Course credit & exemption

If you have previous studies or professional experience relevant to your current program, you may be eligible to receive credit or exemption for certain courses.

What is credit?

Credit is assigned to recognise prior learning completed before starting a program or for approved study outside of the program. This value acknowledges that the learning is equivalent to the program's content and learning outcomes.

Credit is awarded as either specified or unspecified credit and will have a unit value attached (six units per course). The units you receive as credit count towards the unit requirements for your program, which may shorten the program's duration.

Definitions for specified and unspecified credit are below.

What is exemption?

Exemption is typically awarded if prior learning is demonstrated as equivalent to part of the program's content and learning outcomes.

Exemptions are only granted for compulsory courses and those which form a prerequisite for other courses. If you receive a course exemption, no unit value is assigned. This means that the exemption does not count towards the unit or course requirements for your program, nor towards any majors or minors.

More information about what to do if you are awarded an exemption can be found below.

Should I submit a Credit Application or a Permission Code Request?

If you want your prior learning to be formally recognised and counted towards the requirements of your program (which can shorten the program's duration), you should submit a Credit Application.

If you only need to demonstrate that you have met the prerequisite for a course to enrol in a subsequent course, you should submit a Permission Code Request.

To learn about the University’s requirements for credit and exemption, please refer to the following web pages:

• ANU current students - Get course credit or exemption
• ANU policy: Recognition of prior and external learning
• ANU procedure: Credit and exemptions

Application deadlines

Applications will reopen in April and September, after each study period Census date.

How to apply

Before applying, make sure you have all the required supporting documents ready.

You can only submit one application per round (see above application deadlines). To ensure your application is considered, please read the requirements below carefully.

Required documents

All applications for course credit and exemption require the ‘CECC Course Details Form’ section to be completed (included in the online application form).

Within the ‘CECC Course Details Form’ section, you must indicate which ANU course you are seeking credit for, and provide the details of the prior learning or work experience that will be considered for assessment. We will not guess or expand our assessment. We will only assess what is requested on the form.

Other required evidence depends on the type of prior learning for which you are seeking credit and exemption.

Formal Learning

• Official transcripts or certificates of completed microcredentials.
  • Transcripts must list all attempted courses, including grades, units/credits, and year completed.
  • All course outlines must be official or linked to the institution’s webpage.
  • Course outlines or handbook entries must be from the year the course was completed and include: student workload/hours, content overview, learning outcomes and assessment details. If the course outlines do not list the year the course was completed, please seek clarification from the institution that the course outlines you have provided are relevant to the year that you completed the course. This can be in the form of an email confirmation from the student office or an academic staff member uploaded to the ‘Course Details’ section.
  • Course outlines are not required if you are seeking unspecified credit. But, you must still confirm student workload/hours. This can be in the form of an email confirmation from the student office or an academic staff member uploaded to the ‘Course Details’ section.

  Work Experience

  • A statement addressing the relevant learning outcomes as specified in ANU policy: Recognition of Prior Learning.
  • A curriculum vitae identifying periods of full-time and part-time professional experience.
  • The contact details of two referees who can verify the experience.
  • A statement from the employer confirming relevant experience, alternative evidence verifying the professional experience or a statement why such cannot be provided.

  Application for Professional Practice courses (COMP6250, ENGN6250, COMP8260, ENGN8260)

  • A 1000 word statement addressing the relevant learning outcomes of the requested course as specified in ANU policy: Recognition of Prior Learning.

  All documents must meet Document certification and translation requirements.

  Outcomes

  Outcomes for complete applications are provided within 20 working days. To check status or withdraw your application, please contact CECC Student Services.

  Constraints

  • A maximum of 6 units of credited courses can count towards a specialisation.
  • A maximum of 6 units of credited 8000-level courses can count towards the requirement 'a minimum of 24 units must come from completion of 8000-level courses' in the Master of Computing, Master of Computing (Advanced) and Master of Machine Learning and Computer Vision programs.
  • A maximum of 6 units of credited courses can count towards the 'further 24 units from completion of Computer Vision and Machine Learning courses' in the list as per Programs & Courses.
  • Credit is not awarded for informal learning of a language other than English. Instead, students can get exemption for such learning to meet the requisite for another course.

  Appeals

  The decision to award you an amount of credit or no credit at all are made under the ANU policy: Recognition of Prior Learning.

  If you believe you have grounds, you may appeal this decision. Please follow the instructions listed in your CECC Credit & Exemption Outcome email.

  Types of Status

  Specified Credit

  Specified credit is awarded when prior learning is demonstrated as exact or similar to an ANU course or courses. It can be awarded as a core, major, minor, specialisation or elective course or courses.

  Example: COURSE A is equivalent to COMP1100 (6 units)

  If you receive specified credit, you are not required to complete the recognised course or courses and the duration of your degree may be reduced.

  Unspecified Credit

  Unspecified credit is awarded when prior learning is demonstrated as relevant to the overall learning outcomes of your degree. It is usually awarded as satisfying elective(s).

  Example: COURSE B satisfies ANU-Elective (6 units)

  If you receive unspecified credit, you will complete fewer courses and the duration of your degree may be reduced.

  Exemption is awarded if prior learning is demonstrated as relevant to part of the learning outcomes of an ANU course or courses. If you receive an exemption, you are not required to complete the recognised course or courses but must complete another approved course in its place.

  If you receive an exemption for a course when an alternate is listed, you must complete the listed alternative course to satisfy the program requirements of the degree. For example, if a Master of Computing student receives an exemption from COMP6331, they are required to complete the alternative course COMP6340.

  Exemption is also awarded when prior learning is considered to have met pre-requisites for a higher level course.

  Example: COURSE C exempts COMP6262, allowing you to enrol directly into COMP6320