Residential colleges of the University of Queensland


There are eleven residential colleges of the University of Queensland.

Colleges

Cromwell College

  • On the St Lucia campus. Was the first of the Colleges on the St Lucia campus in June 1954, and admitted men only until it became co-ed in 1973.
  • Founded in 1950 and initially funded by a private donation from the Hancock family.
  • First residents moved into the college on 5 June 1954.
  • Its emblem is a Rampant Lion, based on the lion in the crest of the Cromwell family.
  • Has five buildings named after influential people in Cromwell's history: North, Thatcher / Dowling, Hancock, Begbie and Lockley.

    Duchesne College

  • On the St Lucia Campus, among ten other university residential colleges.
  • Founded in 1937, initially at in Toowong, by a collaboration of the university, the Catholic Archdiocese and under the auspices of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart, at the request of Archbishop James Duhig
  • Moved to St Lucia after a new collegiate building was constructed at the university for it in 1959.
  • Named after Rose Philippine Duchesne, a French woman who was instrumental in bringing the Society of the Sacred Heart to America from France.
  • One of two all-female colleges on the campus.
  • Accommodates 212 students.
  • In 2009, the college opened the Rose Philippine Wing.
  • Mission is to provide for rural and regional students who wish to study at UQ, QUT or ACU.

    Emmanuel College

  • Celebrating its 115th anniversary in 2026, Emmanuel is jointly the oldest residential college affiliated with The University of Queensland. Women were welcomed into the Emmanuel College community in 1975, and the college celebrated 50 years of "HerStory" in 2025.
  • Academic program encompasses 80+ hours of discipline-based tutorials each week, language courses, Masters classes, visiting scholars, and academic mentoring.
  • Offers scholarships and bursaries to assist students.
  • 8 Rhodes Scholars and 27 University Medallists have called Emmanuel College home during their studies.
  • Hosts annual Theatre Review production directed and performed by the residents of the college.
  • Its eleven wings are named after influential people in the college's history: Busch, Douglas, Drewe, Edmonds, Gibson, Glaister, Henderson, MacGregor, Martin, Meiklejohn and Merrington.
  • Boasts more alumni who have played for the Wallabies than any other College at UQ.
  • On-site student- staffed cafe, basketball/netball court, squash courts and cardio gym. Student fees include access to UQ gym and pool.
  • Active sporting, social and community focussed Students Club, which celebrated its 100th Anniversary in 2025 as well.

    Grace College

  • Women only until 2021, became gender inclusive in 2022
  • After IH, and ahead of Johns, has the most international students, "with more than one-third of our residents coming from outside Australia"
  • Located at the St Lucia Campus
  • Opened in 1970
  • Residents referred to as Gracies
  • Smallest Residential College on campus
  • Sister college of Kings

    Gatton Halls of Residence

  • Main university residential facilities for the Gatton campus.
  • Largest residential college associated with the University of Queensland
  • Established in 1897 making it the oldest college with the University of Queensland
  • 436 rooms
  • Students at the Halls mainly study within the Faculty of Science
  • Divided into four Halls: Shelton, Pitt, Thynne and Riddell

    International House

  • Commonly abbreviated as IH, and located at the St Lucia campus.
  • Founded in 1965. Planning for the college commenced in 1955 through the Rotary Club of Brisbane and as part of the celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of Rotary International.
  • Unique architectural design, blending elements of Asian and Australian architecture.
  • When International House opened in 1965 Ivor Cribb was appointed Warden.
  • Provide fully catered accommodation for 200 undergraduate students, and self-catered accommodation for 38 postgraduate and undergraduate students 25 years and over.
  • International House is divided into 11 buildings or "towers": A to I for most undergraduate students and Towers J and K for postgraduate students and undergraduate students 25 years and over.
  • International House has 50% domestic residents and 50% international.
  • International House hosts the annual battle of the bands between all 10 colleges called Bandfest.
  • International House also hosts 'Soiree' its annual multi-cultural festival.
  • Known for its accepting nature and multi-cultural atmosphere.

    King's College

  • At the St Lucia Campus
  • Accommodation for 354 students of the university.
  • The College has produced 5 recipients of the Rhodes Scholarship and 43 University Medallists.
  • History: In 1901, the Methodist Conference of Queensland began to send candidates for ministry to Queen's College, Melbourne, a college which combined both theological education and a resident college. This became the model for King's. The college was first opened on 13 June 1913 at Kangaroo Point, the original location of the University of Queensland, and moved in 1954 to the new campus at St Lucia.

    Masters

  • 1913–1915: Rev M. Scott Fletcher
  • 1916–1923: Rev L. E. Bennett
  • 1924–1959: Rev H. H. Trigge
  • 1960–1986: Rev I. H. Grimmett
  • 1986–1991: Rev I. G. Mavor
  • 1992–2004: Rev J. Patton
  • 2005-: G. C. Eddy

    About King's College

King's College provides accommodation for 354 men and women of the University of Queensland and Brisbane based universities. The college operates as an academic residential community of undergraduate and postgraduate members drawn from country and suburban areas throughout Australia as well as many other nations.
King's has a well-equipped gymnasium, swimming pool, rowing shed and pontoon, tutorial/study rooms, Old Collegians Learning Centre, barbecue facilities, quarter basketball court and extensive well lit car-parks. The Junior Common Room is equipped with satellite television, billiard table and table tennis table.
King's College is well renowned for its Sporting and Cultural success. Having won the Old Collegians' Cup in 2018 for the 10th consecutive year has further cemented King's Colleges reputation as the 'sporting' college.

St John's College

St John's College is a co-educational residential college on the St Lucia Campus. St John's is the equal oldest college in affiliation with the university. The college was founded in 1911 – the same year The University of Queensland accepted its first students – and is currently home to approximately 300 students.
Facilities include the Stanley Law Library, the general library, the Gibson Room for biomedical studies. In the gymnasium, there is a weights room, and sauna, as well as a pool table. All undergraduate students also have access to the Junior Common Room. St John's College has a strong social atmosphere. The oldest book at the college library is a Jeremy Bentham text dating back to 1774.
The college has a strong sporting tradition. In 1996 it became the first College at The University of Queensland to win both the men's and women's Inter-Collegiate competitions in the same year. In 2013 St. John's College won both the male and female overall weighted sporting trophies. Since the inception of the ICC Competition, St John's College has won the Old Collegians Cup and the ICC Cultural Cup more times than any other college. In 2018 St John's became the first college since 2000 to win all five domains: Men's and Women's sporting, Men's and Women's weighted sporting, and the ICC Cultural Cup.
Music and drama are particularly strong at the college. There are seven pianos in the college and there are four specially built music practice rooms. A manual and pedal pipe organ was completed in the college chapel in 1994. In 2018 a Harpsichord was added to the college chapel. The choir performs at College functions and in the intercollegiate choral festival. Students from St John's and Women's Colleges perform an annual production. Choral Scholarships are offered by the college.
The college also has a Jazz Club which plays at the annual Jazz Night hosted by the student club, alongside the John's band Who Is John? and alumni bands such as The Eaglets who played in 2017. There is also speculation of a lesser-known subsidiary band of Who is John?, Kazoo is John.
The 'slab' is a monumental section of the college, of which only a few select students know of the location.
St John's College is also thought to be associated with the initiation of the long-standing tradition whereby males, and choice females, drop their pants whenever the song Eagle Rock is played. The tradition is thought to have originated from a small group of mining engineering students from UQ who resided there.
The College Anglican Chapel hosts musical events throughout the year, with an organ which has been played by organists such as Michael Faulkner. The chapel hosts an original artwork which was commissioned for the St. John's College chapel as a celebration of its jubilee at St Lucia, Brisbane, where the university relocated. The piece, Earth Creations, is similar to Regeneratation held at the University House, Australian National University chapel. The college also hosts 9 prints of the 10 piece series The Journey, also by Leonard French, which are held in University House ANU's dining hall.
In 2005, Edale wing was burned down in a fire apparently caused by unattended electrical devices left on by a student over the Easter break.
The college is very multicultural with students from Japan, New Zealand,and the UK.
The College provides tutorials, mainly taught by current and past Johnians. About $240,000 in scholarships yearly. The highest proportion of international students after IH and Grace, with 16% of the college in 2017 being international.