Academic Progress Rules 2005

Administered by Department of Education, Science and Training

Legislation au F2005B00512 Rules Not in force Legislative Instrument

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THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

ACADEMIC PROGRESS RULES 2005

The Council of the Australian National University makes these Rules under section 7 of the Programs and Awards Statute 2004.

Dated: 10 December 2004.

Peter Baume AO

Chancellor

_______________________________________________________________

1 Name of Rules and commencement

1(1) These Rules are the Academic Progress Rules 2005.

(2) These Rules commence on 31 December 2004, immediately after the commencement of the Rules (Repeal) Rules 2004.

2 Interpretation

2(1) In these Rules:

Academic Progress Committee means the Committee established under rule 11.

award means an undergraduate award offered by the University.

course authority, for a course, is the person in charge of the course, including, but not limited to, the Dean of a Faculty, the Director or Head of the Department, School or Centre in which the course is offered.

course code means the alphanumeric code used within the University to identify uniquely a particular course.

department includes centre, division and school.

enrol includes re-enrol, and enrolment has a corresponding meaning.

equivalent course is any course, declared by the relevant course authority to have a sufficient similarity of content to another course despite having a different title or different course code.

faculty means a faculty in The Faculties.

panel means the appeal panel constituted under rule 6.

prescribed authority in relation to a student in relation to a program, means the person appointed under subrule 3 (1).

program means a structured program of study leading to an undergraduate award.

student means a student who is or was enrolled (as the case requires) in a program.

(2) A reference in these Rules to a particular course includes a reference to an equivalent course.

3 Prescribed authority: appointment etc

3(1) The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) must appoint the appropriate dean, director or head of the relevant academic area in which the student is enrolled, or a person nominated for the purpose by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education), to be the prescribed authority for a program.

(2) The prescribed authority must take reasonable steps to ensure that the operation of subrule 4(2) is applied consistently and fairly within the academic area concerned.

4 Repeated failure in a course

4(1) If a student fails a course twice, the student must obtain the approval of the course authority before re-enrolling in the course.

[NOTE: Failure includes N, NCN and WN and takes no account of the program in which the course is taken.]

(2) A course authority may approve, conditionally approve or refuse to approve a student’s application to re-enrol in a course.

(3) If the course authority refuses to approve a student’s application to re-enrol in a course, the course authority must specify the duration of that refusal.

5 Notice

5(1) A student to whom subrule 4(1) applies must be advised of his or her appeal rights.

(2) Advice under subrule (1) may be given to an individual student or generally.

6 Review and appeal

6(1) A student whose request under subrule 4(1) to re-enrol in a course is refused may ask the prescribed authority responsible for the program in which the course is included to review the decision.

(2) A request for a review must be in writing and must be lodged with the prescribed authority not later than 14 days after the date of the refusal, or within any further period that the prescribed authority allows.

(3) Unless the prescribed authority determines the request in favour of the student, the student may appeal to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education), or his or her nominee, for determination of the matter.

(4) On receipt of an appeal under subrule (3), the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education), or his or her nominee, must convene a panel of 3 appropriately qualified persons to hear and determine the appeal.

(5) A student may make a statement in writing to the panel conducting the appeal.

(6) At an appeal, the panel must consider the statement, if any, of the student in relation to the appeal and any other matters that the panel considers relevant.

(7) An appeal is to be conducted in such manner as the panel conducting the appeal determines.

(8) At an appeal the student may:

(a) appear in person; and

(b) present to the appeal oral or written statements (whether made by the student or another person); and

(c) in addition to, or instead of, appearing in person, furnish to the panel a written statement in relation to the appeal (whether made by the student or another person).

(9) At an appeal, the student concerned is entitled to be accompanied by a student or a member of the staff of the University who may observe the proceedings but not act as an advocate unless expressly invited to do so by the panel conducting the appeal.

(10) The powers of the panel conducting an appeal under this rule may be exercised whether or not the student is present.

7 Grounds for appeal

7(1) The grounds for an appeal are as follows:

(a) severe illness or medical condition (documentary evidence of which must be lodged with the appeal);

(b) harshness of the effect of refusing to approve the request to re-enrol in the course;

8 Decision on appeal

8(1) The panel may uphold the appeal or dismiss the appeal and, if the panel upholds the appeal, the panel may:

(a) permit re-enrolment in the course; or

(b) permit re-enrolment in the course with a condition.

(2) The decision of the panel is final.

9 Attending classes pending decision on appeal

9(1) A student who appeals against a decision not to approve re-enrolment in a course may apply to re-enrol in the next semester or session in another course pending the outcome of the appeal.

[NOTE: It is intended that resolution of appeals will be concluded no later than the first day of first semester, and by the end of the third week of second semester, as the case requires.

The final date for enrolment in any course is the course Census Date.]

10 Failure to maintain satisfactory standard of academic progress in program

10(1) A student who fails more than 50% of the unit value of the courses attempted in a semester (including a session) of enrolment may be considered to have performed poorly and may be liable to show cause why he or she should be permitted to continue in the program for which he or she has enrolled.

[NOTE: It is intended that, for this rule, First Semester includes courses taken in Summer Session and Second Semester includes courses taken in Winter and Spring Sessions.]

(2) However, a student in the School of Art or Music who at any stage fails his or her major study (within the meaning of the relevant Order published in the Undergraduate Handbook) must be required to show cause why he or she should be permitted to continue in the program for which he or she has enrolled.

(3) Also, a student in the Medical School must reach a satisfactory standard (within the meaning of the relevant Order published in the Undergraduate Handbook) in all assessment tasks and courses before being permitted to progress to the next level of study.

(4) If the relevant prescribed authority for a program to which this rule applies requires a student to whom this rule applies to show cause why he or she should be permitted to continue in the program for which he or she has enrolled, the prescribed authority must ask the student to respond within 14 days of the request to show cause being notified to the student.

(5) After the period for responding, under subrule (4), to a request to show cause has expired, the matter and any submission by the student concerned is to be forwarded to the relevant Academic Progress Committee for final determination.

11 Academic Progress Committee

11(1) The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) may establish an Academic Progress Committee.

(2) If a student’s academic progress in a program is referred to the Academic Progress Committee under rule 10, the Committee may:

(a) exclude the student from the program permanently or for a period determined by the Committee; or

(b) determine that the student transfer to an alternate program; or

(c) determine that the student vary his or her load to take account of the impact of external pressures on his or her academic studies; or

(d) determine that the student take leave of absence from the program for a period determined by the Committee; or

(e) impose conditions on the student’s re-enrolment in the program; or

(f) refer the student to academic and professional staff for advice and support; or

(g) determine other strategies as appropriate.

(3) The decision of an Academic Progress Committee in a particular case is final.

12 Saving

12(1) The Academic Performance Rules 2002, and the Institute of the Arts – Undergraduate Academic Progress Rules, as amended and in force immediately before the commencement of the Academic Progress Rules 2004, continue to apply to a student for a course to which these Rules would otherwise apply if:

(a) before the commencement of the Academic Progress Rules 2004, the student completed work towards that course and elects to be bound by this subrule; and

(b) not to do so would affect the student adversely.

13 Application of amending Rules

13(1) If an amendment is made to these Rules, and that amendment affects a course to which these Rules relate, the amendment does not apply to a student who, before the making of the amendment, has completed any work towards that course unless:

(a) the student elects that the amendment apply to the student; or

(b) the responsible prescribed authority otherwise determines.

______________________________________________________________

Overview

The Australian National University Academic Progress Rules 2005 were enacted to establish a comprehensive framework governing the academic progress of students enrolled in undergraduate programs at the Australian National University (ANU). These rules were introduced to address the need for clear and consistent guidelines on student academic performance, failure, and progression within their chosen programs. Enacted by the Council of the ANU under section 7 of the Programs and Awards Statute 2004, the policy objective of these rules is to ensure that students maintain satisfactory academic progress and to provide mechanisms for review and appeal in cases where students face challenges in meeting academic standards. The rules cover aspects such as repeated failure in courses, the process for showing cause for continued enrolment, and the role of the Academic Progress Committee in making final decisions on academic progression.

Scope and Application

The Australian National University Academic Progress Rules 2005 apply to students enrolled in undergraduate programs offered by the Australian National University. These rules govern the academic progress of students, including their enrolment in courses, their progression within their programs, and their eligibility to continue their studies. The rules apply to all students within the jurisdiction of the Australian National University, which is a Commonwealth institution. The rules establish specific conditions under which a student may be required to obtain approval from a course authority before re-enrolling in a course after repeated failures, and they outline the process for review and appeal of decisions related to academic progress. Additionally, the rules detail the circumstances under which a student may be required to show cause for their continued enrolment in a program, and they specify the powers and procedures of the Academic Progress Committee in making decisions about a student's academic standing. The rules also include provisions for the application of existing rules to students who have commenced their studies prior to the commencement of these rules, and they clarify the conditions under which amendments to these rules may apply to existing students. The rules are supplemented by subordinate instruments, which may further define the application and interpretation of the rules.

Key Provisions

The Australian National University Academic Progress Rules 2005 outline specific requirements and procedures for students regarding their academic progress within their programs. Under rule 4, a student who fails a course twice must obtain approval from the course authority before re-enrolling in that course. The course authority has the discretion to approve, conditionally approve, or refuse to approve a student’s re-enrolment request, with a specified duration for any refusal (rule 4(3)). Rule 5 mandates that students be informed of their appeal rights when their re-enrolment request is refused. If a student’s academic progress falls below the required standard, they may be asked to show cause why they should be permitted to continue in their program (rule 10(1)). The prescribed authority must request a response from the student within 14 days, and after this period, the matter will be referred to the Academic Progress Committee for a final decision (rule 10(4)). The obligations imposed by these Rules require students to maintain a satisfactory level of academic performance. Rule 4 necessitates that students seek approval from the course authority for re-enrolment in a course they have failed twice. The prescribed authority has the responsibility to ensure consistent and fair application of these rules within their academic area (rule 3(2)). Students are obligated to respond to requests to show cause regarding their academic progress and to adhere to any conditions imposed by the Academic Progress Committee (rule 10(4)). The Academic Progress Committee, established under rule 11, must consider the student's academic progress and make binding decisions regarding continuation in the program, transfer to another program, or other relevant strategies. Breach of these Rules can result in significant consequences for students. Rule 4(1) indicates that failure to obtain approval from the course authority for re-enrolment in a course after repeated failure could lead to being barred from the course. If a student's academic performance does not meet the required standard, they may be required to show cause why they should be permitted to continue in their program, with potential outcomes including exclusion from the program or being required to transfer to an alternate program (rule 10(2)). The decisions made by the Academic Progress Committee are final and binding, with no further appeal possible (rules 8(2) and 11(3)). Failure to comply with these Rules can thus result in serious academic consequences for students.

Area of Law: Education Law
Instrument: Legislative Instrument
Concepts: Definitions & Interpretation; Review & Sunset Clauses; Reporting & Disclosure Obligations; Enforcement Powers

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Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at 26 August 2026. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to https://www.legislation.gov.au.

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