SAO Semester Dates
Semester/Study Period dates roughly follow this example:
- Study Period 1, Monday 21 February (Week 0) to 21 May (end of Week 12) or 28 May (end of Week 13), and
- Study Period 3, Monday 22 August (Week 0) to 19 November (end of Week 12) or 26 November (end of Week 13),
Census dates apply to all SAO students, including those enrolled via Swinburne's Hawthorn OnLine (HOL) or Open Universities Australia (OUA). The census date is when your enrolment requirements must be finalised. Swinburne University is required to report student liability information to the Australian Government's Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) by the specific census date. The census date is the last day for withdrawing from a unit or course without a financial penalty.
The Week 1 (rather than the actual/initial/orientation Week 0) "Study Period" start dates can be seen on the following University-maintained webpage:
https://www.swinburne.edu.au/study/options/find/start-dates/.
Enrolled students should log into Canvas during Week 0, i.e., the week before the advertised Study Period start dates.
SAO typically runs 13-week Study Periods plus an introductory "Week 0" before Week 1 (which is not shown in the calendar) for students to explore their online classrooms and meet classmates and instructors. Major Project Units extend into the grading/marking of Week 13 of the Study Period, while the other Units stop at Week 12.
