Student Load Liability (LL) & Revised Student Load Liability (RL) scope

Version Details

Version: 5.1
First Year: 2014
Last Year: 2014

About

Higher education providers (providers) approved under the Opens in a new window: Higher Education Support Act 2003 (HESA) are required to report data for all domestic and overseas students enrolled in or undertaking a course of study leading to a higher education award of the organisation.

The Student Load Liability (LL) file contains records of student load (equivalent full time student load or EFTSL) and liability (or debt) for all units of study undertaken in the reporting year. This file is used in the Student submission.

The LL file can also include student records omitted from a previous Student submission due to administrative error.

The Revised Student Load Liability (RL) file enables providers to revise previously reported student load liability data. This file is used in the Student Revision submission (see Revisions below).

For more information see Administrative Information for Providers (AIP): Student Support.

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Timing

Timing of submissions is detailed in the reporting schedule for the relevant reporting year.

There are up to four deadlines for each reporting year which depend on the census dates for unit(s) of study offered by a provider. Data can be submitted at any time after a census date. A provider may submit more than one submission for a period.

The submission date in the reporting schedule is the final deadline when data should be received by the department. Data can be submitted prior to the due date.

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Submission method

The LL file is one of three files incorporated in the Student submission. The other files are the

When reporting a Student submission it is recommended that you read the EN and DU file scope guidelines in conjunction with these scope guidelines.

Similarly, when revising data, the RL file is one of three files incorporated in a Student Revision submission. See Revisions below for more information.

Submissions are made using the Higher Education Provider Client Assistance Tool (HEPCAT). More information about this process is in the HEPCAT User Guide Part 2.

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Structure

Information about the structure and the elements in the LL/LR files is in the structure guidelines for the relevant reporting year.

Each record in the LL file must have a unique combination of values for:

These elements are the key identifiers for a student’s unit of study. A record to be revised will be matched on these elements.

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Inclusions and Exclusions

For details about types of units of study and records that should be included and excluded on the LL file and special cases please refer to Attachment A – Inclusions and Exclusions.

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Revisions

Unit of study data that has previously been reported to the department in a Student submission can be revised through a Student Revision submission.

The Student Revision submission incorporates data from three files:

When reporting a Student Revision submission it is recommended that you read the SR and the DU file scope guidelines in conjunction with these scope guidelines.

Revised data can be submitted at any time. For detailed information on how to revise previously reported load liability data see the higher education revision guides.

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More information

For more information about terms used in these guidelines see the glossary.

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Attachment A – Inclusions and Exclusions

Types of units of study to be included on the LL file

Units of study in any of the following categories must be included in the LL file:

  • units of study undertaken by a student enrolled at the provider in:
    • an award course
    • an enabling course
    • a non-award course
    • a cross-institutional program where the program is a required component of an award course or enabling course at another Higher Education Provider.
  • units of study which are wholly work experience in industry.
  • units of study which were omitted from a previous submission due to special circumstances, administrative error or change in study program.
  • revisions to units of study previously reported, but not of the type reported in a Student Revision submission.
  • units of study for which the reporting provider gives the teaching resources, including:
    • those undertaken at the reporting provider in connection with an enrolment at the reporting provider in an award course, enabling course or cross-institutional program; or
    • those in connection with an enrolment at the reporting provider in an award course or enabling course, but the units;
      • are undertaken at another Australian provider; and
      • resources for the program are provided by the reporting provider; or
    • those undertaken in connection with an enrolment at another Australian provider in an award or enabling course, but the units:
      • are undertaken at the reporting provider as a cross-institutional program; and
      • resources for the program are provided by the reporting provider.
  • units of study undertaken by an overseas student who has come to Australia as an exchange student or Study Abroad student, but is being charged a tuition fee by the Australian provider.
  • units of study undertaken at a non-Australian provider by an Australian exchange student as part of a formal exchange program (including cotutelle) arranged between the Australian provider and the non-Australian overseas provider for the student and for whom:
    • the units of study will be counted as credit towards an award course at the Australian provider;
    • tuition fees are not charged by the non-Australian overseas provider; and
    • resources are not provided by the Australian provider.
  • units of study undertaken by domestic students with a third party provider where:
    • the student is enrolled in the unit or course of study with an eligible provider;
    • the provider is responsible for accrediting the unit or course of study as a higher education award;
    • the tuition fee or student contribution amount for the unit is set and charged by the provider.
  • units of study undertaken by overseas students with a third party provider where:
    • the student is enrolled in the unit or course of study with an eligible provider;
    • the provider is responsible for accrediting the unit or course of study as a higher education award;
    • the fees charged to overseas students in respect of their course must be sufficient to recover the full average costs of providing the course.

Types of records to be excluded from the LL file

Some types of records are not reported on the LL file. These include records identified below relating to:

  • students
  • units of study; and
  • courses

Types of students for whom records are to be excluded

The LL file excludes details for units of study undertaken by:

  • overseas students who have come to Australia as exchange students as part of a formal exchange program (including cotutelle) arranged between providers, but who are not being charged tuition fees by the provider; and
  • English language intensive courses for overseas students (ELICOS) students.

Types of units of study for which records are to be excluded

The LL file excludes records of the following types:

  • units of study for which the cost of resources are met by another Australian provider.
  • units of study involving work experience undertaken as a requirement of a course or a unit of study, but which does not involve planned teaching-learning activities or does not generate credit which counts towards the course's total credit requirements.

Types of courses for which unit of study records are to be excluded

Records are excluded for students in a course type which on the Course of Study submission has a value for the Course of study type code (element 310) of higher doctorate (01).

Special Cases

Cross-institutional programs

The Administrative Information for Providers (AIP): Student Support has detailed information about Cross-institutional programs.

The definition of cross-institutional program specifies a number of criteria which must be satisfied for a program of study to be treated as being a cross-institutional.

Units of study which comprise a cross-institutional program must be included in the file for the one Australian provider. The provider which meets the cost of resources for the unit of study is required to report this unit of study. Examples are provided below:

Example 1 - Where provider A pays money or provides other resources to provider B (which conducts the unit of study) the record for the unit of study is to be included in the file for provider A only. In this case the record will not be coded as a cross-provider record, but will simply be treated as a course type being undertaken at provider A.

Where provider A does not pay money or provide other resources to provider B (which conducts the unit of study as a cross-institution program), the unit of study is to be included in the file of provider B only, and coded as a cross-provider program.

In both cases in Example 1, the load for the rest of the student's course (units of study which are undertaken at provider A) is only to be included in the LL file for provider A.

Voluntary units, non-required units

In assigning course codes to units of study undertaken as voluntary or non-required units, the following conventions are to apply:

  • If the unit of study is being undertaken voluntarily by a student after the course completion has been reported, the unit of study is to be assigned a course code through element 307 - Course code which is applicable to a non-award course.
  • If the unit of study is being undertaken voluntarily by a student and it cannot be counted as credit towards the course or program being undertaken by the student then it is to be assigned a course code through Course Code (element 307) which is applicable to a non-award course.

Exemptions or deferral from units

If a student has been granted an exemption or deferral from a unit of study, the load for the unit of study for this student should not be reported.

Units of study of one year duration

Units of study of one year duration, should be reported as single units of study, with a single value for Unit of study census date (element 489) which is no earlier than 20 per cent into the duration of the unit.

If, however, a provider wishes to restructure year long units of study for reporting purposes, the restructured units of study will be recognised as different units of study, with different values for Unit of study census date (element 489) and must be treated in accordance with the requirements of HESA.

Research course of study

Fee-paying research

  • Research units of study undertaken on a fee-paying basis should be structured and reported according to the provider’s charging policy for research students. If the provider charges the students on a half year by half year basis, the units of study should be reported on half yearly, and treated as different units of study, in accordance with the requirements of HESA. (e.g. a Masters by Research course could be treated as four different units of study, each representing a half year over the two years of the course.)

Non fee-paying research

  • Research units of study undertaken on a non fee-paying basis can be structured in a way that allows them to be reported at regular intervals (e.g. once every half year). The provider can set the unit of study census date at any time in the half year period, provided the unit of study census date falls at least 20% into the duration of the unit of study.

Australian students studying overseas at a non-Australian Higher Education Provider

Load which is to be reported in the LL file for Australian students studying overseas at a non-Australian provider is defined above under Types of units of study to be included on the LL file. The following types of units of study should not be reported in the LL file for the Australian exchange student overseas:

  • Units of study which will not be counted for credit towards the course enrolled in at the reporting higher education provider.

Where there is load reported in the LL file for the Australian exchange student, Course Code (element 307) is to indicate the course towards which credit will be counted by the Australian higher education provider.

For units of study undertaken in the Australian higher education provider by an overseas student who has come to Australia as part of a formal exchange program, and that student is paying a tuition fee, then load for that student is subject to the normal requirements for inclusion in submissions of the LL file as fee-paying overseas students.


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