Catholic College Wodonga year 12 student Holly Lehmann wants to do nursing at CSU, specialising in neonatal care.

Under that course, she would have a 89.9 per cent chance of getting employed with an average wage of $55,000.

CSU’s strong ranking has given Holly further encouragement to do well in her upcoming VCE exams.

“Definitely, it’s good to know that going into it that I’ll hopefully have a job after it,” she said.

For Holly, having a top tier uni on her doorstep was lucky given she wasn’t keen on moving away from friends and family.

“I’m a bit of a homebody, I want to stay here,” she said.

But her classmate Hannah McKerral is considering moving to Melbourne, studying speech pathology at either CSU or the Australian Catholic University campus in Fitzroy. “For me, if I go to university in Albury it’d be a lot closer to home and I’d be around family. But in Melbourne, I’d be getting out of my shell and experiencing the big city,” she said.

Breanna Ballard has her heart set on getting into the Australian National University in Canberra, which remains among the most prestigious universities in the country.

Breanna said she wants to complete a double degree in law and international relations, majoring in national security.

“Canberra is the heart of Australia, if you want to make a difference, you go there,” she said. 

La Trobe University graduates had an average salary of $52,000 and an overall employment rate of 67 per cent – taking into account its multiple campuses in Melbourne and regional Victoria.

A close-knit group of friends, the three young women admitted it would be sad going in different directions but a necessary step for all.

“I think we’ll meet up in the future, regardless of where we are,” Holly said.