Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

If you think you are nearing completion, the best thing to do is to make an appointment for personal advice with the Dean's Office staff by calling them on 0800 438 254, calling in to F.1.07 or by email. The advisers will check your record and let you know whether you are on track to complete the requirements of your qualification and if not, what else needs to be done.

The answer to this question depends on a lot of things - what major/s your taking, which qualification you're enrolled in, how far through the qualification you are, amongst other things. The best thing to do is to make an appointment for personal enrolment advice with the Dean's Office staff by calling them on 0800 438 254, calling in to F.1.07 or by email.

You need to complete and submit a Change of Enrolment application online through your iWaikato account - you'll have to log in using your Waikato username and password, if you haven't already. Click on Common Tasks > Change Enrolment and Re-Enrolment > Change of Enrolment, then follow the steps onscreen.

(See the next question for deadlines for changing your papers.)

The best thing to do is to try and finalise your papers before the semester starts, but we know that due to a variety of circumstances, this is not always possible.

If you do wish to change your papers, you have until the end of the first week of classes (for S or T semester papers) and until the end of the second week of classes (for A, B and Y Semester papers) to apply to change your papers. If you apply within these time frames, and if the changes are approved, you should be eligible for a full refund of fees for any papers dropped.

You will not be able to add any papers after these times, but you may still be able to withdraw from papers after this. However penalties will likely be incurred. If you are not sure where you stand, please contact the Dean's Office for advice as soon as you can - and the sooner the better.

Please refer to the Change of Enrolment regulations for the University's official rules and deadlines surrounding enrolment changes.

This means you have not clearly passed enough of your papers to be automatically eligible for re-entry into the following academic year. To be automatically eligible for re-entry, you must gain unrestricted passes (ie; C grades or better) in papers worth at least half of the total points you are enrolled in for the relevant year. It is best to try to avoid becoming ineligible for re-entry as if you do become ineligible, that ineligibility will remain on your record forever.

There are also rules surrounding semester re-entry, but for more information about re-entry, please refer to the relevant sections of the University's official Criteria for Admission to Particular Qualifications.

You should aim to get the best possible grades you can, but if you are struggling at all, then it is best to try to clearly pass with a C grade or better all your papers. The absolute minimum you need to be automatically eligible for re-entry is unrestricted passes (ie; C grades or better) in papers worth at least half of the total points you are enrolled in for the year.

The University's Online Timetable is available for everyone to be able to search for timetables associated with most papers offered. You will need to know the paper codes (the alpha-numerical code that each paper is assigned; ie; BIOL101-13B) for each of the papers you are interested in. Use the Create a Timetable function to create your own personal timetable.

You can search by lecture, lab, workshop, tutorial or a combination of all of these things, but it's best to start with lectures, and work around these where possible for labs/tutorials/workshops etc. You can also use the other functions on the Timetable page to check what lab times are available and where and when lectures are held.

Lab coats can be purchased by paying the prescribed fee (currently $51.00) at the Fees Office in the Student Centre at the Library, and then taking your receipt to collect your lab coat from the Science Store, which is located on the Ground Floor of F block.

Alternatively, you can purchase a second-hand lab coat for a reasonable price at ApparelMaster, 10 Main Street, off Sunshine Ave, Te Rapa.

Make an appointment with one of the First Year Mentors or contact the relevant convener of your programme. Names of the conveners can be found in the Undergraduate Handbook.

You should try to attend another lab stream that week, wherever possible. You will be expected to provide a reason why you missed a compulsory lab, so if your absence was due to illness, on your first day back on campus you should immediately see the course convener to discuss your options and any work you have missed. You may be asked to provide a medical certificate.

You need to complete the required form at the relevant Department's Office. The departmental secretary will be able to advise you further on the process.