In a recent email to Mt Gravatt students, Professor Scott Harrison, the Head of Mt Gravatt Campus, announced significant changes that will impact the future of both the Mt Gravatt and Nathan campuses.

As many of us know, originally the Mt Gravatt campus was set to close in 2026, however Professor Harrison states that it will now be closed “at the end of 2025”.

To achieve this tighter deadline “Mt Gravatt-based students will transition to Nathan in time to commence studies in either Trimester 1 or Trimester 2 2025”. Criminology and Criminal Justice students are the first to leave the Mt Gravatt Campus in Trimester 1 2025, with Education and Psychology students reported to follow in Trimester 2 2025.

This surge in student numbers will likely increase competition for resources and may lead to longer wait times for library facilities and getting food, limited study spaces and limited access to student services and facilities. Students may need to adapt to larger class sizes, the higher frequency of classes and submit enrolments for Trimester 2 as quickly as possible.

With the current construction going on at Nathan Campus, adding the Mt Gravatt Campus students will make the campus much more crowded. Academics will have to share office spaces, and more classrooms will be occupied more often. With the move, over 4,000 students from the Mt Gravatt Campus and commencing students will join the 13,000 Nathan Campus students.

You might be wondering why now? Why not wait until the new N82 building is completed? Isn’t that what it’s being built for? The ‘Ask Us’ Griffith Page (on the question “Why is Griffith exiting Brisbane South (Mount Gravatt)?“) elaborates that that the campus closure is due to a campus review which identified “ongoing viability issues with aging facilities or those that are no longer fit for purpose”.

The closure of Mt Gravatt Campus and development of N82 marks a major step for Griffith University towards sustainability, accessibility and inclusivity.

Emma Standen’s Griffith Journal titled “Everything You need to Know about N82” details the steps Griffith University is taking to be as accessible and inclusive as possible. These include accessible, parent and Gender-Neutral bathrooms and full wheelchair access. Additionally, Emma O’Connor’s Griffith News article titled “Griffith aims to go green on new flagship building” sheds a light on the sustainable aspects, with the new N82 building boasting a 5-star Green Star Building V1 rating. O’Connor also details how this new building will also utilise Geotechnical and structural real-time sensing, which for my non-engineers, gathers safety, resource conservation and energy efficiency readings which can be used to reduce environmental impact. I would highly recommend you read both of these articles to get a better idea of how N82’s development will impact and improve Griffith University.

As the Mount Gravatt campus is deemed “no longer fit for purpose”, this strategic move aims to enhance the learning environment by consolidating resources at Nathan Campus and improve the campus for students and the environment. Although the immediate impact may challenge students and staff with overcrowding and stretched resources, once N82 is complete, the University will become more sustainable and accessible. Until then, we’ll embrace the changes and see how the merge of the Mt Gravatt and Nathan Campuses will improve University life for all students.

Let us know what you think and how this move has or will affect you in the comments below!