The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences stands behind its marking process. All care is taken to ensure that marking is consistent and fair and that markers adhere to the assessment criteria as advertised by the Faculty. Marking is regarded as an important part of the teaching and learning experience and markers provide constructive feedback to assist student progress.

In some rare cases, a student may be of the opinion that the mark does not reflect the quality of his/her work. In pursuance of the Academic Board Resolution on 'Student Appeals Against Academic Decisions' if a student wishes to lodge an appeal against the grade awarded the Faculty resolves to adhere to the guiding principles of that document as follows.

Step 1:

The student should contact the Unit of Study Coordinator in writing to arrange for a time to discuss the mark. At this stage the student must complete and take with them the following form:

Appeal for Reassessment (Departmental)

Section B of this form is completed by the Department. This should happen within fifteen working days of marks being made available to students.

If the Unit of Study Coordinator is not available the student should contact the Chair of Department/Program Director or Undergraduate Coordinator. Normally this consultative process is productive and the student is satisfied with the outcome achieved at this point.

Step 2:

If the student is not satisfied with the outcome of the discussion with the coordinator or chair, then he/she may appeal formally against the grade awarded.

Before beginning a formal appeal at the Faculty level the student should first read the Academic Board Resolution on 'Student Appeals Against Academic Decisions'. Students are advised to lodge the appeal within 15 working days of the outcome of discussions at department level as outlined above.

The appeal must be lodged through the Faculty Office (attention Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences) and include the following:

• A completed Appeal for Reassessment (Faculty) form (student to fill in)
• A written statement outlining the reasons for appeal. The written statement should draw attention to such matters as perceived injustice in terms of bias or inconsistent application of the grade descriptors published by the Department;
• A completed Appeal for Reassessment (Departmental) form (Section B of this form must be completed and signed by the Department);
• Your relevant assessment task
• Any additional supporting documentation. 

There is a period of time after the HECS census date in any given semester when you can discontinue a unit and receive a grade of Discontinue Not Fail (DNF). This grade has no academic penalty. In this case, you would simply complete a variation of enrolment in the Faculty Office. You will find a list of important dates relevant to your enrolment and your degree in the online University Handbook.

If you are not able to complete a unit/s due to serious illness or misadventure, you may apply for a grade of DNF for the unit/s in question after the published last day to DNF, using the Application for DNF form above. Supporting documentation, such as a Professional Practitioner Certificate (PPC) from a registered medical practitioner or counsellor (or other as applicable) is required for this application.

The following information refers to undergraduate degrees, different rules apply to Postgraduate Coursework students, and to students enrolled in diplomas and honours degrees. Please refer to the form, and your relevant handbook for rules regarding suspending your studies.

Please note, if you are an international student applying to suspend or discontinue, The University is required to advise the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC), and this can only be approved for medical or serious compassionate reasons. Supporting documentation will need to be supplied for all applications for suspension from international students. Contact the International Student Office’s Compliance Unit, io.compliance@sydney.edu.au, for advice.

As an undergraduate student you can suspend your candidature for up to 4 semesters in total (although you can only apply for 2 semesters at a time) throughout the course of your undergraduate degree. You must complete degree requirements within 10 calendar years from commencement, including any semester/s of suspension. Suspension requests are due on or before the census date for the given semester. Suspension requests received by the Faculty Office after the census date cannot be approved. Once you have submitted your application to suspend, you will receive a response via email which will include instructions on how to re-enrol at the end of your suspension.

You can withdraw from your candidature at anytime. As with the suspension forms, you must submit this form prior to the census date if you do not wish to incur financial or academic penalty. Once you are discontinued from a degree you will have to reapply for admission through the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) to study in that degree again.

If you have completed units of study at another university, you can apply to transfer credit to your current University of Sydney degree. To apply for credit from another university, you must submit an Application for Credit and departmental recommendations for each department in which credit is sought. For example, if you are applying for credit for French and History, you will submit one credit application form, one departmental credit recommendation signed by the French department at this university, and one departmental recommendation signed by the History department at this university. Please read the policy for further advice on applying for external credit.

If you are applying to transfer credit from another degree at The University of Sydney to your current degree in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, complete the Internal Credit Application above and submit it at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Office.

You may only apply to exceed the credit point limit of your degree or of a semester under the circumstances outlined in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Exceeding Credit Point Limits Policy and Procedure. If you meet the criteria outlined by the policy, you may apply to exceed credit point limits by completing the Application to Exceed Credit Point Limits form and submitting it to the Faculty. You will be notified of the outcome of your application via letter to your university email account.

You will not be informed of your graduand status until after the last date to change your enrolment in a given semester. If you are about to commence what you anticipate to be your final semester, you are advised to contact the Faculty Office before the first week of classes to request a degree requirements notice if you are in any doubt as to your outstanding degree requirements. This will enable you to make any necessary adjustments to your enrolment before the semester deadline.

When you are eligible to graduate, a Graduation Invitation Package will be sent to your correspondence address (the address to which your examination result notices have been sent), three weeks prior to your assigned ceremony.

If you have any concerns contact the Faculty Office.

You should re-enrol after an absence or suspension by using this form and submitting it to the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Student Enquiries Office.

Use this form if you are an international student wishing to do less than 24 credit points in a semester. You may still be financially liable for units of study that you are applying to withdraw from. Please contact the International Office if you are in any doubt, or if you have any questions about how this may affect your visa status.

Applications to Transfer your degree must be received by the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences by

• December 15 for transfers for semester 1, 2012
• 30 June for semester 2 transfers.

When applying to transfer your degree you need to submit an Internal Credit form at the same time.  Credit does not automatically come across when you transfer degrees.  Only units that meet the resolutions of the new degree can be transferred across.

If you are interested in taking a unit/s from another Australian university as part of your degree, you can apply to the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences to study on a cross-institutional basis. You must complete and submit the application form above, and provide all documentation requested. You must also contact the university that offers the unit/s well in advance of your intended semester of study for information on application procedures and deadlines.

Most variations or changes to your enrolment can be completed online via your MyUni login.

If you are having difficulty varying your enrolment online, you can complete a variation on paper. On the form you will need to provide your full name, student number, degree and the details of the units you wish to be enrolled in and withdrawn from (unit of study code, title and semester offered).
Once completed this form should be submitted to the Faculty Office, or alternatively you can scan the completed form and send your request to enrol or withdraw from units from your university email account to arts.undergraduate@sydney.edu.au. You will receive a confirmation email when your variation has been processed.

If you wish to enrol in a unit(s) of study for which you have not completed the pre-requisite(s), you may seek permission to have the usual pre-requisites waived by the department. You may apply for a pre-requisite waiver on paper or via email.

On paper: Complete the application form (available above and in the faculty Office), have the form signed by the relevant academic and return your completed form the Faculty Office to vary your enrolment. Your enrolment variation will be processed immediately and you will be able to view the changes through MyUni.
Via email: If you are unable to attend the university in person, you may seek approval form the relevant academic via email from your university email account. You may then forward your approval, along with a request from yourself (which must include your full name, student number, degree, the unit in which you are seeking to enrol, any units you need to withdraw from) to arts.undergraduate@sydney.edu.au. You will receive a confirmation email when your request has been processed.

Applying to cross-list units is only available to Postgraduate Coursework students. For units that are cross listed to the various Undergraduate majors please refer to the Cross-Listing table

 ELIGIBILITY TO UPGRADE

Students are eligible to apply for an upgrade within an embedded course, once a minimum of four units of study have been successfully completed and

• a minimum of 65% to upgrade from a Graduate Certificate to a Graduate Diploma

• a minimum of 65% to upgrade from a Graduate Certificate to a Masters

• a minimum of 65% to upgrade from a Graduate Diploma to a Masters

The average is calculated across all units completed, including fail grades. Students cannot be guaranteed a place, as upgrades are competitive and subject to availability.

 Important note:

Students should refer to the accompanying information sheet when applying to upgrade or exit with a shorter degree