Census date is fast approaching – here is what you need to know
EXPERT ADVICE
By Cassandra Ansell, Project Officer, The Nucleus: Student Hub
What is Census date?
Census date is always the Sunday of Week 4 of each term. We call this the ‘try before you buy’ period. If you want to drop a course without having to pay for it and without having it recorded on your academic transcript, you must drop the course before census date.
This is the date at which you commit to paying for your course. If you are deferring your course fees to HECS-HELP, your fees will defer to your HECS-HELP loan shortly after census date of each term. You will notice on your Fee Statement in myUNSW that you will have an amount owing on your account up until census date, after which your course fees will be deferred to HECS-HELP if you have successfully applied.
If you are paying your course fees up front, you should ensure that you have paid before this date as census date is the final deadline to pay.
If you are looking to drop a course, I recommend doing this before the weekend that census date falls on, as The Nucleus: Student Hub staff are only available Monday to Friday and won't be available to assist over the weekend if you have any issues dropping your course via myUNSW. If you drop a course, you are still able to enrol into the course again in a later term (just be mindful if this course is a requirement for an upcoming core course).
Census date is also the deadline to apply for Program Leave (take a term off) or Program Deferral (postpone the start of your program to a later term). Applications for Program Leave or Program Deferral must be submitted before the census date.
What do I need to do if I want to withdraw from a course?
If you decide you no longer want to take a course that you're enrolled in, you can drop the course before census date. When you drop a course you are completely withdrawing from all associated lectures, tutorials, labs etc. that you're enrolled in for that course. Remember to check and consider the deadlines before you change your enrolment.
How to drop a course via myUNSW:
- Login to myUNSW (My Student Profile tab > My Student Services > Enrolment > Update Your Enrolment).
- Locate the relevant term/semester.
- Click the Drop button which appears alongside the relevant course.
- When the new window displays, to confirm you want to drop the course, click the Continue button.
If I withdraw from a course, can I enrol in this course again at a later date?
If you drop a course, you can still enrol into this course again in another term (just be mindful if this course is a requirement for an upcoming core course).
What is the difference between withdrawing from a course and leaving a program?
myUNSW doesn't allow you to drop all courses in your enrolment basket - you must always be enrolled in at least one course each term (except for Summer Term, which is not a mandatory teaching period).
If you want to drop all courses in a term, you will need to apply for one of the following: Program Deferral (postpone the start of your program to a later term), Program Leave (take a term off), or discontinue your program (if you do not intend to return to study).
What happens if I want to withdraw from a course after census date?
If you miss census date but still want to drop a course without having it recorded on your academic transcript, you can drop the course before the Deadline to Drop Without Academic Penalty, which is always the Sunday of Week 6 of each term. Be aware that you still have to pay for the course, but the course will not appear on your academic transcript.
If you miss this deadline, the next one is the Drop With Academic Penalty deadline (or Late Drop) which is when you drop a course after the Deadline to Drop Without Academic Penalty, but before the last day of teaching. You will still have to pay for the course, and the course will appear on your academic transcript with a grade of AW (Academic Withdrawal), however it won’t be included in the calculation of your WAM (Weighted average mark) at UNSW.
Under what circumstances would a student be considered for Fee Remission, re-credits or refunds past census date?
If you face circumstances beyond your control that did not make their full impact on you until on or after census date, and made it impractical for you to complete the requirements of a course in the period during which you undertook or were to undertake the course, then you may be eligible for Fee Remission.
How can students apply for Fee Remission after census date?
Apply as soon as possible after the problem occurs. You must apply within 12 months of withdrawing from the course or in the event that you did not withdraw, within 12 months of the end of the teaching period in which the course was taken. You can apply online by completing a Fee Remission web form.
How will I know if my withdrawal has been successful?
If you apply for Program Leave, Deferral or Discontinuation through myUNSW, you will be notified of the outcome by email to your UNSW student email.
Where can I go for support with census date or withdrawing from courses?
The Nucleus: Student Hub is your first point of contact for all things UNSW, including information on how to drop courses, advice, forms, and referrals to other services. We are located inside the Main Library - first right as you enter the Main library entrance. You can reserve your place in our queue with the Uni-Verse app, make a booking here or contact us.