Derivation of a Commencing Student

The process that derives the value of the Commencing Student Indicator for each record in the Enrolments Statistics Snapshot is described below. The methods by which other derived values in that snapshot are determined are described in Derivation of Values in the Government Statistics Process.

Callista derives the Commencing Student Indicator according to the DEST definition of a commencing student. Each of the DEST rules and its treatment in Callista is included in the following table. Form labels (e.g. ENRF3000) indicate locations where data could be checked.

DEST definition

Callista derivation

A student is a commencing student if:

she/he has enrolled in the course for the first time at the institution or an antecedent institution between 1 April of the year prior to the Collection Year and 31 March of the Collection Year.

Included amongst commencing students are those who (unless specifically excluded below):

student course attempt commencement date is after 31 March of year prior to current collection year and there is no matching record for the current student course attempt in the prior year's Student Enrolment file, unless explicitly excluded below.

Note: an enrolment statistics snapshot taken after 31 March in the current collection year includes students who commenced courses between 31 March and the snapshot date. Subject to the checks below, records for these student course attempts may have their commencing student indicator set to 'Y'.

  • are admitted to a course of a higher level after completing all or part of the requirements of a course at a lower level, irrespective of the extent to which credit is given for units of study completed for the course at the lower level (includes students who are admitted to a Bachelor's Graduate Entry course), unless explicitly excluded below; or

included in above, unless explicitly excluded below

  • are admitted to a postgraduate course after completing the requirements of a "qualifying" or "preliminary" course; or

included in above, unless explicitly excluded below

  • start another course while still completing the requirements of the current course.

included in above, unless explicitly excluded below

A student is not a commencing student if:

 

student course attempt commencement date is prior to 31 March of year prior to current collection year or there is a matching record for the current student course attempt in the prior year's Student Enrolment file.

  • the student is starting a specialised program of studies after completing, at the institution or an antecedent institution, a common initial year or years of a general program;

 checks all previous course attempts of the student (including those under alternate IDs).

Where:
  • the current course attempt has a generic course indicator (CRSF1210) = 'N' and
    •
  • a previous course attempt has a generic course indicator = 'Y' and
    •
  • the previous student course attempt has been reported in a previous submission and
    •
  • the current and previous course attempts are in the same course group, of system course group type GOVT-RET.
    •

then the student is not commencing

  • the student, having completed an initial year of study at the institution or an antecedent institution then exercises a standard option of continuing their studies but at a lower level (i.e. their studies would then lead to an award at a level lower than that which pertains to the program of studies undertaken in the first year);

 checks all previous course attempts of the student (including those under alternate IDs).

Where:
  • a previous course attempt was at a lower course level* and
  • the current and previous course attempts are in the same course group, of system course group type GOVT-RET.
    •

then the student is not commencing.

*For this process, course levels equate to government course type (STAF1121). The ranking of government course types by level is (from highest to lowest): 1, 2 & 12, 3, 4, 5 & 6 & 7, 11, 8, 9, 10, 13 & 20, 21, 22, 30.

  • the student is admitted to or transfers to a bachelor's honours course having previously been enrolled, at the institution or an antecedent institution, in the related bachelor's pass course;

 checks all previous course attempts of the student (including those under alternate IDs).

Where:
  • the current course attempt has a government course type 9 (STAF1121) and
    •
  • a previous course attempt has a government course type 10 and
    •
  • the previous course attempt is an articulate course for the current course (CRSF1210 > CRSF1700 > RULF2000)
    •

then the student is not commencing.

  • the student is admitted to or transfers to a master's honours course having previously been enrolled, at the institution or an antecedent institution, in the related master's pass course;

 checks all previous course attempts of the student (including those under alternate IDs).

Where:
  • the current course attempt has a government course type 4 (STAF1121) and
    •
  • a previous course attempt has a government course type 4 and
    •
  • the previous course attempt is an articulate course for the current course (CRSF1210 > CRSF1700 > RULF2000)
    •

then the student is not commencing.

  • the student transfers within the institution or an antecedent institution from a course in one academic organisational unit to a course in another academic organisational unit, where the courses lead to the same award;

 checks all previous course attempts of the student (including those under alternate IDs).

Where:
  • the responsible organisational unit of the current course attempt and the previous course attempt are different (CRSF1210) and
    •
  • the course award of the current course attempt matches that of the previous course attempt (CRSF1210 > CRSF1250) and
    •
  • the current and previous course attempts are in the same course group, of system course group type GOVT-RET.
    •

then the student is not commencing.

  • the student is enrolled in a course at the institution or an antecedent institution which is upgraded in level or renamed;

 checks all previous course attempts of the student (including those under alternate IDs).

Where:
  • the current course attempt and a previous course attempt are members of the same course equivalence group (CRSF11D0 &/or CRSF1210 > CRSF1230)
    •

then the student is not commencing.

  • the student is resuming the same course at the institution or an antecedent institution after an absence;

 student continues in existing course attempt and will already have failed the commencing student checks

  • the student is continuing from the first component of a combined course to the second or later components;

 student continues in existing course attempt and will already have failed the commencing student checks

  • the student is resuming a combined course which normally leads to a single award after having been conceded an award for another course;

 student continues in existing course attempt and will already have failed the commencing student checks

  • the student has completed part of the requirements of a combined course at the institution and then changed their enrolment to one of the components of that combined course; or

 checks all previous course attempts of the student (including those under alternate IDs).

Where:
  • the previous course attempt is a member of a COMBINED course group (CRSF11D0 &/or CRSF1210 > CRSF1230) and
    •
  • the current course attempt is not a member of a COMBINED course group (CRSF11D0 &/or CRSF1210 > CRSF1230) and
    •
  • the student has completed part of the requirements of the previous course (at least one unit with unit attempt status = COMPLETED (ENRF3000) and result (not grade) = PASS (ASSF53B0,ASSF5110) and
    •
  • the current and previous course attempts are in the same course group, of system course group type GOVT-RET
    •

then the student is not commencing

  • the student has completed part of the requirements of a unitary course at the institution and then changed their enrolment to a related combined course which leads to an award or awards that subsume the award applicable to the unitary course.

 checks all previous course attempts of the student (including those under alternate IDs).

Where:
  • the previous course attempt is not a member of a COMBINED course group (CRSF11D0 &/or CRSF1210 > CRSF1230) and
    •
  • the current course attempt is a member of a COMBINED course group (CRSF11D0 &/or CRSF1210 > CRSF1230) and
    •
  • the student has completed part of the requirements of the previous course (at least one unit with unit attempt status = COMPLETED (ENRF3000) and result (not grade) = PASS (ASSF53B0,ASSF5110) and
    •
  • the current and previous course attempts are in the same course group, of system course group type GOVT-RET.
    •

then the student is not commencing

 

 Updated 31 January 2002