Ready, steady, go! Find your future at QUT Open Day

Open Day will run from 9am to 3pm across QUT’s two inner-city campuses at Gardens Point and Kelvin Grove, to empower Year 12s and other prospective students to explore their futures and the QUT courses that can transform their world.

QUT Vice-Chancellor Professor Margaret Sheil said QUT Open Day was one of the premier events on the university’s calendar for prospective students and their families.

“For many students, this can be the first time stepping foot on to a university campus so it’s wonderful to get a feel of what university life could be for them and the broad range of study opportunities we offer.

“For other prospective students, who might already have ties to QUT through family connections, friends or through our popular Future You Summit, it is a valuable opportunity to do a deeper dive into specific courses and explore our facilities.”

Visitors can talk one-on-one with QUT lecturers and current students, meet graduates already working in industry, attend seminars, tour the campuses, and find out about entry requirements, support services, scholarships, and student clubs and societies.

They’ll also be able to see two very special guests on stage at Gardens Theatre – the QUTies!

The new humanoid robots have been getting around Brisbane (and regional Queensland) this year, and on Sunday will make their dancing debut at Open Day during five engineering seminars at Gardens Point campus.

And while the dancing will be a fun highlight of Open Day for all ages, QUT Centre for Robotics director Professor Michael Milford said there was a serious side to the skills being displayed by the 130cm tall Unitree G1 robots.

He said dancing was a prime example of the amazing agility of today’s humanoid robots – and agility was one of the essential traits for a robot to better contribute to a world built for humans.

“Humanoid robots are built to be able to use the tools we use and work alongside humans,” he said.

“While their agility, such as dancing, is improving daily, there is serious research underway at QUT to ensure this new technology supports and enables human endeavour.

“Humanoid robots are an incredibly exciting technology right now, but there's a lot of research to be done to make them capable and trustworthy parts of our lives over the coming decade.

“There's now a tangible chance that we will see this type of robot in the millions around the world in our everyday lives, during our lifetimes – in part because they can integrate well into worlds built for people.

“QUT has a growing fleet of these humanoids, backed by a large system of other general robots, and we are becoming the go-to research university in this field.”

QUT Pro Vice-Chancellor (Entrepreneurship and Innovation) Professor Rowena Barrett said QUT’s innovation and strong industry connections set it apart from the rest of the tertiary pack.

“QUT Open Day is a great way to explore the degrees that we offer that are hands-on, industry-informed and applicable to jobs in the real world,” she said.

“We work closely with industry and community to develop the critical thinking, judgement and leadership skills all our students gain through their university degree.

“Real world isn’t just a slogan at QUT – it’s our way of working with students to help them find their place in the world.”

The 2026 QUT Open Day will cover courses and careers across business, law, creative industries, education, social justice, engineering, health and science.

Visitors can get the most out of their Open Day experience by doing their homework before they go:

• check out the Open Day program with maps, times and must-sees
• create your own personalised run-sheet with the Open Day Planner
• do the Match My Skills quiz for career inspiration

 

Open Day will include:

Gardens Point

• Dancing robots – see the QUTie humanoid robots and Spot the robot dog at the engineering seminars at 9am, 10am, 11am, 1pm and 2pm (Gardens Theatre, X Block)
• Flying car – view the futuristic Airspeeder, a 4m-long electric flying car that can do vertical take-offs and landings and races in remote areas of Australia (O Block – O134)
• Engineering open house – check out our engineering workshops and labs (O Block & S Block) and visit the QUT Robotics Centre (S Block)
• QUT Motorsport – check out QUT Motorsport and their newest race car, along with 11 other engineering student clubs in the Gardens Theatre foyer (X Block)
• Make nitrogen ice-cream – make and eat your own free ice cream outside P Block
• Science and Engineering Centre (P Block) – see the huge interactive digital walls of The Cube, and the IT & games showcase and maths & data immersion
• Real labs – do science, pharmacy and biomed tours across the campus (Q, R & W Blocks)
• QUT Moot Court – watch law students in action in this brand new Moot Court (C Block)
• Architecture and Built Environment Showcase – explore a showcase of student work, try out fabrication design workshops, and groove to live DJ sets
• QUT Sport – check out the Esports Arena, Virtual Sport Studio and Olympic-size pool and find out about social sports, the Elite Athlete Program, scholarships and athlete entry scheme (Y Block, P Block, East Lawn)
• Business brains – watch competitors in the Amplify+ startup weekend at The Foundry (B230, B Block) and tour the Economics and Finance Bloomberg Lab tour in Z Block
• Botanic Garden tours – take a guided environmental science tour of the gardens next door to campus

Kelvin Grove

• Arts for the age of AI – find out about the new QUT Bachelor of Arts (launching in 2027) at seminars (E Block) and the information tent (A Block forecourt) and take the ‘Are you more ethical than an AI’ quiz on the data wall in E Block
• Hands-on paramedics – see the life-sized ambulance simulators and learn how to perform CPR on a life-sized mannequin (O Block, D Wing)
• Hospital & healthcare experience – tour the Nursing Clinical Simulation Centre (N Block) during the all-day open house
• QUT Health Clinics – visit public clinics for optometry, podiatry, clinical exercise physiology, psychology and counselling, and nutrition and dietetics (U Block)
• H2 Lab - explore the microbiome and genomics open house and the state-of-the-art home of QUT’s microbiology and molecular biology teaching (H Block)
• Creative studios – get a behind-the-scenes tour of studios for fashion, music, acting and drama, animation, and film and screen production (Z3)
• Live music – catch QUT students performing at C Block, E Block and Z3 Block
• BMW Group + QUT Design Academy – explore the open house in Z2
• Driving simulator experience – visit the health tent (A Block forecourt) to try a driving simulator used for applied psychology and driver behaviour research
• High-tech sport – tour the biomechanics lab in O Block B Wing, featuring an indoor sprint track, force plates and 3D motion capture
• Teaching tours – see beautiful E Block, check out the practice classrooms and explore QUT’s rooftop sports field
• Pathway programs – learn about diplomas and pathway options at QUT College (P Block)

 

Good to know:

• Free shuttle buses will run between Gardens Point (Alice Street) and Kelvin Grove (Musk Ave) campuses
• Bring closed-in shoes if you want to go on a lab tour
• Limited free parking will be at Gardens Point (P Block & under Riverside Expressway) and Kelvin Grove (F Block & J Block). Use public transport if you can
• Mornings are usually busiest at Open Day – come in the afternoon if you want a quieter experience
• Open Day is an all-weather event – rain won’t stop the fun

The 2026 QUT Open Day will be held from 9am to 3pm, Sunday, July 26. Check out the Open Day program online and create your personalised plan for the day with our Open Day Planner.
 

Main photo at top of page: QUT Pro Vice-Chancellor (Entrepreneurship and Innovation) Professor Rowena Barrett and QUT robotics Professor Jonathan Roberts, with one of the QUTie robots that will be dancing at Open Day.

Media contact: Mechelle McMahon, QUT media officer, media@qut.edu.au