What is Academic Penalty?

This can be a tricky topic, especially if it’s something you’ve never faced before – so we thought we would explain this a little further!

Grades

• If you withdraw after the “last day to withdraw without academic penalty”, you will receive Withdrawn Fail (WN) grade. This means that you have withdrawn and deemed to have failed. This fail grade will be included in the calculation of your Grade Point Average (GPA).
• If you withdraw after Census Date, but before the last date to withdraw without Academic Penalty, you will receive a Withdrawn (W) grade. A withdrawn grade is not included in the calculation of your GPA.

We have written a blog with more detail about these dates and what it means for you as a UNE student here. To understand what your Result Code means, you can learn more about that here.

Can I Remove an Academic Penalty?

Depending on your circumstances you may be able to change your Withdrawn Fail (WN) grade into a Withdrawn grade (W). However, you will have to follow a process, and explore your options.

Let’s look at your options…

Option 1) Remission of Fees

If you withdrew from your unit AFTER Census Date and you had special circumstances that affected your ability to complete the unit, you may be able to apply for Remission of Fees.

If your application is successful, your grade will be changed from a Withdrawn Fail (WN) grade into a Withdrawn grade (W). You will also have your fees either refunded to you or removed from your HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP Debt.

We recommend that you check out our blog specifically on Remission of Fees. You can also contact us for assistance!

Option 2) Withdrawal Without Academic Penalty

If you withdrew after the academic penalty date and received an academic penalty, or you did not withdraw but still received an academic penalty, for example, a Fail Incomplete, you may be able to apply. You can also apply if your application for Remission of Fees was rejected.

This application is very similar to a Remission of Fees, however, it is assessed by the Course Coordinator, not the Remission’s Committee. This means it has a lower threshold for approval.

If your application for Withdrawal Without Academic Penalty is approved, you will receive a Withdrawn (W) grade on your transcript instead of a Fail grade.

We recommend that you check out our blog specifically on Withdrawal Without Academic Penalty.

We know if this is something you’re facing it can be quite stressful – please feel free to reach out to us if you need assistance.

You’re never alone at UNE.