Instead, from Tuesday, smokers caught puffing away on campus will be given a card reminding them smoking is banned and directed to a website where resources to help them quit are available. The ban will extend to the University of Canberra Public Hospital, which is currently under construction.

Smokers will also be offered free health assessments and health coaching sessions to help them kick the habit.

The university's Vice-Chancellor Professor Deep Saini said while all staff, students and visitors would be required to comply with the policy, their approach would be more "persuasive" than punitive.

"In the spirit of the university environment, we're not going to work through penalties at this point. We are going to work though persuasion," Professor Saini said.

"Any staff or students who are found smoking on campus we will approach them and persuade them to not do this. Expect random people approaching you, people you don't know, to ask you to please respect the university's policy. We are very hopeful given the intellectual environment on this campus that everyone will listen to those kind of pleas."

Under the ban cigarettes, e-cigarettes and other tobacco products will no longer be sold on campus.

Terri Henderson of anti-smoking group Canberra ASH welcomed the ban, particularly at the site of the new hospital.

"We've been lobbying for Canberra Hospital to become a smoke-free premises. We collect thousands and thousands of butts there. Hopefully the University of Canberra Hospital won't have the same problems," Ms Henderson said.

The uni has been phasing out smoking on its grounds since 2010. Only two designated smoking areas remained.

A consultation survey last year revealed only 4 per cent of participants smoked every day. Six per cent of participants said they smoked weekly while 5 per cent said they smoked less frequently.

UC student Luke O'Reilly was handed a card that said "Thank you for not smoking" as he sat smoking outside one of the university's cafes.

Mr O'Reilly said he felt the ban was "a little extreme" given smoking hadn't been policed in the past.

"I understand why people don't like it and it looks good for the uni but it's a little extreme. They never enforced the smoking areas, everyone smoked everywhere across the uni and it's like they've gone form zero to 100," he said.

Another smoker, Gabrial Mansour, said he had been a part of the consultation process but would not be giving up anytime soon.

"It was me who suggested there should be support available for those who want to stop. UC has quite a large number of smokers but they're being put under pressure to quit because of the situation," Mr Mansour said.