Student visa holders must maintain full-time enrolment as a condition of their visa
As a student visa holder you must complete your program within the expected duration, which is the end date of your Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) issued by RMIT.
To complete within your expected duration, you must enrol at a full-time load throughout your program.
You cannot enrol at a reduced enrolment load (study part-time) in any semester unless you have formal approval, and RMIT may only approve a reduced enrolment load if you have evidence of compassionate and compelling circumstances.
Important: If you do not have approval for a reduced enrolment load you must remain fully enrolled
If you underload without approval, or do not have approval to study in a reduced load before the census date you may not be granted a CoE extension to complete your program.
What is a full-time enrolment load?
For higher education students (bachelor and post graduate programs), a full-time enrolment load is 96 credit points per year, or 48 credit points in each half of the year.
Most vocational education students (certificate I-IV and diploma programs) will automatically be enrolled in a full-time enrolment load based on their program enrolment.
How do I check my enrolment load?
You can view your current enrolment load by checking your Statement of Enrolment in Enrolment Online.
Your statements will confirm your enrolment for the year based on two half-year study periods
- first half of the year, showing all enrolment between January to June; and
- second half of the year, showing all enrolment between July to December
If you are enrolled full-time for the study period, your 'Aggregated Load' will be '100% of a Full Load'.
If your Aggregated Load is less than 100% of a Full Load you are NOT enrolled at a full-time load for that study period and need to add more classes via Enrolment Online.
Can I apply to reduce my enrolment load (study part-time)?
Student visa holders can only reduce their enrolment load if they have formal approval based on evidence of compassionate and compelling circumstances that will prevent them from studying full-time.
Deadline to apply
If your circumstances have changed and you believe you cannot study full-time you must seek urgent advice from your Program Manager or College Academic Services team. You must do this as soon as possible to allow time for advice and approval to amend your enrolment before your class census date/s.
Your class census dates are shown on your Statement of Enrolment and in Enrolment Online.
You should NOT change your enrolment until after you have received formal approval to reduce your enrolment load (see application process below). If you reduce your enrolment load without approval, RMIT may reject your application and you may not be issued with a new CoE.
If you have been approved to reduce your enrolment load you must ensure you drop relevant classes before the census date to avoid financial liability.
How to apply to reduce your enrolment load
If you believe you have compassionate and compelling circumstances that prevent you studying a full-time load, you must:
- Contact your Program Manager or College to discuss your situation as soon as possible
Please note: You should NOT reduce your enrolment as you must continue to remain enrolled in a full-time load until you have formal approval to reduce your enrolment load - After discussion with your Program Manager or College, download and complete the Application to Reduce Enrolment Load Form (PDF, 526KB)
- Submit your completed form and evidence to support your application to Student Connect.
If your application is approved, you may then reduce your enrolment by dropping the agreed classes in Enrolment Online.
False documents and misleading information
Creating, submitting or using fraudulent documents constitutes a breach of the RMIT Student Charter and may be deemed misconduct under the Student Conduct Policy. Providing RMIT with fraudulent documents is also a crime under the Victorian Crimes Act 1958.
Students who submit fraudulent documents may face a range of consequences, from failing an assessment task through to permanent expulsion or revocation of qualification/s.
Find out more about document fraud, how you can avoid it and where you can access free support if you need help navigating a challenging situation.
Need help?
For more information, please contact Student Connect.
Status and details
Last updated May 2026
By University Secretary andAcademic Registrar's Group (USARG)
In accordance with National Code 2018 Standard 7, Standard 8, Standard 9
