Find out the potential changes to the government pass rate requirements
The interim report on the Australian Universities Accord was released on 19 July 2023. Included in the five recommendations made in the report is an announcement that the government supports the removal of the 50% pass rule implemented in 2022.
Currently, students who don’t pass 50% or more of their units lose access to Commonwealth assistance in the form of their Commonwealth supported place (CSP) or the ability to utilise the Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) for their fees.
While the government has accepted the Accord Panel’s priority action regarding removal of the low completion rate requirement, it will be subject to the passage of legislation. A timeframe for this new legislation has not been set.
Have you been impacted by the low completion rate?
Until new legislation is passed, we are required to continue applying the current rules. This means, for now, students will still lose their Commonwealth support when they do not pass 50% or more of their units. There is no indication in the announcement that the new legislation will be retrospective so we don’t anticipate that any impact on students to date will change.
If you have been affected by the low completion rate, here are some options you might consider.
- Continue studying as a full-fee paying student. This means you will continue to progress towards completing your course; however, you will need to pay the full fee for your units. Once new legislation is passed, we’ll be able to provide more information about any options available for you to move back to eligibility for Commonwealth support.
- Intermit your course, taking a break from your studies, until the new legislation has passed. We would expect that by the end of 2023 we will have more information about how the new legislation will impact your fees and access to Commonwealth assistance.
We also recommend you see a Student Adviser at Student Central if you need help to plan your studies around these changes.
You can view the Department of Education announcement on the Removal of the 50% pass rate requirement.