Non-award study

The majority of the units offered in our Handbook can be undertaken on a non-award basis. Acceptance into the individual unit, however, is subject to faculty and departmental approval.

Each unit’s Handbook entry contains:

• a brief description of the unit
• any prerequisites needed for entry
• the mode of offering, ie which session a unit is offered in, and whether day, evening or external classes are available.

Workload

You should commit approximately nine hours per week to each unit. This estimate is based on the time required to:

• attend lectures and tutorials, or listen to recorded lectures
• carry out research at the Library
• work on assignments.

Prospective students must:

• be suitably qualified to take the units and have similar qualifications to other students enrolled in the unit
• meet the prerequisites for the units they intend to enrol in
• satisfy the University’s English language proficiency requirements.

The following exclusions also apply:

• PACE units, internships, placements, clinics, research thesis and most overseas electives
• overseas exchange and in-country units
• Bachelor of Philosophy and Master of Research units
• units with limited places (students enrolled in degrees are prioritised).

Faculty and department specific restrictions on non-award enrolment are listed below.

Non-award study is paid for by up-front tuition fees and is charged based on the number of credit points you are enrolled in.

Please note:

• Payment of tuition fees is a condition of enrolment.
• Fees must be paid upfront and in full before classes start each session. They cannot be deferred or paid in instalments.
• Check the due dates for your fees to avoid a late payment fee.
• Failure to pay fees by the due date will result in a late payment fee of $150 and the cancellation of your enrolment in all units.

Tuition fees are charged by the credit point for the individual units. Most units have a value of 10 credit points. The tuition fee rate per credit point varies depending on area of study and faculty, and different rates apply for international and domestic students.

Domestic undergraduate

If you are a domestic student and enrol in a non-award unit, you will be charged a tuition fee according to the subject area of the unit and the year you are enrolling.

Domestic postgraduate

The tuition fees for a postgraduate unit undertaken by a domestic student is based on its credit point value, multiplied by the cost per credit point. This figure varies depending on which faculty the unit undertaken belongs to.

The following units have a value of 10 credit points, unless otherwise stated.

International fees

Actuarial Control Cycles 1 and 2 and Data Analytics are the only units available to study as non-award offshore studies.

* most MQ units are 10cp

** Only for MQ existing students and alumni applying for MBA and MAF single units

Tax receipts

If you require a receipt for your non-award tuition fee, you can request one by submitting an enquiry through AskMQ. Make sure to use the phrase “tax receipt” in your enquiry.

Refunds

For tuition fee refunds, refer to the refund page. Please note that the Cashier’s office does not issue refunds.

If you are planning to apply for financial assistance, you will need to check the Centrelink requirements for payment of Youth Allowance, Austudy or ABSTUDY.

Centrelink is required to look at your workload on a per session basis. You must ensure that your workload each session meets the eligibility criteria for the benefit you are seeking to receive.

Full information about eligibility is available from Centrelink offices, or from the Centrelink website.

You can also call:

• 13 24 90 to learn more about Youth Allowance and Austudy
• 1800 13 23 17 to learn more about ABSTUDY.

Most units have an in-person component, such as assessment or class attendance, that requires you to be present in Australia for a study purpose. Therefore, applicants must hold one of the following:

• Australian citizenship
• Australian permanent residency status
• a current and valid visa which allows study in Australia.

Students in some other visa categories, such as provisional spouse visa and other long term temporary visas, may be able to enrol in a maximum of two non-award units per session.

International applicants should note we do not issue electronic Confirmation of Enrolment (COE) documents for visa applications.

Students intending to enrol into ACST8031, ACST8032 or ACST8095 are not required to reside in Australia for the duration of their enrolment in these units.

You may be eligible to apply for a FEE-HELP loan to assist you in re-training to practice in Australia. If you are eligible, FEE-HELP would only be available for the units listed on your assessment statement. Any additional units would need to be undertaken on a non-award basis, which requires full tuition fees to be paid upfront.

Your assessment statement is a necessary document if you wish to apply for a FEE-HELP loan.

For more information about FEE-HELP, visit the Australian Government’s Study Assist website.

Students are not required to apply for FEE-HELP, and can instead pay for units upfront.

Students who wish to complete the university component of the Actuary Program (formerly the Part II program) of the Australian Actuaries Institute must complete the following units:

• Actuarial Control Cycle – ACST8031 Control Cycle 1 and ACST8032 Control Cycle 2.
• Data Analytics Principles – ACST8095 Actuarial Data Analytics.

These units are available on a non-award basis to students who have completed an actuarial degree covering the foundation program of the professional exams or equivalent. Students must complete ACST8031 (or an equivalent unit) before commencing ACST8032.

More information about these units can be found below.

Actuarial Control Cycle and Data Analytics

ACST8031, ACST8032 and ACST8095 are available in three delivery modes:

• Internal, North Ryde – classes are held two days per week at Macquarie University’s North Ryde campus.
• Internal, City – classes are held one evening per week at Macquarie City Campus (Level 24, 123 Pitt Street, Sydney, NSW 2000), supplemented by online delivery of course material.
• External – no face-to-face classes. Students utilise online lecture recordings and materials.

When applying, advise the non-award team which mode of delivery you would like to enrol into.

ACST8031, in conjunction with ACST8032, develops and applies the actuarial principles and practices underlying the design, assessment, management and control of financial systems in the areas of life insurance, general insurance, banking and superannuation as well as other less traditional areas of actuarial practice.

ACST8095 covers advanced tools and techniques in data analytics. Students will be taught how to apply and develop these skills in a range of business environments and will be able to contribute to all stages of developing solutions to analytical problems across multiple industries or domains. This unit has a focus on practical application using a variety of real-life case studies.

Website access (after enrolment)

To access the ACC1 website you will need your OneID (Macquarie student number) and password.

First time users will need to obtain your OneID password online and follow the prompts. Your eight-digit Macquarie student number can be found on the top right-hand corner of your white Enrolment Registration Advice (ERA) sent with your initial welcome package.

Use your OneID and password to access the ACC1 website in iLearn.

For more information about the Actuarial Control Cycle and Actuarial Data Analytics, contact Mr Simon Guthrie at simon.guthrie@mq.edu.au or visit the Department of Actuarial Studies and Business Analytics.