Degree and course administration
Manage your degree, including course changes, exemptions, and requirements.
Course and degree changes
Adding or withdrawing from courses
You can make changes to your courses within the first two weeks of a trimester.
Add courses using the course Add/Drop tool in Student Records.
The course Add/Drop tool is not available for some courses. If this applies to you or if you have any problems using the tool, email the team at fhss-enquiries@vuw.ac.nz with your name, ID number, and the changes you want to make (including the CRN and course code).
You will only be able to add a course at the start of the trimester if there is space, if you meet the prerequisite requirements (or have a waiver), and if you haven’t missed too many of the lectures.
Courses may be dropped with a full fees refund at any time during the first two weeks of trimester one or two (special dates apply in the summer trimester). After that, you may withdraw without having the course recorded as a fail (but without fees refund) until the end of the ninth week of classes.
After the ninth week, you can only withdraw with the permission of the Associate Dean (Students) (Associate Dean’s withdrawal) and if certain conditions are met. You should not have failed already, or sat the final examination, or submitted the final piece of assessment, and your withdrawal must be due to exceptional circumstances which arose after the withdrawal deadline.
Any withdrawal past the full fees refund date is considered a ‘non-completed’ course, (similar in impact to a fail grade) in terms of StudyLink's performance criteria for student loan eligibility (passing 50% of courses). If you have any concerns about this, we suggest you talk to a Student Finance Adviser.
For important information on withdrawals and refunds please see the University’s Course additions, withdrawals and refunds page.
Changing a degree or major
If you’re thinking of changing your degree or major, you’ll need a Course Add/Drop form, which you can get from the Faculty's Tītoko—Student success team. You should discuss your options first with a Student Success Adviser.
Exemptions and restrictions
Exemption from a prerequisite or co-requisite course
Some courses require you to have passed a specific course—known as a prerequisite—before enrolling. A co-requisite is a course you need to take at the same time as another course you are wanting to enrol in.
If you have already studied the material covered in a different course or at another university, you may be able to apply for an exemption. Complete the online application form, and the Student Success Office will reply once a decision has been made.
Exemption from or substitution for major requirement
Similar to an exemption from a prerequisite, if you have already studied a course equivalent to one required as part of your major at Victoria University of Wellington, you may be eligible for an exemption. Normally you will need to substitute the course with an approved alternative. Complete an online application form, and the Student Success Office will reply once a decision has been made.
Restriction under the Academic Progress Statute
The Academic Progress Statute allows the University to manage the enrolment of students who are not making satisfactory academic progress by restricting the number of courses that students may enrol in, and/or requiring students to meet certain conditions. For further information and links to the Academic Progress Statute, please see the University’s Academic Progress page.