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Credit for previous study
- Overview and eligibility
- When to apply
- What you'll need to apply
- How to apply
- What happens next
What you'll need to apply
Required information
When you’re applying for credit or RVL, you may need to provide the following details in your application.
- University or institution where you completed your unit of study/course.
- Course name.
- Unit of study name and code, for example ACCT1001 - Principles of Accounting.
- Year of completion and language of instruction.
- Suggested equivalent University of Sydney unit of study.
Some faculties and schools require you to include an equivalent University of Sydney unit of study for each external unit you are applying for. However, we recommend you always try to include this regardless of the faculty or school you are applying to. Check the handbook for unit of study information.
Faculties and schools that require equivalent units:- Sydney School of Health Sciences
- Sydney Pharmacy School (Sydney School of Health Sciences)
- Sydney Conservatorium of Music
- Sydney College of the Arts (Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences)
- Sydney School of Education and Social Work (Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences)
- Sydney School of Veterinary Science (Faculty of Science)
- Your chosen major(s) and/or minor(s). You need to include your major(s)/minor(s) in your application, as this will impact your credit outcome. If you don’t provide this information, it will result in a delay in processing your application.
Supporting documents
You need to provide supporting documents with your application, even if these have previously been provided to the University. If you submit your application without the required documents, it will be rejected and you'll need to re-apply.
If your documents are not in English, they need to be officially translated into English by your institution and include the institution's official stamp on each page. Alternatively, you can have your document translated and certified by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI).
Internal credit
To receive credit for units of study completed at the University of Sydney, you do not need to provide supporting documents.
External credit
If you’re applying for credit from another institution, you’ll need to provide the below supporting documents for each unit of study included in your application.
- A certified copy of your official academic transcript (not a results notice or online printout) listing completed units of study and the grade received. This should also include an explanation of the grading system used at the institution. Alternatively, you can provide a pdf copy of your transcript downloaded from My eQuals.
- A detailed official unit of study description relating to the session and year you completed it, including all of the following:
- unit of study code and name
- academic level, for example first year
- credit point value
- learning content, including weekly schedule of topics covered
- method of teaching and assessment
- number of teaching hours
- reading list
- prescribed and recommended texts and reference books
- for Law units, the number of face-to-face teaching hours and the required word count for each assessment item.
- Information on how many units of study in total were required to complete the degree you were undertaking.
- In some cases, you may also be asked to provide a portfolio of work.
If you do not have the required unit of study description(s), you need to contact the institution where you completed the unit.
Credit based on work experience
If you’re applying for RVL based on work experience, you need to provide:
- your current CV
- your official transcript, or a certified copy of your official transcript, for any previous qualifications
- two detailed reference letters, on company letterhead, from your current or previous employers explaining your roles and responsibilities and how it relates to the credit you’re seeking.
Last updated: 21 January 2021
