Eligibility requirements for exchange

There are both minimum and special eligibility criteria for bachelor and master students who want to go on exchange.

Minimum eligibility criteria

The following minimum requirements apply to all exchange students. Further requirements may apply depending on the host program and institution, and/or your Macquarie degree.

To be considered for exchange, you must:

  • be currently enrolled in a coursework degree in internal mode and on campus at Macquarie University
  • have a minimum Weighted Average Mark (WAM) of 60 for non-law students or 65 for law students
    • Note that each host university has different eligibility requirements which may be higher than the minimum required above. Check our scholarships directory for information on specific programs.
  • have completed a minimum of 30 credit points at the time of application and at least 60 credit points at the time of departure
  • be able to enrol in a full-time load (min 30cp - max 40cp) while on exchange and have a minimum of 60 credit points remaining to your Macquarie degree in the session you go on exchange (for example, have a minimum of 20 credit points remaining to complete towards your Macquarie degree after returning from your exchange period)*
  • agree to comply with the eligibility criteria outlined in the terms and conditions of student exchange.
  • adhere to the Student Code of Conduct, and not been in breach of a Macquarie Abroad offer in the past.

*Note that a majority of your higher-level units, including your Capstone unit, must be completed at Macquarie and you cannot finish your Macquarie degree program while on exchange.

Further terms and conditions apply. Special eligibility requirements apply for postgraduate students and for undergraduate students in certain programs. See further conditions below.

Special eligibility requirements

Further eligibility requirements apply to students in the following programs:

Postgraduate students

If you are a postgraduate student enrolled in a coursework master degree, you may be able to participate in an exchange program after the successful completion of one full-time semester (30 credit points) of study at Macquarie. You may apply for the program during your first semester provided you submit a bachelor degree transcript for grade assessment.

If you are applying later in your master degree, you must have a minimum of 20 credit points remaining to complete towards your Macquarie degree upon returning from exchange. You cannot finish your degree while on exchange.

For example, a postgraduate student commencing the Master of International Business and enrolled full-time in Session 1 can apply for a short-term exchange program in the Winter Vacation (July) period of the same year. They can proceed through the application process without having any official results at Macquarie. However, they will be required to provide a bachelor degree transcript for assessment. The student will only be permitted to go on the program in July if they successfully complete the units undertaken in Session 1.

Limitations

Exchange opportunities at postgraduate level will mostly be for short-term rather than semester-long exchange programs.

Eligibility for postgraduate exchange is restricted to students enrolled in specific postgraduate degrees and is usually restricted to specific pre-approved programs with specific partners. Refer to the eligibility criteria on each individual program page for this information.

Students from the following degrees may be considered more broadly for suitable postgraduate exchange opportunities:

  • Master of Commerce
  • Master of International Business
  • Master of Public Health, specialisation in Cross-Disciplinary Studies (2018 program version)
  • Juris Doctor (further restrictions may apply as per 'Law students' section below)

Other special eligibility requirements

If you are enrolled in the Bachelor of Actuarial Studies, you do not have appropriate exchange opportunities available due to the requirements of your degree, including professional accreditation requirements.

If an appropriate unit is found with a partner institution, get in touch with your faculty course adviser to discuss exchange possibilities.

If you are enrolled in the Bachelor of Chiropractic Science, you do not have appropriate exchange opportunities available due to the requirements of your degree, including professional accreditation requirements.

If an appropriate unit is found with a partner institution, get in touch with your faculty course adviser to discuss exchange possibilities.

If you are enrolled in the Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Accounting, you may participate in an exchange program under the following conditions:

  • you do not take any core accounting units while on exchange
  • you meet with an Exemptions Officer in the Department of Accounting and Corporate Governance to structure a full semester of electives that can be taken while on exchange.

Your degree has limited elective credit available, so your exchange period needs to be carefully planned in advance.

If you are enrolled in the stand-alone Bachelor of International Studies (BIntStud), you may participate in an exchange program on the following conditions:

  • you must enrol in the 40 credit point unit INTS3000 during your exchange semester
  • you must have completed at least 130 credit points towards your BIntStud prior to the session of their exchange semester
  • you must have completed at least 40 credit points of language units, including at least 20 credit points at 200 level or above towards their BIntStud prior to the session of their exchange semester
  • your WAM mustn't be lower than 60.

Upon successful completion of your studies at the host institution, your grade for INTS3000 will be transferred as 'Satisfactory.' INTS3000 will only be offered during Session 1 of each academic year.

For more information, contact the Overseas Study Adviser, Lyse Thomas, in the Department of International Studies at lyse.thomas@mq.edu.au.

Note: If you are enrolled in the Bachelor of International Studies and the degree of Bachelor of Laws (BIntStudLLB), the above does not apply to you. BIntStudLLB students must study law units while on exchange under the units LAWS5301, LAWS5302, LAWS5303, and LAWS5304 - see the section relating to this degree and the section for law students for more information.

If you are enrolled in the combined Bachelor of International Studies and the degree of Bachelor of Laws (BintStudLLB), you must complete a compulsory exchange semester in your fourth year. To be considered for exchange, you must:

  • meet the eligibility requirements for law students - see the 'Law Students' section for details
  • enrol into four law exchange units: LAWS5301, LAWS5302, LAWS5303, LAWS5304 while on exchange.
  • undertake law studies at your host university as the study must contribute towards the law component of your degree—there is no scope within the BIntStudLLB degree for students to undertake non-law studies overseas.
  • As part of the combined Bachelor of International Studies and the degree of Bachelor of Laws (BintStudLLB), students will complete the INTS3000 Language & Culture exchange as per normal.
  • Students also have the option to complete an additional semester of law exchange using the four law exchange units: LAWS5301, LAWS5302, LAWS5303, LAWS5304 in their 5000-level option set.

If you are enrolled in a stand-alone Bachelor of Laws or any degree combined with the Bachelor of Laws, the following additional conditions apply to be considered for exchange:

  • You must have completed a minimum of 130 credit points of LAW, LAWS, or LAWZ units before going on exchange.
  • You cannot complete more than 40 credit points of law units on exchange.
  • Compulsory (or core) LAW, LAWS, or LAWZ units cannot be completed whilst on exchange—only unspecified or elective LAW or LAWS credit at 4000-5000 level will be granted for exchange study.

If you are enrolled in the Juris Doctor, the following conditions apply:

  • You must have completed a minimum of 80 credit points of LAW or LAWS units before going on exchange.
  • You cannot complete more than 40 credit points of law units on exchange
  • Compulsory (or core) LAW or LAWS units cannot be completed whilst on exchange – only unspecified or elective LAW or LAWS credit at 800 level will be granted for exchange study.

For more information, refer inquiries to the Law School Exchange Guidelines.

If you are unable to find your answer, email Paul Govind at paul.govind@mq.edu.au. Keep in mind that he will only advise through emails.

Note for combined Law degree students

The structure of the combined law degrees makes it preferable, if not compulsory, that you undertake study that contributes towards the law component of your degree while on exchange.

Most combined law degrees have limited or no elective units in the non-law component, which can make it difficult to obtain the necessary academic credit approvals to go on exchange for this component alone.

If you are enrolled in a combined law degree and do not currently meet the criteria to study law while on exchange, it is advisable to defer your exchange period until you do meet them so that you have the most flexibility with your study options.

Note on law exchange credit approvals

Every unit taken on exchange requires approval by a relevant Macquarie academic exemptions officer. The Exchange Officer for LAW units is Paul Govind.

Note that you cannot seek approval for exchange credit until after you have been accepted into the exchange program and the Law School will not grant unspecified LAW credit for units under 400-500 level for non-law students.

If you are enrolled in the Diploma of Languages (DipLang), you may participate in a designated short-term residential language unit appropriate for your course after you have completed a minimum of 40 credit points at Macquarie towards your DipLang.

If you are studying a DipLang concurrently with a bachelor or master degree at Macquarie, you may be considered exempt from having to complete 40 credit points towards your DipLang prior to your application for exchange, provided you have completed at least 40 credit points at Macquarie towards your concurrent Macquarie bachelor or master degree.

Example: Diploma of Languages student has completed 30 credit points by the start of Session 1. At the beginning of Session 1, they apply for a short-term program in the Winter Vacation (July) period whilst also enrolling in a 10 credit-point unit in Session 1, which takes them up to the 40 credit points required to be eligible for exchange. They will be allowed to proceed and participate if they successfully complete their unit in Session 1.

In cases of doubt, you are encouraged to apply for the short-term program and a special exchange committee will convene to make a determination on your suitability for the program. The Department of International Studies reserves the right to exercise its discretion in the selection of students for any short-term program it administers. The selection process may be competitive due to limited availability of places.

If you are in the first year of a language program, you may participate in a short-term in-country unit without having fulfilled the 40 credit point requirement on the following conditions:

  • You are enrolled in a bachelor degree program at Macquarie.
  • You are enrolled in both Session 1 and Session 2 units of your chosen language.
  • The short-term program you are participating in has been specifically designed for students going between first and second-semester language units, such as the Berlin School of Economics German course (GRMN1045) for students enrolled in introductory German Studies units at Macquarie.
  • The program offered is specifically established for a group of students that do not comply with the regular terms and conditions.

For more information, contact the Overseas Study Advisor, Lyse Thomas, in the Department of International Studies at lyse.thomas@mq.edu.au.