Eligibility
- 18 years of age or above
- Good academic and disciplinary standing at Penn State
- 3.0 GPA cumulative GPA or better at the time of application
- Second Semester Sophomore standing or above at the start of the program
Program Description
The University of New South Wales is one of the top research institutions in Australia. The Kensington (main) campus is situated on 85 acres of land and is located 5 km (15 minute bus ride) from Sydney's central business district. UNSW is an internationally acclaimed teaching and research powerhouse, offering study abroad and exchange students a learning experience packed with academic programs, student activities and educational services. The University combines academics recognized as world-leaders in their fields, with modern facilities, rigorous education standards and a diverse community.
Dates
Academic Year: early August - mid May
Fall: early August - mid December
Spring: early January - mid May
The UNSW Academic Calendar is referred to as UNSW3+. UNSW3+ consists of three terms of 10 teaching weeks (excluding orientation, public holidays and exams), and a five-week intensive summer (southern hemisphere) term in January and a five-week intensive winter (southern hemisphere) term in August. Students can take three courses in each term and 1 course in the intensive terms. The UNSW new academic calendar is as follows:
- January Intensive Term: Early January – mid February
- Term 1: Mid February – mid May
- Term 2: Early June – late August
- August Intensive Term: early August - mid September
- Term 3: Mid September – mid December
Study abroad options for Penn State Students:
- Penn State Spring Semester: January Intensive Term + Term 1 for a total of 4 courses
- Penn State Fall Semester: August Intensive Term + Term 3 for a total of 4 courses
- Penn State Academic Year: Term 1 (3 courses) + Term 2 (2 courses) + Term 3 (3 courses) or Term 3 (3 courses) + Term 1 (3 courses) + Term 2 (2 courses)
Students studying at UNSW for one semester are not permitted to study at UNSW for a single term. Term 1 must be combined with the January Intensive Term and Term 3 must be combined with the August Intensive Term.
Refer to the UNSW Academic Calendar for the specific dates, if available.
Program Note
This program may have limited space, so we recommend that you identify an appropriate backup program and complete the Education Abroad Backup Questionnaire in your Penn State Application when applying to this program. Should you not be accepted for your first-choice program, you will automatically be reviewed for your backup choice. For help on choosing an appropriate backup, please contact your education abroad adviser.
Location
Sydney is the capital city of the state of New South Wales. It is located on the south-east coast of Australia, in the temperate zone, which gives it a mild climate year round. It is also the largest (and oldest) city in Australia. First established by the British as a convict settlement in 1788, it has developed into a major industrial, business, and manufacturing center. It is also a cosmopolitan city that offers a wealth of entertainment, shopping, and sightseeing. Sydney has sprawling suburbs that reach out from the city-center about 35 miles north, 21 miles west and 19 miles south. Its harbor is one of the largest in the world, and is famous for the unmistakable arch of the Harbour Bridge and the sails of the Opera House. UNSW Sydney offers students the best of both worlds — world-class beaches and stunning parklands within a vibrant, cosmopolitan harbour-side city. Ideally positioned as the gateway to the Asia Pacific, Sydney is home to more global firms than any other Australian city, fostering an energetic business community and numerous opportunities for students’ academic and professional development.
Education Abroad in Countries with a Penn State Restricted Travel Designation
In order to comply with Penn State’s International Travel Policy, students interested in studying abroad in countries that Penn State has designated as “restricted” for travel, a petition for a waiver must be submitted. Once a petition is complete, and if the student is approved for study on the program in question, the student may be asked to meet with the Director of Education Abroad and the petition will be reviewed by the Penn State International Restricted Travel Committee (IRTC). The necessary petition will be included in the online application process for this program. To see if your program is taking place in a restricted travel country, please visit the Global Programs website.
Available Fields of Study
Accounting, Advertising, Aerospace Engineering, Anthropology, Architecture, Art History, Asian Studies, Biochemistry, Biology, Business, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Chinese, Civil Engineering, Communications, Computer Science, Criminology, Data Sciences, Earth and Mineral Sciences, Economics, Ecosystems, Education, Electrical Engineering, Energy Engineering, Engineering, English, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Studies, Film Studies, Finance, Food Science, French, Geography, Geosciences, German, Global Studies, Graphic Design, History, International Business,Internship, Japanese, Journalism, Kinesiology, Korean, Labor and Employment Relations, Landscape Architecture, Linguistics, Literature, Management, Manufacturing Engineering, Marketing, Materials Science, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Media Studies, Molecular Biology, Music, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Premedicine, Psychology, Public Relations, Science, Sociology, Spanish, Statistics, Sustainability, Telecommunications, Theatre, Visual Arts
Course Listings
To find courses at UNSW, follow the instructions on the UNSW Student Handbook.
To see what Penn State students have previously taken on this program, see the Historical Course List, which is meant to be a guide as to what courses might be available and how they might transfer to Penn State. Courses listed here may not be offered during the semester you attend the program and the credit amount or course title may have changed.
Note: You are not limited to choosing classes on the program Historical Course List. You should consult the full list of courses on the UNSW Student Handbook and the courses offered during the intensive terms before choosing a program.
Academic Policies
- You can take what UNSW considers to be a full-time load which is 6 units (4 Penn State credits), or 1 course, during the January or August Intensive Terms, and 18 Units (12 Penn State credits), or 3 courses, during Term 1 or Term 3. You can take min 12 credits or maximum 16 credits.
- You cannot take any courses abroad on a Pass/Fail basis
- World Campus courses should not be taken in addition to or as a substitute for courses offered abroad
- You may not take sport or physical activity courses (e.g. sailing, bowling, yoga, etc.) abroad
- If you are studying abroad in your final semester at Penn State, please note that Penn State may not receive your grades in time for graduation
Course Selection
To find appropriate courses that will fit into your degree requirements, you will need to work with your academic adviser. Suggested tips:
- Research courses available on your program
- Meet with your academic adviser to discuss potential courses abroad and your degree requirements
- Keep in mind that courses abroad may change or may be unavailable for your selected term, so you will need to discuss possible back-up course options
- To register for courses on this program you will work with your host program
Research
UNSW offers a set of research projects for Study Abroad and Exchange Students. This program is open to high-achieving students who are considering postgraduate research in the future or wish to experience research during their undergraduate program. These projects allow students to gain valuable research experience while being supervised by an academic staff member. These research projects are worth 6 Units of Credit (4 Penn State credits) or 12 Units of Credit (8 Penn State credits). Students will perform Research Assistant duties for 105 hours and 45 hours writing a reflection of their experience, per 6UOC. Students must meet the prerequisites for the individual research project in which they are applying. More information about the available research projects can be found on the UNSW Study Abroad and Exchange Research Project website.
Internships
UNSW offers two internship courses: Business Internship (FINS3201) and Media Internship (MDIA3007). Penn State students may only enroll in the Business Internship (FINS3201). Students can not receive credit at Penn State for the MDIA3007 internship course. Please be advised that FINS3201 is a fee-paying course and requires an additional fee of approximately $3,400 AUD. As part of the placement, students will be asked to intern 2 full days per week for a 10-week period (approximately 140 hours) and will therefore need to organize their class schedule during Term 1 and Term 3 to accommodate the placement. The FINS3201 is worth 6 units of academic credit (uoc) (i.e. equivalent to one course) at UNSW, so students take an internship course plus 2 other 6uoc courses to make up a full-time study load (18uoc) during Term 1 or Term 3. The internship is for academic credit it is not paid.Examples of past placement organizations include consulting companies, financial organizations, marketing agencies, higher education departments, tourism companies, and various charities or not-for-profit operations. More information about the internship can be found on the UNSW Inbound Study Abroad & Exchange website.
Course Equivalency Process
In order for courses from abroad to appear on your Penn State transcript, each course must be given a course equivalency. Please visit the Academics section of the Global Programs website for information on the course equivalency process.
Courses can be submitted for course equivalency before, during, or after the education abroad program, however, you should begin this process as soon as possible as it can take on average 2-4 months or more for courses to receive a Penn State course number. In some cases, it can be difficult to obtain syllabi from abroad before the start of the term, but when possible, courses can be submitted for review before departure. Talk to your Education Abroad Adviser about requesting syllabi.
Grade and Credit Conversion Scale
Grades and credit conversions from your host institution cannot be changed. They will be converted to Penn State credits and grades based on the following scales:
Grade Conversion Scale
| Host Institution Grade |
Penn State Grade |
| 100-80% |
A |
| 79-75% |
A- |
| 74-72% |
B+ |
| 71-68% |
B |
| 67-65% |
B- |
| 64-57% |
C+ |
| 56-50% |
C |
| 49-40% |
D |
| 39-0% |
F |
Credit Conversion Scale
| Host Institution Credit |
Penn State Credit |
| 6 Units of Credit (UoC) |
4 credits |
Instructions and Terminology
Instructions and Terminology
| Australian Term |
United States Term |
| Faculty |
School or College |
| Course |
Degree |
| Course |
Course |
| Course Outline |
Syllabus |
| August Intensive Term + Term 3 |
Fall Semester |
| January Intensive Term + Term 1 |
Spring Semester |
Housing
On-campus Housing
UNSW offers a variety of on-campus accommodation options including catered colleges, self-catered university apartments or privately-run colleges on (or very close) to campus. On-campus accommodation is very limited and not guaranteed even if applied by the deadline.
- UNSW Accommodation includes very limited accommodation at the self-catered University Terraces, Barker Apartments, Mulwarree Apartments, and fully-catered Kensington Colleges.
- UNSW also has eight other affiliated Colleges and Apartments that provide high quality accommodation.
Important note for yearlong students: If you are offered a place in student accommodation, your contract will be for the August Intensive Term + Term 3 only and you will need to re-apply for the January Intensive Term + Term 1 and unfortunately an offer is not guaranteed.
Off-campus housing
If students are not offered a room on-campus, the student will be responsible for organizing their own housing in Sydney. UNSW will provide resources and advice on how to find housing in Sydney but it is the responsibility of the student to research their options and secure housing. Students not comfortable with organizing their own housing should consider other program options.
Meals
Meals are not included in the program and will be organized by the student.
