History and establishment timeline
Deakin University was established by the Deakin University Act 1974. It was the first university in regional Victoria. The primary objectives for Deakin University's establishment were to create a university in the Geelong area and to provide an opportunity for tertiary education at university level to all qualified persons whether within or outside Victoria by means of distance education programs. Deakin University’s first campus was established at Waurn Ponds in 1979.
Since then it has grown to include campuses in Warrnambool, by amalgamation with the Warrnambool Institute of Advanced Education in 1990 under the Deakin University (Warrnambool) Act 1990, and in Burwood, arising from an amalgamation with Victoria College in 1991 under the Deakin University (Victoria College) Act 1991. A second Geelong campus was established at the Geelong Waterfront in 1996.
The teaching and research activities of Deakin University now reach nationally and internationally, but the University retains a particular commitment to rural and regional communities and to providing equitable opportunities for people to enjoy the benefits that flow from participation in higher education. Deakin University aims to be a catalyst for positive change for the individuals and the communities it serves. It aspires to be recognised as Australia's most progressive university.
| Date | Event |
| 1887 | Gordon Technical College established |
| 1957 | Geelong University Committee established |
| 1961 | University for Geelong committee established |
| September 1970 | Ramsay Committee set up to review fourth university for Victoria |
| 7 March 1972 | Ramsay Committee report issued |
| June 1972 | State government announces that new university will be in regional centres |
| 12 February 1973 | Premier Rupert Hamer announces fourth university will open in 1976 |
| 25 February 1974 | Federal Cabinet welfare committee decides fourth university should be in Geelong |
| 26 February 1974 | State government informed of Cabinet approval for Geelong university |
| 27 February 1974 | Announcement of legislation for Interim Council to plan fourth university |
| June 1974 | Interim Planning Council appointed under PN Thwaites |
| 10 December 1974 | Deakin University Act passed |
| 22 January 1975 | Deakin University incorporated |
| 31 January 1975 | Inaugural meeting of Deakin University Interim Council |
| 13 June 1975 | Sixth meeting of Interim Council resolves to offer vice-chancellorship to Fred Jevons |
| 11 July 1975 | Jevons attends Interim Council meeting to bring forward date of takeover |
| 1 January 1976 | Fred Jevons takes office as vice-chancellor |
| 1 April 1977 | End of transitional period, classes begin at new Deakin University |
| 4 May 1977 | Walter Perry of Open University visits Deakin |
| August 1977 | Deakin University Students Association Council established |
| August 1977 | Deakin University Sports Association established |
| 21 September 1977 | DURAC Ltd |
| Late 1977 | Academic blueprint approved by final meeting of Interim Council |
| 1 January 1978 | Deakin University Council |
| 1 January 1978 | PN Thwaites, Chancellor; NL Davidson, Deputy Chancellor |
| 11 May 1978 | Official opening of the university by RJ Hamer |
| 12 May 1978 | First graduation ceremony |
| 1978 | DEC computer installed |
| August 1979 | Study Centre in Flinders Street opened |
| 28 March 1980 | Union/admin building officially opened by Sir Zelman Cowan |
| April 1980 | Off-campus MBA announced |
| Late 1980 | Deakin University Regiment approved by Council |
| 30 April 1981 | 'Razor Gang' says no new enrolments in engineering at Deakin |
| May 1981 | First honorary degrees awarded, Lord Walter Perry, Philip Brown |
| 1982 | John Umanski, first doctorate of Deakin University |
| January 1983 | Justice Austin Asche becomes second chancellor |
| 18 February 1984 | PN Thwaites dies |
| 1985 | Centre for Management Services established |
| 1 January 1986 | Malcolm Skilbeck takes over as second vice-chancellor |
| June 1987 | Jim Leslie installed as third chancellor |
| 1987 | Talks with Warrnambool IAE begin |
| 1988 | Deakin University becomes DEC |
| 1 August 1990 | Merger with Warrnambool completed |
| 1 August 1990 | Deakin University (Warrnambool) Act |
| October 1990 | Agreement to merge with Victoria College |
| 6 July 1991 | Malcolm Skilbeck resigns |
| 7 July 1991 | David James takes over as acting vice-chancellor |
| 31 December 1991 | Deakin merges with Victoria College |
| 31 December 1991 | Deakin University (Victoria College) Act |
| January 1992 | John Hay becomes third vice-chancellor |
| 1993 | Deakin Australia Engineering re-established at Deakin |
| 1994 | Woolstores (later Waterfront) campus in Geelong begun |
| 6 July 1995 | University of the Year Award |
| 31 December 1995 | John Hay resigns |
| 1 January 1996 | Geoff Wilson becomes fourth vice-chancellor |
| April 1996 | Woolstores campus opened |
| 5 July 1996 | Margaret Cameron, first chief librarian retires |
| 29 August 1996 | Launch of Deakin's educational cable TV channel |
| December 1996 | Jim Leslie retires |
| 1996 | Nurse education for Indigenous people in Mount Isa |
| 1996 | Koorie undergraduate community-based program in primary health care and law |
| January 1997 | Richard Searby becomes fourth chancellor |
| 29 October 1998 | Strategic alliances with Box Hill Institute of TAFE |
| 1998 | Award-winning redevelopment of Burwood campus |
| 1998 | Delta Carpet building acquired |
| 1998 | Richard Russel receives Prime Minister's award as University Teacher of the Year |
| 1998 | International Fibre Centre announced |
| 1998 | Deakin Australia takes over ACTU House |
| 1999 | Anne Martin becomes deputy vice-chancellor |
| 1999 | Deakin University is University of the Year jointly with University of Wollongong |
| April 1999 | Coles Institute |
| 2000 | Off-campus MBAs for CPAs |
| 2000 | Deakin Australia takes over Australian Human Resources Institute |
| 2001 | Deakin Australia reconstructed as Deakin Prime |
| 2001 | Deakin one of four members of World Alliance in Distance Education |
| September 2001 | Deakin University receives fourth place for partnership linkage grants and 13th in ARC discover grants for 2002 |
| 2002 | Transfer of students from Rusden Campus completed |
| 2002 | Deakin celebrates its 25th anniversary |
| August 2002 | Geelong Technology Precinct launched |
| November 2002 | Kean Selway commences as CEO DeakinPrime |
| End of 2002 | Vice-Chancellor, Professor Geoff Wilson, retires from Deakin University |
| January 2003 | Professor Sally Walker commences as Vice-Chancellor of Deakin University |
| 2003 | Work commences on the Central Precinct Development at the Melbourne Campus at Burwood |
| 2003 | Academic Board re-structured |
| 2003 | Deakin Studies Online implemented |
| 2004 | Implementation of compulsory online unit for all students |
| 2004 | Geelong Technology Precinct opens |
| Late 2005 | Institute of Teaching and Learning established |
| 2005 | DeakinWeek introduced |
| April 2006 | Deakin announces plan to establish a rural and regional Medical School |
| 2007 | Deakin receives accreditation from the Australian Medical Council for the Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery program |
| 2007 | Deakin develops relationship with one of India's largest biotechnology companies, Biocon. |
| 2007 | Deakin establishes an official International English Language Testing System test centre |
| 2007 | Australian cricketer Brett Lee named as the face of Deakin in India |
| 2007 | Deakin's Melbourne Campus at Toorak closes |
| February 2008 | First Deakin Medical School students commence |
| February 2008 | Deakin's new $65m International Centre and Business Building officially opened |
| May 2008 | Deakin Medical School officially opened |
| June 2008 | Steve Bracks named inaugural Honorary Chair of the Deakin Foundation |
| September 2008 | Deakin's MBA receives five star rating from the Graduate Management Association of Australia |
| September 2008 | Deakin Research Online launched |
| November 2008 | Deakin's new Trimester system commences |
| December 2008 | Deakin receives funding for Deakin at Your Doorstep project |
| March 2009 | Deakin recognised as an Employer of Choice for Women for the fifth consecutive year |
| June 2009 | Refurbished Dennys Lascelles Building officially opened |
| June 2009 | Deakin University Council approves the new Associate Degree of Arts, Business and Sciences |
| July 2009 | National Centre for Farmer Health officially launched |
| September 2009 | Deakin's MBA and MBA (International) receives five star rating from the Graduate Management Association of Australia |
| October 2009 | The Deakin India Research Initiative launched |
| December 2009 | Deakin University Act (2009) passed |
| October 2009 | Deakin receives strongest result to date in World University Rankings |
| April 2010 | Deakin signs MOU with The Energy and Resources Institute of India (TERI) to establish the new BioNanotechnology Research Centre in New Delhi |
| July 2010 | Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sally Walker, retires from Deakin University |
| July 2010 | Professor Jane den Hollander commences as Vice-Chancellor of Deakin University |
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11th March 2011