As a residential school since 1931, the St Ursula’s College boarding community remains at the heart of the College.
St Ursula’s Boarding offers a sense of belonging and provides experiences that offer richness and cultural diversity. We aim to support each girl to learn, to grow, and to develop friendships for life. In essence, to make boarding a positive choice, not simply a function of distance.
Our Boarding community is small enough to enable students to experience long lasting relationships with students and staff. We provide an environment in which each girl is nurtured and offered opportunities for growth and development across a range of areas.
The College endeavours to make boarding life ‘home-like’ in a residential setting, where girls can grow in an atmosphere of respect and maturity. To ensure this, the Merici Care Model focuses on the development of each students sense of connections, achievement, responsibility and emotional awareness.
To meet the needs of busy families and establish strong study habits, we offer our families the opportunity to book their daughter into weekly or casual boarding. This provides the convenience of 24/7 care and also academic structures that support learning and facilitate wellbeing through structured and non-structured recreational activities.
Some students like to try boarding before committing to it. To support this, we offer a Boarding Sleepover. To enquire, contact our Registrar via enrolmentstursulas@twb.catholic.edu.au.
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In 2023, our school proudly received the national award for Boarding School of the Year. This esteemed recognition highlights the excellence of our Boarding program and the outstanding leadership of our Head of Boarding. In 2020, 2021, 2023 and 2024, St Ursula’s College has been awarded an Australian Education National Boarding School of the Year Excellence Award in recognition of the quality, caring and dedicated environment we provided for our residential students. St Ursula’s College is the only school in the Toowoomba and Darling Downs region to receive this accolade for two consecutive years, and it is something we are extremely proud of!
Angela Merici once said ‘You will accomplish more by kind words and a courteous manner.’
Further information on our scholarships and bursaries are under our Scholarships page which can be found here Scholarships - St Ursula's College Toowoomba
The IYLP is a scholarship opportunity for our young First Nations students in partnership with the Smith Family. St Ursula’s College is the ONLY school in Southern Queensland approved for this collaboration.
It is available to First Nations students across Years 7 to 10 (new/continuing students). Applications are due in May of each year for the following year.
Applications Indigenous Youth Leadership Program link to apply
Families should note that these scholarships are determined by The Smith Family. Following the application process, which will include an interview, successful applicants will be notified by The Smith Family.
The Indigenous Youth Leadership Program (IYLP) offers scholarships and leadership opportunities to young Indigenous Australians, with a focus on Indigenous youth from communities in very remote areas of the country or regional communities.
IYLP is funded by the National Indigenous Australians Agency and The Smith Family was selected to be an IYLP Partnership Broker.
The IYLP supports scholarships for Indigenous students to attend approved secondary schools – day and boarding, government and non–government.
In addition to helping Indigenous students achieve their educational aspirations, the IYLP supports the development of a pool of positive role models and future leaders, to inspire other Indigenous students and illustrate the successes that can be achieved through educational attainment.
“Our Country Heart” is an entrepreneurial project that aims to give boarders developing skills through:
We recognise that this initiative a great team building exercise for boarders whilst also giving them the confidence to discover and explore many new skills. This is another great way our boarding community ensures all girls are motivated and encouraged, by our dedicated and caring staff.
Many girls are involved in sports and other extra-curricular activities. This generally takes place on Saturday mornings. Our students are transported to their weekend activities by our friendly staff. We also provide many great activities such as themed nights, fitness, excursions to Brisbane, pool activities, and other recreational activities to foster connections, communication, and collaboration.
The Boarding community strives to provide boarders with opportunities to experience all aspects of life, just as they would if living at home. Each term a program of activities is created to enable the girls to:
The dining room allows the girls to enjoy each other’s company during mealtime. A friendly, respectful atmosphere provides a real opportunity for conversations. A professional catering team prepares all meals onsite in our commercial kitchen. All special dietary requirements are catered for by discussing your daughter’s needs with the Head of Boarding. We encourage the girls to be aware of their personal health and to try and maintain a good balance in their lives. Boarding House food is nutritious and well balanced. We advise the girls to eat plenty of fresh fruit and drink lots of water and exercise regularly to maintain good health.