Glossary

Confused by words and terms used by universities? Don't be! Here is our friendly guide to help.

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A

Accept (or accept offer)

Once you receive an offer, you need to accept the offer to continue to enrolment.
Find out more at I have received my offer, what are my next steps?

Academic Documents

The testamur, academic transcript, or Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement (AHEGS) issued by the University of Tasmania, in digital or hardcopy format.

Academic transcript

An official document issued by the University as a record of a student's completed units and results. A student can purchase official copies of their academic transcript through UConnect or eStudent. Graduates are sent a complementary transcript after their graduation ceremony.
Find out more at What appears on an official Academic Transcript?

Admission pathway

Any one of the options available to a prospective higher education student that will enable them to meet the entry requirements of their chosen courses.
Find out more about our Pathways to university.

Advanced standing

Refer to 'Credit assessment'.

Advanced level unit

A unit which builds upon knowledge and skills attained from introductory and intermediate level units and is generally the highest level of unit in bachelor's degrees. These units are designated with the first numeric code of 3 (e.g. HGA314).
Find out more at How do I know whether a unit is introductory, intermediate or advanced level?

Apply/application

To study at the University of Tasmania, you need to apply for one or more courses. For domestic students, the application is submitted via an online portal on the University of Tasmania website called 'eApplication'. For international students, the application is submitted via an online portal on the University of Tasmania website called 'StudyLink'.
Find out more at Applying to university.

Area of study

Sometimes is used to describe broad area of related studies as a way to categorise these studies. It can also be used to describe a more refined field of studies, also known as a 'Discipline'.

Ask Us

An online resource where you will find answers to many of your questions about studying with us. It is the University of Tasmania database that provides answers to frequently asked questions.
Go to Ask Us

Associate degree

Associate degrees are shorter than bachelor’s (typically two years of full-time study or part-time equivalent). They can be a more industry-focused option or lead to further study.
Find out more at What is a University College Associate Degree?

Award

Completion of a course will typically result in an award. This is the formally recognised outcome of completing a course's requirements, such as an award of Bachelor of Arts.

B

Bachelor's degree

A qualification awarded at university after completion of an undergraduate course of at least three years (full-time), e.g. Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Fine Arts.
Find out more at How long does a bachelor's degree take to complete?

Breadth units

Designed to broaden your learning, these units will provide you with the opportunity to acquire knowledge and skills in a subject different to the discipline you have chosen. Leading universities and employers around the globe all recognise the need for a rounded perspective in their graduates and employees.
Find out more at What are elective units?

Bridging course

If a course requires a prerequisite in an area that students have not studied or worked with before, a bridging course will help students to 'bridge the gap' and gain admission.
Find out more at I did not complete year 11 or 12, can I still undertake undergraduate study?

C

Campus

The area in which the university grounds and buildings are located, e.g. Sandy Bay campus.
Find out more about Our campuses.

Census date

The final date by which students need to confirm their enrolment record is accurate. Students who wish to withdraw from a unit must formally do so prior to census date, otherwise they will be liable for the fees and charges for that unit.
Find out more at What is the census date?

College

A college is an academic body that runs a group of courses. For example, the College of Health and Medicine oversees all the courses relating to health and medicine.

Commonwealth Assistance Form (CAF)

A CAF is required to be filled out by all Commonwealth supported students prior to the relevant census date. Domestic students in a full-fee paying place may choose to complete the CAF if they are eligible and choosing not to pay their fees up front. All students must access and complete the electronic version (eCAF) via eStudent. Refer to 'eCAF'.
Find out more at What is a Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF) and which one do I need to complete?

Commonwealth Assistance Notice (CAN)

A CAN is issued to all students during each semester who have requested Commonwealth assistance. The CAN contains information about a student's enrolment, the student contribution amounts, HELP debt, and any upfront payments. CANs are in eStudent under 'Details' > 'Documents'. A CAN will not be produced for students who have not received a Government contribution to their fees.
Find out more at What is a Commonwealth Assistance Notice (CAN)?

Commonwealth Higher Education Student Support Number (CHESSN)

A unique identifying number that stays with a student for life. A CHESSN helps institutions and the Australian Government provide a student with information about any Commonwealth assistance (scholarships, HELP loans or VET Student Loans) they may have received.
Find out more at What is my CHESSN and how do I find it?

Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP)

A Commonwealth Support Place (CSP) may be offered to Australian citizens, New Zealand citizens, holders of an Australian permanent visa, or holders of an Australian permanent humanitarian visa. The Australian Government contributes to the tuition fee for all students in CSPs. Refer to 'Domestic applicant / student'. The remaining amount of the tuition fee is called the student contribution – students can choose whether to pay this amount upfront or, if eligible, defer payment via a Commonwealth loan (HECS-HELP).
Find out more at What is a Commonwealth Supported Place?

Core

A unit or set of units that are compulsory to the requirements of a degree or major. Find out more about possible core units for each course in the Course Structure in the Course and Unit Handbook.

Corequisite

A unit that must be studied concurrently with another unit in the same semester.

Course

A program of study that leads to an award. Courses are built from a combination of individual units that together form a qualification, e.g. the Bachelor of Education course. The course is what you apply for. To complete a course, you will need to complete the minimum number of credit points for the course. Refer to 'Diploma', 'Associate degree', 'Bachelor's degree', ' Undergraduate (study) ', 'Postgraduate (study)' for more about different course levels.
Explore our available courses in the Course and Unit Handbook.

Course and Unit Handbook

The Course and Unit Handbook is an online resource that contains information on all courses and units (individual subjects) currently offered by the University of Tasmania.

Course Rules

Each course has a set of approved requirements that must be followed by a student for an award to be granted. These include the minimum and maximum timeframe (years) for you to complete a course. Refer to Course for more about different requirements.

Credit assessment

The recognition of prior studies (either at another institution or in another course at the University of Tasmania) that counts towards the requirements for your current course. The credit granted may be 'specified', i.e. the credit may be granted for a particular unit, or 'unspecified'. This is also referred to as 'advanced standing' or 'recognition of prior learning (RPL)'.
Find out more at Recognition of prior learning.

Credit points

All courses are built from a combination of units (another word for subjects). Each unit has a credit point value (normally 12.5 credit points per unit but many units have higher or lower values). A standard full time study load is 100 credit points per year. To complete a course, you will need to complete the minimum number of credit points for the course.

Cross-institutional study

Enrolment in a course or unit(s) at another higher education institution, to be counted as credit towards degree requirements at the 'home' university where the award will be granted. University of Tasmania students can apply to study at another institution, and students from another university can apply to study at the University of Tasmania.
Find out more at How do I enrol as a cross-institutional student?

D

Deferral

New students who are commencing their course can apply to defer the start date of their course for up to 12 months. This needs to be applied for before the relevant study period census date. Deferrals can be applied for in eApplication.
Find out more at Can I defer or delay my offer to study?.

Degree

Refer to 'Course'.

Degree core knowledge units

A course's units that are mandatory for all students enrolled in the course. These units will consist of learning that is critical to the subject being studied.

Degree electives

Optional units that may be chosen from your course's available units. You may have to meet certain requirements to be able to enrol in these units, such as pre-requisites or unit quotas. These requirements are explained in the Course and Unit Handbook.
Find out more at What are elective units?

Diploma

Diplomas are one-year qualifications (full-time study or part-time equivalent) that are developed to be flexible and easily accessible. They can also lead you further learning at university.

Discipline

A field of related studies, e.g. the disciplines of Physics, Mathematics, History, or Latin. Disciplines are often studied in a course as a set of units that form a 'major' or a 'specialisation'.

Discipline electives

A unit in a prescribed discipline or disciplines that a student may complete as part of their course.

Domestic applicant / student

You are a domestic applicant / student if you are:

  • a citizen of Australia or New Zealand, or
  • an Australian permanent resident, or
  • a holder of an Australian permanent humanitarian visa.

Find out more at Am I a Domestic or International Student?

E

eApplication

'eApplication' is the University of Tasmania's online application system for domestic students for undergraduate and postgraduate courses. For international student applications and research degrees, refer to 'StudyLink'.

eCAF

The online Government forms for Commonwealth Assistance known as eCAF (electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form). An eCAF is required to be filled out by all Commonwealth supported students prior to the relevant census date. Domestic students in a full-fee paying place may choose to complete the eCAF if they are eligible and choosing not to pay their fees up front. All students must access and complete the electronic version (eCAF) via eStudent.
Find out more at What is a Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF) and which one do I need to complete?

Elective(s)

Refer to 'Degree electives' and/or 'Student electives'.

Enrol/enrolment

Courses are made up of individual units in which students must enrol each calendar year. Enrolling in a unit means the student is formally registered to attend the unit's classes.
Find out more at How do I enrol?

Enabling and supporting programs

A group of units designed to assist students with their preparations for study, meeting university prerequisites, and to build skills. Refer to 'Pathways'.

eStudent

eStudent is the University of Tasmania's online system for student administration for a number of tasks, such as enrolling in units and the completion of fee-related forms.
Find out more at What is eStudent?

Exams/examinations

For some units, exams form part of their overall assessment. Exams are usually held over a two-week period at the end of semester. Find out more at When are exams?

Experience and engagement units

Units that aim to support student choice, allowing the student to customise their experience to suit their skills, interest, or career pathways. When offered, typically a minimum of two units and a maximum of eight units. Refer to 'Breadth units'.

F

FEE-HELP

A loan scheme that assists eligible fee-paying students with their payment of all or part of their tuition fees. It cannot be used for additional study costs such as accommodation or text books. The total amount of FEE-HELP a person can use is known as the 'FEE-HELP limit'. Once a person begins using FEE-HELP, the amount of FEE-HELP they have left to use is known as their 'FEE-HELP balance'.
Find out more at What is FEE-HELP?

Fee refund

Students may request a refund on the following basis: overpayment of tuition fees; if the unit does not commence on the published start date; or if the unit commences but is not offered to completion. Approved refunds are paid within four weeks of receipt of a completed Request for Refund Form.
Find out more at How do I apply for a refund?

Foundation unit

Units that aim to provide students with no prior familiarity of a subject the necessary skills and knowledge required for studying units at an introductory level.
Find out more at What are Foundation Units and do I need them?

Full Fee Paying

A Full Fee Paying place may be offered to Australian citizens, New Zealand citizens, holders of an Australian permanent visa, or holders of an Australian permanent humanitarian visa. The Australian Government does not contribute to the tuition fee for these students, therefore their tuition fee must either be paid upfront or deferred via a Commonwealth loan (FEE-Help), if eligible.
Find out more at How much are my course fees?

Full-time (study)

Refer to 'Study load'.

G

General degree

A course of study with unit choices available from a broad range of study areas within a college. Examples of general degrees are the Bachelor of Arts or the Bachelor of Science. Also refer to 'Bachelor's degree'.

Graduation

Once a student has met the requirements of their course, they will be eligible to graduate. Students may choose to attend a graduation ceremony and will receive an official copy of their award (testamur) and academic transcript once they have graduated.
Find out more at Am I eligible to graduate?

H

HECS-HELP

The HECS-HELP scheme is a student loan program to enable eligible students to defer tuition fees from a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP). Find out more at What is HECS-HELP?

HELP

If you’re an eligible domestic student, you can take advantage of an interest-free loan from the Government, which means you can pay your tuition fees later. This is called a HELP loan. There are a few different options, but the most common are called HECS-HELP, SA-HELP and FEE-HELP.
Find out more at Am I eligible to defer my fees?

I

Intermediate level unit

A unit that builds upon knowledge and skills attained from introductory level units and is assessed at a higher level. These units are normally designated as second year units and can be identified with first numeric code of the unit code being 2 (or 200 level units).
Find out more at How do I know whether a unit is introductory, intermediate or advanced level?

International applicant / student

You are an international applicant / student if you are:

  • intending to study on a student visa, or
  • not a citizen of Australia or New Zealand, or
  • not an Australian permanent resident, or
  • a temporary resident (visa status) of Australia.

Find out more at Am I a Domestic or International Student?

Introductory level unit

An entry-level unit which would normally be taken in the first year of study, but may be taken in later years, subject to the degree requirements. These units are currently designated as first year and can be identified with the first numeric code of the unit code being 1 (or 100 level units).
Find out more at How do I know whether a unit is introductory, intermediate or advanced level?

M

Major

A major is an area of focus in your degree. During your studies, you’ll choose an area that interests you, and then study a group of units related to that area.
Find out more at What is a Major?

Micro-credential

A micro-credential is a form of certification that indicates evidence of attainment against clearly articulated learning outcomes and may represent partial completion of a broader award course. Refer to Short courses.

Mutually exclusive units (or m/excl)

A unit that becomes unavailable should you already be enrolled in, or have successfully completed, a similar unit with overlapping content. For example, a student who is enrolled in KGA100 Geography & Environmental Studies 1 cannot enrol in KGA101 Geography & Environmental Studies 1A due to the overlapping learning objectives between the two units. The mutually exclusive units are specified in the Course and Unit Handbook. Sometimes also referred to as an 'anti-requisite'.

MyLO

MyLO is the online learning environment at the University of Tasmania. MyLO stands for My Learning Online. For all units with an online presence, MyLO is the system which is used to host the unit's online materials and activities.
Find out more at What is MyLO?

O

Orientation

A period of time prior to the commencement of the study period that is devoted to welcoming new and returning students to life at the University of Tasmania. Orientation is run for one week prior to the commencement of semesters 1 and 2 and is available to both on-campus and off-campus students.
Find out more at Starting at the University.

Overseas Health Cover (OSHC)

Mandatory health insurance for all international students which must cover them for the entire duration of their study in Australia. OSHC helps international students cover any medical expenses whilst in Australia and is a requirement of a student visa.
Find out more at What is Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) and do I need it?

P

Pathways

A group of units designed to assist students with their preparations for study, meeting university prerequisites, and to build skills. Also known as 'Enabling and supporting programs'. Find out more about our Pathways to university.

Placement

A unit in which the emphasis is on gaining practical professional experience, normally in the workplace. Also known as 'Practicum'.

Postgraduate (study)

Further study for a higher qualification following the successful completion of a bachelor's degree (or equivalent recognition), e.g., graduate diploma or masters. This study builds on your knowledge and experience gained from undergraduate study, increasing your qualifications.
Find out more about our Postgraduate courses.

Practicum

Refer to 'Placement'.

Preparation programs

The University of Tasmania offers preparation and enabling programs to students who do not meet the general entry requirements, or who may need additional skills, confidence, or knowledge before commencing a degree. Refer to 'Pathways'.

Prerequisite

A unit, level of study, or another requirement which must be successfully completed before undertaking a unit, e.g. to undertake HGA203 Social and Political Research, students need to have successfully undertaken 25 credit points of introductory level units.

Proxy

Due to the University's privacy policy, we are not, except where required to by law, able to discuss your enrolment, fees, results, or other specific topics with unauthorised third parties, including family members, friends, and employers. A proxy, however, is a person who has been authorised to represent you and speak on your behalf.
Find out more at How can I nominate someone to speak on my behalf with the University (set up proxy)?.

R

Recognition of prior learning (RPL)

The recognition of prior studies (either at another institution or in another course at the University of Tasmania) that counts towards the requirements for your current course. The credit granted may be 'specified', i.e. the credit may be granted for a particular unit, or 'unspecified'. This is also referred to as 'advanced standing' or 'recognition of prior learning (RPL)'. Also known as 'credit assessment.
Find out more at Recognition of prior learning.

S

SA-HELP

SA-HELP is a Government loan scheme that assists eligible domestic students defer their payment of the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF). The amount will be added to their accumulated HELP debt. Eligible students can take out a SA-HELP loan even if they do not wish to take out any other HELP loan (such as HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP).
Find out how to apply and more at What is SA-HELP?

Semester

A formal university teaching period. There are two main semesters, each comprising 13 weeks of teaching: semester 1 runs from late-February to the end of May; semester 2 runs from mid-July to mid-October. Find out more at key dates.

Short course

A practical training course for the purpose of employment accreditation, community need, bridging knowledge, or skills and capability development, which may have an attached micro-credential and/or Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) alignment.
Find out more about our Short courses.

Specialisation

A grouping of units in a particular area of study which are recognised as a formal sequence of study, e.g. French, Computing, Economics. In some cases, the specialisation you have studied will be included in the name of your award; however, not all degrees include a named specialisation. Similar to a major.

Student elective(s)

Units that may be taken from any available topic for which the student is eligible in any discipline, subject to degree unit level requirements, unit prerequisites, and unit quotas.
Find out more at What are elective units?

Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF)

The Student Services and Amenities Fee is a compulsory Commonwealth Government fee for all students that is paid to the University to allow for the provision of support services to students. Payment can be made via eStudent. An invoice is uploaded into eStudent at the start of semester 1 and semester 2. Eligible domestic students can take out a SA-HELP loan to defer these fees. SSAF is incorporated into the annual tuition fee for international students.
Find out more at What is SSAF and do I have to pay it?

Student ID cards

Students require a current University of Tasmania ID card to verify their identity for enrolment and examination purposes and to utilise library and printing services. The University will provide a complementary student ID card to each student at the commencement of their study.
Find out more at How do I get a student ID card?

Study load

A study load refers to how much study, usually measured by credit points, is done within a particular time period. For example, 100 credit points (eight standard units) of study taken in one year is a full-time study load, but 50 credit points (four standard units) of study taken in one year is a part-time study load.

StudyLink is the University of Tasmania's online student application system for international students for undergraduate and postgraduate courses. For domestic student applications, refer to 'eApplication'.

Subject

Refer to 'unit'.

T

Timetable

A timetable will list any components of study for each unit you are enrolled in (e.g., lectures, practicals, tutorials, etc). A timetable is your plan that shows the time and location of your classes and/or internal examinations.
Find out more about the student timetable.

U

UConnect

UConnect provides assistance to current students by answering questions, giving advice, and referring students to other support services.

Undergraduate (study)

Study undertaken to gain an associate degree or bachelor's degree. An undergraduate degree is generally the first study you will take at a university after leaving school. Depending on entry requirements, you may need to complete pre-degree study before starting an undergraduate degree.
Find out more about our Undergraduate courses.

Unique Student Identifier (USI)

Your Unique Student Identifier (USI) is your individual education number for life. It also creates a Government authenticated record of your vocational education and training (VET) achievements. You'll need your USI if you’re studying with us or any other higher education organisation.

Find out more about Unique Student Identifier (USI)

Unit

Courses are built from a combination of units (another word for subjects). A unit is a set of activities (lectures, seminars, tutorials, and/or practicals) on a particular topic, which will have one or more intended learning outcomes and associated assessments designed to achieve those learning outcomes. Each unit has a specific code (e.g. HEN101 English 1A) and a credit point allocation (e.g. 12.5 credit points). A group of units make up a course.

Unit Weighting

Refer to 'Credit points'.

W

Webmail

The University of Tasmania student email system provided to all students upon acceptance of an offer to study at the University. Login to Webmail.