Discontinue a unit of study
Domestic students
You can drop a unit before the unit's census date in Sydney Student. After the census date there may be financial and/or academic penalties.
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Dropping a unit
If you drop a unit before the census date:
- this is called a withdrawal
- the unit is fully removed from your academic transcript and statements
- you're not liable to pay the unit fee
- you can still re-enrol yourself in the unit, or a different unit, up until the last day to add.
How to remove a unit
To remove a unit:
- log in to Sydney Student
- go to ‘My studies’, ‘Units of study’, then ‘Change your units of study'
- on the unit of study selection screen select the rubbish bin next to the unit you want to remove
- select 'Continue' and then 'Confirm' on the confirmation screen to finalise your change.
If you drop a unit after the census date and before the last day of teaching:
- a 'DF' (i.e. 'Discontinue fail’) will be recorded on your academic transcript
- this counts as a fail on your transcript but does not affect your Weighted Average Mark (WAM)
- you cannot re-enrol in the unit for that study period
- you remain liable for the unit fees
- a DF grade can be a trigger for academic progression, so you may receive a warning that you haven’t made satisfactory progress in your degree.
How to remove a unit
To remove a unit:
- log in to Sydney Student
- go to ‘My studies’, ‘Units of study’, then ‘Other options'
- select 'Discontinue from a unit of study'.
You can no longer discontinue from a unit after the last day of teaching, which is the last date to discontinue fail (DF) unless you can demonstrate special circumstances. This means:
- a grade/mark will be recorded on your academic transcript based on the assessment you have completed
- you remain liable for the unit fees.
HDR students
If you would like to discontinue from a coursework unit of study, you wil need to contact Higher Degree by Research Administration Centre (HDRAC).
Late discontinuation under special circumstances
If the census date has passed, but you have been impacted by circumstances beyond your control you can apply to discontinue from a unit of study under special circumstances. Find out more about how this process works.
Withdrawing from all your units
If you intend to withdraw from all your units of study and it's before census, you should look at suspending your studies.