A Japanese university campus in Newcastle is seeking to increase its capacity five-fold and allow domestic university students to use on-site accommodation.
Plans have been submitted to Newcastle council to boost the capacity of Nihon University's Newcastle campus from 112 to 607, to allow the site to be used by people other than those staying on campus.
The proposal also seeks approval to allow all domestic and international University of Newcastle students to apply for accommodation at the campus, subject to availability.
The campus at the former Newcastle Court House opened in 2024 after Nihon University bought the building in 2017 for $6.6 million and embarked on a $49 million transformation of the 1890s Church Street precinct.
Nihon is a privately run institution with about 75,000 undergraduates which offers organised study tours to the Newcastle campus through certain courses.
Three student study tours have visited Newcastle since the first group arrived in February. The tours include attending classes, local tours, and excursions.
The existing accommodation approval only includes short-term stays by Nihon students, which would expand to include long-term offerings as part of the new proposal.
The site is currently approved to have 100 students and 12 staff on site at any one time, which is the capacity of the accommodation.
The proposal would increase this to 451 students and 44 staff, to align with the occupational capacity of the teaching areas in both the court house and education wing.
The capacity of the accommodation would not change.
University of Newcastle Deputy Vice-Chancellor Global Professor Kent Anderson said the university was excited to partner with Nihon University "to create engagement and collaborative opportunities" for academic staff and students from both universities.
"This collaboration aims to enrich learning experiences by fostering cultural awareness and broadening perspectives, helping to prepare students for an increasingly global society," Professor Anderson said.
Nihon University Office of Global Initiatives chief Masato Hirano said the university was hoping to enact the changes in January 2025.
The proposal also includes opening an existing café to the wider public. The cafe was originally limited to students and staff use.
