Your candidature
Understand the administrative requirements of your candidature and where to turn for help when you need it
Your candidature covers the period from when you enrol in your Higher Degree by Research (HDR) program to when you submit your thesis.
The research calendar is the academic calendar that applies to your candidature as an HDR student. It comprises four research periods per year, each with its own census date, as outlined on our current HDR students page.
Any changes you wish to make to your candidature must be approved and processed by the relevant census date to become effective in that research period. You must request any such change by the deadline before the census date.
Your supervisory team must include at least one lead supervisor and one other supervisor. All supervisors must be registered appropriately with the University and must have completed the required research supervision training.
The role of a supervisor is to guide you through your candidature by providing professional advice in your field of study and research direction, feedback, encouragement and support to ensure you produce research of the highest quality.
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You and your supervisors should plan to meet regularly to discuss your progress. Some students see their supervisors daily, and formal meetings are held at least monthly, but usually more often. Plan your communication schedule together, taking into account periods of leave and other commitments, such as fieldwork or off-site data collection.
Discuss with your supervisors whether you or they will be responsible for keeping records of your meetings. Generally, all formal supervision meetings should be recorded. We strongly recommend that you do this in RECS, under ‘My project’, then ‘Supervision meetings’. This will allow all your supervisors to access a log of supervision meetings, including decisions and goals that are set and helps to avoid misunderstandings amongst the team. You may also add any required actions as goals.
If difficulties arise in your supervisory relationship, there’s support available to help get them resolved and minimise disruption to your research. Typically, problems identified and addressed early can often be resolved, so it is important not to ignore difficulties when they arise.
In late November of each year, you will receive an email prompting you to re-enrol for the start of the next academic year before the enrolment deadline.
In Sydney Student, go to ‘My studies’ and then ‘Enrolment’ and follow the prompts. Double-check your address and personal information in 'My details' and update any details that have changed.
There are several types of leave you might wish to request during your candidature.
All leave requests must be approved by your lead supervisor and by your faculty or school’s Associate Head, Research Education (or equivalent). Once your request has been assessed, you will be notified of the outcome.
If you receive a scholarship or other financial assistance from the University, your payments may be affected if you take certain types of leave. Check your scholarship offer letter for the applicable terms and conditions, and if you need further guidance, email the Higher Degree by Research Administration Centre (HDRAC).
Taking certain types of leave can also affect your eligibility for Centrelink payments and travel concessions, so you must inform Centrelink of any leave you take from your studies.
If your research requires you to undertake any domestic or international travel, you must first discuss your plans with your supervisor to ensure you have adequately addressed each of the concerns below.
In particular, ensure you also submit a request for 'counting time away' so that your enrolment, supervision and access to appropriate facilities will continue during your time away from campus.
All travel arrangements must then be made through the University’s travel management system to ensure that you will be covered by the University’s travel insurance. For further guidance, see the University’s Travel Policy.
Please note that if you are travelling for fieldwork, there may be discipline-specific safety protocols that you need complete to ensure your safety while away. Contact your faculty/school to check if this applies to you.
If as part of your HDR studies you need to spend time conducting research away from campus – such as carrying out fieldwork, attending conferences or undertaking an internship, whether within Australia or overseas – you should submit a request for ‘counting time away’ to ensure that your enrolment, supervision and access to appropriate facilities will continue during your time away from campus.
Note that any associated travel arrangements must be made through the University, for insurance and other purposes.
Counting time away does not affect the length of your candidature or your required thesis submission date, as your enrolment continues uninterrupted during your time away from campus.
The The University of Sydney (Higher Degree by Research) Rule (pdf, 568KB) specifies minimum periods of time you must spend studying on campus in order to meet the requirements of your degree. Before submitting a request for counting time away, check to ensure you will still meet these requirements.
Any request to count time away must also be supported by your supervisor and your faculty or school’s Associate Head, Research Education (or equivalent).
In Sydney Student, go to ‘My studies’, then ‘Course details’, then ‘Request a period of counting time away’ and follow the prompts.
Remember to also make any associated travel arrangements through the University for insurance and other purposes.
Some changes to your candidature will have visa implications, as noted in our accompanying guide to making changes. In these cases, you must complete a Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) check on the same date that you submit your candidature change request to the University, and upload your completed VEVO check with your candidature change request.
In addition, if your VEVO check indicates that any of the following conditions applies, you must meet the requirements indicated below for that condition.
Your request to the University cannot be processed until you have submitted documentary evidence demonstrating that you have met the relevant requirements.
For further guidance, discuss your situation with your lead supervisor, contact the Higher Degree by Research Administration Centre (HDRAC), email a Compliance Officer, or visit the Department of Home Affairs website.
