Student FAQs

Brisbane, Canberra, North Sydney and Strathfield campuses

There are both online and on campus classes scheduled for the remainder of the year for the Brisbane, Canberra, North Sydney and Strathfield campuses.

Strict physical distancing will be enforced, especially in areas like libraries and computer labs. These are areas for research and for activities such as online learning. They are not communal meeting points or areas of social activity.

Campus facilities, including libraries, remain open for these campuses.

Ballarat and Melbourne campuses

In Victoria you must be fully vaccinated or have a valid medical exemption to attend adult education facilities. Students who are not fully vaccinated are permitted to attend adult education campuses under the condition that the program/studies cannot be undertaken online as per current Victorian public health orders.

With the exception of practical classes and placements, all classes will be delivered online until further notice. Ballarat and Melbourne students are permitted to attend campus for scheduled practical classes and where they cannot study at home.

If you are unable to attend practical classes, please see ‘Do I still have to attend on-campus classes/labs/practicals?’ below.

Strict physical distancing will be enforced, especially in areas like libraries and computer labs. These are areas for research and for activities such as online learning. They are not communal meeting points or areas of social activity.

Some campus facilities, including libraries and the AskACU Centre, will be open on both campuses from 9am on Monday 9 November.

There are still public health orders in effect in Victoria, and these FAQs will be updated as these public health orders are updated.

If you are a student in Melbourne or Ballarat and you need to attend practical classes or placements, you no longer require a letter that will enable you to be on campus and travel between your home and the campus.

 

Yes. If you are not able to travel to attend practical classes because you are unwell, or there are specific circumstances that impact your ability to attend classes, you must apply for special consideration (SC) and provide supporting documentation. 

Victorian campuses

The State Government has announced that all residents of Victoria are required to wear a face covering when leaving their house, unless an exception applies. People caught not wearing a mask may receive a $200 fine.

ACU students living in Victoria must adhere to the public health orders and should acquire and wear their own masks, including while on campus.

The university will also have a stock of disposable masks available for students participating in essential curriculum-related on-campus activities, such as practical classes, on the Melbourne and Ballarat Campuses. You can collect these at your practical classes.

Unfortunately, if you don’t wear a face mask you will not be able to attend the on-campus activity. This advice will be in place until further notice.

You can read helpful guidance around face masks, including exceptions, types of masks and mask care, on the State Government of Victoria website.

Campuses other than Victoria

There are currently no public health requirements to wear masks at ACU campuses other than in Victoria.

PPE may be required in the ACU Health Clinics. ACU is following State Government recommendations in these areas.

Students attending practical classes in NSW, ACT or Qld are encouraged to bring their own face mask to wear during these classes should they wish to do so.

Victorian campuses

Yes, ACU is required to ensure students wear face coverings if they are working on campus, unless an exception applies. 

Further information, including about exceptions and short mask breaks, is available at the Victorian Department of Health website. 

Campuses other than Victoria

There are currently no public health requirements to wear masks at ACU campuses other than in Victoria.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) may be required in the ACU Health Clinics. ACU is following state government recommendations in these areas. 

Students attending practical classes in NSW, ACT or Qld are encouraged to bring their own face mask to wear during these classes should they wish to do so.

ACU campuses – and our libraries – are open.

Access is restricted to students through your ID card with strict physical distancing enforced. Information on opening hours is available via the Library website. Please use our libraries only for research and online education – they are not communal meeting points or centres of social activity.

Our virtual library is operating as usual with online resources available 24/7 and you can contact us via chat (24/7) or email.

The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are ongoing, with some state border closures, continuing restrictions on movement and fluctuating limits on public gatherings. It is not possible to hold ceremonies under these circumstances and, most critically, it is not safe to hold these events. Our priority is the health and safety of our ACU community, not to mention the wellbeing of your families and the broader communities around our campuses. 

Unfortunately, we won’t be able to give you the opportunity to attend a ceremony in the future.

The impact of the pandemic and its unknown duration means that social distancing and other restrictions are likely to continue in 2021. Over 8,000 graduates have been affected in 2020, and these numbers will continue to grow each semester. These expansive numbers cannot be rolled over to future graduation rounds indefinitely.

Cancellation of our ceremonies has not prevented you from graduating from ACU. Your award (degree) has been conferred and your graduation documents have been issued to you as a digital document on My eQuals as well as in hard-copy format by registered mail.

If you deferred attending your ceremony until 2020, the graduation information in these FAQs – including the cancellation of ceremonies in 2020 – also applies to you. Your award was conferred in 2019 and your graduation documents were issued to you in 2019.

All 2020 ACU graduates have been advised via email about alternative arrangements, including on-campus graduation photography events and a virtual graduation celebration to be held on Saturday 28 November. Access further information and book a photography session on the Graduation 2020 page.

The Graduations Office will update you by email about the virtual event on 28 November.

These additional services are available during the on-campus photography sessions. You can also purchase framing and merchandise online from our graduations services provider.

The census dates remain as published in the approved Academic Calendar. 

Please see the FAQs in the ‘Study challenges’ section below. 

ACU continues to provide students with resources and support to help with online learning. Your learning resources and activities will run through LEO, and these may use other tools such as Adobe Connect, Zoom and MS Teams.

It's important to check in regularly for new resources and announcements and to keep communicating with your teachers and classmates. Make the most of every opportunity to engage through discussion boards and collaborative activities with your teachers and classmates. You might want to set up a schedule in your calendar and with your classmates, so that you follow lectures and study together at set times.

For help using tools online, contact AskACU.

Most units will have some online components – your timetable includes the details that are specific to your units. Remember all learning, except for some practical classes, is online until further notice in Ballarat and Melbourne.

For units of study with labs, studios and other practical course components, on-campus or online or remote arrangements have been put in place. The university may still need to suspend classes if public health orders change. But if this needs to happen, we will communicate with you as soon as a decision is made.

For the remainder of 2020, most classes will be online and practical classes will be on campus. 

In 2021, ACU is planning for COVID-normal and a blended approach to learning. This will include a mix of on-campus, multi-mode and online learning environments. 

Check your timetable to see if you have practical classes scheduled. Continue to monitor your ACU student email and relevant LEO sites for updates.  

If you are not able to travel to attend compulsory classes (eg practical or laboratory classes) on campus because you are unwell, or there are specific circumstances that impact your ability to attend, you must apply for special consideration (SC) and provide supporting documentation. We recommend contacting your lecturer in charge first to discuss this before submitting your application.

If you do not wish to attend practical classes, please see ‘What if I need to withdraw from a unit?’ for more information.

Details about assessments and any assessment changes will be communicated to you by your Lecturer in charge, and these may be included in an update to the unit outline.

Details about your assessments will be available on LEO and/or communicated to you via your lecturer in charge. If relevant, an examination schedule will be emailed to you or, once exams are scheduled, you can check the Exam Timetables page.

We understand that the move to online learning may pose some additional challenges for students with disabilities, and adjustment may be required. Regardless of whether students have registered for disability support and have an active Education Inclusion Plan (EIP), the different nature of the online learning method may raise some concerns with our students.

If you have concerns, in the first instance, you should contact your lecturer in charge to discuss your needs, either in relation to your EIP adjustments or otherwise.

Your lecturer in charge will provide information regarding the format of your classes. This may include live streaming or a webinar at the scheduled class time or pre-recorded content. Pre-recorded lectures may form part of your learning resources package. We strongly encourage you to explore all the resources provided to you.

Library online services are operating as usual, with online resources available 24/7 whether you are on or off campus.

Our on-campus libraries currently remain open, and access is restricted to students with a student ID card. View the library opening hours for each campus. Please use libraries for research and online education only – they are not communal meeting points or centres of social activity.

If you attend a library on campus, remember to observe strict physical distancing and good hygiene, as recommended by the Australian Government Department of Health.

If you are off campus, you can contact staff by text and 24/7 online live chat. The library staff have also increased the monitoring of the Ask Your Librarian email service to ensure swift responses to your queries.

If you have never used the library services from home, now is a good time to check them out and make sure you can sign in. Read more about off-campus access.

Yes, students will need to use their ACU student ID cards in order to access the library on campus.

If you don’t currently have an ID card, you can order your ID card online. When ordering your card, please select your local Self Service Kiosk or ‘online’ from the drop-down menu. Your card will be ready to be collected from the Self Service Kiosk for students within 24 hours; please check the location of the kiosk before collection. Learn more about how to order your card in the AskACU knowledge library.

All ACU campuses remain open and the WiFi network, libraries, computer labs, and research and study spaces will be available to students who need to use them. Physical distancing and health precaution measures will be observed.

You’ll be able to access all online learning materials via your smart phone or tablet devices (if available). If you cannot access these materials, please contact AskACU. Alternatively, university computer labs will remain open and available to staff and students who need to use them.

Our AskACU staff are available to help with basic technical assistance. For more complicated queries, the team will direct you to the appropriate IT Support staff for further assistance.

To contact the AskACU team:

• Call 1300 275 228
• SMS 0427 522 268
• Enquire online AskACU

You can also access online chat between 9am and 5pm, and search the resources and step-by-step guides available 24/7 in the AskACU knowledge base.

For opening hours, visit AskACU.

With any technology-related issues, we recommend you contact AskACU in the first instance. If you can, please provide a screenshot of the issue you are experiencing so staff can assist you more effectively.

To contact the AskACU team:

• Call 1300 275 228
• SMS 0427 522 268
• Enquire online AskACU

You can also access online chat between 9am and 5pm, and search the resources and step-by-step guides available 24/7 in the AskACU knowledge base.

For opening hours, visit AskACU

We understand tech issues can be frustrating, especially if these happen after hours. In this instance, please take a screenshot of the issue you are experiencing and email it to AskACU via your student email account. AskACU will attend to your issue as soon as possible.

All classes will be delivered either via Adobe Connect, Zoom or Microsoft Teams (MS Teams). You can access these tools either through a downloaded app or your web browser. Your Lecturer in charge will provide a link for you to join the online class.

Your lecturers will let you know which software to use for your specific units. More detailed information can also be found in LEO. 

Adobe Connect is an online application used for video conferencing, webinars, and as a live classroom teaching tool. Staff and students can communicate synchronously using voice and video, utilising features such as screen sharing, text chat, interactive whiteboards, application sharing, instant polling, and breakout rooms.

For more on using Adobe Connect and related technical support, access how to use Adobe Connect.

Zoom is an online meeting platform for video and audio conferencing, collaboration, chat, and webinars across mobile devices, desktops and phones. Zoom is easy to use, but please take some time to test all features such as video, audio and microphone.

Students are not required to have a Zoom account and can join classes using the links sent from the teacher. For the best experience, however, we do recommend every user download the Zoom application on their preferred Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, or Android device.

Download the Zoom app

Microsoft Teams is a hub for team collaboration and can be used for video conferencing, team chat and calls. You can access this platform in multiple ways:

• from your browser
• with a Teams app on your computer (Windows and Mac)
• from an app on your mobile device (Apple or Android).

To access a class, you can join through the calendar in your Teams app or using the links sent from the teacher.

LEO is ACU’s Learning Environment Online (LEO) where you will find most of your unit information, learning activities, readings, quizzes and assessments. Wherever you are, if you have internet access, you should be able to access LEO.

Read more about how to access LEO

For LEO-related technical support, please visit the support FAQs on LEO.

If your lectures are recorded using Echo360, there will be a link inside your LEO unit to the list of recordings.

Learn more about Echo360.

As more of you study remotely, it’s a good idea to upload or update your photo in Office 365. This will mean that when you attend video conferences or use ACU collaboration tools, your classmates can recognise you more easily.

To find out how to do this, check out this AskACU article for students.

No, a VPN is not needed for students at all. It is only needed for staff to access resources on the ACU network (eg network drives).

None of the online tools used to support learning and teaching require a VPN to run. These include:

• Zoom
• Echo360
• Adobe Connect
• Microsoft Teams

ACU will only permit students to attend placement opportunities that are appropriate according to state/territory health and public order regulations. COVID-19 is not covered by Australian insurance policies. If a student does contract COVID-19 they are covered and supported by Medicare and the Australian healthcare system.

It is the student’s responsibility to be responsible and practise social distancing, regular hand sanitising, and cough and sneeze etiquette at all times. If you are in Victoria, it is mandatory that you also wear a mask.

Some jurisdictions may require your vaccination status to be up to date for COVID-19 before you attend your placement. You should check with your local placement team regarding requirements.

We are committed to ensuring you fulfil the necessary requirements to graduate and register for professional practice, if this is a requirement of your degree. 

The Vice-Chancellor and Executive Deans are in discussions in all states/territories and at all levels of government to secure as many placements as possible during this time. Most placements are occurring, so please monitor your university email account for updates specific to your program.

For units of study with labs, studios and other practical course components, arrangements will be made where it is not possible to attend because of the public health orders. In such cases, arrangements will be put in place, or these will be suspended until later in the semester and will be delivered in an intensive mode.

For units of study that require a community engagement placement, students can currently continue with their placement where it is still available and safe to do so. If your community engagement placement is no longer available and you are not able to find an alternate placement opportunity, please contact your lecturer in charge for alternate options.

For further support with community engagement placements, email ACU Engagement at ACUengagement@acu.edu.au.

If your placement facility/host organisation cancels your placement as a result of COVID-19, you will receive an email from the Placement Operations team notifying you of this. Academic staff and the Placement Operations team will be working collaboratively on alternative placement options. Individual plans will be communicated to any affected students by your Placement Officer.

With community engagement placements, if the ACU Engagement team or your host organisation notifies you that your placement is no longer available, you should contact your lecturer in charge for alternate options.

For further support with community engagement placements, email ACU Engagement at ACUengagement@acu.edu.au.

I’m experiencing difficulties and these issues are affecting my assessment tasks – what should I do?

The first thing you should do is contact the Lecturer in Charge of your unit, or your course coordinator.

If the conditions you are experiencing are short-term and are related to an assessment task, you may be eligible to apply for an extension, special consideration or a deferred examination.

These cover a wide range of circumstances that may have affected your progress.

Applications for extensions or special consideration should be submitted in line with the Assessment Policy, Assessment Procedures and Special Consideration Procedures.

Request an extension to deadline for the submission of an assessment task

You should follow the normal processes and submit any request for an extension using the Application for Extension of Time for Submission of an Assessment Task (EX) form, together with the required supporting documentation.

If you are requesting an extension as a result of having been diagnosed with COVID-19, or for having been required to self-isolate by the health department as a close contact of someone who has COVID-19, you should also submit the COVID-19 reporting form for students.

Request special consideration

Students should follow the normal processes and submit any request for special consideration using the Application for Special Consideration (SC) form, together with the required supporting documentation.

If you are requesting an extension as a result of having been diagnosed with COVID-19, or for having been required to self-isolate by the health department as a close contact of someone who has COVID-19, you should also submit the COVID-19 reporting form for students.

What do I do if I can’t complete an assessment or professional experience/placement requirements?

For professional experience units, or units containing professional experience, the Incomplete Practicum (IP) grade will continue to be used by schools where placement requirements have not been completed within the study period.

For other units, where applicable, the Result Pending (RP) grade may be used by schools in cases where a student is unable to complete a piece of assessment within the dates of the study period as a result of the impact of COVID-19.

Withdrawal before census date

You can withdraw from your unit(s) before the census date of the relevant study period without incurring any financial or academic penalty.

Withdrawal after census date

If you withdraw from your unit(s) after the census date of the relevant study period but before the last day of classes, no academic penalty will apply, but you will pay still pay fees for the unit.

If the situation that caused you to withdraw is beyond your control, and made its full impact on or after the census date, you may wish to apply for a Re-credit of Unit/s and Refund of Fees in Special Circumstances (RE). This should be done via the Re-credit of Unit/s and Refund of Fees in Special Circumstances (RE)process. You will be required to submit a professional authority form and/or medical certificate as normal.

What if my practical experience placement cannot go ahead?

If you are enrolled in a practical experience unit or a unit containing practical experience where ACU is unable to currently provide a placement (or approved alternative activity), you can remain enrolled in that unit and we will attempt to provide you with a placement at a later date. This may be outside semester dates.

If we are not able to provide you with a placement, you will be able to apply to withdraw from the affected unit without academic or financial penalty. To do so, complete the Recredit of Unit/s and Refund of Fees in Special Circumstances (RE) Form.

The interim administrative grade of Result Pending (RP) will continue. The introduction of the grade was approved by Academic Board, and it is now included in the Academic Regulations.

We recommend that this grade continue to be applied where a student is unable to complete a piece of assessment within the dates of the study period, and the application of the grade has been approved by the lecturer in charge or course coordinator. This grade will be replaced with a final result (mark/grade) once you have completed and submitted the relevant piece of assessment.

For professional experience units, or units containing professional experience, the existing ‘IP’ grade will continue to be used by schools where placement requirements have not been completed within the study period.

If you are enrolled in a practical experience unit or a unit containing practical experience where ACU is unable to currently provide a placement (or approved alternative activity), you can remain enrolled in that unit and we will attempt to provide you with a placement at a later date. This may be outside semester dates.

If we are not able to provide you with a placement, you will be able to apply to withdraw from the affected unit without academic or financial penalty. To do so, complete the Recredit of Unit/s and Refund of Fees in Special Circumstances (RE) Form.

At all our campuses, a mix of on-campus and online events will allow you to stay connected to your fellow students.

Visit the Student Portal feed to learn more about what’s on for you.

We encourage you to follow your campus student association on Facebook, as well as the ACU National Student Association (ACUNSA) or the ACU Postgraduate Association (ACUPGA). And you can explore and join all our student clubs and associations at ACU Life.

The ACU Student Hardship Fund offers grants of $300 to ACU students, both domestic and international, who are suffering severe financial hardship. Examples of severe financial hardships considered include (but are not limited to) loss of employment or housing, and food insecurity.

Learn more and apply online on the ACU Scholarships browser.

If you are unable to access this grant, international students experiencing severe financial hardship as a result of COVID-19 may seek an International Student Hardship Loan. These loans are valued at up to $4,000 and are available up to December 2021.

Learn more and apply online at our International Student Hardship Loan page.

If you are experiencing trouble paying bills, contact your service provider (eg. electricity, gas, water and telephone) and ask about their customer assistance program. Contact your bank or credit card provider to ask about hardship arrangements.

You can also call the National Debt Hotline on 1800 007 007 for free, confidential advice from a financial counsellor.

Yes, there is extra information specific to you and your needs. Please read our additional FAQs for international students page.

The Career Development Service is here to help in any way they can with advice, support, information and employment opportunities.  

Connect with a careers advisor online, by phone, in person or via a virtual drop-in for advice around the employment market and job search strategies. Develop and review your resume and cover letter with Application Assist, practise your interview technique using Big Interview, search for job vacancies, and access other services including workshops, resources, career advice and Student Jobs on Campus via CareerHub. The Career Development Service will continue to post up-to-date opportunities via the jobs tab of CareerHub.

If you are an international student, please view career information specific to you on our international students careers page.

ACU’s Legal Advice Service offers up to two 45-minute appointments (virtual) with a specialist lawyer including provision of written advice. This service provides free legal advice on areas of law common to university students. The advice is of a high quality, independent and confidential. The service will refer you to other legal services and support networks in instances where advice cannot be provided.

For more information, please visit the Legal Advice Service page. To book an appointment, please contact Wisewould Mahony Lawyers with your student ID and ACU email account.

If you are low on funds, please read the first FAQ on this page, ‘I am experiencing financial hardship due to COVID-19 related events – what loans, grants or other forms of financial support can I access?’

If you are experiencing rental issues, please contact the ACU Rental Advisory Service. This service can help you find safe and legitimate accommodation options close to your campus, assist you with any issues you face while renting privately, share guidance on planning and creating a budget so you can manage rental payments, and provide information about your rights as a tenant.

Please contact Campus Ministry or one of the below charities or churches in your state. 

There are also on-campus Campus Ministry food cupboards which contain some basic groceries for student use.

Australian Capital Territory

Foodbank

Some basic groceries are available for students in two emergency food cupboards. Please contact a Campus Ministry staff member if you need assistance finding these:

• Campus Ministry Lounge – 302.G.06
• A small brown food cupboard is located in the corridor leading to room 302.G.05. The entrance to the corridor is between Campus Ministry (302.G.06) and the lecture room 302.G.44. Turn right into this corridor and the cupboard is on the right about 5 metres down.

Queensland

Foodbank

An on-campus emergency food cupboard is located near to the Bookshop, in Building 200 (Ground floor). Near to the noticeboard wall adjacent to the bookshop, there are two big doors you will need to open and walk through. Once inside the corridor, continue past a couple of small teaching rooms (to your left). There you will find a grey double-door tall business cabinet with an ‘Emergency Food Cupboard’ sign. 

New South Wales

If you are an international student, please visit the Study NSW website for information about food assistance.

Domestic students should contact the below resources:

Foodbank

LifeSource is a church in Chatswood West, Sydney which has a food bank open from 8–11.45am each Thursday. On offer is a free bag of fruit, vegetables and bread, and bags of groceries that cost $15 each.

OzHarvest provides food hampers from their market in Kensington for people facing food insecurity.

The Staples Bag has affordable groceries for those facing food insecurity in Campsie and Parramatta.

Addi Road Food Pantry has affordable, fresh food for those facing food insecurity based in Marrickville.

Some basic groceries are available for all students in emergency food cupboards on our Strathfield and North Sydney campuses. Please contact a Campus Ministry staff member if you need assistance finding these:

• North Sydney: The food cupboard is at James Carroll Building, in a tall grey locker with two doors, opposite to the Careers Office..
• Strathfield: The food cupboard is found under the stairs in the Edmund Rice building, between 600.G.39 (Student Common Room) and 500.G.37 (The School Locker Campus Store).

Victoria

If you are an international student, please visit the Study Melbourne website for information about food assistance.

Domestic students should contact the below resources:

Foodbank

Fareshare

St Peters

Some basic groceries are available for all students in emergency food cupboards on our Ballarat and Melbourne campuses. Please contact a Campus Ministry staff member if you need assistance finding these:

• Ballarat: The food cupboard is located near the AskACU sitting area. You will find a low cupboard with a sign saying ‘Student Cupboard’. 
• Melbourne: The food cupboard is located on the Mezzanine floor of the Daniel Mannix Building. Turn left on exiting the elevators and left again, following the ‘Campus Ministry’ signs. Then you will find a corridor with a set of grey cupboards, and the food cupboard is the first one of those, always unlocked and accessible.

It is normal to feel anxious or distressed about COVID-19, your family, home isolation, and your finances. If these feelings are starting to affect your mental or physical wellbeing, we encourage you to:

• talk with an ACU counsellor via Skype, phone or online chat
• call our out-of-hours crisis counselling support line if you’re experiencing distress out of hours.
• contact Campus Ministry.

If you are an international student, you can also book an appointment with your International Student Advisor for advice, information and guidance.

Absolutely. All the support services you would normally receive on campus are still available to you either online, via video conferencing, or over the phone.

While not all of staff are physically present on campus, you can still email our student support services or arrange an appointment through the online booking system.

Visit the Student Portal for information about how to contact the services and make appointments with a Counsellor, Disability Advisor, Academic Skills Advisor, Careers Advisor, Student Advocacy Officer, Student Enrichment Advisor, Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) team or International Student Advisor.

To highlight all of the support services available to you, as well as where you can go to learn more, we’ve created a Student Referral Guide (PDF, 513kB).

In this guide, you’ll find services to help you:

• find work while you're studying and access career support
• care for your mental and physical health
• access support around studying and assessments
• get IT support
• and much more.

Download the Student Referral Guide (PDF, 513kB)

Campus Ministry provides pastoral and spiritual wellbeing support to the ACU community, whether it be on campus or online. To contact Campus Ministry staff or an ACU Chaplain please visit the ACU website.

If you have a disability or health condition which may impact your study, arrange an appointment with a Disability Advisor to talk via Skype, phone or online chat.

ACU Medical Centres on the Brisbane, North Sydney and Melbourne campuses remain open. For information about services, opening hours and contact details, please check the ACU website for Brisbane, North Sydney or Melbourne. All services will be bulk billed at this time.

Medicare has approved new item numbers, so a lot of the medical centres’ services are available via telephone consults. Doctors can fax scripts and blood test results. To make an appointment, please call the ACU Medical Centres and the team will take you through the process.

Please note that the telehealth service is only available to existing patients.

If you think you might have COVID-19, please do NOT attend a medical centre without calling ahead and speaking to one of our nurses first, to avoid the risk of spreading it further.

If you can’t access an ACU Medical Centre, please contact your regular GP or your local medical centre for advice.

If you think you may have COVID-19, please read more about the virus, how it spreads, and what to do next in our COVID-19 medical advice and reporting section of the website.

ACU’s Living and Learning Communities will continue to take a proactive approach to ensuring our residences are COVID-safe. Student Accommodation is deemed an essential service of the university and therefore will continue to operate in 2021.

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that can make humans and animals sick. They cause illnesses that can range from the common cold to more severe diseases. Coronavirus (COVID-19) was first reported in December 2019 in Wuhan City in China.

Practising good hygiene measures and physical distancing is the best defence against most viruses. You can find further information on protecting yourself and others from COVID-19 here.

We have implemented numerous protocols in all our residences for our residents and staff, which include:

• no external visitors being permitted on residential sites
• provision of hand sanitiser
• social distancing
• limiting the number of residents using common areas.

We are holding residential events; however, we are delivering these in innovative ways so we can support our student residents. Additionally, our residential advisors are proactive in ensuring social distancing is always being observed.

For our Sydney accommodation, contractors that visit our site to complete maintenance or repair work must check in online, in accordance with the NSW Government’s COVID-19 compliance direction. Should any similar requirement be enforced in Victoria or the ACT, we will ensure our residences are compliant.

Living and Learning Communities staff, along with our residential advisors, continue to ensure we are doing everything possible to protect the wellbeing of our residents.

We continue to implement the below activities and communications to support our residents, while also adhering to ongoing COVID-19 health protocols:

• providing fun and interactive Residential Life events to our students to promote and encourage engagement and social interaction
• sending regular emails to residents from MCR Management, advising of any updates from federal and/or state governments or ACU
• displaying posters in common areas of all residences around health protocols, such as handwashing, social distancing, and limiting the number of residents per common area
• referring residents to internal and external service support and providers, based on individual needs
• ensuring common areas are still available, with notices posted to advise how many people can safely access each room at one time to support social distancing.

Our team remains available to provide face-to-face support. Social distancing will be observed. If you require support, please contact your residential advisor on duty or contact your local residential team at any time.

Living and Learning Communities staff can support students who are required to self-isolate while living in residence. With adequate personal protective equipment, staff can deliver food and other essential items to these students while also ensuring they adhere to strict isolation protocols.

Staff will also check in daily with isolating students via phone call to check on their wellbeing and refer them to further support services as required.

Our residences are essential services and will remain open, so all the service and support we provide will remain in place no matter where you decide to live during this time.

Additionally, the university’s campuses remain open and residents can still access all student services. View our student FAQs page to learn more.

If you choose to go home, but you’re still enrolled in your course and would like to break your residential agreement, normal break-lease protocol will apply. Please contact your local residential team to discuss support options.

If you need advice or assistance to find accommodation, please contact the ACU Rental Advisory Service for support.

If you have any concerns about your accommodation, please contact the ACU Rental Advisory Service for support. 

Testing and isolating guidelines may vary depending on your state or territory. Continue to refer to local health advice or refer to the the Australian Government COVID-19 Test and Isolate National Protocols to determine if you need to test and isolate. Students are required to register a COVID-19 positive test (PCR or RAT) via the ACU reporting form for students.

If you are self-isolating but have not been diagnosed with COVID-19 you do not need to advise the university, but you should stay in touch with your lecturers and course coordinator.

Are there any restrictions on domestic travel for students?

From 1 December 2020, university-related domestic travel for students is permitted. You will need to obtain approval from the relevant member of the Senior Executive Group before booking travel for university business. 

Are there any restrictions on international travel for students?

If you are a temporary visa holder and you wish to travel to your home country, please read the leaving Australia page on Department of Home Affairs website.

Who does this information apply to?

ACU students travelling on university business, or for a university-approved activity.

Am I covered by travel insurance for cancellation of a trip?

Trip booked from 31 January 2020 (excluding DFAT level 4 regions/countries)

If you book a trip to a region/country including countries you need to transit through to, listed as levels 1–3 on the Smart Traveller website at the time of booking, and these regions/countries including countries you need to transit through to, are later upgraded to a level 4 due to COVID-19, you can’t claim for deposits or cancellation costs under the ACU policy due to COVID-19 being considered a ‘Foreseeable Event’. These costs will not be covered by a central university budget. You will still be covered for medical by the travel insurance whilst travelling.

If I book a trip to, or transiting through, a region/country already listed as level 4, am I covered by travel insurance?

No, you can’t claim for medical, deposits or cancellation costs under the ACU policy. There is no insurance cover for this destination.

Does insurance cover me for cancellation if there is NO change in DFAT level for the destination after I have booked, but I have changed my mind about travelling?

No

What if I contract the virus while travelling?

If you contract the virus while travelling or transiting through a level 1 to 3 country, the usual medical cover applies.

If you contract the virus while travelling or transiting through a level 4 country, medical cover does not apply.

If you contract the virus while travelling or transiting through a country which was upgraded to level 4 after you left Australia, medical cover will apply. In this instance you should take immediate and reasonable steps to leave the region/country.

Should I make an insurance claim?

Should you and/or your travel plans be impacted by COVID-19, a claim should still be made, and the university’s insurer will review these on a case-by-case basis.