Study Abroad and Exchange FAQs

This will depend on the type of agreement your homw institution has with Macquarie University.

Please make sure to check with your home institution to know whether you should submit an application for the Exchange program or for the Study Abroad program.

Find information on the step-by-step application process for:

• Incoming Exchange students
• Incoming Study Abroad students

The stage at which you need to provide information about the units (subjects) you want to study at Macquarie depends on whether you are Study Abroad or Exchange student:

Study Abroad

• If you are a Study Abroad student, you need to provide this information at the application stage:
  • Three-units Package: nominate up to 5 units (or 10 for full year)
  • Four-units Package: nominate up to 6 units (or 12 for full year)

You must nominate more than the number of units stated on the package for alternative options in case a unit is not approved.

Your unit choices will be sent to the corresponding Faculty for approval. You will be informed of the outcome via email by your Admissions Officer.

Exchange

If you are an Exchange student, you need to submit your prerequisite waiver requests for the units you want to enrol in after accepting your offer. Please refer to the section 'Getting ready for your program' below for more information.

We cannot help you choose which units to study at Macquarie as each student's requirements are different.

• the units you choose are equivalent to the subjects back in your home institution so you receive credit for them towards your degree. Information on unit contents is available in the Handbook and the Unit Guides.
• your home institution must have previously approved these units.
• you fulfil the prerequisites for those units, which you can check in the Handbook.
• the units are offered in the session you will be at Macquarie - Session 1 or Session 2. You can check the offerings for each unit in the Handbook.
• You can only take units at the same level as the degree you are doing at your home institution. This means that you can only take undergraduate units if you are an undergraduate student. If you are a postgraduate student, you can only take postgraduate units.

You may find that your application is at one of the following stages:

• Incomplete – Finish and submit your application as soon as possible and before the application deadline.
• Assessing / Assessing – More info required /  Assessing – Referred for Special Approval – Your application is under assessment. If any information or further documentation is needed, your Admissions Officer will contact you via email. If you are not contacted, please allow some time for the assessment to be completed.
• Conditional Offer – You must meet the condition(s) outlined in the Conditional Offer document as soon as possible.
• Full Offer With Conditions & Qualified – Accept your offer as soon as possible by following the acceptance instructions within your offer document.

Applications with Macquarie take approximately 3 weeks for the initial assessment.

As an international student, you must take out OSHC as a condition of your student visa. Please visit the Overseas Student Health Cover page for more information.

The Australian Federal Goverment Health Department has also created a Fact Sheet as well as a document called Explanatory Guidelines for Consumers with information on the mandatory requirement for students to take an OSHC when coming to Australia.

To accept your offer you need to:

• Sign your Letter of Offer.
• Pay for your OSHC.

You need to send both your signed offer and proof of payment for your OSHC to your application email address, which is in the body of the email you received when your letter was sent.

A Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) is a document issued by Macquarie  to verify your enrolment in a specified course.

You will receive this document shortly after you accept your offer.

You will need to use this document to apply for your visa.

Unfortunately, we are unable to provide advice on visa-related queries.

Please refer to the following resources for information on visas:

• Student Visa page
• Department of Home Affairs Website
• If you are outside of Australia, you can contact the Department of Home Affairs at their Contact Us page.

Your OSHC information is provided in your Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE). Your OSHC policy number is the same as your Macquarie student ID.Your Confirmation of Enrolment should suffice as OSHC-related documentation for your visa application.

For any concerns, please reach out to the Department of Home Affairs.

The University will schedule your OSHC 3 weeks before the class commencement date. Please visit the Medibank website to activate your policy and read the terms and conditions of the policy 3 weeks before the class commencement date. You may adjust the dates and duration of your policy upon your arrival in Australia.

To activate your OSHC before the above-stated period, send an email to exchange.studyabroad@mq.edu.au with the following information:

• Student Visa approval documentation
• Confirmation of ticket purchase and details

Once we confirm your OSHC activation via email, you can make the payment for the outstanding fee directly to Medibank.

You should plan to make sure you secure your accommodation for your Study Abroad of Exchange program before arriving in Sydney.

For information on accommodation options you can explore, please visit the Accommodation page.

Your student ID number is in the upper right corner of your Letter of Offer.

Make sure that you have followed the instructions on the First Time Login page.

If you experience issues, contact the Student Mobility Team at exchange.studyabroad@mq.edu.au. If the error cannot be fixed, you will be redirected to the IT Service Desk.

You can enrol in your units after receiving your CoE and within the enrolment dates.

Your unit approval process varies depending on whether you are a Study Abroad or Exchange student:

Study Abroad

Your unit approvals took place at the application stage. For more information, check the section 'Applying to study at Macquarie' above.

Watch the following video tutorials for instructions on enrolling into your units:

• Managing your course plan 
• Enrolling in Units

Exchange

You can enrol into any unit as long as:

• you meet the unit prerequisite(s) as outlined in our Course Handbook
• it does not appear on the Restricted Units List.

if you wish to select units with a prerequisite, you must first be approved for a prerequisite waiver for that unit. If they do not have prerequisites, you do not have to submit a waiver.

More information about pre-requisite waivers can be found on our Unit Waivers page.

The following is a document and a tutorial video with instructions on how to submit a pre-requisite waiver:

• Prerequisite Waiver Request Instructions Document
• Prerequisite Waiver Process Video Tutorial

Once you get approval, you can enrol in the unit.  Please refer to the video tutorials under the 'Study Abroad' subheading for information on the enrolment process.

The processing time for special waiver requests can be up to four weeks as outlined in the Special Waiver Request Instructions Document that was sent to you in the email with your Letter of Offer or Confirmation of Enrolment.

Given the current processing times, you should submit your waiver requests as soon as possible after receiving your CoE to make sure you can enrol before the commencement of the session.

Enrolling is confirming that you will be taking part in the unit at Macquarie and will be added to the iLearn page that will have all the unit information regarding assignments and weekly work.

Please see the below video tutorials for instructions on enrolling in your units:

• Managing Your Course Study Plan
• Enrolling in Units

Registering for your classes is where you select the times when you will attend classes for your units.

Please see the below video tutorial for instructions on choosing your class times:

• Creating Your Timetable

You can access resources to support your study life at Macquarie so that reasonable adjustments can be implemented for your classes and assessments.

Visit the Accessibility page to learn about the services you can access and how to register for them. Make sure to do this soon after you get your CoE as the registration process takes some time.

Some institutions require your host institution to complete and sign a learning agreement form. Send the document to exchange.studyabroad@mq.edu.au with your request.

Documents with information on the specific units you are currently enrolled in will be signed after the commencement of the session.

International students must have a full-time study load to comply with visa conditions. A full-time study load is 3 to 4 units.

It is not possible.

You can only take units at the same level as the degree you are doing at your home institution. This means that:

• Undergraduate students can only enrol in undergraduate units.
• Postgraduate students can only enrol in postgraduate units.

The Study NSW website provides useful information about what living, studying and working in Sydney is like as an international student. It also has the most up-to-date information on events open to all international students.

International students coming to Australia to participate in the Macquarie University Exchange or Study Abroad program must be on a Student Visa (Subclass 500). It is not possible to participate in the program on a Working Holiday Visa (Subclass 417).

For more information on the Student visa, read the information in the following resources:

• Department of Home Affairs Website - Subclass 500 Student Visa
• Macquarie University's Student Visa Webpage

You must be in Sydney by the Macquarie Kickstart Period.

Attendance at the Study Abroad and Exchange events is mandatory. You will receive information on these events and instructions on how to register for the events via email.

Check the Academic Calendar to learn about the most important session dates.

Unfortunately, international students are unable to receive discounted concession cards.

You can still easily sign up for an Adult Opal Card.

The following services and tools are available to international students to develop and enhance their academic skills:

• The Writing Centre – Consultations with a learner adviser, assignment support and revision services, academic skills workshops, and English language support
• Peer Support – Faculty mentoring, Peer assisted study sessions (PASS), Buddy Program, and Peer Mentors
• English Conversation Club
• Numeracy Support – drop-in service, weekly workshops, and online resources

The Student Wellbeing team offers counselling and mental health support.

They also provide safety advice and offer wellbeing skillshops and online resources to support your overall wellbeing.

If you experience an event or circumstance that is serious, unavoidable, significantly disruptive, and beyond your control, you may be eligible for Special Consideration.

Make sure to review the information on the  Special Consideration page to learn about eligibility criteria, FAQs about this option, and when and how to submit a request.

It is not possible to make up for failed exams and/or units.

As explained in Macquarie University's Special Consideration Policy, the University follows a ‘Fit to Sit’ policy. By taking an exam, in-class test, or submitting any assessment, a student affirms that they can perform these tasks. It is up to the student to assess their fitness to participate in an examination, test, or submit an assessment. If a student feels unfit to do so, they should refrain from participating and follow the Special Consideration procedure.

Students have the option to submit a Special Consideration request for a supplementary exam within the corresponding timeframes if they experience circumstances like the ones described in the question above. Make sure to check the Special Consideration page and Special Consideration FAQs pages for more information.

Check the Academic Calendar and look for the Result Publication date. Your final grades will be available on your eStudent then.

You will receive an email with instructions on how to access your transcript via My eQuals.

Macquarie students receive their grades and transcripts via My eQuals. My eQuals is the official platform for Australian and New Zealand universities to provide a secure digital repository for certified academic documents. It was developed to give students, graduates, employers and third parties anytime, anywhere access to academic documents.

You can share your transcript with your Home University through this platform.

Make sure to reach out to your home university for information on how to get the units you studied at Macquarie credited towards your degree.

You will need to provide your digital transcript to your home university through the My eQuals platform.