St Mary's University, Twickenham has signed a partnership with The University of Notre Dame Australia which will provide joint opportunities for both staff and students.

The partnership sets the stage for collaboration in a range of areas to deliver an enriched experience for students and staff at both institutions.

The agreement will create opportunities for staff exchanges, joint research centres, joint staff appointments and for students to participate in study abroad programmes between the Universities.

The agreement also creates the opportunity for the two Universities to pursue joint academic programmes.

Such programmes could eventually see students study at both Universities as part of their degree, benefiting from the best that each university has to offer and experiencing student life in each country.

Established in 1989, The University of Notre Dame Australia is a national Catholic university with campuses in Sydney, Freemantle and Broome.

The Good Universities Guide recently rated it No. 1 in Australia for overall student experience, and it achieved a five-star rating for skills development and teaching quality.

St Mary's, founded in 1850, was recently rated amongst the top universities in London for Student Experience by the Sunday Times Good University Guide.

The Times and The i newspapers also recently praised St Mary's for having high employment rates among graduates, with 98% of graduates from St Mary's in employment, vocation or further study within 15 months (HESA 2020).

Speaking of the partnership, St Mary's Vice-Chancellor Anthony McClaran said: "I am delighted that we have been able to sign this MOU with Notre Dame. The two universities share a distinct Catholic identity and I am confident that this new partnership will deliver a range of exciting teaching and research developments for students and staff at both Universities."

University of Notre Dame Australia Vice-Chancellor Prof Francis Campbell said, "It is great to see Notre Dame work with St Mary's, an institution which is a natural partner for us. Staff and students alike at both institutions will benefit from this new partnership."

Prof Campbell added, "Along with my colleagues, I very much look forward to welcoming St Mary's students to our campuses in Fremantle and Sydney in due course."