Definitions

Students who have identified themselves as being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. As from 2000, at enrolment, students can identify themselves as being of either Aboriginal descent, Torres Strait Islander descent, or both.

A unit formed by an institution to undertake as their primary objective teaching only, research only or teaching-and-research functions, or which is used for statistical reporting purposes. Such units are referred to by various names, such as "schools" and "departments".

An academic organisational unit group provides a means for standardising academic organisational units across institutions. Academic organisational units are assigned to an academic organisational unit group on the basis of disciplines for which each academic organisational unit has a teaching and/or research responsibility.

An amount advised to the institution by the Commonwealth used to calculate the HECS liability. There are 3 amounts possible depending on the 'HECS band' to which Field of Education has been classified.

An amount advised to the institution by the Commonwealth used to calculate the HECS liability. There are 3 amounts possible depending on the 'HECS band' to which Field of Education has been classified.

Terminology used in the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).

Rate of change in a student cohort during the year, or across years.

A student who is undertaking a program of studies under the following conditions:

A recognised certification of achievement or competence which may be granted to a student after completion of all the requirements of a higher education course or TAFE course.

A program of study formally approved/accredited by the institution or any other relevant accreditation authority and which leads to an academic award granted by the institution or which qualifies a student to enter a course at a level higher than a bachelor's degree. It includes courses of an equivalent nature undertaken overseas.

Award courses designed to provide an initial qualification in nursing which makes the student eligible for registration as a nurse. Usually a degree course for those commencing since 1992 and a diploma course for those commencing before 1992. Excludes courses which are "conversion courses" for registered nurses who possess an initial qualification in nursing, whether gained in a hospital-based course or from a higher education institution. Excludes any courses for those who are already eligible for registration as a nurse.

The date referred to in the Higher Education Funding Act 1988 as being dates on which HECS liabilities are incurred.

The year in which DETYA requires a Student or Staff or other Collection File to be provided to it.

A course which has been specifically designed to lead to a single combined award (eg. BA/DipEd or BA/LLb) or to meet the requirements of more than one award (eg. BEc and BEng). A course which normally leads to a single combined award, but as a non-standard practice, allows a student to cease studies after partial completion of its requirements, but with an award being granted (eg. a BA being granted after partial completion of a BA/DipEd) is to be regarded as a combined course.

A student is classified as a commencing student in relation to a particular course. A student is a commencing student in a particular DEST collection year if she/he has enrolled in the course for the first time at the institution between 1st September of the previous year and 31st August of the collection year.

Students of the following types are not to be classified as commencing students:

A place which was funded jointly by the Commonwealth and industry. The Commonwealth provided up to 60 percent of the cost for the new place and its pipeline, with the balance of funding provided by industry.

An award course, non-award course, enabling course, or cross-institution program undertaken at a higher education institution.

An award course, non-award course, enabling course, or cross-institution program undertaken at a higher education institution.

The successful completion of all the academic requirements of a course which includes any required attendance, assignments, examinations, assessments, dissertations, practical experience and work experience in industry. The conferring of the award for a course is not synonymous with and should not be substituted for "course completion" as some students may have completed all the academic requirements of the course but not have received the award.

A course completion occurs in those cases where a student is conceded an award after ceasing studies which would have led to a single award for a combined course (eg. BA/LLb). In such cases the course completion is for the course for which the completed units of study are counted as meeting its requirements. However, if a student is granted an award after partial completion of a combined course which normally leads to a single award, and then resumes studies of the combined course in the next year, a course completion does not occur.

Where a combined course automatically leads to two separate awards, a course completion only occurs when the requirements of both awards have been satisfied. The completion, therefore, would be for the combined course only (and not two separate completions for two awards).

A program of study comprising a unit of study or a set of units of study which meet all these criteria:

A scale of charges used in calculating a HECS liability relating to student load for students who are subject to the differential HECS charge arrangements implemented from 1 January 1997. The scale is derived from the Field of Study that the subject unit is allocated to.

Students who have stated on enrolment that they have a disability or impairment that may affect their studies.

A discipline group is a means of classifying units of study in terms of the subject matter being taught in them. The Discipline Group for a unit is taken from the Field of Education of classifications.

A measure of the student load attributable to a study package component of type unit or thesis, or a group of these. The measure indicates the notional proportion of the workload which would be applicable to a standard annual program for a student undertaking a full year of study in a particular year, of a particular course. A typical full-time student undertaking a complete stage of a course would generate one EFTSU.

A program of study for disadvantaged non-overseas students which is a bridging program or supplementary program which meets Commonwealth guidelines for such programs.

See 'EFTSU'.

An enrolment exists:

A student who is participating in a formal exchange program arranged between an Australian Higher Education institution and a non-Australian overseas institution.

An exemption is granted by an institution when a student is not required to undertake a part of a unit of study, a unit or units of study because of prior studies or work experience. Such exemption is referred to by various names, such as "credit", "status" or "advanced standing".

See 'Mode of Attendance'.

An overseas student for whom a fee is paid to the institution. This includes overseas students who are sponsored under Australia's foreign aid programs.

A non-overseas student who is participating in a course which meets Commonwealth guidelines in relation to undergraduate award courses for which fees may be charged.

A non-overseas student who is participating in a course which meets Commonwealth guidelines in relation to postgraduate award courses for which fees may be charged.

A classification of courses and subjects based on similarity in terms of the vocational field of specialisation or the principal subject matter. Field of Education are taken from the Australian Standard Classifications of Education (from the Australian Bureau of Statistics)

The highest level of secondary education available in a State or Territory at the time the student undertook their most recent secondary education in that State or Territory.

Completion of the final year of secondary education occurs when a person has attended until the end of the academic year and attempted some part of the final secondary education formal examination or assessment. Completion is not contingent on success in such examinations or assessments.

See 'Type of Attendance'.

Courses for which at least two-thirds of the student load for the course is required as research work and not more than one third as coursework. In classifying a higher degree course as being "by research" or "by coursework", the aggregated load for the course over the time required for its completion is taken into account. For example, if completion of a higher degree course by a student requires two years' full-time work, it would only be classified as being "by research" if 1.3333 or more of the aggregated 2.0 EFTSU is required in the form of research work.

Higher education courses may be award courses, non-award courses Bridging for Overseas Trained Professionals or enabling courses. Higher education courses do not include TAFE courses.

An organisation operating at one or more locations (inside or outside Australia) which was established for the primary purpose of promoting higher education and which conducts higher education courses. Also included is the Open Learning Agency of Australia Pty. Ltd. (OLAA) which provides open learning studies.

See 'Mode of Attendance '.

If a student is enrolled in more than one course at the institution, the major course is the one which incurs the greatest student load in the Collection Year. Where two or more courses incur equal student load, the major course would be that determined by the institution.

Course undertaken at the institution by a student, other than the course which the institution has identified as being the major course.

A classification of the manner in which a student is undertaking a course:

Internal Mode of Attendance:

External Mode of Attendance:

Multi-modal Mode of Attendance:

See 'Mode of Attendance'.

A program of study which does not lead to an award and which comprises a unit or units of study which:

A HECS liability charge applicable to student load for students who are not subject to the differential HECS charge arrangements. This charge varies from year to year but in each year the charge is the same irrespective of the discipline group of the unit of study for which student load is being reported.

A student who is one of the following:

A semester with start and end dates that do not conform with a typical two semester academic year and which have census dates that are not 31 March or 31 August.

Non-standard semesters (3, 4 and 5) are used when reporting student load and liabilities to DEST. Units with study periods that have census dates between 1st January and 30th March are classified to non-standard semester 3. Units with study periods that have census dates between 1st April and 30thAugust are classified to non-standard semester 3. Units with study periods that have census dates between 1st September and 31st December are classified to non-standard semester 5. Liabilities incurred during non-standard semesters 3 and 5 are reported to DETYA at the same time as standard semester 1 liabilities (meaning non-standard semester 5 liabilities were incurred in the previous calendar year). Liabilities incurred during non-standard semester 4 are reported to DETYA at the same time as standard semester 2 liabilities.

Areas where women's representation is low. DEST state that a non-traditional area for women is any area where their participation percentage is less than 40%. For this reason non-traditional areas can vary between universities, but areas such as Engineering, Science and Agriculture are ubiquitous. For cross-university comparisons areas for analysis are usually based on Field of Study, but on the practical level within a university certain schools or faculties could be defined as non-traditional. From a slightly different perspective, Postgraduate study is also a non-traditional area of study for many universities.

Areas where women's representation is low. DEST state that a non-traditional area for women is any area where their participation percentage is less than 40%. For this reason non-traditional areas can vary between universities, but areas such as Engineering, Science and Agriculture are ubiquitous. For cross-university comparisons areas for analysis are usually based on Field of Study, but on the practical level within a university certain schools or faculties could be defined as non-traditional. From a slightly different perspective, Postgraduate study is also a non-traditional area of study for many universities.

A campus of an Australian university, through which a program of study is being delivered, which is located outside Australia.

A student who is residing overseas for the term/semester and is undertaking a program of study conducted by an off-shore campus of an Australian university.

A student undertaking a program of study conducted in Australia by an Australian university.

Open learning studies refers to a unit or units of study offered by the Open Learning Agency of Australia Pty. Ltd. (OLAA) which are units of study from a higher education course and which can be counted as credit towards a university degree.

Operating grant load includes; With two exceptions, load for HECS-liable students, including load for work experience in industry undertaken by those students. (The two exceptions are shown as the first two items in the exclusions listed below.)

Operating grant load excludes:

A student who is not one of the following:

See 'Type of Attendance'.

See 'Residence'.

A status defined in terms of the visa class listed in the documentation Higher Education HECS and Fees Manual.

A status defined in terms of the visa class listed in the documentation Higher Education HECS and Fees Manual.

A type of place defined in the documentation Higher Education HECS and Fees Manual.

A component of a course which satisfies all the following criteria:

An award or some other form of certification of attainment, competence or attendance.

The date at which the data collection occurred or to which it refers. For collections relating to a period of time, the reference date is that for the end of the period.

The year in which the reference date occurs.

Courses for which at least two-thirds of the student load for the course is required as research work and not more than one third as coursework. In classifying a higher degree course as being "by research" or "by coursework", the aggregated load for the course over the time required for its completion is taken into account. For example, if completion of a higher degree course by a student requires two years' full-time work, it would only be classified as being "by research" if 1.3333 or more of the aggregated 2.0 EFTSU is required in the form of research work.

The place at which a student has been or is residing. Two categories of residence are to be distinguished: Semester/term residence - the residence in which a student lives during the semester or term. This may or may not be the same as the student's permanent home residence. Permanent home residence - the place a student regards as being their permanent home residence. This may or may not be the same as the student's semester/term residence.

This indicator looks at the rate at which students are retained from the previous year. It can be calculated for any category of student. Retention can answer the question, "what proportion of a group of students who could have re-enrolled, actually did re-enrol?". (It is the other side of the coin to a 'drop out' rate.) In defining those who 'could have re-enrolled' we take all the students in the category who were enrolled in the previous year and subtract those who completed

Education of the type usually (but not always) undertaken by a student in secondary schools, and extending up to and including Year 12 studies or education of a similar type undertaken in institutions other than secondary schools (eg. in evening colleges, TAFE institutions).

See 'Residence'.

The field or fields of study (up to and including) or Field of Education (from and including 2002) in which a student , who has completed the academic requirements of a course, has specialised. Specialisation is determined by the institution and should take into account major strands undertaken by the student.

A semester with start and end dates that conform with a typical two semester academic year and which have census dates of either 31 March or 31 August. See also 'Non-Standard Semester'

A person for whom there is an enrolment in a higher education course.

Student Load is a measure that expresses the proportion of a normal full-time student's annual standard study load that is generated by a unit (or group of units). Student Load is expressed in EFTSU values. A standard annual program of a student undertaking a full-year of study in a particular year of a particular course generates 1 EFTSU.

EFTSU Calculation Example:
The normal workload for a full-time student in one year of a course is 8 standard or single units. Suppose a student is enrolled in 2 units. One is a standard single unit (which generates 1/8 = 0.125 EFTSU) and the other is a double unit which generates 2/8 = 0.25 EFTSU. The EFTSU load of that student is: (1+2)/8 = 0.275 EFTSUs.

A normal full study load generates 1 EFTSU.

See 'Success'.

While success can be calculated for any defined group of students it is most often used to monitor the performance of students. If expressed as a percentage, it is the total (unit) load of students in the defined group that achieved a pass or better, as a percentage of the total attempted load of students in the defined group. Attempted load excludes withdrawals prior to the census date and units where no assessment has taken place, but includes withdrawals after the census date

A TAFE course which leads to some formal award, but excluding:

A program of study which the responsible authority for a State or Territory deems to be a technical and further education course.

An organisation which is recognised or has been recognised in the past by the relevant State or Territory education authority as being a technical and further education institution. Such institutions are referred to by various names including TAFE college, technical college, evening school and evening college. Some TAFE institutions operate in school premises and commercial premises.

See 'EFTSU'.

A score given by the institution, or some other body, to a student at the time of satisfactory completion of the final year of secondary education. The value reported to DEST is the integer portion of the value of the common index that has been agreed by MCEETYA.

A fee chargeable in respect of the cost of teaching and related services, administration and capital facilities relating to units of study for a course of the institution in which a student is enrolled at the institution, or (where those units for that course are being undertaken in an off-shore entity). The fee may be paid by the student or by another person, agency or organization on behalf of the student.

Attendance is classified by the institution as being full-time or part-time based on the student load for the student aggregated across all units of study (including work experience in industry units) for all courses being undertaken by the student in the Collection Year:
Full-time = student load aggregated for all the courses being undertaken by the student in the Collection Year is 0.75 or more.
Part-time = student load aggregated for all the courses being undertaken by the student in the Collection Year is less than 0.75.

The basic unit of a course or program, which a student may undertake and on successful completion of the unit's requirements, gain credit towards completion of the course or program. Units of study are sometimes referred to as "units", or "subjects". Using Student One terminology, a unit of study is an enrollable study package component.

A component of a course which satisfies all the following criteria:

The student may or may not be employed by the organisation in which the component is undertaken.