Six facts you need to know about online study

If you’ve never studied online before, the prospect of taking on university studies should bring with it feelings of excitement, not fear! Open Universities Australia (OUA) is a great way to enrol in further study later in life, and they’ve made it their mission to be able to provide accessible and low-risk study options to everyone.

Here are six things to keep in mind if you think online study might be for you.

1.    Start with one subject

If a full study schedule feels like it’ll be too much, just start with a single subject, which is part of a full degree program. Whether you’ve got experience or not, there are no entry requirements when enrolling in university through OUA, so you can start straight away and take it at your own pace. Starting with a single subject is the perfect way to ease back into study. As they say, it’s better to walk before you run!

2.    You don’t need to break the bank

If you’re not totally sure what you want to study, enrolling in individual subjects is a lot cheaper than committing to a full degree right off the bat. If you enrol through OUA, you’ll have access to subjects from lots of Australia’s leading universities, so test the waters to find out what you’ll most enjoy.

3.    No learning goes to waste

If, after enrolling in a few subjects, you decide you want to dive into a full degree then your study so far may count towards that degree. That way, you’ll have already made progress towards graduation before you’ve even settled into a full degree.

4.    There’s always buffer room

The most important date to keep in mind when enrolling for further study is the trusty census date. It’s the last date before you’ll receive any kind of a financial penalty if you decide not to go ahead with your course or unit. The census date is three weeks after the start date, so you can effectively give study a free, three-week trial run. Then, if you’re not ready to commit, just withdraw from your enrolment and give yourself some time to have a think.

5.    You won’t need to splash your cash straight away

Taking up further study doesn’t mean you need to make a big upfront payment. If you’re eligible for a student loan (FEE-HELP) then you’ll have time to pay off the loan, which can be applied to both full degrees and single subjects.

6.    There are ways to reduce your fees

If you already know that you want to get stuck into a full degree, you may be eligible for a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP). This means you’ll share the cost of the degree with the government and don’t need to make repayments. You’re also then eligible to take out a loan (HECS-HELP) to pay off your share of the fees.

If you’re not sure whether further study online is for you, Open Universities Australia has expert student advisors that can help you with selecting courses, questions on fees and anything in between. You can chat to them on 1300 513 044 or find out more here.

This article was originally published by our friends at Open Universities Australia.

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