FAQs for students attending campus

The University is carefully managing campus activities, guided by agreed principles and priorities, while also delivering a range of teaching and learning, research and support services online to ensure fair and equitable access for everyone.

Find out about our COVIDSafe measures on the University’s dedicated COVID-19 website. This site is regularly updated and includes information on how to report a COVID-19 case to the University’s Public Health Network.

Yes, buildings will be open from 28 February. Students are reminded that the University of Melbourne is a vaccinated campus and all students attending a University campus must follow these instructions and submit their vaccination information to the University for validation in advance. You must have had your vaccination status (fully vaccinated or exemption) validated before being permitted to attend campus.

COVID Check-in Marshals will be checking vaccination status prior to entry to some buildings and some service areas. Please have your current vaccination information with you when you attend campus.

The University of Melbourne has implemented a variety of measures to reduce the risk of indoor airborne transmission of COVID-19 to the University community. In terms of ventilation, measures include maximising fresh air intake via mechanical ventilation or natural means, installing portable air-purifiers where needed, real-time monitoring of carbon dioxide levels to monitor air quality, and filtering recirculating air to remove more airborne virus particles.

Other measures include the University’s vaccination policy, testing and isolation, cleaning and hygiene, physical distancing, face masks in high-risk settings, and welfare-first COVID-19 case management.

More information about ventilation, including recordings from our 2021 Ventilation Matters webinar, is available here.

The University has well established processes and a dedicated Public Health Network to respond to cases within the University community. Our coordinated welfare-first response includes targeted communications to affected students, transparent information about cases and any campus exposure locations online.

The Public Health Network has a rostered team that monitors the public-health-network@unimelb.edu.au inbox seven days a week. Information emailed to the mailbox is analysed and timely responses are enacted to protect the health and wellbeing of our community.

Notifying the team at public-health-network@unimelb.edu.au means the University can support people who contract COVID‑19 by providing practical advice, links to University services, conducting wellbeing checks, answering COVID‑19 related questions and assisting through the isolation process.

Information about testing and notification can be found here. You can also view a list of confirmed cases on campus here.

The University's occupied buildings are well serviced by mechanical ventilation systems. Mechanical systems have been reconfigured to maximise the intake of outside air wherever possible, and windows have been made operable where possible, to assist with increased air flow.

Portable air purifiers are being used to improve air quality in spaces that have been assessed to require them. Not all spaces require an air purifier, as existing ventilation systems provide adequate air exchange.

Higher density room types (such as teaching and learning spaces) were prioritised for assessment and   have monitoring equipment installed to ensure that the performance of the ventilation systems in practice meets the demands for the space.

All teaching and learning spaces used as part of the Semester 1 timetable will have CO₂ monitors installed before teaching commences, and each occupied floor will have a CO₂ monitor, which will be used to confirm the adequacy of air exchange.

More information about ventilation is available here.

The University will provide P2 masks (or equivalent) for staff and students attending areas of campus or undertaking an activity where it is required by local risk assessment or Standard Operating Procedure.

If you are concerned about attending campus due to personal circumstances (eg you feel worried about coming onto campus, are immunocompromised or have caring responsibilities for others who are), you can request free P2 masks from the University.

The University will also provide access to surgical masks for staff, students and visitors attending campus who have forgotten or don’t have access to a mask.

If you are feeling well and do not have any symptoms of COVID-19 you will not be required to complete a RAT to attend most campus locations or participate in University activities.

There are a small number of campus locations and activities where RATs will be used for asymptomatic screening as a condition of entry or participation. Eg screening may be used prior to a field work activity. Where applicable these requirements will be clearly communicated in advance and the University will supply any RATs required.

For advice on what you should do before attending campus, head to the Attending Campus page.

The University is providing rapid antigen tests (RATs) for:

• Exposed persons – as advised by our Public Health Network*
• Clearance testing for people who are required on campus following a household exposure – please contact our Public Health Network for further advice*
• Asymptomatic testing of students and staff in higher-risk settings as identified through local risk assessment
• Students and staff attending campus who wish to participate in a voluntary asymptomatic testing program for additional confidence and assurance

* Where possible, students and staff should source tests from Victorian Government distribution points for these purposes. However, they are welcome to collect tests on campus if they are unable to obtain a RAT elsewhere.

More information, including distribution points is available on our COVID-19 website

There are a number of things which students and staff need to do if they test positive or have to isolate due to being a close contact.  These are outlined in our testing and notification guidance and include:

• You must report positive RAT result to the Victorian Department of Health
• If you attended campus in the two days prior to becoming symptomatic, you must report immediately to the UoM Public Health Network (PHN) and follow PHN advice
• You must isolate for 7 days from date of positive test result
• If symptoms resolve, you may attend campus after 7-day isolation without further tests
  • There are no further testing requirements following initial positive test result

If still symptomatic after 7-day isolation, you should not attend campus until symptoms have resolved or the symptoms have been diagnosed as non-infectious.

If you feel well, you may:

• Attend class online, if possible.  Contact your Subject Coordinator/s for advice. Your Subject Coordinators’ details are published on the subject’s Handbook page under Dates and times.

If classes are not available online, you may:

• Ask your Subject Coordinator/s if attendance/participation requirements can be waived or whether other arrangements can be made.

If your absence due to isolation impacts assessment, you may:

• Request an extension to assessment and/or apply for special consideration if required.  Please note, under current policy, students can request an extension for up to ten days via the Subject Coordinator/s.  See the FAQ on Applying for an Extension.  Any extensions beyond ten days, or when end of Semester exams are impacted, please apply for Special Consideration submitting substantiating evidence as required.

If you feel unwell, you may:

• Request an extension to assessment and/or apply for special consideration as required.  Please note, under current policy, students can request an extension for up to ten days via the Subject Coordinator/s.  See the FAQ on Applying for an Extension.  Any extensions beyond ten days, or when end of Semester exams are impacted, please apply for Special Consideration submitting substantiating evidence as required.

It depends the extent to which your illness and/or isolation impacts your studies and your ability to complete your assessment tasks on time.

If being a positive case or the impacts of isolation have a minor detrimental effect on your studies and your ability to complete your assessment tasks on time, existing policy allows you to apply for extensions of up to ten days directly via the Faculty.  You should request an extension via your Subject Coordinator/s as per the standard process. Your Subject Coordinators’ details are published on the subject’s Handbook page under Dates and times.

If the impacts of illness and/or isolation are more substantial and/or effect end of semester examinations, you should apply for special consideration in the normal way.

There are no changes to the documentation required by current policy for special consideration applications, except where a student needs to isolate as a close contact, rather than being ill themselves. Where students are isolating but not ill, students may use a statutory declaration (which can be made online) as part of their documentation.

In all special consideration applications, students need to explain the effect of the illness/isolation on their ability to complete, attend or prepare for the assessment task by the designated deadline.

Based on current Victorian Department of Health guidelines:

• Isolation and PHN notification is not required
• Must not attend campus if symptomatic
• Must monitor for symptoms and test if symptoms develop
• Recommended to take UoM-supplied RAT daily for five days following exposure if attending campus (NB: daily RATs may be required in some high-risk settings)
  • Must notify Public Health Network and Department of Health of any positive test result
  • If test negative but remain symptomatic, person should not attend campus until symptoms have resolved or they are diagnosed as something non-infectious

If you are enrolled in Dual Delivery subjects, it may be possible to change your class allocations between the on campus and online delivery modes for individual activities in that subject (eg seminars, tutorials, studios etc) in limited circumstances and up until 5pm (AEDT) Friday 18 March.  You can either do this via the Swap function in My Timetable, or by submitting a Timetable Assistance Form.  For further information, see Review and adjust your timetable.  However, once you have finalised your timetable we ask that you remain in your timetabled activities for the remainder of semester.

If you are enrolled in Dual Delivery subjects, it may be possible to change your class allocations from online to on campus for individual activities in that subject (eg seminars, workshops, tutorials, studios etc) when you return to Melbourne.  Discuss your options further with your Subject Coordinator.  If it is possible to attend on campus classes when you return to Melbourne, you can either do this via the Swap function in My Timetable, or by submitting a Timetable Assistance Form.  For further information, see Review and adjust your timetable.

No. There are currently no density restrictions for teaching and learning spaces.

Head to the Vaccination at the University of Melbourne webpage for more information about vaccine requirements and exemptions, validation instructions, and information for students vaccinated overseas.

Students who are concerned about attending campus (eg if they are immunocompromised or have caring responsibilities for others who are), should contact Student Equity and Disability Services for advice and to register for ongoing support if required.  For students who are anxious to attend campus, they can make an appointment with CAPS or the Health Service to talk through their concerns and develop strategies to manage the return to campus life.  The Health Service is also offering a Hotline – 03 8344 6905 – which students can contact in the first instance for advice and support.

Dual-Delivery and Online delivery are available in Semester 1 for a large majority of subjects.  Students who have concerns about attending campus can take online options in these subjects.  If a student is enrolled in a Campus-based subject which has mandatory on campus classes which cannot be delivered remotely, they should speak to their Course Coordinator to seek advice.

Students who are required to enrol in subjects with mandatory on campus components, may need to take a period of Leave of Absence until they are able to attend campus.

Students with health concerns should contact SEDS for advice as they may be able to register for ongoing support.  For students who are anxious to attend campus, they can make an appointment with a counsellor from CAPS or the Health Service to talk through their concerns and develop strategies to manage the return to campus life.  The Health Service is also offering a Hotline – 03 8344 6905 – which students can contact in the first instance for advice and support.

Students who are concerned about attending campus (eg if they are immunocompromised or have caring responsibilities for others who are) and need to access online classes and class recordings where these exist, should contact Student Equity and Disability Services for advice and to register for ongoing support. For students who are anxious to attend campus, they can make an appointment with a counsellor from CAPS or the Health Service to talk through their concerns and develop strategies to manage the return to campus life.  The Health Service is also offering a Hotline – 03 8344 6905 – which students can contact in the first instance for advice and support.

Once you arrive in Australia, you can validate your information via the Student Portal.  As part of this process, you must submit your Australian Travel Declaration Form and your International COVID Vaccine certificate in order to validate your vaccination information.  We suggest students do this as soon as possible once they arrive as validation may take up to five days to process.  If you need to attend campus in the meantime, please visit Stop 1 on the Parkville campus for support. For more information, visit validate your vaccination information.

For international students yet to arrive in Australia, please see the detailed instructions for preparing your documentation required for validation before you depart your home country so that you can submit as soon as you arrive.