Understanding your offer

To understand your offer to study at Swinburne, you need to know about health cover, paying your fees and other conditions.

Conditional offers

Conditional offers are made to applicants who are required to provide additional documentation to support their application.

Prior to or at the time of accepting a conditional offer, you must provide evidence that you have met all of the stated conditions. If you do not provide this evidence, you will not be eligible to proceed with your enrolment or student visa application.

The conditions listed on your Letter of Offer will outline the documents you are required to provide to Swinburne. These may include:

• official or certified copies of academic transcripts
• completion letters or certificates
• IELTS (academic module) or TOEFL (computer-based or paper-based or IBT) results (no more than two years old).

When you have all the documents outlined in your Letter of Offer, you must send these to Swinburne with your completed and signed Letter of Offer.

Credit

Credit is the recognition of previous study and/or experience in the form of exemption from certain course requirements. This allows you to enter a course with advanced standing.

If you have received credit, it will be indicated in your Letter of Offer. The course duration shown on your Letter of Offer reflects the advanced standing you have received.

Details of credit will be determined when you enrol. You should bring original or certified copies of your academic transcripts and course outlines for completed courses. The full amount of credit will only be available with evidence that you have met all conditions.

In Australian universities, the term 'credit’ is often used interchangeably with the terms ‘advanced standing’, ‘exemptions’ and/or ‘Recognition of Prior Learning’ (RPL).  Note that Swinburne refers to RPL as recognition of skills and knowledge gained through work experience, life experience and/or formal training. Therefore, RPL and credit are not interchangeable terms.

If you wish to apply for credit after you have enrolled, you must submit your application before the end of the first week of your course. Please speak with Swinburne Sydney Student Services staff on Level 5, 1 Fitzwilliam Street, Parramatta. 

Tuition fees and deposit

A deposit is required when you accept your offer and submit your signed Letter of Offer. The amount required is included in your Letter of Offer. The annual tuition fee listed in your Letter of Offer is based on full-time study for each course. Fees for each teaching period are based on how many units of study you will complete. Fees are reviewed annually.

Overseas Student Health Cover

The Australian Government requires you and your dependants to maintain acceptable health and medical insurance during your stay in Australia. Overseas Student Health Cover is arranged by a registered health provider as determined by the Australian Government.

Having valid Overseas Student Health Cover is a condition of your student visa. Breaches of your student visa conditions may incur serious consequences.

• Visit the Department Home Affairs for more information

Exceptions

You do not need Overseas Student Health Cover if you are:

• a Norwegian student covered by the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme
• a Swedish student covered by Kammarkollegiet
• a Belgian student covered under the Reciprocal Health Care Agreement with Australia.

You must obtain Overseas Student Health Cover for the proposed duration of your student visa. You must not arrive in Australia before your health insurance starts. If you undertake more than one course as part of a packaged offer, your Overseas Student Health Cover must be valid from the day you arrive in Australia for the duration of your packaged course visa.

Please visit the Department of Home Affairs website for information regarding length of stay.

To apply for Overseas Student Health Cover, complete the relevant section of your Offer Acceptance Form and include payment for your cover when you pay your deposit. Swinburne will then purchase Overseas Student Health Cover for you.

Medibank Comprehensive Overseas Student Health Cover

Medibank Private is the preferred Overseas Student Health Cover provider at Swinburne. A Medibank Comprehensive Overseas Student Health Cover policy is purchased for students by Swinburne.

The Comprehensive policy offers students three types of cover:

1. Single policy: covers only the valid student visa holder
2. Couple policy: covers one valid student visa holder plus either one adult spouse or recognised de facto partner
3. Family policy: covers one student visa holder plus more than one dependant – this can only include one adult spouse or recognised de facto partner, and one or more dependent children aged under 18.

Your Letter of Offer will list how much your Overseas Student Health Cover will cost for a single, couple and family cover policy based on the duration of your course(s). This should be paid with your deposit when you submit your Offer Acceptance Form.

You should indicate which cover you require on your Offer Acceptance Form. You will then be required to pay the cost for your chosen policy when you pay your course deposit.

You must maintain valid Overseas Student Health Cover for the duration of your student visa. If you have transferred from another institution and your cover will expire before you complete your principal (final) course at Swinburne, you must renew your Overseas Student Health Cover before your current cover expires. Your Overseas Student Health Cover membership card shows the expiry date of your cover.

If you already have Overseas Student Health Cover, you must provide evidence of visa-length cover in your visa application. This means that you must be able to show that you have Overseas Student Health Cover for the proposed duration of your student visa – from the beginning of your first course until you complete your principal (final) course.

Postponing your start date

If you wish to defer the start date of your course, you must email Swinburne Sydney for approval. It is possible to defer your course for a maximum of 12 months. If you are assessed as continuing to meet Swinburne's entry requirements and Australian regulatory requirements, you will receive a revised Letter of Offer with a new start date. If you have already accepted your offer and need to defer because a student visa has not being granted, then you will receive a new Letter of Offer indicating the new start date as well as a new Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE). This will enable you to reapply for your student visa for the deferred intake.

Changing courses

It is important to ensure you are happy with your course before accepting your offer to study at Swinburne. There is no guarantee that you will be able to transfer to another course within Swinburne. Note that you cannot transfer to another institution for the first six months of your principal course (the final course if you have a packaged offer). This includes any courses you will complete prior to starting your principal course. Requests to transfer during this period will be assessed against the transfer guidelines and will only be permitted in limited circumstances.