Faculty rules, restrictions and credit considerations

Information to help you make sure you're choosing the right subject areas and host institutions for your degree.

A summary of important considerations is listed below.

  • Students can only attain up to 50% of the overall standard course credit from outside of the University of Melbourne. Students completing a 200-point program with 100 points of external advanced standing cannot undertake a Global study program. Students completing a 300-point program who are admitted to the 200-point version due to external advanced standing can undertake a maximum of 50 University of Melbourne points via a Global Study program.
  • Credit for subjects taken while on exchange cannot be rejected or rescinded.
  • You may be withdrawn from subjects to accommodate credit from a Global Study program if it is before the subject census date.
  • If an optional second major, minor, or specialisation inhibits the application of Global Study credit to your University of Melbourne course, it will be removed from your study plan, and you will be notified.
  • The undergraduate Course Progression rule applies even when students are on a Global Semester Program. Students need to have passed at least 50 points at each year level before proceeding to the next year level (e.g. students need to have passed 50 points of level 1 subjects before they can enrol in level 2 subjects). For more information, please see the Course Progression rule FAQs.
  • While overseas or upon your return, you are advised to enrol in subjects for the proceeding semester, ensuring that you leave space for your global studies credit.
  • Credit will only be granted for subjects that have an overall passing mark according to the host institution. Credit for individual modules or subject parts will not be granted.
  • You cannot receive credit for a subject that is deemed equivalent to a subject that you have already completed at the University of Melbourne. Likewise, you cannot enrol in a subject if you have previously completed its direct equivalent at an overseas institution.

For more details, please see the Credit, Advanced Standing and Accelerated Entry Policy.

Check any rules or restrictions related to your course by selecting your faculty below.

  • Bachelor of Design

    • Capstone (final major subjects, e.g. Design Studio Epsilon) subjects must be completed at the University of Melbourne and not overseas.
    • Compulsory subjects (other major subjects) will only be approved if they are a direct equivalent.
    • Subjects leading to a major will only be approved if they are a direct equivalent.

    We recommend students do not take any compulsory subjects overseas if they intend to pursue postgraduate studies in engineering, as it may affect accreditation.

    Elective and Breadth subjects can be taken overseas and do not need to be direct equivalents.

    Summer and winter short-term programs

    B-DES students may gain a maximum of 25 credits from fee-paying short-term programs during their degree. The 25 points cannot be earned from the same program and must be at two different institutions.

    B-DES students can either gain 12.5 elective + 12.5 breadth or 25 points breadth if completing two short-term fee-paying programs during their degree.

    Graduate degrees

    • Compulsory subjects will only be approved if they are a direct equivalent. Completing compulsory subjects overseas may affect accreditation. Check with your relevant discipline adviser if you are planning to take any of these subjects overseas.
    • Capstone subjects must be completed at the University of Melbourne and not overseas.
    • Thesis subjects must be completed at the University of Melbourne and not overseas.
    • Studios can be approved if they are a direct equivalent, e.g. Architecture Design Studio B/C/D/E. Completing compulsory and/or studio subjects overseas may affect accreditation. Check with your relevant discipline adviser if you are planning to take any of these subjects overseas.
    • Elective and multidisciplinary subjects can be taken overseas and do not need to be direct equivalents.

    Summer and winter short-term programs

    Graduate MSD students may gain a maximum of 12.5 credits from any fee-paying short-term program during their degree.

  • Bachelor of Arts

    • Arts Discovery subject must be completed at the University of Melbourne and not overseas.
    • Capstone subjects must be completed at the University of Melbourne and not overseas.
    • Core subjects will not be approved except for Language and Economics subjects.
    • Elective and Breadth subjects can be taken overseas and do not need to be direct equivalents.

    Psychology major students:
    It is strongly recommended students do not take any Psychology subjects towards their APAC accredited Psychology major. It is not possible for Psychology subjects to be assessed as equivalent to any of the Level 1 or 2 Unimelb Psychology subjects.

    It is possible for students to seek equivalent Unimelb credit for Level 3 Psychology subjects via the below process: Psychological Sciences Mobility Guide (PDF 479.8 KB). However, it should be noted this is rarely approved.

    Non-Psychology major students:
    Overseas Psychology subjects will be assessed as breadth only.

    Economics major students:
    Students cannot take subjects approved as general level 2 Economics credit toward their major. Overseas subjects approved as directly equivalent to a level 2 Economics core subject and/or a level 2 Economics elective subject are permitted.

    Economics major students cannot take any subjects approved as B-ARTS breadth credit, as they are not permitted to take breadth subjects in their degree.

    Non-economics major students:
    Overseas economics subjects may be approved for general breadth credit.

    Graduate degrees (Bachelor of Arts Honours, Masters by Coursework, GD-ARTS, GDA-ARTS)

    • Electives are the only subjects which students can complete overseas.
    • Compulsory, Core, Capstone and Thesis subjects must be completed at the University of Melbourne and not overseas.

    The Executive Master of Arts does not allow exchange due to the intensive nature of the program. You may be eligible for other types of overseas opportunities, including short term programs.

    Diploma in Languages

    • Core and elective subjects in the Diploma in Languages can be taken overseas.
    • Only subjects approved as directly equivalent to a specific Unimelb subject may be cross-credited from a main degree to a concurrent diploma or vise versa, provided the specific University of Melbourne subject is listed in both course structures.

  • Bachelor of Commerce

    • 50 credit points of level 3 commerce subjects must be completed at the University of Melbourne, and not on overseas study
    • Compulsory subjects, foundation subjects, and major core subjects can be taken overseas but must be direct equivalents
    • Subjects required to fulfil a specialisation can be taken overseas but must be direct equivalents
    • Elective and Breadth subjects can be taken overseas and do not need to be direct equivalents.

    We recommend students do not take any accounting (including the law breadth) subjects overseas, as it may affect accreditation.

    Actuarial students seeking accreditation have one pre-assessed host institution (Heriot Watt in Scotland). Refer to information on the Centre for Actuarial Studies website.

    Summer and winter short-term programs

    Faculty of Business & Economics students may only gain a maximum of 12.5 credit points from a short-term program in any one study period.

    Graduate degrees

    • ‘Generalist’ Masters: (e.g. Master of Management suite, Master of International Business) A maximum of two core subjects can be completed overseas but must be direct equivalents.
    • Specialist Masters: Specialist Masters: (e.g. Master of Finance, Master of Economics). Compulsory subjects must be completed at the University of Melbourne, and students must successfully complete all compulsory subjects before they are permitted to participate in a Global Experience program.

    Summer and winter short-term programs

    Faculty of Business & Economics students may only gain a maximum of 12.5 credit points from a short-term program in any one study period.

  • Refer to the Faculty of Education website for information on overseas study opportunities and course requirements.

    • Core subjects can be approved if they are a close equivalent (~80% match or greater) to the subject version at Melbourne.
    • Elective subjects can be taken overseas and do not need to be direct equivalents. Please ensure that your proposed subjects are appropriately complex and relevant to your discipline of study. This is an opportunity to take specialised subjects targeting your personal areas of interest within your discipline.
    • Engineering with Business: The business subjects of the with business streams should not be taken overseas to avoid any potential professional accreditation complications.
    • ENGR90034 Creating Innovative Engineering: May be taken overseas, but is hard to match, so it is recommended that you plan to take this at Melbourne.

      There are various options for crediting of overseas research experiences towards your Engineering or IT degree at Melbourne, but this can vary between disciplines. Please contact engit-exchange@unimelb.edu.au for further advice, or discuss your proposed research project with your capstone or course coordinator to determine how this can be credited.

    Summer and winter short-term programs

    Faculty of Engineering and IT students may only gain a maximum of 12.5 credit points from a short-term program in any one study period. Postgraduate FEIT students are permitted to apply for undergraduate programs.

    Diploma in Computing

    • Core subjects can be approved if they are deemed a close equivalent (~80% match or greater) to the subject version at Melbourne,
    • Elective subjects can be taken overseas and do not need to be direct equivalents,
    • Only subjects approved as directly equivalent to a specific Unimelb subject may be cross-credited from a main degree to a concurrent diploma or vise versa, provided the specific University of Melbourne subject is listed in both course structures.

  • Bachelor of Music (Honours)

    • No more than 37.5 points of credit may be awarded from the global programs within the BH-MUS.
    • The thesis must be taken across two consecutive semesters at Melbourne.
    • Students taking global semester programs in the Bachelor of Music (Honours) will be required to extend their studies over three semesters.
    • Students receiving Centrelink will not be able to access these funds in one of the additional semesters at Melbourne, as it is not possible to maintain a full-time study load across each of these three periods.

    The following subjects are not eligible for credit from global semester or global short-term programs:

    MUSI40104    Dissertation Part 1
    MUSI40105    Dissertation Part 2
    MUSI40101    Thesis Part 1
    MUSI40102    Thesis Part 2
    MUSI40117    Jazz & Improvisation Major Project A    
    MUSI40118    Jazz & Improvisation Major Project B
    MUSI40115    Interactive Composition Major Project A
    MUSI40116    Interactive Composition Major Project B
    MUSI40084    Interactive Composition Research Paper
    MUSI40120    Jazz & Improvisation Research Paper

    Please talk to your discipline advisers if you need help selecting global program options.

    Diploma in Music

    Only subjects approved as directly equivalent to a specific Unimelb subject may be cross-credited from a main degree to a concurrent diploma or vice versa, provided the specific University of Melbourne subject is listed in both course structures.

  • Refer to the Melbourne Law School website for information on overseas study opportunities and course and eligibility requirements.

    Summer and winter short-term programs

    Graduate Law students may gain a maximum of 12.5 credits from any fee-paying short-term program during their degree.

  • Bachelor of Biomedicine

    • Core subjects can be taken overseas but will only be approved if they are a direct equivalent.
    • Core Major subjects (level three) can be taken overseas but will only be approved if they are a direct equivalent.
    • Major electives (level three) can be taken overseas and do not need to be direct equivalents.
    • Major pre-requisites (level one and two) can be completed overseas if appropriate equivalent subjects are found.
    • Elective and Breadth subjects can be taken overseas and do not need to be direct equivalents.

    It is recommended that students study overseas in Semester 2 of your second year. This is because your core subject BIOM20002 Human Structure and Function can be replaced by enrolling into PHYS20008 Human Physiology and ANAT20006 Principles of Human Structure in the first semester of your second year, alongside BIOM20001 Molecular and Cellular Biomedicine.

    Overseas study is possible at other times but it is highly likely that it will extend the time required to complete your course due to the lack of direct equivalents to the core subjects.

    Psychology major students:
    It is strongly recommended students do not take any Psychology subjects towards their APAC accredited Psychology major. It is not possible for Psychology subjects to be assessed as equivalent to any of the Level 1 or 2 Unimelb Psychology subjects.

    It is possible for students to seek equivalent Unimelb credit for Level 3 Psychology subjects via the below process: Psychological Sciences Mobility Guide (PDF 479.8 KB). However, it should be noted this is rarely approved.

    Psychology subjects CANNOT be taken as breadth for a  B-ARTS student completing an APAC accredited Psychology major.

    Non-Psychology major students:
    Psychology subjects will be approved as Non-specific electives or breadth as appropriate depending on the subject content.

    Graduate degrees

    • Research subjects must be completed at the University of Melbourne and not overseas.
    • Capstone subjects must be completed at the University of Melbourne and not overseas.
    • Compulsory subjects will only be approved if they are a direct equivalent. We do not recommend taking these overseas.
    • Elective subjects can be taken overseas and do not need to be direct equivalents.
    • Dentistry students: Are unable to study overseas due to the core requirements of the course.
    • Medicine students: For advice about overseas study, please submit an online enquiry to Stop 1 following the steps below:
      1. Under 'Current Students', select 'Submit an enquiry'.
      2. Label your enquiry clearly and include your student ID under 'Enquiry title'.
      3. Under 'Topic', select 'Overseas Study > Course advice for overseas study'.

    Psychology

    For advice about overseas study, email StudyAbroadExchange-psych@unimelb.edu.au.

  • Bachelor of Science

    The Faculty of Science has identified partner universities offering suitable study options based on the BSc Majors - explore your options for completing a semester overseas!

    • Major subjects (level three) will only be approved if they are a direct equivalent
    • Major pre-requisites (level one and two) can be completed overseas if appropriate equivalent subjects are found
    • Compulsory subjects will only be approved if they are a direct equivalent
    • Elective and Breadth subjects can be taken overseas and do not need to be direct equivalents.

    Subjects listed as graduate-level at the exchange host will not be approved for credit for Bachelor of Science students.

    If students intend to pursue postgraduate studies in engineering seeking exact equivalent units is vital as this may affect accreditation.

    Psychology major students:
    It is strongly recommended students do not take any Psychology subjects towards their APAC accredited Psychology major. It is not possible for Psychology subjects to be assessed as equivalent to any of the Level 1 or 2 Unimelb Psychology subjects.

    It is possible for students to seek equivalent Unimelb credit for Level 3 Psychology subjects via the below process: Psychological Sciences Mobility Guide (PDF 479.8 KB). However, it should be noted this is rarely approved.

    Non-Psychology major students:
    Psychology subjects will only be approved as Non-specific electives only.

    Bachelor of Agriculture

    • Compulsory subjects will only be approved if they are a direct equivalent and it can be difficult to find these overseas
    • Elective subjects can be taken overseas and do not need to be direct equivalents.

    Graduate degrees

    • Research subjects must be completed at the University of Melbourne and not overseas
    • Compulsory subjects will only be approved if they are a direct equivalent
    • Elective subjects can be taken overseas and do not need to be direct equivalents.

    Students applying for the Veterinary Biosciences major (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine accelerated pathway) are not eligible for a semester long exchange in year 2 of study. Students applying for the major must have completed 200 credit points of study, and received results by December of the year before they wish to commence the accelerated pathway. This includes core subjects which must be completed in Semester 1. Undertaking an overseas exchange in Semester 2 of year 2 will delay the processing of results and mean that students will miss the deadline to be considered for entry to the Veterinary Biosciences major in Semester 1 of the following year.

    Diploma in Mathematical Sciences

    • Specialisation subjects (level three) will only be approved if they are a direct equivalent
    • Specialisation pre-requisites (level one and two) can be completed overseas if appropriate equivalent subjects are found, and
    • Only subjects approved as directly equivalent to a specific Unimelb subject may be cross-credited from a main degree to a concurrent diploma or vise versa, provided the specific University of Melbourne subject is listed in both course structures.