Vaccines are expected to start rolling out next month for frontline workers and high-risk categories with the region's health services meeting on Monday to plan the logistics. Things are looking up.

Victorian universities this week released first round offers to prospective students, the reward for a tough 2020. But even before Warrnambool's Deakin University released its offers, it had cause for quiet celebration with the number of students listing its courses as their first choice jumping by 13.6 per cent on the previous year.

As universities know, it doesn't necessarily mean student numbers will jump by that figure when classes begin. But the popularity spike is a significant step forward for a campus that would have been closed in 2016 had the community not challenged the then vice chancellor's thinking.

The threat of closure hurt the campus. Prospective students were spooked but the campus, led by Deakin's south-west chief executive officer Grant Sutherland and campus head Alistair McCosh, has been fighting hard to claw back ground and there's plenty more to do. This week's jump in popularity is a win for the campus, its leaders and the community's determination to keep it open.

The reason for the change in fortune is partially born out of the pandemic. Students want to stay close to home in these uncertain times. But perhaps more telling, the economic realities of staying at home, lower living expenses and retaining part-time jobs, which might not be easy to find elsewhere, are swaying students to study in their backyard. The campus has quality staff and our acceptance of technology during the pandemic means accessing additional resources has never been easier. Studying close to home is a no-brainer for many, which is good news for the city's campus and our community.