St Catherine's College

What St Catherine's College does

St Catherine's College is an independent, secular residential college founded in 1946, operating two campuses in Western Australia: the original Crawley campus adjacent to the University of Western Australia (UWA), and a Bentley campus opened in 2022 adjacent to Curtin University. The college provides accommodation, pastoral care, and academic support to more than 800 undergraduate and postgraduate students annually, with capacity of 400+ residents per campus and an organizational headcount of 238 employees.

The college's core product is the residential college experience: on-campus living, meals, tutoring, mentoring, and a community-oriented social program. Beyond accommodation, it operates differentiated programs including the Dandjoo Darbalung Indigenous student scholarship pathway and Bloom, a youth innovation and entrepreneurship program, both of which extend its value proposition into educational and equity-focused programming.

Revenue is generated primarily through residential fees paid by students and their families, supplemented by scholarship funding (notably the Fogarty Foundation scholarship, valued at approximately $30,000 per year per recipient for accommodation), capital and program grants from government and philanthropic sources (including Lotterywest, Malka Foundation, and a $12.8M state government grant for the Banksia Building in 2019), and ancillary income from events and catering. The business model is a non-profit, mission-driven educational institution with formal embedded partnerships with UWA and Curtin University that drive demand for residential places.

Name

St Catherine's College

Legal name

St Catherine's College

Website

https://stcatherines.uwa.edu.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

St Catherine's College is an independent, secular Australian residential college operating two campuses in Western Australia (UWA Crawley and Curtin Bentley), providing accommodation, pastoral care, and academic support to over 800 university students annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Residential College Services

NAICS

Educational Services (61), Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Off-Campus / University-Affiliated Housing Management (EDAEAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

University Dorms & Affiliated Summer Housing (THAMAGAA), Guest, Visitor & Conference Housing Services (Summer/Break Housing) (EDAEAFAN), Peer Support, Buddy Programs & Cooperative Learning Facilitation (EDAKABAI)

Keywords

• Student accommodation services
• Residential college education
• University housing services
• Student support programs
• Collegiate living experience

Headquarters

HQ city

Crawley

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Residential Accommodation Fees: Weekly residential fees covering accommodation, meals, utilities, cleaning, academic support, fitness membership, social activities, and wellbeing services. Payment options include pay in full, quarterly, half-yearly, or fortnightly installments.
2. Application Registration Fee: One-time non-refundable registration fee of $150 for UWA campus applications. No fee for Curtin applications.
3. Optional Extras: Optional College Ball ticket (Semester 2), parking (managed by Curtin University), and laundry tokens. Summer contract option for early arrivals at additional cost.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

St Catherine's College is an independent, secular residential college that provides furnished accommodation, meals, academic tutoring, wellbeing services, and community programming to university students at two campuses: a UWA campus in Crawley and a Curtin campus in Bentley. All-inclusive weekly residential fees cover housing, utilities, Wi-Fi, cleaning, dining, 110+ weekly tutorials, fitness memberships, and access to social/cultural programs including the Bloom innovation hub and the Dandjoo Darbalung Indigenous support program.

Product overview

St Catherine's College operates as a residential college offering accommodation and educational support services at two campuses: UWA (established 1946) and Curtin (opened 2022). The product portfolio comprises accommodation types including Premium Single Rooms, Standard Studio Rooms, and Premium Studio Rooms across both campuses. Supporting programs include the Dandjoo Darbalung Program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and the Bloom: Centre for Youth Innovation for entrepreneurship. Additional services encompass academic tutoring (110+ tutorials weekly), scholarship programs, dining services, sport and fitness access, and music/arts facilities. All residents receive access to campus fitness centers (UWA Sport/UWA Recreation and Fitness Centre and Curtin Stadium), with accommodation fees covering utilities, cleaning, Wi-Fi, academic support, and wellbeing services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bloom: Western Australia's leading Centre of Youth Innovation founded at St Catherine's College in 2013. Provides coworking spaces, startup programs, mentorship, and programs including LaunchPad, LaunchLAB AI, Shine, and community events for young innovators at both UWA and Curtin campuses.
• Dandjoo Darbalung

Products and services

• St Catherine's College UWA Campus Residential college accommodation at The University of Western Australia, offering Premium Single Rooms, Standard Studio Rooms, and Premium Studio Rooms for students. Located in Crawley, WA, adjacent to the Swan River and Kings Park.
• St Catherine's College Curtin Campus Residential college accommodation at Curtin University's Bentley Campus, opened in 2022. Offers Premium Single Rooms, Premium Single Ensuite Rooms, and Standard Studio Rooms for students.
• Dandjoo Darbalung Program Flagship initiative supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students through academic success, cultural strength, and leadership. Operating with 70 current residents and over 380 alumni, located in the purpose-built Banksia Building.
• Bloom: Centre for Youth Innovation Western Australia's leading Centre for Youth Innovation providing coworking spaces, startup programs (LaunchPad, LaunchLAB AI, Shine), mentorship, and community events for young innovators at both UWA and Curtin campuses.
• Premium Single Room (Curtin) Private, semi-furnished room with shared bathroom facilities and 21 meals per week in the Dining Hall. Ideal for first-year students seeking to build connections from day one.
• Premium Single Ensuite Room (Curtin) Private, semi-furnished room with private ensuite bathroom, located steps from communal spaces. Includes 21 meals per week in the Dining Hall.
• Standard Studio Room Self-contained accommodation with private ensuite bathroom and kitchenette, featuring 16.5m² layout. Flexible meal packages of 7, 14, or 21 meals per week. Available at both UWA and Curtin campuses.
• Premium Studio Room (UWA) Architecturally designed self-contained accommodation with queen bed, ensuite bathroom, and complete kitchenette. Awarded WA Master Builders–Bankwest Excellence in Construction Award for Best Multi-Unit Development. Ideal for later-year and postgraduate students.
• Academic Tutoring Services Comprehensive in-house tutoring service with over 110 unit-specific tutorials weekly across all disciplines and year levels, led by experienced academic tutors.
• Scholarship Programs Comprehensive scholarship portfolio including Beazley Medallist Scholarship (full-fee for up to 4 years), Fogarty Scholars (fully funded accommodation with $1,000 relocation grant), St Catherine's College Scholarships (50% fee reduction for 1 year, renewable up to 4 years), and over 20 other categories for academic excellence, financial need, Indigenous students, regional students, sport/art, and postgraduate studies.

Quantifiable outcome

• $52,000 in revenue generated by 26 startup founders through Bloom's Launchpad program in 12 weeks
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• The University of Western Australia (UWA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSt Catherine's College is located within the UWA campus, providing residential accommodation and student support services. The college is situated on College Row directly opposite UWA, with students having access to UWA's facilities including UWA Sport's Recreation and Fitness Centre.
• Curtin UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSt Catherine's College Curtin campus is located within Curtin University's Exchange precinct. Students receive full access to Curtin Stadium's fitness facilities and have connections to university support services. The campus opened in 2022 in purpose-built facilities.
• Fogarty FoundationflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSt Catherine's College partners with the Fogarty Foundation to offer Fogarty Scholars - one of Australia's most comprehensive undergraduate experiences for students admitted to the UWA Fogarty program. Includes fully funded accommodation for regional students and 50% reduction for metro students.
• Ronald McDonald House CharitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDandjoo Darbalung residents collaborated with Ronald McDonald House on Park, creating more than 30 artworks for the facility - vibrant expressions of Culture and community crafted with pride and purpose.
• Curtin University (Parking Services)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorParking at the Curtin campus is managed by Curtin University. Parking is not included in residential fees and is available at additional cost to residents.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• University College (UNSW): Residential college at UNSW offering fully catered accommodation, peer support, and academic programs. Comparable in targeting both domestic and international students with bundled residential and educational services.
• St Andrew's College: Independent residential college within the University of Sydney, offering catered accommodation, tutorials, and wrap-around support. Highly comparable in operating model - secular/denominational, tutorial-based academic support, and alumni-driven community - just at a larger NSW university.
• St Leo's College (University of Queensland): Residential college at the University of Queensland providing catered accommodation, academic support, and community programming. Comparable in model (catered, tutorial-based, community-focused) at another Group of Eight university.
• St Mark's College (University of Adelaide): Independent residential college at the University of Adelaide with catered accommodation, tutorials, and scholarship programs. Operates a similar collegiate model to St Catherine's at a comparable regional Australian university.
• St George's College (UWA): Direct competitor residential college on the same UWA College Row as St Catherine's UWA campus. Offers comparable catered accommodation, tutorials, and community programming to the same UWA student pool.
• Trinity College (University of Melbourne): One of Australia's oldest residential colleges affiliated with the University of Melbourne, providing catered accommodation, academic tutorials, and a strong alumni network. Closest analogue in terms of tradition, integrated tutoring, and collegiate community model.

Broad incumbents

• Scape Australia: Large-scale student housing provider operating thousands of beds across Australian capital cities. Competes with St Catherine's for international and domestic students, particularly with newer studio-style product.
• Atira Student Living: Australian student accommodation operator with multi-city presence, offering studio and shared apartments near major universities. Comparable as a broad accommodation provider serving the same student demographic.
• UniLodge: Largest student accommodation operator in Australia and New Zealand, managing thousands of beds across multiple university cities. Competes for the same Perth student pool with purpose-built studios but lacks the tutorial-based, collegiate wrap-around model.
• Iglu (Y Suites/Student One): National purpose-built student accommodation operator with properties near major Australian universities. Targets international and domestic students with modern studio formats - direct competitive overlap in Perth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/stcatherinescollege
• Instagraminstagram.com/stcatherinescollege
• TikToktiktok.com/@stcatherinescollege
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/st-catherines-college

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about St Catherine's College