Swinburne Sarawak

Studying at Swinburne Sarawak

If you’re looking for an international experience that offers academic, personal and professional benefits (but prefer to be at a Swinburne campus), Swinburne Sarawak located in Kuching, Malaysia could be the perfect fit for you.

Kuching has a relaxed lifestyle, affordable cost of living, clean environment, greenery and friendly people. It is only a short distance from many beautiful beaches and nature reserves.

There are two options to study at our Swinburne Sarawak campus, depending on the type of overseas experience you are looking for.

Inter-campus studies program

Study for one or two semesters at our Sarawak campus. This program is a great way to immerse yourself in a new city and make friends from around the world while studying your same Swinburne classes.

Winter Term in Borneo

Want to experience just a taste of something different? This program will give you the chance to spend your winter break studying one full unit (12.5 credits). Six weeks will let you experience the sights, sounds and flavours of Sarawak.

Inter-campus studies program
Winter Term in Borneo

Our inter-campus studies program will let you study one or two semesters at our Sarawak campus in Malaysia. You’ll complete your same Swinburne classes (core units or electives) to give you direct credit towards your degree. Inter-campus study is a great way to experience a new city and way of life and meet international students from all over the world while having the familiar Swinburne experience.

Note: Your unit selection must be approved by your course coordinator. You may not be able to undertake units offered at Sarawak campus that are not offered at Hawthorn. All units completed at Swinburne Sarawak will be listed on your academic transcript with a numerical grade.

Key information

Cost

There is no upfront program cost. You will be enrolled in the applicable academic units worth at Swinburne Hawthorn and charged the standard tuition fees. You will pay no fees to Swinburne Sarawak. However you will need to cover your own travel and living costs, including accommodation, daily expenses, airfares and any other additional travel costs.

Funding opportunities:

Swinburne Abroad often has Australian Government funding for study at Swinburne’s Sarawak campus. Scholarships will be updated and listed here when new opportunities/funding are available.
OS HELP Loan of up to $8,295 (as at 2020)

Explore more funding opportunities and fee help options.

Semester dates:

Semester 1: February to June
Semester 2: September to December

Application deadlines:

Semester 1: 30 November (previous year)
Semester 2: 30 May (same year)

Courses available

Units that were available for Semester 1, 2020:

Units that were available for Semester 2, 2019:

Credit equivalence:

4 units = 50 CP
3 units = 37.5 CP

Learn more about credit equivalency.

Accommodation

Students typically live in modern furnished apartments close to the Sarawak campus. Swinburne Abroad can provide details of off-campus accommodation in the Riverine Condominium Complex or Citadines Uplands Serviced Apartments.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the Swinburne Sarawak inter-campus studies program, you must meet the following criteria:

You need to be enrolled in an undergraduate or postgraduate course at Swinburne.
You may submit your application before completing 50 credit points but must have then completed 50 credit points before commencing your inter-campus studies program.
You must have at least 50 credit points remaining in your current program at the completion of your inter-campus studies program (exemptions to this may be possible only with the approval of your Course Director).
You must have achieved a minimum academic average of 50%. Please contact a Swinburne Abroad adviser if you fall below this.
International students studying at Swinburne are eligible for the inter-campus studies program but may need to comply with additional conditions.

Have a short-term experience spending six weeks exploring Malaysia and studying at Swinburne Sarawak during the Winter Term.

Sarawak is part of the island of Borneo, a tropical getaway of rainforest, beaches and home to the endangered Bornean orang-utan. An abundance of affordable and delicious food is available, with an extremely low cost of living.

Enrol in one unit and attend weekday classes, fast-tracking your degree at home. On weekends, have the freedom to explore Borneo and surrounding South East Asian countries with fellow classmates.

Key information

Cost

There is no upfront program cost. You will be enrolled in the applicable academic unit worth 12.5 credit points at Swinburne Hawthorn and charged the standard tuition fee. You will pay no fees to Swinburne Sarawak. However you will need to cover your own travel and living costs, including accommodation, daily expenses, airfares and any other additional travel costs.

Funding opportunities:

Swinburne Abroad often has Australian Government funding for study at Swinburne’s Sarawak campus. Scholarships will be updated and listed here when new opportunities/funding are available.
OS HELP Loan of up to $8,295 (as at 2020)

Explore more funding opportunities and fee help options.

Program dates:

Late June to late July

Application deadline:

30 April

Courses available

Units offered by Sarawak in the Winter Term 2020:

INB20012 — Asia Pacific Business Perspectives
MME30001 — Engineering Management 1
MME40001 — Engineering Management 2
ENG10003 — Mechanics of Structures
CHE10005 — Consumer Chemistry
PEH20005 — Communicable Disease Control

If students choose a unit that has an exam, exams will be held in Melbourne the week after the program has concluded (week of 3 August 2020, which is week 1 of Semester 2).

Credit equivalence:

4 units = 50 CP
3 units = 37.5 CP

Learn more about credit equivalency.

Accommodation

Students are responsible for organising their own accommodation, but Swinburne Abroad can provide assistance and suggestions.

“I spent a semester studying at Swinburne’s Sarawak campus in Malaysia. I made some amazing friends, ate delicious food and got to experience a new culture. Plus, it was a super fun way to study my core units.”

Rian , Swinburne Engineering student

How to apply

There are a couple of steps involved to apply to study a program at Sarawak. Follow the list here and also fill out the Sarawak Program Study Plan Document to submit with your application.

To complete your study plan, outline the unit(s) you would like to take at Swinburne Sarawak. You will need to cross-check with the list of available units being offered by Swinburne Sarawak during the time you wish to study there. If this list has not been updated on the website at the time you apply, please refer to an older list from the same study period (generally units offered in semesters and winter terms are consistent each year).

The study plan process is quite simple — you will either be listing core units that are the same at both Swinburne Sarawak and Swinburne Hawthorn or, if you decide to use electives, select the unit you wish to take at Sarawak and simply write ‘elective’ on the Swinburne Hawthorn side of the table. You'll need to submit a completed proposed inter-campus study plan along with your course planner to the Swinburne Abroad Team for approval.

Send these documents to exchange@swinburne.edu.au with the subject "Study plan pre-approval required" and your Student ID (e.g. "Study plan pre-approval required Student ID 123456789") or drop by the Swinburne Abroad office at BA Building, Level 2, Atrium, Hawthorn campus and hand over the documents there.

Apply for exchange

Not sure which program is right for you?

Want to stay at our Swinburen Sarawak campus but not sure which program is right your you? Speak to our friendly team to discuss your options.