Exclusion

Being Excluded from your Program / Unsatisfactory Academic Progress

Exclusion is being recommended for removal from your Program due to unsatisfactory academic performance. It is serious and if you do not act, you will lose your place in the Program. If you are an International student, exclusion can lead to action by the Department of Immigration & Citizenship (DIAC) to cancel your visa for Australia. The good news is that many students who appeal against exclusion are successful and complete their studies.

Exclusion comes under RMIT's "Academic Progress Policy".

The key things to remember about exclusion (including show cause stage):

• At Risk - For a student to be sent an exclusion email he/she must have been placed at risk beforehand and must have had an opportunity to attend an at risk meeting with the Student Progress Committee.
• Show Cause - Students have 10 working days to submit a show cause letter to the Student Progress Committee (SPC) when they have been asked to do so.  Make sure you provide as much documentary evidence as possible to prove your extenuating circumstances.  Also it's important to have a clear strategy in place to address the issues that caused the poor academic performance.
• University Appeals - If the SPC committee rejects the show cause letter from the student, the student will be officially sent an exclusion notification.  The student will then have 20 working days from the date of their exclusion recommendation notification to appeal to the University Appeals Committee (UAC) against this decision.
• Where a student lodges an Appeal against his/her exclusion to the UAC, they should be enrolled in their current course and should attend their classes as usual.  If the UAC rejects their appeal, the student will get a full refund of fees paid after their exclusion notification.
• Your student union can offer you advice on how to write your show cause letter or how to appeal against your exclusion.
• Be sure to ask your lecturer/course coordinator for an appointment to review any exam papers or assessment pieces that you have failed.

If you failed to attend your AT RISK MEETING, you must speak to RUSU immediately - visit any RUSU information counter or email student.rights@rmit.edu.au

 

DOWNLOADABLE RESOURCES

Letter templates:

• Appeal Against Exclusion

• Show Cause

Leaflets:

• Exclusions - Appeals

• Exclusions - Show Cause

Information fliers:

• Pre Student Rights Appoinment Check list

• Examples of documentary evidence

• A guide to preparing for a hearing

 

Read RMIT University's Unsatisfactory Academic Progress information.

Read RMIT University's Academic Progress Policy infromation.