Planning Your Studies
What is the workload?
To estimate the time required to attend lectures and tutorials (or listen to recorded lectures), to research at the Library and to complete assignments, you should multiply each credit point of your enrolment by 4 hours. Therefore for one three-credit-point unit you should expect to commit twelve hours of your time per week to your studies.
A nine-credit-point workload is a full-time workload for a semester and is the maximum workload recommended for commencing non-award students. Our experience has shown that students who attempt 12 credit points in a single semester often experience difficulties with a heavy workload, and you should be aware that it has University policy since 1 January 2004, that a Non-Award student who fails two units is permanently excluded from Non-Award study at Macquarie University.
Youth Allowance, Austudy or Abstudy 
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.
Full information about eligibility is available from Centrelink Offices, or from the web at http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/internet.nsf/publications/az.htm
You can also telephone to find out more:
Youth Allowance and Austudy - 13 24 90
Abstudy -13 23 17
Tuition Fees - How much will it cost?
Non-Award study is paid for by up-front tuition fees, and is charged on the basis of the number of credit points enrolled in. Different departments charge different fees, but if you are a student enrolling in 12 credit points to gain entry to a degree, you should expect to pay approximately $5,400 - $7,800 for 12 credit points (or 4 units worth 3 credit points each).
Please note that your fees must be paid up-front and in full before classes start each semester. They cannot be deferred or paid in instalments.
There is more information about on fees at http://www.coe.mq.edu.au/nonawdfees.htm
Which Units are available for Non-Award study?
Some Departments have special restrictions on which of their units are available to Non-Award students, and these restrictions apply to all applicants. Higher School Certificate UAI cutoffs for 100-level units (other than the restricted entry units) are not included in these special restrictions. Please refer to Part 1 of the 2009 Non-Award Handbook.
Units available to Non-Award students seeking a pathway to degree entry are listed in the 2009 Non-Award Handbook, pages 26-33, or can be downloaded:
100-level units suitable for pathway students
Unit Descriptions
You can read descriptions of these units in Part 4 of the Non-Award Handbook 2009, including their cost and availability (which semester they are offered and whether they are Day (D), evening (E) or distance/external (X) units. If a unit is listed as having a D1 availability, for instance, you can only enrol in it in the first semester with daytime classes. If it is listed as X2 you can only enrol in it as a distance learning student in the second semester.
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