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Orientation - Key dates

Here are your next trimester start dates and census dates
Campus
Trimester
Start date
Adelaide
Trimester 3
8-12 September 2025
Brisbane
Trimester 3
8-12 September 2025
Melbourne
Trimester 3
8-12 September 2025
Perth
Trimester 3
8-12 September 2025
Sydney
Trimester 3
8-12 September 2025
Online (Undergraduate)
Trimester 3
8-12 September 2025
Online (Postgraduate)
Trimester 3
8-12 September 2025
International (online)
Trimester 3
8-12 September 2025

Census and other important dates

There are important dates in every trimester that you need to know. These are listed in SAE Academic Calendars.

Census Date – Friday of Week 3

The census date is the last date in each trimester that you can make any changes to your enrolment (eg: add or drop unit(s), change course or specialisation, defer or withdraw from your course) without incurring a financial penalty. This means if you drop a unit, defer, or withdraw after the financial census date, you will still be liable for the applicable fees for the unit(s) unless there are special circumstances.

The census date is also the deadline to:

  • Apply for a Government HELP loan (FEE-HELP or SA HELP) and
  • Apply for a Tax File Number and submit evidence to Student Services; OR
  • Pay for your tuition fees if you are not applying for a HELP loan. Information of Special Circumstances is available here.

The last day to withdraw without fail occurs after the census date. This is the last day you can make any changes to your enrolment (e.g. drop units, defer or withdraw from your course) without incurring an academic penalty.

Last day to withdraw without fail – Friday of Week 8

The last day to withdraw without fail occurs after the census date. This is the last day you can make any changes to your enrolment (e.g. drop unit(s), defer or withdraw from your course) without incurring an academic penalty.

If you drop any units before the last day to withdraw without fail, you will receive a WK grade (withdrawn without failure grade) against the unit(s) you dropped and this is not included in the calculation of your Grade Point Average (GPA). You are still liable for the applicable fees for those unit(s) unless there are special circumstances.

You will also be charged tuition fees to repeat the unit(s) in a future trimester.

If you drop any unit(s) after the last day to withdraw without fail, you will receive a WF (withdrawn with failure grade) against the unit(s) you dropped. This counts as a fail grade in the calculation of your Grade Point Average (GPA). You are still liable for the applicable fees for those unit(s) unless there are special circumstances.

You will also be charged tuition fees to repeat the unit(s) in a future trimester.

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What to do before Orientation

Once you have your Confirmation of Enrolment, you will need to complete a few tasks prior to Orientation.