Academic progress refers to the rate at which you progress through your course. If you're not making satisfactory academic progress, we're here to help you move in the right direction.
It's important that you progress through your degree at a steady rate to make sure your knowledge and qualifications are current when you graduate.
If you don’t make satisfactory academic progress, you risk being excluded from your course or losing your Commonwealth assistance. But you're not on your own – if you're struggling, we can help you get things back on track with an Academic Progress Plan.
Your academic progress stage will be calculated using your results from Friday 1 January 2021 onwards.
If you don't meet the criteria detailed in the Academic Progress Procedure you may be making unsatisfactory academic progress.
The criteria for unsatisfactory academic progress include:
If you fail any two subjects in a course (or one subject in a higher education course lower than a bachelor course), you will be at Stage 1 of academic progress – support offered.
If you fail any four subjects in a course (or two subjects in a higher education course lower than a bachelor course), you will be at Stage 2 of academic progress– support required.
After you have attempted eight or more subjects in a course (or four or more units in a higher education course lower than a bachelor course), and you have failed more the 50% of your subjects, you will be at Stage 3 of academic progress – considered for exclusion.
If you fail a subject twice, you will be at Stage 2 of academic progress – support required.
If you fail a subject a third time, you will be at Stage 3 – considered for exclusion.
There is a maximum time to complete your degree. This ensures currency of knowledge and your professional suitability as a graduate. You can find the normal course duration for your course in the Handbook.
If you exceed the maximum time to complete your course, you will progress to Stage 3 of academic progress and be considered for Exclusion.
More information about how maximum time is calculated is available in the Course and Subject Design (Coursework) Procedure.
If you have failed workplace learning requirements that are specified as necessary to progress further in the course, you will not be able to enrol in any other subjects in the course until you have passed these requirements.
You may be classified as Stage 1 unsatisfactory academic progress if you:
We're here to help you get your studies back on track. We'll get in touch by email and provide information about the resources available to you. These include:
You may be classified as Stage 2 unsatisfactory academic progress if you:
We'll email you and ask you to create an Academic Progress Plan. This document gives you a strategy to deal with the factors holding you back from progressing in your study.
Any show cause request or appeal against exclusion that you submit in the future will be impacted if you do not have an Academic Progress Plan or evidence of accessing University resources or support.
You may be classified as Stage 3 unsatisfactory academic progress if you:
We'll email you if you're being considered for exclusion. You'll have ten days to submit a written response explaining why you should not be excluded – this is called a 'show cause against exclusion' form.
The Deputy Dean of your Faculty will then determine if you should remain in your course or if you should be excluded. You'll be advised of this decision by email.
If you don't submit a written show cause form, you'll progress directly to exclusion, and you won't be reconsidered by the Deputy Dean.
If you need support submitting a show cause form, contact our Student Advocates. You can also reach out to our other support services or search our FAQs.
Complete a written 'Show Cause Against Exclusion' form.
If you commenced your course in or after 2022 and receive Commonwealth assistance (i.e. you're enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Position (CSP) and/or deferring your fees on a HELP loan), the Government requires you to maintain a reasonable completion rate.
The Government defines a low completion rate as:
A fail rate of more than 50 per cent of the units of study you have attempted, after you have attempted eight or more units of study in a bachelor level or higher course (or four or more units of study in a higher education course lower than a bachelor course.)
Our Academic Progress Procedure is aligned with this Government definition. If you meet this criteria, you'll be:
If you have a low completion rate, you can: