FAQs

Further details concerning programs and courses are available in the UNSW Online Handbook. 

myUNSW is the central point for administration and information services for UNSW students online. Current students can use myUNSW to look at their enrolment and fees details, results, and full academic record. To obtain access 24 hours a day, seven days a week, you must be a currently enrolled student and know your Student ID and your zPass. 

Please note that the following programs are eligible for Student Payments (Youth Allowance, Austudy or Pensioner Education Supplement) as per the Department of Social Services.

• 9045 Master of Public Health 

• 9048 Master of Global Health

• 8901 Master of Health Management 

At this stage no other programs (even dual degree programs which include the above degrees) in the school are eligible for student payments.

Internal (face-to-face) 

Internal courses are conducted on campus with face-to-face classes held over 10 weeks. For some internal courses students are expected to attend a workshop component held in the Residential School (generally held one week before each term starts on campus). Check the timetable to see if your course has a workshop. Many internal courses also include an online learning component.

External (distance) 

External courses are offered by distance mode using online teaching. Some courses might have a workshop component which is held in the Residential School (generally held one week before each term starts on campus). Workshops are followed by a 10-week term of self-study with follow-up assignment material. Courses usually include an online learning component.

Learn more about class and course delivery modes.

A few of our courses have an intensive workshop component held during a Residential School on the Kensington Campus in Sydney. Most of these workshops are optional although a few are compulsory for students. Residential Schools are held one week before the beginning of each term in February, May and September. Please make sure that you check your course timetable to see which days you are required to attend. 

Although most of the workshops are for distance students, in some instances optional workshops will also be available for internal students to attend during the Residential School. In this case, it will be noted on the timetable. 

Students are expected to make their own travel and accommodation arrangements to attend the Residential School. 

The census date for each term is the last date to discontinue a course without academic penalty and without financial liability for fees/HECS-HHELP. For terms 1, 2 and 3, the census date will be the Sunday of Week 4.

Please check UNSW Key Dates for updated details on deadlines regarding enrolment, discontinuation and census dates.

You may still discontinue courses after the census date and until the Withdrawal without Failure date, without academic penalty. However you are still held liable for fees/HECS-HELP liability for the course. The Withdrawal without Failure date is usually the end of Week 6 for Term 1, 2 and 3 teaching periods. 

If your request for withdrawal from one or more courses is the result of exceptional circumstances, you may be eligible to apply for reimbursement of charges for the course. In addition, if exceptional circumstances prevent you from completing a course, and the Withdrawal without Failure date has passed, you may choose to apply for late withdrawal from a course.

For further information see Late Enrolment Changes. 

Program leave may be granted to enrolled domestic postgraduate students wishing to discontinue their current enrolment with the intention of resuming their studies at a later date. Leave is generally restricted to no more than three terms over the duration of a student's enrolment in a program. If you require leave beyond this, you will need to apply to your Program Authority. Program leave is not usually available to international students. Please be aware that if you do not enrol and do not officially request leave from your studies, your enrolment will lapse at the census date and you will not be able to enrol in the following term. 

If you intend to take leave, you must lodge your leave request through Online Services in myUNSW before the census date for each term.  

For further information, view Program Leave. 

Check the information on obtaining credit transfer for courses undertaken at other institutions. Please contact us if you think you may be eligible. 

Sometimes you may wish to study an area which is not included in our list of electives. Providing we have a staff member who is experienced in this area, you may undertake an independent study. Alternatively, you may choose to enrol for a course at another institution. Approval is required for Independent Studies and cross-institutional enrolment. For further details see Cross Institutional Enrolment.

Students can apply to enrol in individual courses at another institution, and request credit towards their degree program at the school. This is called cross-institutional study.

Please note the following:

• Applications for cross-institutional study will NOT be approved for courses that are offered at the School of Population Health or significantly overlap the content of existing SPH courses.

• Courses that are not offered at the school will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

• Courses will only be approved if they are the equivalent of a 6 UOC course at UNSW.

• Applications for cross-institutional study for more than one course will only be approved in exceptional circumstances.

• A final decision about whether to approve courses for cross-institutional study is at the discretion of the Program Director. 
  

1. To enrol in a course at another institution, you will need to contact the relevant institution for information about their course offerings, cross-institutional application procedures, deadlines and fees, as well as obtain approval from the relevant academic department.
2. Approval from the school is also required. To request approval, please provide a detailed course outline including the credit value of the course, an outline of the assessment required, contact hours and details about the degree program in which the course is offered. Please attach this information to the Cross Institutional Study Application form and submit online.
3. You will be advised regarding the outcome of your application once your request has been assessed.
4. On completion of your cross-institutional study, it is your responsibility to provide a copy of your result notice/academic transcript to the school so that the credit can be added on your academic record at UNSW. Please remember to do this as it may affect your graduation status if you are towards the end of your degree. If you are posting a hard copy transcript, the address is Education Support Office, School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney, NSW 2052.
5. Please be aware that you will be liable for tuition fees at the other institution at the same rate that you are charged at UNSW. For example, if you are a CSP student at UNSW you would be charged the equivalent CSP rate at the other university.
6. Further information can be found at Cross Institutional Study.

This type of enrolment is called Non-Award Course Enrolment. This means applying to enrol in individual courses without applying for a whole degree. A Non-Award Course Enrolment is where the student is taking the course either out of interest, or to develop professional competence in an area of specialisation. Non-Award enrolment does not lead to or count towards a formal award (eg., degree or diploma) of the University of New South Wales. For more details and to download an application form, see UNSW Non-Award Courses.

You can request a letter confirming your enrolment or completion status online which can be used for a range of purposes including submission to your employer, Centrelink and jury duty. Simply log on to myUNSW and go to the My Student Profile tab. Follow the instructions to request the letter that you require. For further information, see Forms and Documents.

All new students should refer to the Getting Started website for key information regarding accepting your offer, enrolment and other important information about online services, procedures and resources. 

You will find a step-by-step guide to enrolling in your courses as a postgraduate continuing coursework student at UNSW Annual Enrolment for Continuing Students.

Students should refer to the Course Offerings website to see when courses are offered. Also view School Timetable and UNSW Class Timetable to see when courses are scheduled.

Students must enrol in courses that meet their program requirements. We advise students to complete the core courses before undertaking electives. However, if you have a strong interest in particular electives which, for example, may be of immediate use in your current job, you can enrol in them earlier. When selecting your electives, you may choose those relevant to your current work, or in areas where you intend to focus in the future. Timetabling of courses varies due to staff availability and student demand. Please check School Timetables to see which term courses are being offered.  

A normal full-time load is three courses per term (18 UOC).  As a general rule, external students are advised to take no more than two courses per term (12 UOC). Internal students who are also working full-time are advised to take no more than two courses. Domestic students wishing to be considered full-time need to enrol in a minimum of 12 UOC each term, or 36 UOC across three standard terms with at least one course enrolment in each term. If you are an international student studying on a student visa you must satisfy certain conditions such as completing studies within the time frames set out in your Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE). For further information see UNSW3+ Full-Time Study Load.

Once you have enrolled you can change your course enrolment online until the end of Week 1 of each term via myUNSW. You can drop courses from your enrolment until the Census Date (end of Week 4) without financial or academic penalty. Students can withdraw without academic penalty after the Census Date up to Week 6 but will still be liable for tuition fees. For further information see Late Enrolment Changes.

Log in to myUNSW, click the Academic Statement link displayed under Services for Students on the My Student Profile tab to view your academic statement. This lists current and previous courses, and available results.

Results are emailed to your zMail account and posted on myUNSW Results after examinations have finished for each term (Term 1: May; Term 2: September; Term 3: December). Official release dates for results are listed under Key Dates for Exams.

Fines or outstanding fees owed to the university will result in withheld results and inability to enrol in the following term. For more details, see Fees Debt.

The first person to speak to is the person who marked your assessment. If you wish to take the matter further, the marker will refer the matter to the course convenor. If the matter is still not resolved to your satisfaction, the Program Director or Associate Dean of Postgraduate Coursework coordinator and finally the Head of School can be consulted. For further details, see Assessment Results.