Each teaching period has specific deadlines for adding or dropping courses in your program. These add and drop deadlines are different. This page tells you what those deadlines are, and the procedures for adding or dropping after each deadline. It also advises you of any academic or financial penalties that may apply. You are responsible for managing your enrolment - please consider the implications of each deadline.

Add deadline

Enrolment deadline

The enrolment deadline is the last day to add a course online using myUNSW.

If you don’t enrol by the deadline, it is unlikely that you will be given permission to enrol late.

See enrolment dates for your enrolment deadline.

To apply to enrol after the deadline, you must complete the Late Enrolment Request FormPlease note that approval to enrol late is not guaranteed and will only be approved in exceptional circumstances.


Course Withdrawal (Drop) deadlines

You can drop courses via myUNSW up until the end of the teaching period, but there are implications for your enrolment status, academic record and/or fee or contribution liability, depending on when you drop.

Deadlines for dropping courses are as follows:

Census Date (Deadline to drop a course without financial liability and without academic penalty)

The census date for a teaching period is the last day to drop a course without having to pay the tuition fee or HECS/FEE-HELP contribution.

If you drop a course on or before the relevant census date:

  • You will not be financially liable for the course.
  • The course will not appear on your transcript.
  • The course will not be included in the calculation of your Weighted Average Mark (WAM).
  • The course will not be included in the calculation of your academic standing or academic progression.

You can Drop courses via myUNSW.

Deadline to drop a course with financial liability but without academic penalty

For a standard term, this date is Sunday of week 6. For most other teaching periods, it is the same date as the relevant census date. See enrolment dates for the drop deadlines that apply to your courses. You can find teaching period dates on the Academic Calendar.

If you drop a course on or before this deadline:

  • You will be financially liable for the course.
  • The course will not appear on your transcript.
  • The course will not be included in the calculation of your WAM.
  • The course will not be included in the calculation of your academic standing or academic progression.

You can Drop courses via myUNSW.

Late Drop (Deadline to drop a course with financial liability and with academic penalty)

After the deadline to drop a course without academic penalty and before the last day of the teaching period.

If you drop a course within this period:

  • You will be financially liable for this course.
  • The course will appear on your academic transcript with a grade of AW (academic withdrawal).
  • The course will not be included in the calculation of your WAM.
  • The course will be included in the calculation of your academic standing and academic progression, as units of credit attempted but not passed.

You can Drop courses via myUNSW.

See enrolment dates for the drop deadlines that apply to your courses.

Please be aware that UAC and tertiary institutions will count all units of credit with an AW grade as fails when determining your GPA.

After the last day of the teaching period

You are not able to drop a course via myUNSW, after the last day of the teaching period. You will be assigned the final mark and grade awarded to you by your Course Authority.

Special Circumstances

In defined special circumstances you can apply for Fee Remission.

You must complete an application form to apply to drop courses under special circumstances.

Back to top