To anyone studying a uni degree....

What are the rules with suspending study?

I am seriously thinking about doing my bachelor of ed - it's a 2 year full time degree with the qualifications I already have giving me 2 years worth of credits.

What's always made me hesitate is the fact that I desperately want to have children, and the second I find the right man it'll be happening (it can happen any time right?)... so I wouldn't want to be studying then.
But I've been thinking, why not start it and see what happens?

How does it work though, can you just suspend your course at any time? Is there a time limit to return and complete?

Yes you can defer your enrollment as long as its before the census date (usually a few weeks into semester). So yes you can start and then defer the rest until you're ready. As for time limit to return, I'm not exactly sure, but I'm sure you can find out from the Uni.

Once you have enrolled for a semester you have until census date to pull out which is generally approx 2 - 4 weeks from when uni starts. After that date you will be charged for subjects you are studying then, but given fact that semesters are 4 ish months wouldn't matter if you became preg as you would just then not enrol for the next semester. I am not 100% certain of how long you can defer for but at least a year from the people I know who have defered.

Good luck, you might as well do it no point putting off what you want to do as you may finish before prince charming arrives.

I think it varies depending on the uni.
My uni (Macquarie) gives me 10 years. I can defer study anytime really, but I have to complete the degree course in 10 years. If not, then any previous credits don't count and I need to start again.

Yep, you have up to a certain period to complete the degree but they will extend that for extenuating circumstances. For any semesters when you are not actively doing subjects, you need to apply for a leave of absence, and there are various acceptable reasons. I've taken leave of absences twice - once for a year when my baby was 3 months old and I realized I just couldn't juggle it all, and once when I was having/recovering from a serious illness when I took 6 months and then an additional year after that. They are more likely to look favorably on your applications if you demonstrate effort during your periods of study, but if you're flakey and drop out of courses and rack up a few fails then they might not approve. This is why it's really important to keep in touch with your course coordinator if you hit any roadbumps.

So I reckon, go for it! If its what you really want to be doing, other things will fall in to place around it. But if you are hesitating because you are doubting if it's what you want, then definitely give it a miss and put that energy into finding what it is you do want.

The term I think you're talking about is a leave of absence. Check with your uni as to what they allow. I'm allowed one leave of absence of a year. Studying while preg is ok if you're not sick (I had to take time off) and is pretty ok with a newborn. It's once they hit 6 months and are more awake and active that it's a prob. Although you'd have to take into consideration prac.

My advice, for what it's worth, is to jump in and do it. Sort out potential problems later. Or you might be sitting here in 2 years wishing you'd done it.

And yes it can happen any time! ;)

As the pp's have mentioned, the process for deferring/leave depends on the Uni you are applying to.

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What are the rules with suspending study?

I am seriously thinking about doing my bachelor of ed - it's a 2 year full time degree with the qualifications I already have giving me 2 years worth of credits.

What's always made me hesitate is the fact that I desperately want to have children, and the second I find the right man it'll be happening (it can happen any time right?)... so I wouldn't want to be studying then.
But I've been thinking, why not start it and see what happens?

How does it work though, can you just suspend your course at any time? Is there a time limit to return and complete?

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I have been looking at doing the same course, with same credits. I've spoken to heaps of past And present students, and it seems to be really really flexible. I'm planning to start as soon as I feel ready after baby #2's arrival, so hopefully middle of next year.

Just do it. You have nothing to lose!

Are you both looking at CSU distance by any chance?
They are super flexible, having had dealing with them and enrolling before deciding not to proceed.
You can do one subject at a time of you choose to, they recommend 2 (which means 4 years to complete).

No I was considering James Cook Uni but will look into CSU too.

I finally decided to do an undergrad in education at the ripe old age of 31! Fell pregnant in Jan so started uni pregnant, had DS1 end of Oct & was able to defer my exams.
Went back 2nd year... Yes pregnant again in Jan DS2 born end Oct luckily no exams.
Deferred the following year as found it a bit much. Now back part time doing my 3rd year & yes pregnant again!

DH & I decided it was best for us to start our family and do uni at my own pace rather than attempt maternity leave and all that and put babies off. GO For it!!!

One more question - what happens with fees? Because there is no way I can afford $17500 per year in uni fee - totally ignorant as to how they work!

If its an undergraduate degree, you apply for a publicly funded position, and that will mean you can defer the fee to HECS/HELP, which allows you to pay it off a bit at a time based on your annual income

So is that where, if you never actually use the degree in your job, you never pay it back? Oh to have free education like some countries!

You pay hecs back when you start earning above a certain treshold regardless of it the job relates to your degree or not.

Not sure if this rule has changd since 10yrs ago.

All the best!

Ive learnt never to let the world stop while waiting for that dream to happen :-)

No, you pay it back regardless of what you do, once you start earning a certain amount.

If the miserable pay conditions in Early Childhood don't improve chances are you will never have to pay it back anyway.
Our last B. Ed has not needed to pay a contribution previously however she did work less than 30 hours a week.
I guess this will change now with B. Eds requiring to do more hours and if you are already in a full time position as well but at award wage which is around $27.50 an hour.
You can earn just over 49k before starting to pay HECS (HELP repayment thresholds and rates table here). 49k at 27.50 an hours with no other taxables (fringe benefits etc) is just over 34 hours per week.

I took two LOA's, only supposed to get one, but childbirth forces the issue ;) Also, I was only supposed to get one LOA of 12 months, and I took 18 months all together.
I did rack up fails and pulled out after biting off more than I could chew a few times. I graduated two weeks ago after taking 6 years allowed. I kept up communication, was stuffed around by admin etc, but they don't show up on your transcript - it just says N, with no explanation of intervening life events! No matter, I have it now :)

Totally off topic

Far out at the repayment threshold!! Here in NZ we have to start paying back student loan debt as soon as we are earning over $19k per year. It is 10c on every dollar over.

So from what I understand, if you earn over$49000ish, you pay back 4% of your debt. So that's only perhaps $1500 a year? That's going to take a long time to pay back!

Is the debt there indefinitely - say I finished the degree, had children and didn't return to work for 10 years - does it just sit there waiting till I start earning again?

Yes it just sits there waiting for you to earn and pay back.