Definition of census dates and teaching periods

Teaching periods

There are two main teaching periods called semester one and two. Some units have teaching periods called terms, trimesters, summer semester etc. You can add or discontinue a unit, without penalty, up to the census date in any teaching period.

Census date

The census date is when the University finalises your enrolment. You have to pay fees if you withdraw after census date.

For domestic students who have government support, the census date is also:

• the last day you can make up-front fee payments
• the last day you can apply for HECS-HELP and/or FEE-HELP loans
• when you become liable for HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP debts.

See current census dates and teaching periods.

Academic and financial penalties

Academic record

For semester one, the census date is the last day you can discontinue without the unit appearing on your academic record. For semester two, the last day is four weeks after the start of semester. If you discontinue after these dates, but before the 'withdrawn fail' date, your record will show the unit result as 'withdrawn'. If you discontinue after the 'withdrawn fail' date, your record will show the unit result as 'withdrawn fail'. This will affect your grade point average.

For some teaching periods, if you discontinue a unit before the census date, your academic record may show 'withdrawn no load'.

Exceptions

The last date to discontinue from a unit may differ if you are studying a unit taught:

• in summer semester - see your faculty's summer unit dates
• in block mode. Your faculty will advise the dates for each block mode unit.

Check dates and impacts

You should check the census and discontinuation dates for your units to avoid academic and financial penalties.

Changing your study load from full-time to part-time may alter the payments you receive from Centrelink.

Research students

If you discontinue before the census date, you pay fees for the time enrolled. See chapters one and three of the Handbook of Doctoral and MPhil Degrees.