Glossary

Government definitions

Here you can find glossaries, data dictionaries and file specifications. You can also find more information about higher education providers, Australian Standard Classification of Languages (ASCL), Australian Post Codes, Field of Education Classification, HECS Bands and Maximum Contribution Amounts, and the Standard Australian Classification of Countries (SACC).

Monash definitions

The Monash definitions are similar to the Government definitions but have been developed to provide fuller explanations.

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders (ATSI)
• Campus
• Census date
• Commencing student
• Commonwealth assisted student
• Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP)
• Commonwealth supported student
• Course type group
• Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR)
• Domestic student
• Enrolment
• Equivalent Full-Time Student Load (EFTSL)
• External mode
• Faculty
• FEE-HELP
• Full-time
• Graduate/postgraduate coursework (GPG)
• HECS exempt
• HECS liable
• HECS-HELP
• Higher degree research (HDR)
• Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS)
• Internal mode
• International student
• Mode of attendance
• Multi-modal mode
• New to higher education
• Non-award
• Off-shore campus
• Off-shore student
• On-shore student
• Part-time
• Permanent home residence
• Permanent resident status
• Residence
• Returning student
• School
• School leaver
• Semester residence
• Student
• Student age
• Student Learning Entitlement (SLE)
• Type of attendance
• Undergraduate (UG)
  

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders (ATSI)

Persons who identify themselves as being of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent.

Campus

The physical location where a course is delivered. For on-line or other distance education courses this is the location where the course material is maintained. There are currently 8 campuses at Monash University located in Berwick, Caulfield, Clayton, Gippsland, Parkville, Peninsula, South Africa, and Sunway, Malaysia.

Census date

The date on which a student's enrolment is finalised. As HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP debts are incurred and the SLE is consumed on the census date, students must make their up-front payments and submit their request for Commonwealth assistance by this date.

Commencing student

A student is classified as a commencing student in relation to a particular course of study. A student is a commencing student if she/he has enrolled in the course for the first time at Monash University between 1 January and 31 December. Students who transfer from one course to another where there is a significant change in course are included in this category. All other students are classified as returning students.

Commonwealth assisted student

A student who has a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) or who is in receipt of a HELP loan or a Commonwealth Learning Scholarship.

Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP)

A higher education place for which the Commonwealth makes a contribution towards the cost of the student's education.

Commonwealth supported student

A student who has a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP).

Course type group

Indicates the type of higher education course. Courses are grouped into higher degree research (HDR), graduate/postgraduate coursework (GPG), undergraduate (UG) and non-award.

Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR)

The Australian Government department to which higher education providers are required to provide statistical and other information. This department was formerly known as the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST).

Domestic student

A student who is an Australian citizen or the holder of a permanent resident visa, or is a New Zealand citizen.

Enrolment

An enrolment exists when a person has been admitted to an award course, non-award course, enabling course, cross-provider program or Bridging for Overseas Trained Professionals at Monash University at the census date; the person is still entitled to continue with her/his studies; and has not formally indicated before the census date that she/he has withdrawn from or deferred the studies.

Equivalent Full-Time Student Load (EFTSL)

One EFTSL is a measure of the study load, for a standard year (ie semester 1 and 2) of a student undertaking a course of study on a full time basis.

External mode

A unit of study where lesson materials, assignments, etc are delivered to the student, and any associated attendance by the student at the institution is of an incidental, irregular, special or voluntary nature.

Faculty

A division within a university. There are currently 10 faculties within Monash University: Art and Design, Arts, Business and Economics, Education, Engineering, Information Technology, Law, Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Science.

FEE-HELP

A loan scheme to help eligible non-Commonwealth supported students pay their tuition fees.

Full-time

Student load aggregated for all courses being undertaken by the student in the year is 0.75 or more.

Graduate/postgraduate coursework (GPG)

A course of study that leads to the award of a graduate certificate, graduate diploma, postgraduate diploma, or masters degree by coursework.

HECS exempt

Student who is not eligible for HECS-HELP.

HECS liable

Student who is eligible for HECS-HELP and has chosen to discharge liability in part or in full through the taxation system, or the student has chosen to fully discharge liability through payment of discounted HECS debt.

HECS-HELP

A scheme that includes up-front payment discounts and loans to help eligible Commonwealth supported students pay their student contributions. Students are either HECS liable or HECS exempt.

Higher degree research (HDR)

Courses for which at least two-thirds of the total load for the course is research work and not more than one-third is coursework. This includes higher doctorate, doctorate by research and masters by research.

Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS)

The Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS) is a programme run by the Australian Government to support Australian citizens to undertake university studies.

Internal mode

A unit of study which is undertaken through attendance at Monash University on a regular basis; or where the student is undertaking a higher degree unit of study for which regular attendance is not required, but attends on an agreed schedule for the purposes of supervision and/or instruction.

International student

Any student who is not a domestic student. This includes a student who has a temporary entry permit or is a diplomat or a dependent of a diplomat (except New Zealand) and resides in Australia while undertaking this unit of study.

Mode of attendance

A classification of the manner in which a student is undertaking a unit of study.

Multi-modal mode

A course undertaken partially on an internal mode of attendance and partially on an external mode of attendance.

New to higher education

A students who is an Australian citizen or has permanent resident status; and is a commencing student; and prior to enrolment in the current course never commenced a higher education course. Excludes school leavers in State-funded places, international students, students undertaking non-award courses, students who are undertaking a cross provider program and students enrolled in units offered by Open Universities Australia (OUA).

Non-award

A course which does not lead to an award and is comprised of a unit or units of study from an award course at Monash University.

Off-shore campus

A campus of Monash University which is located outside Australia.

Off-shore student

A student who is residing overseas for the semester and is undertaking a program of study conducted by an off-shore campus of Monash University.

On-shore student

A student undertaking a program of study conducted in Australia by Monash University.

Part-time

Student load aggregated for all courses being undertaken by the student for the year is less than 0.75.

Permanent home residence

The place a student regards as being her/his permanent home residence. This may or may not be the same as the student's term residence.

Permanent resident status

A visa status that enables the student to reside in Australia indefinitely.

Residence

The place at which a student has been or is residing.

Returning student

A student who is not commencing.

School

An organisation which is or has been recognised by the relevant State or Territory education authority as a school. Such organisations may or may not have the word "school" in their description or name; ie secondary colleges; senior colleges; and "colleges" other than those which are classed as TAFE institutions or higher education providers.

School leaver

A person who is entering the university from a school.

Semester residence

The residence in which a student lives during the term. This may or may not be the same as the student's permanent home residence.

Student

A person for whom there is an enrolment in a course at Monash University.

Student age

Age calculated at 31 December in the year prior to the reference year.

Student Learning Entitlement (SLE)

An entitlement that gives eligible students access to a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP).

Type of attendance

Attendance is classified by Monash University as being full-time or part-time based on the student load for the student aggregated across all units of study (including work experience in industry units) for all courses being undertaken by the student in the year.

Undergraduate (UG)

A course of study that leads to the award of advanced diploma, diploma, associate degree or a bachelor degree (pass, honours or graduate entry).