Sancta residents are community-minded, respectful, and determined to make an impact.
Seeking a place to call home on-campus at the University of Sydney, our residents join us from regional and rural New South Wales, interstate, Sydney, and all over the world. Coming from various cultures and socio-economic backgrounds, all residents commit to upholding Sancta’s values from the day they move in and remain connected to the Sancta community long after they leave.
Sancta Resident Snapshot 2024
- Our 215 undergraduate women come from 107 different high schools, three quarters of which (71%) are based in regional and rural NSW, interstate or overseas.
- More than half (53%) of our 89 postgraduate residents (of all genders) are international students, joining us from all over the world.
- Only 29% of our undergraduate women are from the Greater Sydney region (which includes the Central Coast, Illawarra, and Blue Mountains).
- Sancta residents come from over sixteen different faith backgrounds, including agnostic.
- 80% of Sancta residents engage in part-time work to contribute to their residential fees.
- More than half of Sancta residents are receiving scholarships, bursaries and/or government financial support to live at Sancta.
Why Sancta? We asked our residents in an anonymous survey…
“Sancta is worthwhile for me because it alleviates the stress in part of my life that doesn’t need to be stressful – I have all my meals cooked for me, my cleaning done for me, and I am in a safe place. It has made moving interstate so much easier to make friends and settle into Sydney. It has provided a community that I feel safe in, and I know that if I have any problems, I always have someone who I can talk to about them.” – Undergraduate resident, September 2023.
“Being part of an amazing and diverse community of postgrads. The social events and meeting new people. The staff are all so caring and supportive. Convenience of living on campus means saving on travel time to classes. The catered meals are a major benefit for busy postgraduate students.” – Postgraduate (Graduate House) resident, September 2023.
“Sancta is great if you want the college lifestyle but don’t go to the University of Sydney (like me). I also believe it is the cheapest USyd college and strongly believe it has the nicest culture and is the safest. Sancta is in a great location, so transport is cheap. Living almost anywhere in Sydney is expensive, so considering you get lovely rooms, full catering, academic support and a social life and events sorted, I think it is good value.” – UTS Undergraduate, Sancta resident, September 2023.
“My family live in Singapore – Sancta Sophia College provides me with the support system I need as a 19-year-old in a foreign country.” – International undergraduate student, Sancta resident, September 2023.
“The food is amazing and frequent throughout the day, the cleaning services, and the ability to be part of a community of like-minded individuals. As a time-poor medical student, Sancta has been my saving grace.” – Postgraduate (Graduate House) Medicine student, Sancta resident, September 2023.