Student Advice and Advocacy (SAAO) Service

Whether you are a coursework or research student, local or international, studying on a main campus of the University or at a distance (or both), if you are a postgraduate student of the University of Sydney and a SUPRA member you are welcome to contact us for help with personal or academic issues. Advice is free, confidential and independent.

SUPRA employs a team a Student Advice and Advocacy Officers (SAAOs) who can assist you with (almost) anything you might have to throw their way. We recommend that if you ever have any problems that directly or indirectly impact upon your studies, please get in touch with us as soon as those problems arise. If our SAAOs cannot assist, they will refer you to someone who can.

The SAAO service is based at the SUPRA offices on main campus, but we are also able to assist SUPRA members who study on other campuses or are otherwise remotely located. 

How to access the SAAO Service 

The easiest way to access SUPRA’s SAAO Service is to come in to the SUPRA offices during our drop-in times, when you can see a SAAO without making an appointment. Students are seen in the order that they arrive. On some occasions more students arrive than can be seen, so come early.

Drop-in times

SAAO Service drop-in is from 1-3pm on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Please arrive no later than 2:30pm. 

The SUPRA offices are on Level 2 of the Holme Building, Camperdown campus. To get to the SUPRA offices you can enter the Holme Building via Science Rd, head through the Holme Courtyard and take the lift (next to the Courtyard Restaurant and Bar) down to Level 2. The location of the Holme Building (A09) is shown on this map of campus.

Remember to bring hard copy documentation to drop-in and appointment sessions, including draft appeal or show cause or complaint letters. If you do not have documentation we may ask you to prepare it using our guides to help and come back another time.

Appointments

If you can’t make it to drop-in we can arrange face to face or phone appointments for another time. Waiting times for appointments generally range from 2 working days to 1 week depending on the time of year. Call the office on (02) 9351 3715 or email help@supra.usyd.edu.au.

Email Advice

Send an email to help@supra.usyd.edu.au. This will be forwarded to a SAAO who will endeavour to respond within 2 business days. Please include in your email and as much information about your issue as possible and, if possible, a contact telephone number.

Complete the Web Form

Fill out the contact form to send a SAAO an email from this website. Be sure to include your telephone number or email address so that one of the SAAOs can contact you. Please provide as much information as possible about your issue.

What We Can Help You With

Some of the issues that SAAOs can help with include:

• Academic appeals, complaints and termination (coursework and research course appeals, show cause, complaints, corruption)
• Harassment, discrimination and bullying
• Special consideration and personal circumstances affecting your studies
• Supervision difficulties
• Research issues (thesis, ethics, intellectual property, making progress)
• Academic honesty and plagiarism
• Working in groups
• Fees (tuition fees and ancillary fees, compulsory fees)
• Finances (PELS, FEE-Help, scholarships, Research Training Scheme, PRSS, employment)
• Centrelink and financial assistance
• Administration (changing subjects, enrolment, etc)
• Tenancy/housing

You can contact our Advocates about any inquiry or dispute that you may have within the Departments and Faculties of the University or in relation to any personal or academic matter that is affecting you. If you have a legal issue not listed here, check if our legal service can help you.

Confidential Advice

All communications with SAAOs are treated in absolute confidence and SAAOs are independent of the University – our Advocates are employed by SUPRA not the University. Advocates, where possible, will provide information, options and strategies and will only act on your behalf if you request for them to do so.

Please note that SAAOs are not lawyers, counsellors or migration agents. However from time to time SUPRA does run information sessions and seminars dedicated to these and other issues. To find out about such events become a SUPRA member and subscribe to our mailing list.

The SAAOs are employed by students to uphold and promote the rights of students. The SAAOs uphold student rights to self determination, by working with students to foster their own strengths and abilities, and to learn from shared experiences.

SUPRA SAAO Policy

You can download a copy of the SUPRA SAAO Policy here.