Changing or withdrawing - postgraduate programs

I have accepted my offer to study, but something has come up and I need to start at a later date. Do I have to go through the application process from the beginning again?

If you have not commenced studies, this is called deferring your studies. Deferment refers to officially delaying the commencement of a tertiary program, usually for a period of up to 1 year.

If you are a domestic postgraduate coursework student and wish to defer commencement of your studies, you should contact the School’s Administrative Officer for your program for advice. If you defer your studies, you will be liable for fees at the rate applicable when you actually commence the program.

If you are an international student and wish to defer the commencement of your studies, you should contact the Admissions Officer or your Agent listed at the top of the letter of offer. Alternatively email UQ International on applicationstatus@uq.edu.au.

Due to changes for 2015, if you did not commence your study in 2014 it may not be possible to commence one of the 2015 #24 Master degree programs due to changes in the entry requirement. The Advanced versions of all our Master degree programs have been discontinued and no longer offered to commencing students. Students who have previously commenced a program prior to 2015 are able to progress through to the (Advanced) programs if they wish. Enrolment conditions will apply if changing to one of the discontinued Advanced programs.

If I start my program and then need to take a break what are my options?

If you commence your program and for some reason need to take a break for a while you are able to do this. If you are completing a Masters Program you have a total of 7 years to complete the degree. Out of courtesy we would ask that you contact the Administrative Officer for your program informing them of your intentions. Depending upon the length of your interruption, your program may have been suspended and will need to be re-activated by the School to allow you to enrol . If you are enrolled in courses when you decide to take a break, please ensure you are aware of the financial and academic penalty dates, withdrawing from courses after these dates could mean you become liable for fees or academic penalties that could have been avoided. International students will then need to submit a formal application to interrupt their studies. Further information can be found at here.

I have started my program but it isn’t what I was expecting. How do I change to another program?

If you want to change to another program you must make application to do so. Applications are not able to be processed until after results are released so that any credit applicable can be confirmed. Applications must be submitted, at the latest, by Friday prior of Orientation week for the relevant semester.

Domestic & International Students

An option to request a program change will become available on mySI-net following the release of grades. The Program Change Request facility becomes available once results are officially released for Semester 1 courses, and normally in January of the following year after the release of Semester 2 results. To find this you log into mySI-net and go to your “myRequests” tab where you can select the Program Change Request link. You complete the form as requested indicating the program that you wish to transfer to and whether you wish to receive credit for UQ courses previously completed. There is also a free text box to give further details that are relevant to your request if you wish to. Students changing programs in a suite, including students on articulation offers, should submit a program change request via mySI-net. The free text box should be used to indicate an articulation offer was in place.

International Students

Follow the procedure mentioned above. Once the school has assessed your request it is sent to the International Office and they will then issue you with a new offer letter. After the offer is accepted and documentation returned to the International Admissions Section your new program will be activated and a new CoE issued. Please ensure that you follow the instructions on your new COE carefully as it contains important information in relation to credit received, expected completion date for your new program and DIBP contact information, etc.

Students who are sponsored or in receipt of a Scholarship will need the written approval of their Sponsor or Scholarship Provider before their program change can receive final approval.

I would like to graduate but haven’t finished my program. Is this possible?

It is possible to graduate with a shorter program from a suite of programs if the requirements for the shorter program have been completed. A request in writing is required to be emailed to: econ.pgrad@uq.edu.au.

For students who commenced their studies prior to 2015 the early exit points from the postgraduate programs in Economics offered through the School are the following:

From 2015: Alternate Entry and Exit points for #32 Master programs

Entry Bachelor degree in any field with applicable GPA

From 2015: Alternate Entry and Exit Points #24 Master programs

Entry a Bachelor degree in an approved discipline (economics, commerce & business) https://bel.uq.edu.au/bel-aqf#Economics_same_disc. The exception is the MAppE’Met program.

After the completion of #16 of the #24 Master programs, with approval a student may Exit with the Graduate Diploma in Economics. A minimum of #8 from Part A is required plus #8 from either Parts A or B. An email request to exit with the applicable shorter award should be sent to: econ.pgrad@uq.edu.au.

What do I need to do to commence my studies following deferring or recommence my studies after interrupting?

Following Deferment

Deferring refers to students who have not yet commenced studies but may have already accepted their offer – you defer the commencement of your program. A new version of the program you wish to commence will need to be activated for the correct year and starting semester. Students should contact the School of Economics and speak to the Postgraduate Administrative Officer responsible for their program to discuss the implications of deferring commencement. It would be possible for Australian applicants to submit another online application to commence in the appropriate year/semester. Please email econ.pgrad@uq.edu.au if you do not commence or drop all courses before Census date for your first semester. Your program can then be de-activated. International applicants should email UQ International at: applicationstatus@uq.edu.au or contact their agent.

Following Interruption to studies

If you have commenced your studies and decide to take a break, this is called interrupting your studies. When you are ready to return to study you should contact the School of Economics to reactivate your program. You should be aware of the rules surrounding the time allowed to complete your program of study. You will need to discuss this with the administrative officer where there may be issues surrounding expiry of credit etc. If you have any queries regarding the completion of your program the Postgraduate Administrative Officer will be able to assist you. International students must submit an application to withdraw (to interrupt their studies) form available from the my.UQ Website.

How does withdrawing from a course affect my studies?

If you drop a course after either March 31st in 1st semester or August 31st in semester 2, you will still be required to pay the fees assigned to those courses, A “W” will show on your studies report. If you drop a course later than that i.e. after April 30th in semester 1 or September 30th in semester 2, or after the Census date for a non-standard Teaching Period course, you will receive a “K” on your academic transcript and for the purposes of calculating your GPA for the semester, it will be counted as a 0 (zero). The impact on your GPA can be quite significant. Students completing non-standard teaching period courses, i.e. TP5 or TP1 need to refer to the appropriate dates specified.

What is Census date? What does it mean?

Census date refers to the final date/s that you can drop courses before you incur financial penalties. Census date information is now included on your home page for each semester. There are two important dates in each semester that you should be aware of:

Semester 1
March 31st Last date to drop courses without financial penalty – there is no academic penalty. April 30th Last date to drop courses without academic penalty – financial penalty remains.
Semester 2
August 31st Last date to drop courses without financial penalty – there is no academic penalty September 30th Last day to drop courses without academic penalty – financial penalty remains Summer Semester Standard Summer courses only. Alternate dates will apply for TP8 and TP1 courses linked to Summer Semester December 18th Last date to drop courses without financial penalty – there is no academic penalty December 26th Last date to drop courses without academic penalty – financial penalty remains.

Other Teaching Periods (summer semester)

There are courses that are taught outside of the usual teaching periods as they may be taught in intensive mode. Courses taught intensively in non-standard teaching periods have different enrolment, fee-payment and Census dates.

Find out more about other teaching periods.

What can I do if something happens after the withdrawal without academic penalty date and I need to withdraw from a course?

If you need to request to withdraw without academic penalty after the cut off more information on the application process can be accessed here. This information sets out very clearly the conditions that may allow your application to succeed. Events such as serious health problems, serious personal trauma etc. Each case is assessed on an individual basis and supporting documentation must be supplied.