Step One

To find out what accommodation options are available you should check out Living @ UOW.

If you are looking for share houses a good place to start your search is the UniClassifieds.

If you need more information about your accommodation arrangements, or have a question about renting privately, check out these FAQs.

To find out what you need to bring, when you should arrive and other useful information see the Pre Arrival Checklist

On enrolment day you will receive advice about planning your course and other important information to help you get started at UOW. For all the information you need to know about enrolment, including what to bring, what to expect and when your enrolment day is, check out Enrolment.

If you’re an international student you should also check out International Student Enrolment. 

For more information about enrolment you can also read the Enrolment Information Guide for first year students. 

If you miss enrolment or need to enrol late you need to visit Late Enrolment. 

For information regarding your fees as well as information about payment options available, see Fees Assistance. This site contains comprehensive information for domestic and international students and undergraduate and postgraduate students.

As a student you may be eligible to get financial assistance through income-tested schemes such as Youth Allowance, ABSTUDY or Austudy which are provided by the Federal Government. You should look on the Centrelink website to see if you are eligible for any benefits.

Scholarships are also another means of potential financial assistance. UOW offers a range of scholarships to acknowledge academic or sporting excellence, support students in need and to recognise leadership and community engagement. Information about scholarships is available at Scholarships @ UOW.

UOW has a guide outlining both desktop and laptop requirements which you can read by visiting Recommended Computer Standards. It is advisable to consult with the relevant Faculty for any special hardware/software requirements before purchasing a computer.

Credit points are a basic measure of workload. Each subject that you undertake will be worth a specific number of credit points, usually either 6 or 8, and act as a guide to the number of hours per week you should dedicate to that subject. Each credit point implies a workload of 2 hours per week. So for a 6 credit point subject you should be spending a total of 12 hours every week attending classes, lectures and studying for that subject. If you are a full-time student generally you undertake 24 credit points per semester which equates to 48 hours each week. If you are a part-time student you generally enrol in less than 12 credit points per semester which equates to 24 hours per week.

Your course handbook will specify the number of credit points that you will have to complete to qualify for your degree. A 3 year Bachelor degree generally requires the completion of 144 credit points, a 4 year degree 192 credit points and 5 year degrees 240 credit points.

Your ID card will remain with you for your entire university life! You will need to have your card with you at all times while attending the University. It must be presented when attending examinations, borrowing books from the Library, when requesting an enrolment record, when applying for a travel concession, etc. If you lose your ID card, please notify Student Central as soon as possible to organise a replacement.  

On enrolment day, if you are enrolling as a full time domestic student, you will be issued with a concession icon printed directly on your UOW Student ID Card. The initial icon will remain valid for your first year and entitle you to discounts on City Rail and local bus services. See Student Travel Concessions for more information.

Your student number will be printed on your student ID card and helps identify you. This number is important and it would be a good idea to memorise it as you will need to use it frequently.

On your enrolment day you will be issued with a username and password. You will need both of these to access your uni email, online library services, SOLS (student online services) and eLearning. It is important that you log on to all these services regularly as they are a source of important information.

Your email account or UOWmail will provide you with access to UOW supported email. You should use this email account when communicating with academic staff and should get into the habit of checking it regularly. You can access this email from any computer, 24hrs a day. The email system has many features including an online calendar function which can be easily synced to a mobile device. You can also keep this email forever. See UOWmail for more information.

SOLS is the University’s Student Online Services. SOLS allows you to self manage your enrolment, personal information, access your final exam timetable, final results, eLearning and more. It is important that you check SOLS regularly as you will receive important information from academic staff and other UOW services via SOLS mail. For more information about using SOLS see SOLS Help. 

The eLearning Space is where you can access materials and activities for each of your subjects such as subject outlines, readings, lecture notes, assignments, quizzes and discussions. Once you have logged into SOLS you will be able to access eLearning. See eLearning @ UOW for more information.

Faculty websites are an excellent place to start if you need any information about your course. On these websites, you will also be able to find contact details for all faculty staff members, current news and events about your faculty, course handbooks and FAQs. Make sure you bookmark Your Faculty homepage and visit it regularly.

WIC provides a number of programs, services and facilities to encourage and support tertiary education amongst Indigenous Australians. To find out more you should visit Woolyungah Indigenous Centre.

For information about student safety, not only on campus but also when commuting to campus and out and about in Wollongong check out the Be Safe@UOW website. The website also contains a pre-arrival checklist about what to bring and how to prepare if your are coming to Wollongong for the first time.

The week before classes start you should attend your faculty orientation day and at least one other orientation event. Orientation events are also a good chance to find out more information about your course, learn about key student services and have fun. Visit Orientation to find out when yours is.

 

The first time you organise your timetable the process can seem a bit complicated and confusing. The steps below will walk you through how to plan your timetable and enrol in tutorials. If you do need help along the way you can always contact Your Faculty to get extra assistance.

Step 1: Work out what subjects you will be studying this semester. Faculties either run information sessions on enrolment day to assist you with your subject selection or have academic advisers available to offer one-to-one assistance to help you choose your subjects. You can also refer to your Course Handbook which will outline all the rules, requirements and subjects you need to complete for your course.

Step 2: Enrol in subjects. Once you have worked out what subjects you need to do, you need to enrol in these subjects. You will do this on enrolment day and there will be enrolment helpers to assist you. In semester 2 you will be able to enrol yourself on SOLS.

Step 3: Look up your subject timetable. Each subject will have a unique timetable that will specify all the available class times as well as the amount of class hours you need to attend each week for that subject. You should look up each of your subjects on the University’s Timetable. 
Below is an example of what a typical subject timetable looks like.

Step 4: Work out what classes you need to attend. Each subject will specify a different combination of classes that you are required to attend. At UOW there are several different types of classes including lectures, tutorials, labs, seminars, practicals and workshops. Many subjects use a combination of these different class types, for an accurate definition of each you should consult Your Faculty, as definitions vary between faculties.

The two most common class types are lectures and tutorials. Generally speaking, lectures are large group information sessions that vary from one to three hours and will usually cover the important subject content. Tutorials are smaller groups where you will have the opportunity to discuss the subject matter in depth and receive personalised assistance from your tutor.

To find out what combination of classes you are expected to attend look at the uppermost right hand corner of the timetable, under contact hours. For this example, you are expected to attend a 2 hour lecture, a 1 hour tutorial and a 1 hour workshop.

The timetable will also specify the name of the subject coordinator who you can contact if you have any questions regarding the subject times.

Step 5: Write down your lecture times. For each of your subjects you should write down the time and location of each lecture you are required to attend on a blank timetable. To help you with this step you should print off a copy of the Blank Timetable Planner.

In this example you have to attend a 2 hour lecture each week, however you have a choice of two different lecture times. Pick the lecture time that you prefer and write it down. Also note down what weeks you have to attend this lecture. In this example, lectures run ‘all weeks’ which means that they start in week one of session.

Step 6: Pick tutorial times. In this example you have to attend a 1 hour tutorial each week. As you can see there are 15 different tutorial times that you can pick from. Choose the time you prefer and note it down. You should pick a few different times that you can also attend as you may not get your first preference. In this example tutorials run 'all weeks except the first week' which means that tutorials for this subject start in week two. 

Step 7: Pick any other class times. For some subjects you will also be required to attend other classes such as workshops, labs or practicals. In this example you are also expected to attend a 1 hour workshop and have a choice between 5 different workshop times. Choose the time you prefer and note it down. You should pick a few different times that you can also attend as you may not get your first preference. In this example you are only expected to attend a workshop in weeks 4, 10 and 12.

Step 8: Enrol in your tutorials. Once you have consulted the timetable for each of your subjects and picked a few preferences for each tutorial you will need to enrol in tutorials and your other classes. To find out how and when you need to enrol and who to contact if you need help enrolling check out Tutorial and Practical Preferences.

For this example you would have to enrol in one tutorial class and one workshop separately. It is advisable to enrol in tutorials and classes as soon as they open as they have limited numbers and the best places get taken quickly. Please note that you do not have to enrol in a lecture, you simply just attend the lecture time you prefer. 

If your subject has Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) you will be advised of the times these 1 hour sessions will run in your first lecture. Enrolment in PASS will be through SMP and will open the evening after the first lecture. There are usually multiple options so you can choose the one that best suits your timetable. PASS at UOW has been recognised both nationally and internationally for its outstanding contribution to teaching and learning and in 2010 it won the award for the Most Outstanding PASS Program in the World. To find out more visit PASS.

Throughout the semester there will be lots of events happening around campus. To make sure you don’t miss out on anything you should take some time to look at What’s On? and write down any events you want to attend in your diary.