How to defer or take a leave of absence (LoA) RMIT Policies

RMIT Policies
There are a range of RMIT University
policies relating to this topic, including:
• Deferment, Leave of Absence,
Course Withdrawal and Cancellation
of Enrolment, Academic Progress
Procedure for Onshore International
Students
• To access these policies, check out:
www.rmit.edu.au/policies
The above policies can be found by
scrolling through the list of policies
located on this page. These files are
in pdf format. You should read these
policies, as they contain important and
useful information. You can discuss
any questions you have about these
policies with a Student Rights Officer.
Other useful student
rights leaflets
You can pick up the following leaflets
from your nearest Student Union Office,
or download them from our website:
www.su.rmit.edu.au/student-rights
• Special Consideration
• Being At Risk
• Being Excluded from your Program
• How to write a letter
• How to get a refund
How to defer or take a leave
of absence (LoA)
As a student of RMIT you have
the right to apply to suspend your
studies at RMIT either before you
start by deferring for up to one year
or by taking a Leave of Absence (LoA)
from your Program at any time - but
preferably before census date.
Defining some
common terms
Deferral
Describes the process by which
people who have received an offer of a
place in a Program at RMIT University,
but who have not yet enrolled, seek to
postpone the commencement of their
studies for one year.
Leave of absence
Describes the process by which
enrolled students request formal
approval to suspend their studies for
up to 12 months at a time from their
Head of School. You can apply more
than once during your program.
Course withdrawal
Disclaimer
The information in this leaflet is a
general guide only. RMIT is a very
complex environment, and there
are often a number of different rules
which apply.
For more student rights information
visit our website: www.su.rmit.edu.
au/student-rights
For additional assistance drop into a
Student Union Front Office to speak
with a Student Liaison Officer.
Or, send detailed information
regarding your case to student.
[email protected]
City Higher Ed: Building 8, Level 3
For enquiries call 9925 5004
Carlton Campus: Building 57, Level 4
If required, an appointment will be made
for you with a Student Rights Officer.
Brunswick: Building 514, Level 2
Bundoora: Building 204, Level 1
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Is when a student chooses to discontinue
one or more courses (subjects) that they
are enrolled in during a semester.
Cancellation of enrolment
Describes the process by which a
student’s enrolment in a semester is
cancelled, due to Leave of Absence,
discontinuation at RMIT or other
circumstance.
Frequently asked
questions
When can I defer?
You are only eligible to defer your
studies if you are a local student
and have been offered a place in an
Award Program. You can defer your
studies in most programs offered by
RMIT University. Some programs do
not allow deferrals at all, while other
programs may impose restrictions
upon the granting of deferment.
When can I take Leave of
Absence?
You can apply for a Leave of Absence
if you are an enrolled student. There
is no limit to how many times during
your program you can submit an
application. However a LoA is granted
only under the following conditions:
• At the discretion of the relevant
Head of School
• The granting of a LoA shall be
restricted to a maximum period of
one year per application. (ie, it is not
possible to take an LoA for more
than 12 months at a time – although
exceptions could be made at the
discretion of the Head of School
under extreme circumstances)
I am an international
student. How does this
affect me?
Deferral
International students who are offered
a place at RMIT must take up that
place in the year of offer. By Australian
Government regulation, an international
student cannot defer the offer of a
place at any Australian University.
Leave of absence
International students who are granted
a Leave of Absence are required
to depart from Australia except in
extraordinary circumstances. All such
approved Leaves of Absence and the
related cancellation of enrolment must
be reported to the Associate Manager,
Student Services, RMIT International
Pty Ltd. Cancellation of enrolments in
these circumstances must be reported
to RMIT International within two
working days.
Cancellation of enrolment/
changing education provider
By Government Regulation,
international students who have been
enrolled for less than one academic
year (12 months), are not permitted
to change to another Australian
educational institution other than in
exceptional circumstances.
All such cases must be referred to the
Associate Manager, Student Services,
RMIT International Pty Ltd. You can
find the procedure for changing your
educational provider and the criteria
for ‘exceptional circumstances’ on the
Department of Immigration website:
www.immi.gov.au/students/
Where can I get
application forms
from?
The following forms are available
from: www.rmit.edu.au/
browse;ID=62wggh21oy9rz
• Enrolment Variation
• Leave of Absence
• Cancellation of Enrolment
• Application to Defer
Are there time limits
and deadlines?
The date for withdrawing from a
course, cancellation of enrolment or
applying for a LoA without academic
penalty is set no later than the census
date. Check with your School for
deadlines in the Spring and Summer
semesters. Higher Education students
should be aware of HECS Census
dates when applying to either defer,
take a LoA or for enrolment variation,
to avoid financial liability.
Late withdrawals
Useful RMIT contacts
If you withdraw or cancel after that
deadline, the course will show on your
academic record as a fail grade. It is
sometimes possible in exceptional
circumstances for your Head of
Department or School to authorise a
late withdrawal without there being
any academic penalty. There is no
harm in asking but you need to have
a compelling case. Contact your
Student Rights Officer if you have any
questions. If you are a local student,
and you withdraw or cancel after
the HECS census date (usually 31
March for first semester, 31 August for
second semester), you will still have to
pay HECS on the course/s. Check the
application deadlines in the ‘important
dates’ section of your student diary.
RMIT Counselling Service
9925 4365 (BH) 9925 3999 (AH)
www.rmit.edu.au/counselling
RMIT Career Development &
Employment
9925 2078 (City & Brunswick)
9925 7280 (AH)
www.rmit.edu.au/careers
RMIT Disability Liaison Unit
9925 1089
www.rmit.edu.au/disability
RMIT Study and Learning
Centre
9925 3600
www.rmit.edu.au/
studyandlearningcentre
Complaints
Student Complaints Coordinator
[email protected]
www.rmit.edu.au/students/complaints
Student Wellbeing Advisory
Services
City campus: +61 3 9925 2963
Brunswick campus: +61 3 9925 2963
Bundoora campus: +61 3 9925 7280
www.rmit.edu.au/internationalsupport
www.rmit.edu.au/housing
www.rmit.edu.au/students/wellbeing/
finance
[email protected]