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FAQ

What is the Student Services and Amenities Fee?

In October 2011, the Australian Parliament passed the Higher Education Legislation Amendment (Student Services and Amenities) Bill 2010, allowing universities to charge a Student Services and Amenities fee (SSA fee) of up to $263 from 1 January 2012 (indexed annually thereafter) as an initiative to increase student support and services in Australian universities. The University of Sydney will be charging the fee from 1 January 2012. The fee will be calculated based on the student’ semester load (i.e. full time / part time status) and will be charged on a semester basis. There will be a new component of the HELP scheme, called SA-HELP, which will allow eligible students to defer the payment of their SSA fee. Read more...

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What is SA-HELP? Am I eligible?

SA-HELP is a loan program that is similar toFEE-HELP, which allows eligible students to defer the payment of their SSA fee. In order to be eligible for SA-HELP students must meet the following criteria:
- be either an Australian citizen or a permanent humanitarian visa holder residing in Australia; and
- be enrolled in a course of study (or a bridging course for overseas trained professional); and
- submit a valid SA HELP Assistance form with a TFN (or a Certificate of application for a TFN), on or before the SSA fee payable date.

Students not eligible for SA-HELP will be required to pay their SSA fee up front as per the due date on their invoice. Should a student’s eligibility criteria change making them eligible for SA-HELP prior to the SSA fee payable date, they will need to attend the Student Centre (Health Science students please attend Student Central) with proof of their citizenship.

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Am I a Local or an International student?

You are considered a Domestic/Local Student if you are:

  • a citizen of Australia
  • a citizen of New Zealand
  • a dual citizen of Australia and any other country, or
  • a permanent resident of Australia
  • on a Humanitarian Visa

You are considered an International Student if you are:

  • a citizen of any country except Australia or New Zealand
  • a temporary resident of Australia
  • a permanent resident of New Zealand
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What is full time? Do I have to be full time? How many credit points should I take each semester?

International Students

If you are an international student you must enrol in the normal full time load of 24 credit points per semester as required by ESOS (Education Services for Overseas Act 2000). This will allow a full time international student to complete the program in the standard time

Domestic/Local Students

A full time enrolment for local students is defined as at least 18 credit points in each semester. You do not necessarily have to be full time.

Public Transport Concessions are only available to full time domestic students
Some government benefits may require full time study. Check the provisions of your support scheme.

There is no standard part-time enrolment except that you have to take at least one unit of study per semester.

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How do I choose my units of study?

For degree requirements and unit of study information please consult the Course and Unit of Study Portal.

Postgraduate Program Directors will be available at in-person enrolment sessions for academic advice.

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What is the maximum number of credit points I can take each semester?

You may not take more than 30 credit points in one semester. A load of 30 credit points for a semester requires academic permission. However it is recommended that you take no more than 24 credit points per semester.

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How long do I have to complete the degree?

If you are an international student you must complete your degree as indicated in your letter of offer. However, if you have any difficulties completing your degree in the required time please discuss this with the GSE administrative staff or the International Office.

Domestic/Local students are required to complete the degree in no more than 10 semesters of candidature. All students must complete the degree within 8 years of first enrolling, including any periods of suspension of candidature.

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Do I have to choose units of study for the whole year now?

If you are commencing in March you are required to choose units of study for the whole year.

If you are commencing in July you will only enrol in Semester Two on the enrolment day. In October you will receive an University email advising you to pre-enrol in units of study for Semester One of the following year. If you receive academic advice for your full program please keep this information handy to refer to for pre-enrolment.

Full time Graduate Certificate students will only be enrolled for one semester, even if you intend to carry on to the Master degree. If you wish to transfer from a Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma to a Master degree you must apply to the GSE to transfer before completing your degree.

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What if I change my mind about the units of study I have chosen?

It is advised that you choose your subjects carefully now, however changes can be made by certain dates. Please check Important Dates.

You are able to add new units of study until the end of the second week of semester. You are able to withdraw from units of study without academic or financial penalty until the Census Date.

Please note that International students must maintain a full time load.

If you choose to use FEE-HELP it is important to realise that your enrolment represents a contract with the government and you are charged fees according to your enrolment at the Census Date. Please ensure you read the FEE-HELP Information booklet as it is your responsibility to be informed if you are using this facility.

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How do I change my enrolment after enrolment day?

You are strongly encouraged to use the Web Enrolment Variation system available through MyUni to add or drop units of study. Alternatively, you may complete a Variation of Enrolment form. Completed forms should be returned to the GSE. If you require assistance you may come to the Graduate School of Engineering & IT during office hours 10am – 4 pm Monday to Friday.

If you want to add a unit that is offered by another Faculty you will need to complete a Permission to Enrol in Units of Study outside the Faculty form. You will need permission from the Director of Postgraduate studies in your School if the unit is not associated with your degree AND the Faculty in which the unit of study is offered.

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How do I get a personal timetable?

Once you have enrolled, you will be able to use your UniKey login and password to download your personal timetable from MyUni.

Please be patient with the system as it is in very heavy demand at this time and you may have to make more than one attempt to contact the web site. Try it in the evening or early morning if you are experiencing problems.

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What is FEE-HELP? Am I eligible?

FEE-HELP allows Australian citizens to borrow the money for tuition fees from the Australian federal government, to be repaid through the tax system. FEE-HELP is not available to permanent residents (unless you are on a Humanitarian Visa) or New Zealand citizens.

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Can I get a discount on the tuition fees for paying up-front?

No. Unlike the HECS system, there is no discount for up-front payments. However, lump sum FEE-HELP re-payments over $500 made to the Australian Tax Office attract a 10% discount.

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Can I get credit for previous tertiary study?

Up to 12 credit points of credit from previous study may be approved provided the unit is similar to a unit of study taught under the Faculty Postgraduate Degree Tables and has a result equivalent to a credit average or higher. Credit is not given for undergraduate study. You should complete an Application for Credit form and submit it to the GSE with supporting documentation.

Applications are dealt with on a case by case basis by the Postgraduate Director of the School with which you are associated. You can discuss applications for credit at enrolment with an academic advisor.


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Can I take undergraduate units of study?

No, this is not allowed.

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What is special consideration?


If you believe that your studies or academic performance has, or will, suffer because of a serious illness or misadventure, you may ask your faculty to give you Special Consideration in assessment, including examinations. Serious illness generally refers to one which prohibits you from working at your normal level. Misadventure refers to situations beyond your control, such as injury to yourself or the serious illness of a family member.

Special Consideration is used in one-off situations or for short-term illness only. If you are subject to a long-term disability, illness or injury which affects your ability to complete your studies or attend classes, you will need to seek advice from the Disability Services Office.

A detailed description of Special Consideration, the procedures for applying and the responsibilities of both yourself and the faculty can be found on the Student Administration website.

You can download a standard Special Consideration application pack.

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What do I do if I was ill and could not attend my exam?

If you have missed your exam due to illness or misadventure then you should apply for Special Consideration. An application form must be completed and lodged at the Graduate School of Engineering & IT within 1 week (5 business days) of the original date of the examination. Applications may not be accepted after 1 week unless serious illness or misadventure prevented you from submitting the form within this period

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What are “Special Arrangements”?

Special arrangements may be made available to any student enrolled at the University of Sydney who is unable to meet assessment requirements or attend examinations because of one or more of the following situations:

  • essential religious commitments or essential beliefs (including cultural and ceremonial commitments);
  • compulsory legal absence (e.g. jury duty, court summons, etc);
  • sporting or cultural commitments, including political/union commitments, where the student is representing the University, state or nation;
  • birth or adoption of a child, and
  • Australian defense force or emergency service commitments (including Army Reserve).

Students should provide sufficient and relevant supporting documentation with any application for special arrangements. Students must also provide contact details to enable the Faculty to seek further advice from the person or body which issued the supporting documentation used in the application.

The student will be advised of this decision by email within seven days of lodgement of the application.

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How do I access disability services?

To access services provided by the Disability Services, you will need to register. Please advise if you are seeking such assistance. To register you must make an appointment with a Disability Services Officer and bring along the required supporting documentation and any other relevant information. During the appointment (which usually goes for 45 minutes), the Disability Services Officer will review the documentation and assess your eligibility for services. More Information about registration is available from the Disability Services website.

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What is plagiarism?

Plagiarism means presenting another person’s work as your own work by presenting, copying, or reproducing it without acknowledgement of the source. Plagiarism includes presenting work for assessment that includes:

  • sentences, paragraphs, or longer extracts from published or unpublished work (including from the Internet) without acknowledgement of the source; or
  • the work of another person, without acknowledgement of the source and presented in a way that exceeds the boundaries of legitimate cooperation.
Acknowledging the work of others

resources on the internet, or lectures, must be acknowledged. This is done by ‘referencing’.

You will be advised by the unit of study coordinator which referencing style to use, e.g. Harvard style, MLA style. Style manuals and guides are also available from University of Sydney Library, and the Learning Centre runs workshops on quoting, summarising and paraphrasing information from sources to avoid plagiarism.

Failure to acknowledge your sources may result in partial or total loss of marks for that piece of work. In more serious cases it may result in failure in the unit of study or exclusion from the University. Students who allow their work to be copied and passed off as the work of another student will be regarded as complicit in an act of plagiarism.

You should be familiar with the University's policy on Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism.

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