Academic Progress FAQ

Q: What is Academic Progress?
A: One of the conditions of enrolment at Monash University is that you must maintain satisfactory academic progress throughout your course. Unsatisfactory progress is generally defined as:

• Failing a subject twice;
• Passing less than half of your study load in the previous year, including any summer subjects;
• Failing to meet conditions previously imposed by an Academic Progress Committee (APC)

Students who do not meet these requirements will be asked by their Faculty to explain their results.

Q: What is a "Notice of Referral"?
A: The Notice of Referral is the letter sent to you by the faculty if you have not met academic progress requirements. It is very important that Monash has your correct address details to ensure that you receive this letter. You can update your address on the my.monash portal.

You must reply to this letter, as failure to reply may result in automatic exclusion. It is recommended that you attach a letter to your Notice of Referral explaining your results, including why your academic performance was affected. Both MONSU Student Assistance and Community Services staff can check your letter.

Information about how to write a letter can be found on the Student Assistance websites:

• www.monsucaulfield.org.au/studentrights (Caulfield students)
• www.monsupeninsula.org.au/studentrights (Peninsula students)

For information on what to include in your letter, refer to the Community Services web page:
www.adm.monash.edu.au/community-services/academicprogress

Q: What happens after I submit the Notice of Referral?
A: There are three possible outcomes:

• You may receive a letter from the university stating that you may continue your course; or
• You may receive a letter stating that you may continue your course, on specific conditions, which will be outlined in the letter.

You must comply with these conditions, if you do not wish to appear before the Academic Progress Committee in the following year.

• You may receive a letter asking you to attend an Academic Progress Committee Hearing.

Preparing for your APC Hearing

Read over your supporting letter again and make summarised notes of what you want to say to the committee. You should identify:

• What went wrong at university;
• What went wrong outside of university;
• What you will do differently next year; and
• Why you want to remain at Monash, career goals, etc
  
• Compile all of your supporting documents. If there is any evidence that you cannot obtain before the hearing, write a list and say why it was unavailable to present to the committee
• Bring any evidence of action you have already taken to improve your performance next year.
  e.g. details of your appointments with Community Services or Centre for the Advancement of Language and Teaching (formerly Language and Learning).
• Practice what you are going to say to the Committee
• Write a list of all the questions you think the committee might ask you and write answers to
  these questions.
• Arrange a time to meet with a Student Assistance staff member before your hearing.

On the Day of your Hearing

• Ensure that you are well presented, wear smart casual clothes- as if you were
  attending a job interview
• Make sure you bring all your notes and documents with you
• Arrive at least 15 minutes early. If you think you are going to be late call the University to let them know.

At the Hearing

• Listen to the committee and respond to their questions accordingly. If you don’t understand a
  question politely ask for it to be repeated
• Apologise to the committee for your unsatisfactory performance
• Remember that you need to convince the committee to let you continue at Monash
• Try and remain calm and speak clearly
• Make a summary statement from your notes

What Happens at the Hearing?

The Academic Progress Committee consists of a chairperson, who is a member of staff and leads the process; 2-6 faculty representatives from your department and a student representative nominated by the student union. In addition, there will also be 1-2 non voting members who attend to act as Secretary to the committee or to handle other administrative matters. For further information about how the committee operates, refer to the Community Services website listed above.

The chairperson will introduce the members of the committee and explain the process of the hearing. You will be asked if you have any justifiable objections to the hearing proceeding at this time. The chair will then invite you to make a submission as to why you should not be excluded. At this stage you can make any additional comments on any documents that were previously submitted to the committee.

Once you have had a chance to say everything you need to, the committee will ask you and your support person to wait outside while they make a decision.

In most instances, you will be told of the committee’s decision at the end of the hearing or within seven days by registered mail. The committee will keep a record of the decision and the reasons it came to this decision.

After the Hearing

Discuss your outcome with a Student Assistance staff member and ask them to clarify any questions you may have about the decision. You may feel tired and stressed after the hearing, so make sure you take it easy for the rest of the day and have a good support network around you.