Full time study is when a student enrols in the 'normal full time’ load of
subjects or units that make up a course. Many tertiary institutions
consider this to be the minimum amount of subjects that a student must
undertake in order to complete their course within the minimum time
frame. This load can vary from course to course and between tertiary
institutions.
The
Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) defines full time study as 75 percent of the load of subjects or
units that a student is required to study in any given calendar year.
The definition of full time study by
Centrelink
is
quite flexible due to the different range and structure of tertiary courses. In
certain circumstances
Centrelink
may consider full time study to constitute
15 hours of face to face learning per week. Depending on the nature of the disability
Centrelink
may
also deem a student that is studying 25 percent of
the 'normal full time' load of subjects or units to be a full time student if their
disability prevents them being able to study a heavier load. Full time study
can be undertaken by internal,
external,
online and
mixed modes of study.
Refer to Worksheet 2 - Finding a course that is right for you
(worksheet 2 as text
27KB or
worksheet 2 as PDF 85 KB) to identify
questions to ask a course coordinator.
Part time study is very popular among mature age
students who often need to balance family and work commitments. This form of study is when a student enrols in less than
75 percent of the 'normal full time’ load of subjects or units that make up
a course. The number of subjects or units that is undertaken while studying
part time is dependent upon the course or program. Students who study part time will take longer to
finish their course than the recommended minimum timeframe as they are studying
fewer subjects per semester than a full time student.
Part time study can be undertaken by internal,
external,
online and
mixed modes of study.
Refer to Worksheet 4 - Understanding your study requirements
(worksheet 4 as text
63KB or worksheet 4
as PDF 94KB) to assess the impact of your disability on your course of
study.