Enrolment in Chinese in-country study

Subject to department permission, students may enrol for up to 24 senior credit points of Chinese in-country study by using the codes listed below. This section of our website

• informs you about the in-country study units and who may enrol in them;
• explains how you can obtain permission to enrol, if eligible;
• explains why it may not be in your best interests to enrol, and what you may prefer to do instead;
• explains what documentation you will need after completing your in-country study to enable the department to report your result(s) to the Student Centre.

Please be sure to read the whole section carefully.

• What are the in-country units?
• How to apply for permission to enrol
• Is it in your best interests to enrol?
• What documentation will you need to enable the department to report your result(s)?

What are the in-country units?

The in-country study unit codes and names are as follow:

• CHNS2650: Chinese In-Country Study A
• CHNS2651: Chinese In-Country Study B
• CHNS2652: Chinese In-Country Study C
• CHNS2653: Chinese In-Country Study D
• CHNS2654: Chinese In-Country Study E
• CHNS2655: Chinese In-Country Study F
• CHNS2656: Chinese In-Country Study G
• CHNS2657: Chinese In-Country Study H

All these units of study have the same content description, which is as follows:

Enrolment in an approved semester-based program of study (normally intermediate or advanced Modern Standard Chinese language-training) at a tertiary institution in China or Taiwan. Students can earn 6 credit points for every 52 hours of Chinese-language class in China or Taiwan, to a maximum of 24 credit points in any one semester. Credit may also be awarded at the rate of 6 credit points per 4 full weeks of intensive study after completion of an approved summer in-country Chinese-language program.

The prerequisites for all these units of study are as follows:

CHNS1102 or CHNS1202 (or a sequel within the same stream); or any senior CHNS unit of study whose numeric code has 60 as the second and third digits. Native speakers of Chinese who can read Chinese fluently and seek special permission to undertake in-country study after first year must present a coherent academic rationale to the department.

As the in-country-study units earn senior credit points, they are not open to students who, at the commencement of their in-country program, are still at an elementary level in Modern Standard Chinese. "Elementary" in this context means "at such a level that the appropriate enrolment in Sydney would have been CHNS1101, 1102, 1201 or 1202." Students who fall into this category may apply for junior-level credit following normal Faculty procedures.

Students who wish to study elementary Chinese while on exchange at a Chinese university may apply for permission to enrol in CHNS1801 and/or 1802. The department discourages such applications, as they are inconsistent with the principle that "Language exchange students must have achieved 65% or higher in all language units." This presupposes that junior units in the target language have already been taken. However, students who intend to study elementary Chinese alongside other subjects taught in English through an exchange program that was not set up primarily to provide in-country language study opportunities may apply for enrolment permission directly to the chair of department.

How to apply for permission to enrol

If you are applying to go on exchange, bring the form from the International Office to the Chair of department, preferably in consultation hours.

If you want to study on a non-exchange basis at one of the universities listed above under "Selection of Study Location and Institution," you may apply directly to the chair of department for enrolment permission. The best way of doing this is to come to her office in her consultation hours (or make an appointment). Provided that you meet the prerequisites, she will give you a letter of permission that you can take directly to your own faculty. You should also fill in the department’s registration form for Chinese in-country study (see "Pre-departure Registration") and give it to the international coordinator as soon as your plans have been finalised.

If you want to study on a non-exchange basis at any other university, you should first go through the approval procedure described below under "Approval and Application Procedure." When the international coordinator informs you that your choice of institution is appropriate, she will also inform the chair of department. Once the chair of department has been informed, you will be able to obtain enrolment permission from the chair.

Is it in your best interests to enrol?

In certain circumstances, you will not have a choice. In particular, if you are going on exchange, you must enrol appropriately here at Sydney.

However, if you are not required to enrol, you should consider whether it is in your best interests to do so. Many students will find it financially more advantageous not to enrol before departure but to apply for credit after their return (see "Applying for Credit for Chinese In-Country Study").

Enrolment prior to departure may be advisable for students who receive the Youth Allowance. However, enrolment would make you liable for HECS. Recipients of the Youth Allowance who plan to undertake in-country study should seek advice from a Welfare Research Officer at the Student Representative Council. Phone: +61 2 9660 5222 (this is a switchboard; ask to speak to a Welfare Research Officer).

You are advised to seek advice from your own faculty or the International Office (in the case of international students) as to which option - enrolment prior to departure or application for credit after your return - will better suit your individual circumstances. The Student Centre or Student Services may be able to give you useful information on enrolment and financial matters.

What will you need to report your result(s)?

After your return to Sydney, you will be required to bring the official transcript issued by the Chinese university at which you were enrolled to the Chair of department, preferably in consultation hours.

The transcript may show the number of hours of classroom study that you undertook. If it does not, you must bring other formal documentation that indicates either the total number of hours in each component of the program, or the number of hours per week and the total number of weeks.

Examples of acceptable documentation include official course information materials and letters that are both on official letterhead and stamped with an official seal. The documentation can be in either Chinese or English.