Academic calendar for Study Abroad & Exchange students
Joining us from overseas as a Study Abroad or Exchange student? Use the UNSW Academic Calendar to plan your studies.
UNSW is introducing a new academic calendar from 2028.
We're moving to a new flex-semester calendar. If you're planning to study at UNSW in 2028, this could impact you.
Plan your studies to suit your needs.
Our flexible calendar makes it easy to plan your studies to suit your academic needs and timeframe.
Each year at UNSW, we have:
- Three standard terms
- A summer term in January
- A winter term in August.
You can choose between a standard term, a tailored term or one of our year-long options.
To start planning your Study Abroad or Exchange program, consider the number of courses you need to take, the duration of your UNSW study and the number of credits you need to transfer back to your home institution.
A full-time academic load at UNSW is 48 UNSW credits (60 ECTS) per year, which is usually eight courses.
For semester-based programs, you can choose to complete 18 UNSW credits (three courses, 22.5 ECTS) over a standard term or 24 UNSW credits (four courses, 30 ECTS) over a tailored term. Depending on your home institution's agreement, you may also be able to take a unique six-course option (45 ECTS).
Are you a current UNSW student looking to study abroad?
See also
-
Choose from:
- Term 1 study plan (February to May)
- Term 3 study plan (September to December).
-
Choose from:
- Tailored Term 1 study plan (January to May)
- Term 1 + Term 2 study plan (February to September - exchange only)
- Tailored Term 3 study plan (August to December)
- Term 3 + Summer Term study plan (September to February).
-
Choose from:
- Term 1 + Term 2 study plan (February to September - Study Abroad only)
- Term 3 + Term 1 study plan (September to May).
-
Choose from:
- Term 1 + Term 2 + Term 3 study plan (February to December)
- Term 3 + Term 1 + Term 2 study plan (September to August)
- Tailored Term 3 + Tailored Term 1 study plan (August to May).
-
Date 2024 2025 Term start 2 January 6 January Exams end 5 February 10 February -
Date 2024 2025 Term start 12 February 17 February Exams end 9 May 15 May -
Date 2024 2025 Term start 27 May 2 June Exams end 22 August 28 August -
Date 2024 2025 Term start 12 August 18 August Exams end 6 September 12 September -
Date 2024 2025 Term start 9 September 15 September Exams end 5 December 11 December
Other things to consider in your planning:
Orientation
Orientation
Our International Student Welcome is a compulsory event for all incoming Study Abroad and Exchange students. Students commencing in the Summer Term or Winter Term only need to attend the orientation in those terms.
Exams
Exams
The exams end date is the last date for exams for that teaching period. You must ensure you are available for the entire exam period. The final exam timetable is released halfway through the term.
Your next steps
Your next steps
If you are an Exchange student, your next step should be to seek nomination from your home university.
If you are applying as a Study Abroad student, you can apply directly to UNSW.