Coursework Studies Section
Requesting Credit for Previous Studies
Credit for previous studies (CPS) is credit given in the form of Macquarie credit points for recognised tertiary-level studies undertaken at other accredited institutions. When granted, CPS counts towards your credit point requirement for the degree in which you are enrolled.
You may direct preliminary enquiries to the Student Enquiry Service (SES) which is located on Level 1 of the Lincoln Building (C8A). It should be noted, however, it is not University policy to calculate individual credit for previous studies (CPS) until you have received and accepted an offer of a place.
Currently-enrolled undergraduates seeking to have credit for prior study added to their degree should complete a Credit for Previous Studies Request, attach to it an official transcript (or certified copy), and lodge it with the SES. Exemptions for units of study are determined initially at enrolment by designated Exemptions Officers representing each Department or area of study within the Faculties.
Applying For Credit For Previous Studies
Eligible Applicants made an offer in 2012, who wish to be considered for credit for previous studies at Macquarie, are required to submit a Request for Credit for Previous Studies according to the instructions below.
- If you have received an offer via UAC and all of your previous studies were undertaken in Australia please make your request HERE.
- All other requests should be made on the form below and submitted together with an official transcript/s of the studies undertaken to the Coursework Studies Section for assessment. Result slips and scanned documents are not acceptable.
Requests and relevant transcripts must be received by 31 January 2012. Requests received after this date will be assessed in order of receipt but may not be processed in time for the Credit for Previous Studies enrolment day on 17 February 2012.
Credit For Previous Studies Request (132Kb) - for non-UAC applicants and/or students who have completed tertiary studies overseas.
Credit for Previous Studies Booklet 2012 (241kb)
The University will assess your request and if you are eligible for credit, you will receive a letter of confirmation or your entitlement to credit points. You will also be sent a CPS Exemptions Request Form. When you enrol at Macquarie in 2012, new students who want to request exemptions based on their previous studies, should bring this exemptions form, the CPS confirmation letter and any relevant unit outlines for an Exemptions Officer to assess.
New students commencing an external Bachelor degree (distance education) in 2012: if you have recieved a CPS confirmation letter and are seeking exemptions, you should forward your CPS documents to the Centre for Open Education who will arrange for assessment by the relevant Exemptions Officer/s.
The relevant Exemptions Officer/s at enrolment will assess your studies and determine whether you are eligible to be exempted from any Macquarie units of study in your degree program. It is important to note that the amount of your exemptions in credit point value will not necessarily be equal to that of the credit point total of your Credit for Previous Studies. However, the value of the exemptions cannot exceed the total of your Credit for Previous Studies.
Evidence of Prior Studies
You are required to supply official transcripts of all your relevant previous studies (end-of-session results slips are not acceptable). An official transcript is a complete record of each qualification attempted including all grades achieved. It will be presented on an institution letterhead and possibly on watermarked paper.
If you have studied at an institution other than an Australian university or accredited post-secondary institution, you need to submit details of syllabuses, courses and units studied. If the transcripts for your previous studies are in a language other than English you must include certified translations of your previous studies.
Qualifications or Studies Accepted for Credit for Previous Studies
- Australian University/College of Advanced Education
- Overseas Tertiary Institutions
- TAFE
- Private Education provider courses
- Formal Institutional Agreements
- Previous Macquarie Students
- Restrictions on the Amount of Credit Points Granted (multiple qualifications, incomplete degrees and Credit For Previous Studies in Law)
Previous Macquarie Students
Students who have completed a degree at Macquarie University, partially completed a Bachelor degree at Macquarie University or successfully undertaken non-award units at Macquarie are eligible for credit towards a new undergraduate degree course.
Previous Macquarie students with partially-completed degrees and Non-award students admitted to an award degree will have their credit automatically granted towards their new Macquarie degree. Students with a completed Bachelor degree from Macquarie will need to seek particular exemptions for their new degree.
Exemptions
An Exemption is a decision made by an Exemptions Officer of the University that you need not take a particular unit at Macquarie University because you have successfully completed a similar unit at another recognised institution.
Macquarie exemptions are determined on the basis of overlap of content, and only apply to students who have been granted credit for previous studies (refer to next paragraph). If you are exempted from a unit which is a prerequisite for other units, you are considered to have satisfied that prerequisite, and so can enter directly into higher level units in that subject area. Exemptions are normally determined at the time of enrolment by members of the academic staff from the relevant areas of study.
Relationship Of Exemptions to Credit For Previous Studies
When you are granted credit for accredited studies undertaken at other insitutions you will receive a specified amount of credit points at 100-level and (if applicable) at 200-level. To be able to request exemptions based on your previous studies, it is necessary first to have sufficient credit points to cover the credit point value of the exemptions sought, eg, if you are seeking two 200-level exemptions each worth four credit points (total eight credit points), you must have a total of at least eight general credit points at 200-level. If the exemptions are approved and the Exemptions Request/Variations Form is returned for data entry, the eight credit points of general credit are converted into the two four-credit point exemptions.
Note: You cannot use any of your unused 100-level general credit to obtain a 200-level exemption.
It is important to note that being granted a specific amount of CPS general credit points does not automatically guarantee that you will also receive any exemptions in your new degree program at Macquarie. If the content of your former studies and your Macquarie course is not similar, it is probable that you will be eligible for few or no exemptions. In this situation you should speak with an Academic Adviser in your area of study to ascertain the most effective way to use your credit for previous studies in your new degree program.