As students prepare for O-Week, PETA has scoured the country to find the most forward-thinking universities that cater to compassionate eaters.

The grades are in, and the University of Wollongong has been crowned Australia’s Most Vegan Friendly University.

New and returning students have a wide variety of vegan fare available to fuel their academic pursuits in 2017. Standout meals include UniBar’s Faux Shizzle My Schnitzel and Fillet No Fish burgers as well as the chickpea curry and Vietnamese tofu bánh mì at Little Curry House.

Students can also customise their own sandwich, salad, or wrap at Fuel or grab some rice-paper rolls at Okuma Sushi & Korean Bar, a salad at The Yard UOW, a Veggie Delite sub at Subway, or some stir-fried veggies at Kew Thai.

For something sweet, Out for Lunch and Espresso Warriors offer raw vegan cakes, and BOOST has dairy-free smoothies – as will The Gardens, which is set to open soon. In addition, the IGA on campus is well stocked with a variety of faux meats, vegan sausage rolls, dairy-free dips, and vegan mayonnaise.

An honourable mention goes to the Australian National University’s Canberra campus, which features a food co-op that serves tasty and cheap vegan lunches every weekday and sells a variety of dairy-free cheeses, spreads, and sweets.

The Gods Cafe & Bar in Union Court has burger cravings covered with its Vegan Lover, Shanghai Dumpling Cafe offers delicious dumplings, and Delhi 6 caters to those in the mood for mushroom curry or dal. Students can also pick up vegan fare at As You Like It, SumoSalad, and Zambrero.

Lunch Tomorrow? It’s vegan and delicious! via📷@cougarnoona A post shared by The Gods Cafe & Bar (@thegodscafe) on Jun 26, 2016 at 9:22pm PDT

Not to be outdone, Adelaide’s Flinders University also offers a wide variety of vegan food options, including mushroom and lentil pies at The Wholefood Store, dumplings at Kutchi Deli Parwana, the falafel burger at Tavern by Burger Theory, and the tofu bánh mì at Toly Vietnamese.

Students can also grab a salad bowl at Three Little Pods and a Veggie Delite sub at Subway, and they can get their sugar fix from Grind & Press’ cake cabinet. And no matter how late the study session, students need never miss out on tasty vegan treats, as the campus’s vending machines stock Lenny & Larry’s cookies.

Interest in plant-based living has exploded in Australia over the last 12 months. According to Google Trends data, Australians searched for the word “vegan” more than residents of any other nation did during 2016, and young people are going vegan in droves as they learn about the impact meat and dairy foods have on their health, the environment, and animals.

Want to see your university introduce more cruelty-free food options?

Why not join with other students and urge campus shops and eateries to become part of the compassionate food movement, or contact PETA and we can help you get started.