Anyone studying with Open University Australia?

[Jaycee]

Hi everyone
I've just enrolled in external university! I'm going to be studying a bachelor of business in financial planning, i'm really nervous and excited at the same time!
Just wondering if any of you have studied with OUA and how did you find it?
Janine

[AnnaChas]

Hi! How exciting!

My mother-in-law is doing an Arts degree through Open Universities. She is loving it, however she is finding that the different Universities have different ways of doing things (be prepared to have a LOT of usernames and passwords!). I think that she didn't really like Curtin because they didn't really have good support (quite essential when studying externally!) and I don't think that the materials were as good as the other Universities.

Good luck with it all!

[Jaycee]

Thanks for the reply Anna!
I've heard that there are different username and passwords for the different uni's, must keep them all organised somewhere I think
Really looking forward to studying, but I'm really nervous and hoping I'm not biting off more than I can chew!

[LaDeeDa]

I would love to study through OUA Janine but I don't know how I would go with DS and managing course work
Do they have payment options?

[SugarDust]

I would love to study through OUA Janine but I don't know how I would go with 3 DS' and managing course work
Do they have payment options?

:yeahthat:

Does Centerlink cover anything if You're on FTB???

[jakodai]

Do they have payment options?

You can pay up front per unit, or you can use FEE-HELP, which is like a HECS loan that you pay off when you're earning over a certain amount each year (I think it's about $35,000 from memory) but there's a lot of information on the Going to Uni website. I think you have to pay off 4% of your annual income once you meet earn the $35,000 (or whatever the amount is).

I studied a few units through Open Uni a few years ago and loved it. I had to stop though because I was working full-time and had just moved out of my parents place into my own house and just couldn't keep on top of the work load. I'm planning on starting back up next year though, and I'm hoping that I can keep up with it OK. I'm going to do the Bachelor of Technology.

I also didn't think Curtin were that great, the support they give you is pretty useless. It's almost as if they say 'OK, read this and then do this' and that's it for the term. I found RMIT to be awesome, they're online support is the best.

SugarDust - I'm pretty sure (and I'm hoping at least) that the courses offered through Open Uni's are approved courses through Centrelink. I know that in my paperwork from them each term they had my course load's that I would have to send to Centrelink if I needed to, so unless anything has changed it should be all good. I THINK (someone please correct me if I'm wrong...) that if you're getting the Parenting Payment then you get the Pensioner Education Supplement Payment, otherwise I think you'd get Austudy.

[LimeSlice]

2 units through OUA is considered full time study for centrelink purposes.
Each unit it around $650 per semester from memory...

Good luck GG!!

[jakodai]

2 units through OUA is considered full time study for centrelink purposes.

Phew! Was hoping that was the case!!