The Southern Cross Model

The academic year is broken up into six, six-week terms. There is a two-week break between terms. Students study a maximum of two units per term and typically enrol in four terms per year.

Most full-time students will study two units a term for four terms – a total of eight units per year. In some courses, this means you can study two units per term, in order to only study one (or none!) in other terms throughout the year.

An international student must study eight units a year.

Meanwhile, the number of units a part-time student will study depends on your individual circumstances. Most part-time students study four units per year, so you could study one unit per term for four terms and have two terms off.

In most courses the maximum units available per year will be eight units. However, it may be possible in some courses to complete up to 12 units (144 credit points) in a year, depending on unit availability, in order to accelerate course completion and graduate early. For example, students in the Bachelor of Business may be able to complete their 24 units in two years, rather than three if they start at a Term 1 (March) intake.

Yes, but to get Youth Support or Austudy you must study at least six units a year and at least three in the first half of the year, completed by July. Please note, these payments are also contingent on other eligibility criteria.

Face-to-face teaching (either online or in-person) typically takes three hours of student time per week, although in some cases, units may include up to six hours of face-to-face teaching. Allow around 20-25 hours total study time per unit per week.

Self-access learning is a contemporary approach to the acquisition of knowledge and expertise. Students actively seek information and experience in a supported environment. Activities are on-campus and online and include joint problem-solving, discussions and questioning.

To increase student success and give our students the best possible university experience. We want more people to finish their degrees and achieve more satisfying academic results while they’re at uni.

No. While some other unis use similar models, sometimes called ‘block models’, the Southern Cross Model is unique.

No. Units are designed specifically for the Southern Cross Model. They are not compressed or ‘intensive’ versions of a 12-week unit. Learning modules guide students through the curriculum so that the learning activities are meaningful and relevant. Assessment is carefully sequenced to support this guided approach, and authentic to students' lives and careers.

Instead of attending a lecture and reading 200 pages to write an essay, you might be asked to investigate a case study, problem-solve in a group and develop a solution that has a real-world application.

Final Class Timetables are published at least 5 weeks prior to the commencement of Terms so students can plan their commitments. This means the timetables for Summer Term (January-February), Term 1 (March-April) and Term 2 (May-June) will be released in December of the previous year, and the timetables for Term 3 (July-August), Term 4 (August-October) and Term 5 (October-December) will be released in May of the current year.

No. A full-time load in the Southern Cross Model is eight units per year, so you can finish your degree in the same amount of time as other universities.

Practicals, field trips and residentials will still be part of your course. The face-to-face component of practical units may be more hours per week than other units.

No. The Southern Cross Model has no effect on fees.