Charles Darwin University (CDU) was founded on 50 years of delivering tertiary education in the Northern Territory (NT), Australia. CDU is the NT's largest tertiary institution, with campuses in the Darwin suburb of Casuarina, Palmerston, Alice Springs, Katherine, and Nhulunbuy, and training centers in Jabiru, Tennant Creek, and Yulara.
CDU was formed in 2003 through a merger between the Northern Territory University, Alice Springs-based Centralian College, NT Rural College in Katherine, and the Menzies School of Health Research.
Today, CDU offers a fresh approach to education, training, research, and knowledge application. The University aspires to be internationally recognized as a center for excellence in Indigenous and cross-cultural knowledge, tropical knowledge, and desert knowledge.
As a multi-sector education provider, CDU provides unique pathways for students, from school-based vocational training to advanced research degrees. Its students are drawn from the local area, across Australia and overseas, consisting of Indigenous and international students, school leavers, and mature people returning to study.