Make the most of your time at UTS by volunteering, joining a leadership program, or taking part in sport, social, and community activities.
Beyond the classroom
Leadership, entrepreneurship and volunteering
Engage with the UTS and Sydney community through programs tailored for study abroad and exchange students! Full details about each program, including how to apply, will be provided at an information session during orientation.
Please note that extra-curricular program opportunities cannot be guaranteed until orientation.
Check out our 4 programs below.
UTS BUILD: be a global leader
UTS BUILD is a leadership program with a mission to develop self-aware, informed and proactive global citizens. It inspires future leaders to deliver positive impact.
Learn alongside a community of like-minded peers from diverse cultural backgrounds. BUILD is delivered through interactive core workshops, elective events and seminars that broaden your global mindset and improve your leadership capabilities.
Visit the UTS BUILD webpage to find out more about the program.
Joining the BUILD program has been a life-changing experience for me. It has allowed me to understand myself on a deeper level and provided opportunities to meet new people, enhance my skills, and particularly, develop my leadership abilities.
—Thi Van Anh Nguyen (Vietnam), Study Abroad and Exchange student
Looking back at the BUILD program and my experiences, I'm really grateful. It was a great way to meet new people. Through the discussions with other students, I was also able to learn a lot about different countries and their approaches to social and environmental issues. I gained a better understanding of different perspectives and others' opinions.
—Lucia Elena Manthey (Germany), UTS Study Abroad and Exchange student
For a first-hand perspective, check out Isabella's (Exchange student from Germany) BUILD journey on the UTS Think Global blog!
Please note that requirements and application instructions specified on the UTS BUILD webpage differ slightly for study abroad and exchange students. Full details will be provided at an information session during orientation.
UTS SOUL: be a volunteer
Through training, peer support and volunteering hours, UTS SOUL enables students to venture beyond the classroom and into the community to upskill, give back and make meaningful change.
Grow by completing core skill workshops in ethical leadership and social issues. The program follows the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Then – as an Aussie would say – get amongst it! Volunteer and complete 35 hours of service for a non-profit organisation.
When you're done, you'll earn your UTS SOUL Badge to recognise your hard work. In addition, you’ll receive a Certificate of Completion, LinkedIn recommendation, and volunteering experience on your CV.
Please note: requirements and application instructions specified on the UTS SOUL webpage differ slightly for study abroad and exchange students. Full details will be provided at an information session during orientation.
Do some volunteering! It is best to immerse yourself in a culture, feel a sense of home and create long-lasting friendships.
—Julianne Ouellet Paradis (Canada), Study Abroad and Exchange Student
Read about Julianne's experience volunteering with Responsible Cafes
UTS Startups: be an entrepreneur
In 2017, my nan unfortunately had a stroke, and watching my nan go through this journey, I learned about the struggles of both the patient and also the therapist that helped them.
For my nan, she was only receiving care three times a week for 20 minutes each time, and that’s just not good enough for a patient trying to reconnect their brain to the rest of their body. When I asked the therapist what was going on and why she wasn’t getting that care, they just said it was understaffed and they couldn’t hire more people to serve everybody. I thought well, what can I do as an engineer and my experience in robotics? And I thought well, how about we have something that physically gets in there and helps the patient through their rehabilitation process, and that’s what Tech Gym’s doing.
Being at UTS lets me access some of the best facilities around, especially being deep tech and in robotics, it’s not every day that I get experience to just play with a $30,000 robot or go and use hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of equipment to manufacture a prototype. There’s lots of benefits to studying and working on my startup. It de-risks it for me, but it also gives me the benefits of learning at uni and then applying that straight into my startup. It also gives me the network that I need – there’s so many great founders around me in the community, and having access to that is probably one of the best parts.
I think UTS Startups just provides the support that I need to keep going. It’s the constant reminder that I’m not alone in this journey – I can walk down here and look around and see 20, 30, 40 people at a single instant at a time working really hard on their businesses and you just go, ‘Wow, like this is not just me.’ Out of the UTS Startup Awards we met our product development company that’s working with us now.
From their Find Your Co-founder event, I actually found our business developer that we’re on-boarding at the moment and they’re going to come on board, which is huge, because we’ve got investment from investors coming in on the back of hiring that person, so that was a huge win for Tech Gym.
When you really are passionate, you’ve got to throw yourself into it. You’re not going to be an expert in everything at the start; the point is to learn and upskill yourself and surround yourself with the people who can actually teach you how to get into it.
I don’t just want to run a business because I want to be the founder of a company and the CEO of a company. I want to build a company that makes a real-world impact – it’s one of the reasons why I became an engineer in the first place, and this is one means of me completing that on my journey.
If you have a big idea, this is your chance to make it a reality. UTS Startups is the home of entrepreneurship at UTS.
Meet peers, learn from experts, and be equipped with the skills to start your business. UTS Startups runs masterclasses, events and mentorship programs to help you connect to industry professionals and gain access to tools and technology.
“Starting a business can be challenging, but it can also be incredibly rewarding and fulfilling when you see your vision come to life and make a positive impact on the world.”
—Thomas Birk Frederiksen (Denmark), Study Abroad and Exchange Student
Read more about how Thomas built a digital marketplace that reduces food waste at UTS Startups
UTS Global Programs Ambassador: be a community builder
The Global Programs Ambassador Program is an opportunity to gain professional experience at UTS.
Each session, we select two friendly and social media savvy Study Abroad and Exchange students to facilitate events and engage with other students on our online platforms.
What is it like to be an ambassador? Read about their experiences on our blog.
The Ambassadors work collaboratively with UTS staff. You’ll get four core mentorship sessions and have the chance to write blog posts, create content, and help out with community-building projects. You’ll also have the opportunity to design additional activities that highlight your personal skill set. In return, you’ll get a:
- Program completion certificate
- Professional recommendation
- and UTS merchandise!
Social and sport opportunities
- ActivateUTS is the home of UTS student life. Join one of the 190 clubs and societies where like-minded students meet, socialise and contribute to the UTS community. And if you’re looking for competitive sports, a casual game, or a supportive gym, UTS Sport is your new home.
- Attending Network Café can open up a world of opportunities for you. Besides making new friends, you can practice your English skills, learn more about Australian culture and find answers to your questions about student life at UTS.
- Women in Engineering (WiEIT) Community is the longest running university program of its kind in Australia. WiEIT creates and leads social change so that study and career journeys in Engineering and IT are not limited by gender.
- At UTS, we strive to create an environment in which members of the LGBTIQA+ community not only feel welcome, but where they can thrive and succeed. For a social, inclusive and fun space, UTS club Darlings is the place to be. In collaboration with ActivateUTS, we've curated a handy list of gender and sexually diverse mental health resources available at UTS and in the broader community.
"It was exciting to see how many opportunities UTS had for students to get involved and meet new people. It was really easy to connect with new people, make friends and integrate into the community!"
—Marvin Pawelczyk, Study Abroad and Exchange Student
English language conversation
- TalkFest is a free event connecting students and volunteers from around the world. It is your opportunity to practise your English conversation skills, make friends, and learn about Australia and each other through games and activities.
100% worth it. You have the unique opportunity to connect, discuss, and engage with students from completely different backgrounds and cultures to questions your own ideas and shape your own perspective, therefore helping you develop cultural awareness and providing you with life-long teaching that will make you a better human being.
—Jaime Ospina, Study Abroad and Exchange student
- The UTS Buddy Program matches international students with students, staff and local community volunteers. It’s a great way to improve your listening, conversation and pronunciation skills in an informal, Australian way!
- Conversations@UTS provides a great opportunity to practise your English conversation skills and meet new people in a friendly and relaxed environment. These group sessions aim to develop your confidence with casual conversations – socially, at university and at work.