Eligibility
If you are already enrolled at a New Zealand university, you may be eligible to enrol at the Otago Summer School. Some restrictions may apply. (If you are coming from outside Otago, you should first check that your home university will credit your Otago points towards your current degree programme.) If you have a university entrance qualification, or if you are a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident 20 years of age or over, you may also apply to enrol.
If you are currently at high school, you may be eligible to attend Summer School if you are completing NCEA Level 3 in 2012, had good grades in NCEA Level 2 and your school principal supports your application. Please contact the University Information Centre for more information.
All students applying for admission to the University of Otago must fulfil English language requirements, and may be asked to provide evidence of competency in the use and understanding of written and spoken English.
Students enrolled at the University of Otago in 2011 and/or 2012 (returning students) may enrol for Summer School papers provided they have passed any prerequisites or fulfilled any other requirements for individual papers by the end of 2012.
Students who are new to Otago, or who have been enrolled previously but not in 2011 or 2012 (recommencing students), will in most cases be subject to a managed enrolment (entry pathway) system and will need to have met certain academic and/or other relevant criteria, in addition to any prerequisites, in order to be admitted.
For more information on admission and enrolment requirements please refer to the Guide to Enrolment or the enrolment information pages.
Workload
For most Summer School papers, one point implies 10 hours of work. Taking one 18-point paper, therefore, will involve you in 180 hours of work (or 30 hours a week for six weeks, including classes and private study time). If your academic record is average or lower, you should be very cautious about enrolling for two papers in Summer School. If you are in doubt, seek advice. Some students find that they over-commit themselves by taking two papers. Please note that:
the maximum load permitted by the University in the Summer School is 36 points
- students on Conditional Enrolment may be permitted to take only one paper at Summer School
- in most cases, taking one 18-point paper (0.15 EFTS) in Summer School is regarded by StudyLink as a full-time load for Loans and Allowances purposes
- if you are not enrolled for subsequent study in 2012, StudyLink payments will cover the Summer School tuition period only. StudyLink payments do not cover the Summer School examination period.
- Summer School students may also be approved to take papers for Final Examination Only. Any such additional papers are not taken into account in any consideration of a student’s status as full-time or part-time student or eligibility for Government student loans or allowances.
Please note StudyLink funding conditions were changed in 2011.
The Enrolment Process
(1) Application
Places for domestic students are limited. You are strongly encouraged to apply for enrolment as soon as possible from the week beginning 6 August 2012 and to respond promptly to any requests from the University for any additional information which may be needed to complete your application. You can apply online for Summer School from the week beginning 6 August 2012. Note: New international students should contact the International Office and complete their applications by 31 October 2012.
(2) Approval of Papers
Summer School papers are approved by Advisers at divisional offices (with assistance from Admissions and Enrolment staff) who consider prerequisites and workload, among other things. Divisional Advisers normally approve students’ courses on a first-come-first-served basis until the maximum limit for each paper is reached. However, new and recommencing undergraduate students who do not qualify for Preferential Entry (see page 6 in the Guide to Enrolment) may be subject to further assessment and selection for admission.
If your paper has a prerequisite that you are trying to complete in the second semester this year, you should apply in advance of receiving your final result. If your second semester result subsequently proves positive, you will retain your place in the first-come, first-served queue. Please note that if your first choice of paper is cancelled or has already reached its maximum numbers, you may not be able to take your preferred alternative.
Once your application has been processed and considered by the appropriate Divisional Adviser(s), you will receive a letter or email indicating whether your choice of paper(s) has been approved. Up to 12 October 2012, the letter will be sent to your current address, and thereafter to the permanent home address that you specify in your application. If you will not be going home, it is very important that you update PIMS with your actual address for this period.
(3) Course Confirmation
To finalise your Summer School enrolment you must complete the Course Confirmation Form. Course confirmation signals your attendance at Summer School and your commitment to a particular course of study. If you have applied for a student loan, your verification of study details will not be available to StudyLink until you have completed course confirmation.
Course Confirmation Forms and instructions for completing course confirmation will be posted or emailed to all students in mid-December. Please complete and return this form as soon as possible as this will complete your enrolment process. If you want to change your course of study as listed on the form, you need to obtain approval from the relevant divisional adviser and then submit the form at the University Information Centre. If you are not based in Dunedin you can return the form to divisional advisers directly or post it to Admissions and Enrolment. Although you may choose to complete this process in person on campus during one of the Summer School course confirmation days (7 or 8 January 2013), it is possible that by then a place in your preferred paper might no longer be available.
International Students
The above section does not apply to International students. International students are required to collect their Course Confirmation Forms from the University International Office on one of the course confirmation days (7 and 8 January 2013).
If your form is submitted after 5 pm on 8 January you may incur a Late Course Confirmation fee, as well as delay any StudyLink payments you may be expecting.
Tuition Fees
Tuition fees for 2013 are shown on the description for each individual paper.
The fees account for Summer School detailing the cost of the paper(s) you have specified will be sent to you soon after 10 December. You must pay the full amount listed on your account no later than 11 January 2013. If your fees are being paid by Student Loan, you need:
• to have made appropriate advance application to StudyLink
• to complete course confirmation documentation by 5 pm on 8 January 2013.
