A level of academic standing is assigned to each student at the end of each main session. If you pass all of your courses, you will be in good academic standing and need not worry. Good academic standing is important for many reasons but is essential for students who wish to remain in Advanced Degree Programs or for those who would like to proceed into an Honours Program during their 4th year.

 

The levels of academic standing are defined as: Good Standing (the students current progress is deemed satisfactory), Referral, Probation 1, Probation 2, Probation 3, Suspension, and Exclusion. Movement between levels is based on progress, measured by the proportion of study load passed (i.e. the number of UOC passed out of all units attempted in that session). General Education courses ARE included in this proportion.

 

Movement down: the academic standing ladder occurs when students perform unsatisfactorily in a session. Passing less than half of your subjects will result in you moving down one step of the ladder, passing none of your subjects will result in you moving down 2 steps of the ladder.

 

If you fail a course that is a requirement of your program, or is a prerequisite to a requirement of your course, you will need to repeat it again. If the failed course is a prerequisite, you may not be able to proceed to some other courses until it is successfully completed. If the course is an elective, you may repeat the same course or choose a different elective to make up the required UOC. Failed courses count towards your weighted average, but the UOC are not counted towards your degree requirements. Failing less than half your study load in a session, will not negatively affect your academic standing.

 

If you fail MORE THAN 50% of your study load in a session your academic standing changes from good standing to poor standing. More than 50% means that if your study load totals 24 UOC, failure of 13 or more UOC is deemed unsatisfactory and you move 'down a rung' on the academic standing ladder. The Program Authority assigns an adviser to each student who falls below good standing. Continued poor progress can lead to suspension (one year with automatic readmission) or exclusion (two years without automatic readmission).

 

If you fail everything in a session your academic standing will move down two 'rungs' of the ladder. This means that if you are on Probation 1 and then fail everything you will be suspended.

 

Students in Advanced Science (3990) or Biotechnology (3052) who do not attain an average or 65 or higher in Stage 3 of the program are normally required to transfer to the Science program (3970) and are awarded a BSc at pass level.

 

Students who find themselves with academic standing, from referral through to Probation 2, only need to have one 'good session' (that is, pass more than 50% of your study load for a session) and your academic standing status is returned back to good standing. Although the academic standing system takes you step-by-step down the levels, a good performance in any one session, automatically gives you an “elevator ride” back to good standing. This is also true for suspended students.

 

Suspended students who are automatically re-admitted into university at the end of the suspension period, re-enter with a Probation 1 status. However, one good session, and your status will be redeemed straight back to good standing. If your progress does not improve during the session, your status will move to Probation 3 and further poor academic progress will result in Exclusion.

 

Excluded students who successfully reapply and re-enter the university, enter with good standing and a new 'clean state.

 

For further information on Academic Standing please consult with the Student Guide or the Student Office.

 

Two main factors which can detrimentally affect your academic record are academic performance and a failure to follow proper administrative procedures when making changes to your enrolment. We discuss ways to avoid both of these pitfalls below.

 

Participation in all parts of a course, including lectures, tutorials and laboratories, is key to successfully passing a course. If you find you are struggling with a course, you should not wait until you are halfway or further into the session to seek help. In the first instance, you should seek the guidance of your tutor or lecturer-in-charge. Many Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Computing courses are conducted at different academic levels. All you may need is to change to a course which is better matched to your level of knowledge. However, as this may only be done in the first couple of weeks of session, it is critical you seek help or advice at the beginning of session.

 

The University provides support for students with learning disabilities. Counselling services, English courses particular to certain disciplines and a Learning Centre are also available to help you develop the correct skills and training to get you onto the right track for successful study.

 

The University has set the upper limit at 24 UOC per session. However, if you have commitments, like a part-time job, you might consider taking fewer UOC per session. In some circumstances, students with good academic standing may be granted permission to exceed the 24 UOC limit.

 

You should decide which course(s) to drop and apply for a course discontinuation. If you officially discontinue a course by the appropriate deadline, you will not receive a failure mark, nor incur HECS or fees for that course. It is critical that you file by these dates for any courses which you have enrolled in but do not wish to continue. Discontinuation of a course after the deadline without failure is given only in exceptional circumstances, such as medical or family problems. Without special cause, students failing to change their enrolment before due deadlines are not given special consideration.

 

On some occasions sickness, misadventure, or other circumstance beyond your control may prevent you from completing a course requirement or attending or submitting assessable work for a course. Special consideration applies for the above circumstances, if you believe you have been affected for a course assesment you will need to apply for special consideration to the University.

 

 

 

Students wishing to defer studies for 1-2 semesters should complete a Course Withdrawal and Leave Application and return it to the Science Student Office. These forms can be collected from UNSW Student Central. First-year, local students will need to reapply through UAC to gain re-enrolment back into UNSW. However, rest assured, your place at University is held for you. Re-enrolling information for all students on leave will be sent to you by the Admissions Office when you receive your official letter of Notification of Leave. Program leave is usually restricted to a total of two sessions over the period of your degree and applications for leave in excess of two sessions will only be approved in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the Program authority.

 

International Students who are considering a leave of absence from UNSW are encouraged to consult with International Student Services for advice regarding leave entitlements and visa regulations.

 

Such withdrawal will only be approved for students who have special or extenuating circumstances that prevent them from successfully completing that course. Such circumstances include medical illness or misadventure or family emergencies, and usually require supporting documentation such as medical certificates or letters from a counseling professional. Reasons such as a course being too hard, not wanting to do the course anymore or you did not get around to dropping the course earlier will not be considered.

 

The Application for Special Permission to Withdraw from a Course Without Failure form is for students who wish to withdraw from a course without penalty, after the deadline.

 

It is important to note that, if you are given permission to withdraw from one or more courses without failure after the HECS census deadline, your HECS or fee liability is not automatically removed. You will need to apply through UNSW Student Central for HECS/ Fee exemptions.