You've been accepted into UNSW, here's how you enrol!
EXPERT ADVICE
By Cassandra Ansell, Project Officer, The Nucleus: Student Hub
How do I know which courses to choose for my program?
The first step in the enrolment process at UNSW is through your personalised offer. Students commencing at UNSW will receive a personalised offer which contains recommendations for choosing courses (subjects) in your first year based on the program you are in and which major you choose.
You can work from this information to create an enrolment plan based on which term(s) your recommended courses are offered in, and the requirements to enrol into each of these courses (this can be found in the UNSW Handbook and UNSW Timetable).
Where can I go for more information on enrolment?
Students can look at the following resources for enrolment guidance:
- Welcome to Enrolment - this page is a great tool in helping you understand the enrolment process. It contains links to the Faculty progression plans and contains a step-by-step guide on how to enrol into courses and register for classes.
- UNSW Handbook - this is your ultimate guide to UNSW programs, including course requirements and rules.
- Progression plans - also known as Sample Programs, or Degree Templates, these are examples of how to structure your program.
- Personalised offer - this is sent upon acceptance of your program and contains recommendations on choosing courses for your first year, based on your program and your major.
How do I find available classes?
The UNSW Timetable page shows which teaching periods (terms) that courses are offered in, specific class days and times available, and the capacity for each class (whether the class is Full or Open). It also displays the UNSW Staff Contact for the course and any useful information from the Faculty (e.g. if there is a field trip involved), or information about the course delivery. This information can also be found on the Class Utilisation page.
What is the UNSW Handbook?
The UNSW Handbook is your ultimate guide to programs including program requirements and rules (which are very important to be aware of) as well as information on majors and courses offered at UNSW. The information provided here is up to date and accurate for the current year and information can change for future years (e.g. the term(s) that a course is offered in can change year to year).
How can students enrol into courses?
Enrolling in courses is a two-step process for students through myUNSW:
1. Course Enrolment: Login to myUNSW (My Student Profile tab > My Student Services > Enrolment > Update Your Enrolment). Select your program for the upcoming year and click Update Enrolment. The easiest way to find courses is by using the Search field on the bottom left corner.
Here you can search for the course code, which is a code with four letters and four digits (e.g. ACCT1234). You can refer to your personalised offer page or the Handbook to find the course codes for your program.
Once you have found the course, select the course you want to enrol into by ticking the relevant box, then click Select Courses. Your selected courses will appear in the enrolment basket. To confirm Course Enrolment, select the courses by ticking the Select? box and click Submit Enrolment Request. You will need to click through the confirmation windows to confirm your Course Enrolment. If you have enrolled correctly, you will see one green tick under Enrolled/Registered and an orange triangle advising that you have not yet Class Registered.
2. Class Registration: This second step involves picking your class times and creating your class timetable. Once your class registration is open, go into your enrolment basket in myUNSW (My Student Profile tab > My Student Services > Enrolment > Update Your Enrolment) and click on the Select Classes button on the bottom left corner, under the Search field.
This will take you to your Class Registration page where you can build your timetable. You can choose class times by highlighting the class that you want for each course, in the left-hand column. When you click on a tutorial (TUT), lecture (LEC) or other class type (OTH), it will highlight grey and a grey box will appear on the timetable at the appropriate day & time.
You can build your timetable here and pick all the (available) class times you want, or if you aren’t fussed about particular class times, click the Auto Timetable button and the system will generate a clash-free timetable for you.
Once you are happy with the timetable you have created, click Select Classes on the bottom right-hand corner to proceed to confirming your class registration. You will be directed back to the enrolment basket to confirm your selections and you will be shown a summary of the classes that you have registered for. If you are satisfied with your selections, click on Confirm Enrolment Request and then through to Submit Enrolment Request to complete your class registration. You've now completed both parts of the Course Enrolment & Class Registration process!
What is the difference between enrolling in courses and registering for classes?
Course Enrolment is the first step in selecting the courses (subjects) that you will be taking at UNSW. Near the end of each year, you can enrol into courses for the entire year ahead (Summer Term, Term 1, Term 2, and Term 3). This allows you to reserve a spot in the course, ready for when Class Registration becomes available.
Class Registration is the second step of your enrolment when you secure your spot in the course. Before the start of each term, you can choose your class days and times and confirm your timetable for that term.
Make sure you Course Enrol and Class Register before the deadline of each term (Sunday of Week 1).
What happens if I can’t get the course or class that I want?
If you are trying to enrol into a course or register for a class that is already full, you can join the wait list. This is a queue that you can join so that if students drop out of the course or class before the enrolment deadline (Sunday of Week 1), you will be able to join.
If a course or class is full, you will know at the time of trying to confirm your enrolment or class registration request. Instead of getting a Success message, you will receive a message saying that the course is full but wait listing is available. You can either confirm that you want to join the wait list, or go back and select another course or class time.
Before you join a wait list, make sure you visit our Enrolment Waitlisting page for detailed guides on how to join a wait list and FAQs on these processes.
What are your top tips for a smooth enrolment experience?
Courses fill up quickly, so I recommend that you enrol into courses for the entire year ahead in order to reserve a place. Remember, you can always change your enrolment before the enrolment deadline which is the Sunday of Week 1 of each term.
Download a Progression Plan to see examples of how to structure your program. This helps you figure out which courses to enrol into and when, based on your program, your major, and in which terms the courses are offered.
Stay on top of key dates- throughout the term there are several dates and deadlines that you should take note of. These deadlines are strict so it's important that you are aware of them so that you don't miss any important deadlines.
There are a few resources you can use to help make sure you stay on top of key dates, including:
- Term planners - these are available for each term and can be downloaded. They show all key dates such as enrolment deadlines, census dates, exam periods etc. You can personalise these by adding your own assessment deadlines and exam dates as well!
- Key Dates page - this shows all key dates for all terms offered at UNSW, so you might want to bookmark this page.
Watch and read your student emails closely - the University emails students regularly and these emails are targeted and personal, and remind you if you have missed an important step (e.g. course enrolment or class registration) or if something has changed with your enrolment (e.g. getting enrolled into a course or class that you were on the wait list for).
You will also be alerted to upcoming important dates such as your unique Class Registration appointment, enrolment deadline, census date or Internal Program Transfer (IPT) application periods. We also alert you to fun things like events or information sessions!
Where can I go for support with enrolment?
If you come across issues with enrolment or don’t know how to enrol, register for classes, join a wait list or find your timetable, check out the below links to find detailed step-by-step guides with screenshots and answers to frequently asked questions:
How can I get in touch with someone from your team?
The Nucleus: Student Hub is your first point of contact for all things UNSW, including general information, 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 call us on +61 2 8936 7005.