James Cook University (JCU) is a public university in Australia. The main campus is located in the city of Townsville, Queensland. JCU also has campuses in Cairns, Mount Isa and Thursday Island. It was established in 1970 as James Cook College, a college of the University of Queensland. In 1975, it became an independent university and was renamed after British explorer Captain James Cook.
JCU offers undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in a wide range of disciplines including business, law, engineering, medicine, dentistry, marine science and environmental sciences. The university has strong research programs in tropical health care, reef ecology and indigenous Australian studies.
JCU is ranked within the top 400 universities worldwide by all four major international rankings (QS World University Rankings 2020/21; Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2020/21; Academic Ranking of World Universities 2020; U.S News & World Report Best Global Universities Ranking 2020). It is also ranked number 1 in Australia for graduate employability (QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2019).
The university has over 16000 students enrolled from more than 100 countries around the world. International students make up 30% of the student population at JCU Townsville campus and 20% at JCU Cairns campus.
JCU’s main campus is located on 356 hectares of rainforest adjacent to Magnetic Island National Park on north-eastern Australia’s Great Barrier Reef coast. The Cairns campus is situated just minutes from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park while the Mount Isa Centre for Rural & Remote Health delivers medical education and training throughout Western Queensland – one of Australia’s largest geographical areas with a population equivalent to that of New Zealand or Portugal spread over an area nearly three times the size of Texas or France.