 386 hectares of woodland next to the Australian Institute of Marine Science and the Townsville University Hospital. The Cairns Smithfield campus, 20 minutes north of the Cairns CBD, is the second main site and a base for tourism, environment, marine and tropical agriculture research. Further teaching extends into Mackay, Mount Isa, Thursday Island and the JCU Singapore campus. Accommodation runs through John Flynn College, St Raphael's College, Saints (Townsville) and University Halls (Cairns), giving JCU one of the higher residential cohorts of any regional Australian uni, particularly for medical students. The JCU Student Association runs more than 70 clubs. The JCU medical programme has a strong rural and remote focus, with required rural placements from year one. The university's brand is tropical science, marine biology, veterinary science (Townsville is one of only two locations in Australia with a vet school producing graduates accredited to practise in the US, UK, NZ and Australia) and tropical and Indigenous health.

Study Period 1 (semester one) runs late February to early June with a mid-semester break in mid-April and exams in early to mid- June. Study Period 2 (semester two) runs late July to early November with a mid-semester break in late September and exams in early to mid-November. Results release follows in early July and mid-December. JCU also runs Study Period 3 in November to February. Many medical and clinical units run on a full-year calendar with year-long rural placements. Orientation week sits in the week before each main study period.