Taking leave or discontinuing your program
Need a break or stopping your studies? Learn about program leave or discontinuation.
Taking leave from your program
You can apply for program leave if you want to take a break of up to a year from your studies. You can then come back to your studies when you finish your leave, without applying for readmission.
Program leave is for enrolled domestic undergraduate or domestic postgraduate students. Program leave is also available to international students, but there are certain conditions.Ìý
What to consider?
If you want to take program leave, it's important to plan your enrolment for your expected return date. Some programs have specific requirements about the order you need to take your courses in, and not all courses are offered every term. This means it could take longer to finish your program and graduate from UNSW if the courses you need aren't available in the term you return.
If you’d like help with progression planning and enrolment, contact The Nucleus: Student Hub before applying for program leave.
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If you’re a domestic undergraduate or postgraduate student enrolled in your second or later semester/term of a program, you can apply for program leave. (A new student enrolled in their first semester/term would apply for a deferment, no later than the relevant census date.)
If you want to apply for program leave, you must do it before the for the term you want to start your leave. If you apply for program leave after the census date, it will be subject to UNSW's rules for course withdrawal and could result in failures being listed on your academic record.
Postgraduates on a (e.g. APA) should check their scholarship’s deferrable. It’s also important to check your chosen supervisor is available during your return semester/term.
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International undergraduate or postgraduate students on student visas can apply for program leave, but certain conditions apply. These are:
Notification of program leave/cancellation
Under Commonwealth Legislation, the University is required to notify of changes in the enrolment of student visa holders. Cancellation and leave of absence (program leave) will in most cases lead to the cancellation of your student visa, and you’ll be required to depart Australia or transfer to another visa type.Ìý
Provided you report to as required, your visa cancellation should be 'without prejudice', and should not prevent you from reapplying in the future.Ìý
Granting of program leave to student visa holders
As required by Commonwealth Law, student visa holders will be granted leave by UNSW, conditional on complying with immigration requirements. In all but exceptional circumstances (e.g. Serious personal/health problems requiring you to remain in Australia), student visa holders granted leave will be required to depart Australia for the duration of their leave.
If you believe your circumstances are exceptional, please provide documentation to support this claim. In all cases, student visa holders granted leave by the University must report to Immigration authorities to clarify their visa status.Ìý
Reapplying for your student visa
You might find it easier to apply for a new student visa before leaving Australia. Whether you choose to apply in Australia or overseas, you’ll need to fill in a .
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Program leave is generally restricted to no more than 1 year. Applications for leave of more than 1 year will be approved only in exceptional circumstances, at the discretion of the Program Authority.
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You can apply for program leave online.Ìý
Once your request has been processed, you'll be notified of the outcome to your UNSW email account. You can also view and print your program leave letter online.
Are you under 18?
If you’re under 18, can’t apply for program leave online. You’ll need to , and get it signed by your parent or guardian. The form should be returned to Student Lifecycle, The Nucleus: Student Hub, Level 2 Library or submitted via email to leaveanddisc@unsw.edu.au. -
If you’re enrolled in the current term
If you’re still enrolled in a term after the and you want to take a break from studying, you don’t need to apply for program leave for the term. You can drop courses via myUNSW up until the end of the teaching period. Depending on when you drop your courses, there might be different implications for your enrolment status, academic record and/or fee or contribution liability. Learn about these impacts here.Ìý
Because you’re still enrolled after the census date, you’ll still have an enrolment record for the term, so you don’t need program leave to hold your place.
If you’re not enrolled in the current term
If you’re not enrolled in a term after the , then you’ll need to apply for program leave to hold your place. See How to Apply above for more information.
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If you‘ve applied for program leave and decided to return early, you can submit a request to cancel your program leave.Ìý
In your request, you’ll need to include the term you wish to return to studies in your request (e.g. Term 2 2024).
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Readmission
If you aren't enrolled by the relevant census date, and you haven't applied for and been granted approved program leave for that semester/term, you’ll be discontinued from your program. You'll have to formally apply for re-admission if you want to enrol in a future semester/term.
If you withdraw from courses with or without failure after the , you retain an enrolment record for that semester/term and are subject to the rules of re-enrolment.
If your application for leave is rejected, or you don't resume study at the end of the approved leave period, you must formally apply for readmission to the program.
Cross-institutional study
If you want to undertake study at another institution while you're on program leave from UNSW, you must obtain permission from your Program Authority before you commence your studies at the other institution.
See also
Discontinuing your program
Program discontinuation is for UNSW students who want to stop their studies completely. If you discontinue your program, you’ll need to re-apply via or if you want to start studying again.
If you just want to take temporary leave from your program and then start your studies again within a year, you should apply for program leave instead.
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It’s important to read the University Fee Policy and/or refer to before you apply to discontinue your program.
You should also make sure you fully understand your financial liability to UNSW before discontinuing your studies. See Program Discontinuation Fees for more information.
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You can apply to discontinue your program online, before the appropriate term .Ìý
When your request has been processed, we’ll send the outcome to your nominated email address.
Are you under 18?
If you’re under 18, you can’t apply for program discontinuation online. You’ll need to , which must be signed by your parent or guardian. Return the form to Student Lifecycle, The Nucleus: Student Hub, Level 2 Library or email it to leaveanddisc@unsw.edu.au. -
If you’re a student visa holder, it’s important you understand the following information before you apply to discontinue your UNSW program.
Department of Home Affairs notification of cancellation
Under Commonwealth legislation, UNSW is required to notify the of changes to the enrolment of student visa holders. Course cancellation and leave of absence (program leave) will, in most cases, lead to the cancellation of your student visa, and you will be required to depart Australia or transfer to another visa type.Ìý
Provided you report to the as required, your visa cancellation should be "without prejudice", and should not prevent you from reapplying in the future.
Granting of program leave to student visa holders
As required by Commonwealth law, student visa holders will be granted leave by UNSW conditional on their complying with Immigration requirements. In all but exceptional circumstances (e.g. a serious personal/health problem requiring you to remain in Australia), student visa holders granted leave will be required to depart Australia for the duration of their leave.Ìý
If you believe your circumstances are exceptional, you will have to provide documentation to support this claim. In all cases, student visa holders granted leave by UNSW must report to Immigration authorities to clarify their visa status.
Reapplying for your student visa
You may find it simplest to apply for a new student visa before leaving Australia. Whether you choose to apply in Australia or overseas, fill in a (also available from The Nucleus: Student Hub) with your revised program start and end dates and have it approved by your faculty. Retain a copy of both forms for your records. Your new electronic Confirmation of Enrolment (eCoE) will be emailed to your student email account.
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