Academic progress

Keeping on top of your course progress is essential to completing your course requirements.

Maintaining good academic progress is crucial as it reflects your ability to meet your course requirements and successfully complete your studes. Good academic progress also supports your future academic and career goals and ensures they are on track to graduate on time.

Deakin reviews all students’ academic progress each study period, but it’s important that you keep on top of your own progress too. If you are failing assessments and/or don’t feel that you are doing as well as you could, please seek help.

We offers services, advice and assistance to help you maintain satisfactory academic progress and graduate. Your lecturer, unit chair, student advisers and the study support team can give you advice and support to help you reach your academic potential.

When will Deakin intervene?

Deakin will offer support and guidance if your academic progress is considered to be at risk.

You are considered to be at risk where you have:

failed a compulsory unit for the first time; or
failed 50% or more units in the last study period; or
it is apparent that you are unlikely to complete your course within the maximum period of study.

Deakin may decide to implement an intervention strategy if your academic progress is considered to be unsatisfactory.

Unsatisfactory academic progress is where you have:

failed at least 50% of credit points in each of the two preceding study period; or
failed a compulsory unit twice; or *failed a compulsory practicum or placement; or
it is apparent that you cannot complete your course within the maximum period of study; or
will not complete your course within the maximum period of study; or
you have not met the conditions placed on your enrolment in a previous study period.

How long have I got to complete my course?

The maximum time allowed to complete your course or the Maximum Period of Study, is the time that may be taken by a student to complete a course (excluding approved intermission periods).

The formula for Maximum Period of Study takes into account the importance of currency in knowledge and seeks to be fair to all students.

The formula to calculate the Maximum Period of Study is 2n + 1u (not including periods of intermission) where:

'n' is the number of years or trimesters taken to complete the course when undertaking a full-time load (a full-time load is normally 8 credit points per year)
'u' is the length of time taken to complete one unit of study (usually a study period or a year).

For example, if your course can be typically completed in 3 years of full time study, your maximum period of study would be 3 years + another 3 years (equalling the 2n) + 1 study period or 1 year (equalling the 1u) which equals either 6.5 or 7 years to complete your course.

Students that are permitted to study part time for the duration of their course and some postgraduate students could have up to 10 years, depending on their individual circumstances. Through its Faculty Boards, the University may increase the maximum period of study for a course in its entirety or vary this period for an individual student.

If you have any concerns that you will exceed the maximum period of study, you should contact the Academic Progress and Integrity team in the Office of the Dean of Students.

What happens if I have unsatisfactory academic progress?

If you meet one or more of the above criteria, you may receive a letter from your Faculty Academic Progress Committee:

telling you that your academic progress is unsatisfactory
proposing to place a condition on your enrolment or to exclude you from study for a period of time, and
inviting you to explain (show cause) why you have not been doing well in your studies, and why the proposed condition or exclusion should not apply.

This letter should be read very carefully and advice sought from the Academic Progress and Integrity team in the Office of the Dean of Students, and/or DUSA advocacy service.

If you do not respond to the Faculty Academic Progress Committee's letter and explain your situation, this means that you accept the decision and have forfeited your right to appeal.

Can I appeal the academic progress decision?

You can appeal your Faculty Academic Progress Committee's intervention decision to the University Appeals Committee. You can only appeal if you believe:

there was a misapplication of the process resulting in disadvantage to you
the decision was manifestly wrong
the outcome imposed was manifestly excessive or inappropriate in the circumstances
you have new evidence that was not known or available at the time of the original decision.

If you do not understand the outcome letter from the Faculty Academic Progress Committee setting out their decision, or require more information about how to appeal please contact:

the FAPC Secretary
Deakin University Student Association (DUSA) advocacy service
Student Appeals

Where can I get support for my academic progress?

More information about unsatisfactory progress

Please read the Academic Progress procedure or contact Academic Progress by emailing studentprogress@deakin.edu.au.

You can also contact Student Central or DUSA's Advocacy service.