UNSW enrolment deadlines & financial implications

Important dates for adding and dropping courses

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Take charge of your enrolment. Understand the enrolment and withdrawal deadlines for adding and dropping courses and what impact they have on you.

You are responsible for managing your enrolment, so it’s important to understand when you can add or drop a course. Enrolment and withdrawal deadlines apply, which can affect your fees and academic record.

Each teaching period has specific deadlines for adding or dropping courses in your program. These add and drop deadlines are different. Explore what those deadlines are, the procedures for adding or dropping after each deadline and find out if any academic or financial penalties may apply.

Enrolment deadlines

The UNSW enrolment deadline is the last day to add a course online using myUNSW, opens in a new window. If you miss the deadline, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to enrol in the course.

See enrolment dates for your enrolment deadline.

If for any reason you need to enrol after the deadline, you need to complete the Late Enrolment Request Form, opens in a new window. Approval isn’t guaranteed, and late enrolments are only approved in exceptional circumstances.

To maximise your chances of successfully completing your studies, students who enrol late will only be permitted to enrol in a maximum of 12 units of credit in that term.

Check deadlines

Information for international students

International Student visa holders must complete the course they are enrolled in within the duration specified in their Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE). The CoE duration requires students to enrol in a full course load (48 units of credit) across the compulsory semesters or terms in a calendar year.

Find out more

Course Withdrawal (Drop) deadlines

You can withdraw from or drop courses via myUNSW up until the end of the teaching period, but there are implications for your enrolment status, academic record and/or fee or contribution liability, depending on when you drop.

Deadlines for dropping courses are as follows:

The last day to drop a course without paying a tuition fee or HECS/FEE-HELP contribution is the census date for that teaching period.

When you drop a course before the census date:

You will not be financially liable for the course.

The course will not appear on your transcript.

The course will not be included in the calculation of your Weighted Average Mark (WAM).

The course will not be included in the calculation of your academic standing or academic progression.

You can Drop courses via myUNSW, opens in a new window.
Due to the myUNSW outage, the deadline to drop courses with financial liability but without academic penalty has been changed to Tuesday 1 April 2025, 11.59pm for Term 1 2025 (T1 and M1A).
The last day to drop a course without academic penalty is Sunday of week 6 in a standard term. For other teaching periods, it’s the same date as the relevant census date. Make sure you check the enrolment dates for the drop deadlines that apply to your courses. However, dropping a course after the previous deadlines have passed means you will be financially liable for the course.

If you drop a course on or before this deadline:

You will be financially liable for the course.

The course will not appear on your transcript.

The course will not be included in the calculation of your WAM.

The course will not be included in the calculation of your academic standing or academic progression.

You can Drop courses via myUNSW, opens in a new window.
If you drop a course after the deadline to drop a course without academic penalty has passed, and before the last day of the teaching period:

You will be financially liable for the course.

The course will appear on your academic transcript with a grade of AW (academic withdrawal).

The course will not be included in the calculation of your WAM.

The course will be included in the calculation of your academic standing and academic progression, as units of credit attempted but not passed.

See enrolment dates for the drop deadlines that apply to your courses.

Please be aware that UAC and tertiary institutions will count all units of credit with an AW grade as fails when determining your GPA.

You can Drop courses via myUNSW, opens in a new window.
You are not able to drop a course via myUNSW after the last day of the teaching period. You will be assigned the final mark and grade awarded to you by your Course Authority.
In defined special circumstances you can apply for Fee Remission. This means you may be refunded or credited for HELP debt, FEE-HELP, HECS-HELP, student contribution amounts and tuition fees for that course after the census date has passed, if you can demonstrate special circumstances.

You must complete an application form to apply to drop courses under special circumstances.

Learn more

Need help with course enrolment?

If you’ve still got questions about course enrolment, we’re here to help.

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