As USC’s new campus takes shape at Moreton Bay, Year 12 high school students in the region are taking virtual tours of the space using mobile phones and headsets.

University of the Sunshine Coast spokesperson Courtney Geritz said virtual technology was allowing students to get a feel for the facilities before the campus’s foundation building opens in early 2020.

“This technology is allowing students to take a virtual walk through what the finished campus is going to look like,” she said.

“There’s enormous anticipation for the new full-service campus to open next year and Year 12 students have been inspired and impressed to hear what they will be able to do there.”

The campus is under construction at The Mill at Moreton Bay, where a 16,000-square metre Stage One foundation facility is set to feature a 400-seat lecture theatre, $10 million worth of state-of-the-art technology including simulation facilities, engineering facilities and a makerspace.

From next year, USC’s Moreton Bay campus will offer more than 40 undergraduate degree programs including business, education, computer science and mechatronics. An additional 16 programs are likely to be introduced in 2021 and 2022.

USC student Blake Cochrane, who grew up in Redcliffe, said the new campus would help locals study without the stress of moving out of home.

“To have a university on your doorstep and only a short distance from home would make life that much easier until you felt comfortable to move out of home,” he said.

Around 90 percent of students currently living in Moreton Bay commute on average three hours per day to attend university outside the region, with around two-thirds travelling to Brisbane’s central business district.

USC Vice-Chancellor Professor Greg Hill said the University had ambitious plans to help the region connect, expand and improve educational opportunities.

“With a full-scale USC campus at its core, this new destination will offer world-class study opportunities for residents in the region,” Professor Hill said.

“By 2030, we anticipate it will cater for 10,000 new students.”

USC Moreton Bay will be located on the former Petrie Paper Mill site, currently being redeveloped by Moreton Bay Regional Council.