The University has strict deadlines for withdrawing or discontinuing a unit of study. If you drop a unit before or on the census date, it is called a withdrawal, and your transcript will show a grade of WD. It is very important to drop units before the census date to avoid financial liability and having the grade counted towards your Weighted Average Mark (WAM) and progression. Further, make sure the unit has actually been removed from your enrolment page in Sydney Student; students who remain enrolled due to personal error will experience academic and financial penalty.
Census dates differ depending on the semester you are enrolled in; find your census date here.
In some circumstances, you may need to withdraw from a unit after the census date has passed. In this case, you may have one of the following options.
If you apply to discontinue a unit after the census date but before the last date to discontinue in a teaching block, for any reason, you will receive a DF grade. This means you are liable for tuition fees, and while the grade is not counted towards your WAM, it is counted as a fail when calculating your progression.
If you apply to discontinue a unit after the census date and you had special circumstances that impacted your studies after the census date, you can apply for a DC grade. This grade means you are not liable for fees and the grade is not counted towards your WAM or progression. You have 12 months from the date you discontinued the unit to apply for a DC grade.
DC grades are administrative decisions that are reviewed by Student Administrative Services. If your application is approved, you will automatically be given a fee refund. You do not need to take any further steps to receive your fee refund. If your application is declined, you can request an administrative review of the decision.
You can apply for a DC grade through the special consideration portal in Sydney Student. We encourage all students considering applying for a DC grade to seek advice from a SUPRA caseworker.
Generally, we recommend you include the following in your application:
All other discontinuations from a unit will result in financial liability and the result will count towards your WAM and progression. Your transcript will show either an Absent Fail (AF) or Fail (FA) result. We recommend you seek advice from one our caseworkers in these circumstances.
For more information on discontinuing a unit before the census date or on how to discontinue a unit after the census date, read the information on the University website.
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Written by SUPRA Postgraduate Advocacy Service March 2023
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