Higher education
A student is classified as a commencing student in relation to a particular course of study. A student is a commencing student for a year if they started studying in a course of study for the first time at the higher education provider or an antecedent higher education provider in that year. An antecedent higher education provider means a higher education provider which has merged with the higher education provider at which the student's enrolment continues.
A student is considered commencing if the year of their E534: Course of Study Commencement Date is the same as the year of their E489: Unit of Study Census Date in the reporting year.
- Commencing = TRUE when year (E534: Course of Study Commencement Date) equals year (E489: Unit of Study Census Date)
- Commencing = FALSE when year (E534: Course of Study Commencement Date does not equal year (E489: Unit of Study Census Date)
This determination is applied at the unit of study level for the reporting year within the TCSI Analytics reports.
Students of the following types are not to be classified as commencing students:
- students who are starting a specialised program of studies after completing, at the institution or an antecedent institution, a common initial year or years of a general program;
- students who, having completed an initial year of study at the institution or an antecedent institution then exercise a standard option of continuing their studies but at a lower level (i.e. their studies would then lead to an award at a level lower than that which pertains to the program of studies undertaken in the first year);
- students who move from course to course within a course of study;
- students who transfer to a bachelor's honours course of study having previously been enrolled, at the higher education provider or an antecedent higher education provider, in the related bachelor's pass course of study;
- students who transfer to a master's honours course of study having previously been enrolled, at the higher education provider or an antecedent higher education provider, in the related master's pass course;
- students who are enrolled in a course of study at the higher education provider or an antecedent higher education provider which is upgraded in level or renamed;
- students who are resuming the same course at the higher education provider or an antecedent higher education provider after an absence;
- students continuing from the first component of a combined course to the second or later components;
- students resuming a combined course which normally leads to a single award after having been conceded an award for another course of study;
- students who have completed part of the requirements of a combined course of study at the institution and then change their enrolment to one of the components of that combined course of study;
- students who have completed part of the requirements of a unitary course of study at the institution and then change their enrolment to a related combined course of study which leads to an award or awards that subsume the award applicable to the unitary course of study; or
- students who transfer within the higher education provider from one course strain to another course strain, where the course leads to the same award. (e.g. a student who changes from a BSc (Chemistry) to a BSc (Physics)).
VET
A student who is classified as a commencing student in relation to a particular course of study. A student is a commencing student if they have enrolled in the course for the first time at the VSL provider or antecedent VSL provider between 1 January of the Reporting Year and 31 December of the Reporting Year. An antecedent VSL provider means a VSL provider which has merged with the VSL provider at which the student's enrolment continues.