Australia: University of Newcastle

The University of Newcastle provides international students with the perfect combination of lifestyle and learning. Today about 30,000 students study at the University of Newcastle with over 6,000 international students from more than 80 countries. Students choose from 150 courses of study offered by 6 faculties (Colleges).

The University of Newcastle has one of the best campuses in Australia. Its 300 acres of natural bushland - complete with Australian wildlife - at the city's edge offers you peace and quiet: the perfect prerequisites for successful study. The Union houses a wide range of facilities such as cafeterias, coffee shops and bars, bookshop, credit union, gift and stationery shops. There are also two banks, a travel agency and a clinic with doctors and dentists on call.

On campus students have access to a state-of-the-art sports complex, which includes an indoor Olympic-sized swimming pool, a 60 ft climbing wall (one of the highest in Australia), two indoor basketball courts, two martial arts/aerobics studios, fully equipped weight and exercise rooms and an adjoining Health Education Center.

The semester program begins with a week long Orientation Program that prepares students for the academic and cultural experience ahead. All Study Abroad and Exchange students are free to study nearly any course offered by the University of Newcastle (from Aboriginal Studies to Psychology). 

Courses: Students typically take 3 or 4 courses while studying at UON. UNI students can take major, minor, and/or LAC courses while studying in Australia. We recommend students also try to take at least one course in a topic on Australia. Information on courses and when they are offered can be found here. 

Teaching Methods and Styles: Australian higher education is derived from the British model. This means that most undergraduate courses consist of lectures, classes, workshops, and tutorials each week as well as 'unstructured' time which means students should be doing individual reading and research. At the beginning of each session, students are given 'deadlines' (final dates) for the completion of assignments in all subjects. If they fail to meet these deadlines, they penalized even though they have completed the work. Lecture and class times for all coursework subjects will be given to students when they enroll during orientation week. All students are required to be at lectures and tutorials at the specified times. 

Students generally attend class 1-2 times per week for each class and the majority of graded content is weighed on a midterm and final assignment or exam. 

Academic Calendar: The university operates on a semester system with Semester 1 (our Spring semester) running from February to June and Semester 2 (our Fall semester) running from July to December. When thinking about their semester dates, it is important to remember that with it being on the other side of the hemisphere, their spring semester is our fall and vice versa. To view the academic calendar, please see here. 

Credits and Grades:  Australian credits are calculated differently than in the US. A 3-credit course at UNI is the same as a 10 credit course at Newcastle. That being said, most UNI students take four courses to be considered full-time. Grades are also calculated differently. The grading scale and credit transfer is as follows:

Credits Grades

40 = 16 sem hrs                               HD High Distinction                        85+ = A
20 = 8 sem hrs                                 D Distinction                                   75 -- 84 = A
10 = 4 sem hrs                                  C Credit                                           65 -- 74 = B
                                                          P Pass                                              50 -- 64 = C
                                                         UP or FF Less than 50 = no transfer credit