Early Warning Letters

Continued enrolment in your course depends on passing enough units. At the end of each semester the University examines student marks to see if you are at risk of not meeting academic progress requirements at the end of the year and therefore being eligible for exclusion from your course. If you are at risk, you will receive a letter advising you of this which will also suggest ways that you can improve your study and minimise your chances of exclusion.

1. What is an Early Warning of Unsatisfactory Progress and who gets one?
2. What does this mean?
3. Is the Early Warning letter serious?
4. Is it too late? What can I do to improve this semester?
5. Contact student rights officers on your campus for more advice

1. What is an Early Warning of Unsatisfactory Progress and who gets one?

Your faculty has sent you a letter of Early Warning, as they believe that you are at risk of not meeting faculty progress requirements. Generally, if you have failed half or more of your units in a semester, or have failed a compulsory unit, you will receive an Early Warning letter as part of an intervention to make sure you do better in subsequent semesters and are not excluded for poor performance.

2. What does this mean?

If you receive an Early Warning letter from your faculty, it means that your faculty is sufficiently concerned about your progress that they want to make sure that you are aware of the help and support that is available to you to do well, and that you know the consequences of continued poor performance. If you receive an Early Warning letter you still have time to make a difference in your marks before they make a decision whether or not to exclude you.

The University has invested time and effort into your education so far, but if you continue to fail a certain percentage of units or fail compulsory units over the course of a year you may be called to attend an Academic Progress Committee (APC) hearing at the end of the academic year. The purpose of an APC hearing is for the Faculty to discuss with you why you have not made progress in your course, and whether or not you are likely to be able to finish your degree.

The Early Warning letter is your chance to reassess your situation and figure out what you need to do in order to pass your subjects. The university wants to help you with this, which is why they attach a list of people and services who can help you do your best.

3. Is the Early Warning letter serious?

Yes, definitely; the purpose of sending you an Early Warning letter is to inform you that your current performance is not acceptable and that Monash expects a higher standard in order for you to continue. The aim of the letter is for you to take action before it is too late. If you can identify the areas affecting your studies and establish strategies to overcome these problems your performance is likely to improve and you may save yourself a visit to the Faculty’s Academic Progress Committee at the end of the year.

You should make use of the opportunity that is offered to you by your faculty in the letter, and make an appointment with a staff member to discuss your situation. If you ignore the Early Warning letter and achieve poor results in semester two, the University will look on your situation less favourably than if you take notice of this letter and do something pro-active NOW.

It is common for Academic Progress Committees to ask students at exclusions hearings what they did once they received their Early Warning letters. All too often students reply that they did nothing, or thought that they could improve on their own without asking for help. These are the wrong answers! If you receive an Early Warning letter you probably need to take some much more substantial steps to address your issues and have a good second semester

4. Is it too late? What can I do to improve this semester?

It is not too late to make changes. Firstly, you need to identify where you had problems last semester. Some common problems include:

Not enough time spent studying

Did you know that for every credit point you take, you need to spend 2 hours studying? That’s 48 hours a week (including class time) for a full-time study load!

Too much time in paid employment

Did you know that the University recommends a maximum of 20 hours per week paid work if you are studying full time?
Did you know that the University can help you with loans and financial advice?

Ineffective study techniques

Did you know that the University runs study-skill seminars at the beginning of each semester and can give you one-on-one assistance?

Not applying for Special Consideration if you’ve been sick or otherwise affected

Did you know that there is a way of applying for extensions and deferred exams?

Being in the wrong units

Did you know that you can change your unit selection after semester starts?
Check your diary for important university cut-off dates

Personal and Emotional problems

Did you know that the university has a counselling service that’s free for students?

Accommodation and tenancy issues

Did you know that the university offers housing advice?

Life doesn’t always go the way we want it to, and sometimes things happen that are outside our control, but there are ways that you can minimise their impact on your study, even if you’ve been really sick, in an accident, not coping with the move to a new city, trying to learn a new language, having family problems, or whatever your situation may be.

Staff members at the Student Rights Services on each campus are available to assist you with identifying problems and creating some strategies to improve your performance. They can also inform you of other services available on campus that offer additional assistance.

The important thing to remember is that it doesn’t hurt to ask for help- you might be surprised at how helpful others can be!

5. Contact student rights officers on your campus for more advice:

Student Rights Officers are employed by the Student Association on your campus to help you. We are independent of the University, so your situation is our priority. We have extensive experience in helping students through this process and are best placed to make sure you get the best possible outcome. The earlier you come and see us, the more we can help you.

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions please email your Student Rights Officer at
studentrights.msa @adm.monash.edu.au


	Early Warning Letters Continued enrolment in your course depends on passing enough units. At the end of each semester the University examines student marks to see if you are at risk of not meeting academic progress requirements at the end of the year and therefore being eligible for exclusion from your course. If you are at risk, you will receive a letter advising you of this which will also suggest ways that you can improve your study and minimise your chances of exclusion. 1. What is an Early Warning of Unsatisfactory Progress and who gets one? 2. What does this mean? 3. Is the Early Warning letter serious? 4. Is it too late? What can I do to improve this semester? 5. Contact student rights officers on your campus for more advice 1. What is an Early Warning of Unsatisfactory Progress and who gets one? Your faculty has sent you a letter of Early Warning, as they believe that you are at risk of not meeting faculty progress requirements. Generally, if you have failed half or more of your units in a semester, or have failed a compulsory unit, you will receive an Early Warning letter as part of an intervention to make sure you do better in subsequent semesters and are not excluded for poor performance. 2. What does this mean? If you receive an Early Warning letter from your faculty, it means that your faculty is sufficiently concerned about your progress that they want to make sure that you are aware of the help and support that is available to you to do well, and that you know the consequences of continued poor performance. If you receive an Early Warning letter you still have time to make a difference in your marks before they make a decision whether or not to exclude you. The University has invested time and effort into your education so far, but if you continue to fail a certain percentage of units or fail compulsory units over the course of a year you may be called to attend an Academic Progress Committee (APC) hearing at the end of the academic year. The purpose of an APC hearing is for the Faculty to discuss with you why you have not made progress in your course, and whether or not you are likely to be able to finish your degree. The Early Warning letter is your chance to reassess your situation and figure out what you need to do in order to pass your subjects. The university wants to help you with this, which is why they attach a list of people and services who can help you do your best. 3. Is the Early Warning letter serious? Yes, definitely; the purpose of sending you an Early Warning letter is to inform you that your current performance is not acceptable and that Monash expects a higher standard in order for you to continue. The aim of the letter is for you to take action before it is too late. If you can identify the areas affecting your studies and establish strategies to overcome these problems your performance is likely to improve and you may save yourself a visit to the Faculty’s Academic Progress Committee at the end of the year. You should make use of the opportunity that is offered to you by your faculty in the letter, and make an appointment with a staff member to discuss your situation. If you ignore the Early Warning letter and achieve poor results in semester two, the University will look on your situation less favourably than if you take notice of this letter and do something pro-active NOW. It is common for Academic Progress Committees to ask students at exclusions hearings what they did once they received their Early Warning letters. All too often students reply that they did nothing, or thought that they could improve on their own without asking for help. These are the wrong answers! If you receive an Early Warning letter you probably need to take some much more substantial steps to address your issues and have a good second semester 4. Is it too late? What can I do to improve this semester? It is not too late to make changes. Firstly, you need to identify where you had problems last semester. Some common problems include: Not enough time spent studying Did you know that for every credit point you take, you need to spend 2 hours studying? That’s 48 hours a week (including class time) for a full-time study load! Too much time in paid employment Did you know that the University recommends a maximum of 20 hours per week paid work if you are studying full time? Did you know that the University can help you with loans and financial advice? Ineffective study techniques Did you know that the University runs study-skill seminars at the beginning of each semester and can give you one-on-one assistance? Not applying for Special Consideration if you’ve been sick or otherwise affected Did you know that there is a way of applying for extensions and deferred exams? Being in the wrong units Did you know that you can change your unit selection after semester starts? Check your diary for important university cut-off dates Personal and Emotional problems Did you know that the university has a counselling service that’s free for students? Accommodation and tenancy issues Did you know that the university offers housing advice? Life doesn’t always go the way we want it to, and sometimes things happen that are outside our control, but there are ways that you can minimise their impact on your study, even if you’ve been really sick, in an accident, not coping with the move to a new city, trying to learn a new language, having family problems, or whatever your situation may be. Staff members at the Student Rights Services on each campus are available to assist you with identifying problems and creating some strategies to improve your performance. They can also inform you of other services available on campus that offer additional assistance. The important thing to remember is that it doesn’t hurt to ask for help- you might be surprised at how helpful others can be! 5. Contact student rights officers on your campus for more advice: Student Rights Officers are employed by the Student Association on your campus to help you. We are independent of the University, so your situation is our priority. We have extensive experience in helping students through this process and are best placed to make sure you get the best possible outcome. The earlier you come and see us, the more we can help you. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions please email your Student Rights Officer at studentrights.msa @adm.monash.edu.au