 In September 1988, amidst a national push for amalgamations in tertiary education, the college was one of four Colleges of Advanced Education targeted by the state Office of Higher Education for a proposed merger with the University of New South Wales.The college council unanimously rejected the proposal, instead pushing for individual university status.It did not join the initial merger of the Hawkesbury Agricultural College and Nepean College of Advanced Education to form the University of Western Sydney at its commencement on 1 January 1989, but in June 1989 the college council resolved to support joining the university as its third network member.