James Cook University has served the regional and remote communities of Northern Queensland for over sixty years, remaining dedicated to ensuring access to study and research experience. The University strongly believes that students who study in Northern Queensland stay in Northern Queensland. Students at James Cook University are provided with a practice, experiential and research-rich learning environment, fostering their professional expertise and intellectual curiosity.
James Cook University (JCU) is unique among Australian universities, woven into the intellectual, economic and social fabric of the regional and remote communities they serve. Training medical students close to their hometown has made JCU one of Australia’s most successful universities at producing health professionals who go on to work in regional, rural and remote locations.
The Balnaves Foundation has been a long-time advocate for the importance of increasing access to education for Indigenous students. The Balnaves Foundation Indigenous Medical Scholarship at James Cook University’s Nguma-bada campus in Cairns was launched in 2023, covering the whole six years of a Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree. Previously, the full degree was only available for students at the Bebegu Yumba campus in Townsville. In 2025, the Foundation extended the scholarship to cover the Townsville campus as well.
The MBBS degree at JCU ensures that students are equipped with the skills they will need to practice medicine in a range of diverse settings. Students begin to develop clinical skills in their second year with a focus specifically on the challenges common to tropical, rural and remote contexts. This focus has ensured that JCU graduates are three times more likely to practice in regional areas and twice as likely to practice in remote areas, compared to medical students from other Australian Universities. In fact, 50% of North and Central Queensland towns with a hospital and/or medically led community health centres have one or more JCU medical graduates.
The expansion from Townsville to Cairns, allows students from the far north of Australia to study closer to home. Students are supported to build connections within local communities during their placements with the aim of encouraging more graduates to obtain roles in rural communities.