Eight steps to enrolling successfully
This article may beout of date. Please refer to the Good Universities Guide blog for the latestupdates in the tertiary sector.
With uni offers flooding in, it’s time to think about the next step — enrolment! This is where you formally accept your offer and decide on the subjects you will study over the year. If you’ve just received your offer, we list eight steps to help you enrol successfully.
1. Consult your course guide or handbook
Your course guide should be your first point of reference when enrolling. This will list the subjects you need to complete as part of your course, as well as available electives.
2. Make note of core or compulsory subjects
The easiest subjects to choose will be the ones that you have no choice in — known as core or compulsory subjects. These are subjects that need to be completed as part of your course, be they general subjects studied by everyone in your faculty or school or subjects specific to your chosen course or major. Some courses (such as general arts or business degrees) are very flexible with subject choice, while others are predominantly made up of core subjects. As a general rule, you’ll also find that courses have more room for choice in later years when students start to specialise.
3. Think about study areas of interest and potential majors
After you have taken note of your core subjects, you’ll need to start choosing electives. At this point, you should consider if there are any areas of study you want to explore beyond core classes, and, if it’s part of your course, the areas you may want to major in. Not all students will have the opportunity to select a major, but you may still be able to tailor your study towards a certain area of interest.
4. Look for prerequisites
Once you have worked out where your interests lie, you should look to see if there are prerequisite requirements for any future subjects you wish to study. Once again, your course guide is the best reference.
5. See which electives are available
If you still have options to choose beyond core and prerequisite subjects, it’s time to start having a look at electives. You may be able to choose from a set list of electives relevant to your course or from electives available university-wide, across a variety of study areas and faculties. Electives offer the chance to study topics of particular interest to you while also allowing you to have some fun exploring new areas of study. Some universities even require students to study subjects outside their chosen field (known as breadth subjects).
6. Attend your enrolment session
Most universities host enrolment sessions for commencing students. These sessions are a great opportunity to ask questions and allow you to enrol under the guidance of staff and course coordinators. They can also be a great opportunity to meet some of your future classmates.
7. Submit your enrolment
Once you’ve worked out the subjects you’ll be studying this year, it’s time to enrol. Most universities allow students to enrol online, but you’ll find exact instructions in your letter of offer. To enrol, you’ll usually need your letter of offer (with your student number and course details) and a form of identification (passport or drivers licence). If you’re applying for a HELP loan (see below) you will also need your tax file number.
8. Apply for Commonwealth assistance
When you enrol for the first time you will have the opportunity to apply for financial assistance from the government through the HELP loans scheme. These loans allow you to defer the payment of your fees until you are earning above the repayment threshold ($53,345 in 2014–15). If you are enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) you will have the opportunity to apply for HECS-HELP. All domestic undergraduate students at public universities are offered a CSP place. Full-fee students may be eligible to defer their fees through FEE-HELP. See Degree costs and loans for more information.
