Study load (overload and underload)

To complete a course, you need to pass enough units to meet a set number of credit points. We measure your enrolment load in credit points per academic year.

The standard undergraduate study load per year is 48 credit points (24 credit points per semester).

Changing your study load can have repercussions so it’s always best to first request course advice.

Full-time and part-time

An Equivalent Full-Time Student Load (EFTSL) is 48 credit points. Most units run for a semester and have a value of six credit points (0.125 EFTSL).

For an academic year:

• a full-time study load is between 36 and 48 credit points (generally between six and eight units) per year
• a part-time study load is less than 36 credit points (less than 0.75 EFTSL).

Some courses have both a full-time and part-time option.

If you change to part-time, you’ll be able to enrol into 18 credit points or fewer, instead of 24. Keep in mind that you’ll still need to discontinue any units you want to remove.

If however you’re an international student, you need to complete your course in the time stated on your Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE).

Time limits to complete a course

You must complete your course within a set time limit. Your course duration is in your course entry in the Handbook. Look for the Course duration notes in the blue section on the right.

Varying your course duration

You can take approved intermission or reduce your intended study load as long as you still complete your course within the maximum time limit. If you’re not sure, request a course progression check using our course advice form.

Domestic students (and international students not on a student visa) can submit an intermission request through Monash Connect to take parental or primary carer's leave. If approved, this leave won't count towards the maximum time limit to complete a coursework course.

Domestic students (and international students not on a student visa) can apply to their managing faculty to take parental or primary carer's leave. If approved, this leave won't count towards the maximum time limit to complete a coursework course. This is not the correct process to request leave under parental/carer's reasons. These requests should be submitted as an intermission request through Monash Connect (as detailed in Coursework Enrolment Procedure 6.15), and not via the managing faculty.

Changing your study load

Underloading

Domestic students

If you’re a domestic student, you can usually choose to study part-time. Just keep in mind, if you change your intended study load below 18 credit points per semester, you may not be eligible for government payments such as Youth Allowance, Austudy or public transport concessions.

When to underload

To avoid academic and financial penalties, make sure you underload (by withdrawing from units) before 11.59pm (Melbourne time) on the census date for the relevant teaching period.

How to underload

Before census date

To change your study load before the census date:

1. Log into the Web Enrolment System (WES).
2. Click Enrolment/Re-Enrolment.
3. Click Study Load.
4. Click Change Now.

After census date

To change your study load after your teaching period’s census date has passed, you’ll need to submit an Enrolment Amendment form. Academic and/or financial penalties may apply. You can view the census dates and late withdrawal deadlines on our census dates and teaching periods page.

WES may force you to enrol for the entire year, and in more credit points than you plan to study. If this happens, and you think this requirement doesn't apply to you, submit an Enrolment Amendment Form.

International students

If you're on a student visa, you must complete your course in the time stated on your Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE). To do this, you need to enrol in a full-time study load (this equates to 24 credit points per semester or 48 credit points per academic calendar year). If you’re completing a unit in a winter or summer semester, these count towards your study load for each semester:

• winter units count towards semester two
• summer A (SSA) units count towards semester two
• summer B (SSB) units count towards semester one.

The Web Enrolment System (WES) won’t allow you to submit your enrolment unless you enrol in enough units to meet your approved study load requirement, so you’ll need to apply for approval from your faculty before you can reduce your study load.

If your application is approved, you may need a new CoE with an updated course completion date. See extending your visa for more information.

Examples of study load combinations

Examples of study load combinations showing credit points per semester, total credit points, and whether underload approval is required. Each row lists the credit points for each teaching period in the academic year.

Reasons for underloading

You can apply for approval to underload due to compassionate or compelling circumstances.

Compassionate or compelling circumstances

Compassionate or compelling circumstances are personal circumstances that:

• are involuntary and outside your control (such as medical, family, wellbeing, or enrolment circumstances), and
• present you with limited or no choice but to underload your study.

Examples include:

• serious illness or exceptional personal circumstances
• course structure, progression rules or unit availability that prevents a standard enrolment load.

When you don't need approval

You won’t need to apply for approval to underload if you:

• are in your final year and will complete your course within the time stated on your CoE
• are enrolled in a combination of standard semester and summer or winter units that total at least 48 credit points per academic year
• are required to reduce your study load by your faculty’s Academic Progress Committee.

When to apply

Submit your application by 11.59pm (Melbourne time) on the census date for that teaching period to avoid penalties.

How to apply

To apply for approval, submit an application with your supporting documents.

Underload Request form

Supporting documents

Do not, under any circumstances, submit fraudulent documentation

You must give us information that is true, accurate and complete – without intending to mislead or gain advantage. If you make a false statement or provide a falsified document:

• your application will be rejected, and
• we'll refer the matter to Student Conduct and Complaints for an academic misconduct investigation.

You’re responsible for making sure the documents you supply to us are genuine, accurate and complete. Penalties for submitting a forged, altered or falsified document can include exclusion from the University, a fine of up to AUD $1,000 and a permanent record in Monash systems.

To find out more about your responsibilities (and what you should do if you don’t have the required supporting documents), see our documentation integrity page.

You’ll need to provide supporting documents that clearly show:

• your compassionate or compelling circumstances
• when they occurred
• how long they lasted
• their level of impact.

All documents need to:

• be from an independent source or authority
• be recently dated
• confirm that your circumstances are ongoing and relevant to the timeframe.

To support your underloading request, you can provide a:

• medical certificate or letter from a medical professional which specifically suggests reducing your study load and for how long
• letter from a social worker, lawyer, or psychologist
• detailed statement from a counsellor (like the University's Counselling and Psychological Services team) who has been involved in your assessment and/or treatment
• death notice or certificate and evidence of relationship
• police report
• statutory declarations from you or relevant people.

Depending on your circumstances, you may need to provide more than one of the documents listed above.

If you have been seeing a counsellor in an ongoing way about issues affecting your study, you can talk to your counsellor about completing a Health Professional Report (HPR) to support an application under compassionate and compelling circumstances.

Overseas medical certificates issued in a language other than English must be translated into English by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) or an overseas notary department with a common seal.

For more details, see supporting documents for compassionate or compelling circumstances.

Overloading

Overloading is to enrol in more than the standard number of units in each year. You can request to overload your enrolment if you meet both criteria below within the last 12 months:

• completed 48 credit points, and
• achieved a Weighted Average Mark (WAM) of 60 or higher.

Exceptions may apply to high-achieving students in approved programs.

Some courses may not allow acceleration – this may be due to professional accreditation and/or clinical requirements.

How to apply

Australian campuses

Submit a request to overload. We’ll email you with the outcome of your application within five working days.

Overload Request form (Australian campuses)

Malaysia campus

If you're studying at the Malaysia campus, use the Malaysia campus overload request form.

When to apply

You must submit your request at least five University working days before the start of the teaching period in which you want to overload.

If you apply too late, your timetable may be affected and you might not be able to enrol in the units you’ve chosen.

You also need to get your results from the previous teaching period before you can apply.

Part-time to full-time

If you’re enrolled part-time, and your course has a full-time study option, you can change to full-time study in WES.

For deadlines to change your enrolment load, see add or withdraw from units.

Related links

• Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS)
• Coursework Enrolment Procedure – sections 1.7 to 1.17 (pdf)
• Enrolment and Timetable Policy (pdf)