The USP Tonga Campus was initially set up as the USP Tonga Extension Centre in 1971, at the Old Vaiola Hospital located in Tonga’s capital, Nuku‘alofa. In 1987, it was re-located to its present site at ‘Atele, in the village of Ha‘ateiho, about 7km from Nuku‘alofa. 
The Campus also has a Centre in Vava‘u and Ha‘apai.
Tonga Campus welcomed its first students in January 1972, a total of 5 students. In 2013, the Campus has an enrolment of around 1300 students, and who are served by 24 staff members. The Campus also employs about 30 Part-Tutors. In 2010, the Institute of Education (IOE) was relocated from Laucala Campus in Suva, Fiji to Tonga Campus. With the relocation of the IOE, Tonga Campus became home to 5 researchers with PhD. The presence of the IOE staff enabled the Tonga Campus to supervise and teach graduate teachers in Education. This has resulted in a marked growth in the enrolment of graduate students based at the Tonga Campus.
USP Tonga Campus today stands strong in serving the country with its programs ranging from the Continuing Community Education programs, to the Post School Bridging Program, to the Preliminary and Foundation courses offered out of the College of Foundation, to the undergraduate degree programs, and to post-graduate programs, including the MBA and the Master in Education. In the next six years of USP’s Strategic Plan 2013-2018, Tonga Campus will expand its physical facilities on Tongatapu and Vava‘u, in order to meet the tertiary educational needs of Tonga.
Popular courses
The most popular courses at the Tonga Campus are Economics and Management. More recently, Computer and IT Courses have become popular. The Foundation programme is also one of the most popular programmes offered by DFL Tonga Campus.
Tonga campus also offers MBA courses and we have MBA lecturer that take units from the campus. Read more on MBA @ Tonga Campus
Opportunities
A number of our graduates join the civil service. They have become teachers, managers, economists, secretaries, lawyers, health officers. Some hold very senior positions.
Other graduates chose to work in the private sector or in NGOs, many have become businessmen and women, Church teachers, clergymen, politicians and Parliamentarians.
Students in the Campus start off by taking the Foundation programme and/or first degree courses via distance learning before continuing on to Laucala Campus, Alafua, or Vanuatu to complete their programme of studies.
What the students say
“The university has a friendly, safe and fun learning atmosphere, makes me feel like home and motivates me to study because everyone else I doing so”. - LAVINIA VEIONGO AHO POMEE
Read more Student Testimonials
