A 24-year-old man has been charged with two counts of attempted murder after he allegedly stabbed two people at a university campus.

Police will allege that about 2.40pm on Wednesday, the man stabbed a 20-year-old female student multiple times near the campus’s main oval.

He then allegedly chased a second 20-year-old female student before stabbing her.

Police say a male student was the next target of the alleged rampage, the man approaching the student and allegedly punching him in the face.

Moments before the alleged stabbing, he hit a second male student over the head with a frying pan, police said.

The 24-year-old was arrested at the scene and has since been charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault and one count of possessing an object to be used to kill.

The man has had prior interactions with police and his mental health status will from part of the police investigation.

Detective Superintendent Stephanie Leonard described the alleged attack as “concerning” and noted that incidents like this were rare in the nation’s capital.

“Obviously any violent offence is concerning,” she told reporters.

“Canberra is usually a very safe place and (alleged) incidents like these are extremely rare.”

The two female victims remain in a serious but stable condition.

The two male victims did not require hospitalisation.

No motive for the incident has been identified and police do not believe the victims knew the offender.

Police are working closely with campus security who have assisted with their inquiries.

The 24-year-old will be appearing in the ACT Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

Any person who witnessed the incident or has footage of the incident is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via crimestoppers.com.au referencing P2193413.