Current Students Current International students Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Starting at JCU

Upon your arrival, please proceed to the Student Centre with your passport to register your arrival. The Client Services team will be pleased to assist you with the following and more:

Should you arrive during the weekend, kindly visit the Student Centre during our opening hours, Monday to Friday, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

Enrolment: Enrolment refers to the process of selecting subjects to study as part of your chosen course. Depending on your course structure, you may be required to enrol in subjects offered during a Study Period or Trimester. It is advisable to have your course enrolment planner on hand to facilitate the enrolment process. Click here to learn more.

Registration: Also referred to as class registration, this process involves selecting your class times after you have enrolled in your subjects. Please note that class registration may not be available immediately after subject enrolment. For further information and to find out when class registration will open for you, click here.

Information regarding Orientation Week (O-Week) is available on the Orientation webpage.

Details on International Orientation dates can be accessed through our International Orientation webpage.

Please note that International Orientation is mandatory for all students holding an International Student Visa.

James Cook University (JCU) offers a complimentary arrival service for new international students arriving in Cairns and Townsville throughout the academic year. Upon your arrival at the airport, bus, or train station, you will be met and transported to your pre-arranged accommodation. Additionally, you will receive essential information to assist you in settling into your new city.

To book your arrival service, please click here. Please note that JCU requires at least three business days' notice for your booking.

If your visa has not yet been granted, please contact the JCU International Admissions Team to discuss the possibility of deferring your offer to the next available intake. You can reach them at internationaladmissions@jcu.edu.au.

It is advisable to arrive the week before Orientation Week (O-Week) begins to allow sufficient time for settling in. If you are unable to arrive before your course start date, please contact the JCU International Admissions Team at internationaladmissions@jcu.edu.au.

During my Study at JCU

Depending on the structure of your course, you may have flexibility in choosing which subjects to enrol in and the timing of your enrolment. The following resources can assist you in making these decisions:

These resources will help you determine the subjects that best align with your academic goals.

International students are required to enrol full-time in each compulsory study period and accumulate 24 credit points over an academic year to complete their course within the expected duration of their Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE). For more details on enrolment requirements, please click here.

It is advised that you enrol in internal mode subjects where available. For each compulsory study period, international students must enrol in at least one internal mode subject.

Additionally, you should not enrol in more than one third of the total credit points for your course in subjects delivered online or via distance learning, unless it is a subject in your final study period and there is no internal mode available. For further details on enrolment requirements, please click here click here.

A leave of absence is an option available to international students studying on a student visa under limited circumstances, specifically compassionate and compelling reasons that are beyond your control and significantly affect your course progress or well-being. Prior to submitting your application, we recommend consulting with an Enrolment and Student Support Advisor. You can reach them via email at enrolments@jcu.edu.au or by booking an appointment.

To continue your studies in Australia, you will need to apply for a new student visa. You can lodge an online visa application through your ImmiAccount by clicking here

If you have any inquiries about student visas or your visa application process, please contact the Department of Home Affairs directly at 131 881. For more information, visit their website at https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-support/contact-us.

If you need to extend your Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE), please submit a Confirmation of Enrolment request form. This process requires you to demonstrate compassionate or compelling circumstances and provide supporting evidence and documentation.

Support

If you need assistance with your studies, you can book an appointment with a Learning Advisor at the Learning Centre in the JCU library. They are available to provide support and guidance. To schedule an appointment, please click here.

If you're feeling lost and need assistance, here are some options for support at JCU:

These resources are available to help you navigate your academic and personal challenges effectively.

Graduations & Alumni

My eQuals is a platform that allows you to digitally view your Academic Record. It allows you to share digital documents with anyone you choose (e.g. employer, family, friend, interested third party), at any time and control how long they can review your records for.

Accessing documents on My eQuals is easy:

  1. Complete an Application for Academic Record
  2. Once you have received confirmation that your Academic Record has been processed and paid for, create an account on the My eQuals website.
    Note: the email address used to create your account must match the one nominated on your academic record request form.
  3. Once you have logged in, view your documents available.

Note: My eQuals documents are digitally signed by the University's registered approving officer. 

These digital documents are only considered authentic when accessed via My eQuals. If the document is printed, they are no longer considered an official record.

Please visit AskUs for more My eQuals troubleshooting questions.

A Completion Letter is an official University letter verifying that you have completed the requirement of your course. It details:
  • Your Full Name
  • Student ID Number
  • Degree Admitted including major if applicable
  • Commencement Date
  • Completion Date
  • Language of Instruction
The letter is officially stamped and signed and it will be emailed to your nominated email address. Order your Completion Letter here.
If your course has not yet been officially completed, e.g. you are awaiting your final subject results, you may be eligible to receive a 'potentially complete' letter. In this case, you will be contacted on receipt of your order form to complete requirements.

Yes, you need to provide these address details on your Academic Record Application. You can also send a digital copy using My eQuals. Find out more here.

You can find out more information on our Academic Records page.

Your Grade Point Average (GPA) is the standard measure of academic achievement at James Cook University (JCU). Please note that we are unable to convert your GPA to another grading scale or make amendments to your Academic Record.

If a third-party institution requires GPA conversion to a different grading scale, they will need to perform this conversion on their end.

For Townsville and Cairns ceremonies there is a limit of four (4) guests per graduate. If any additional seating is made available closer to the ceremony date you will be advised of this by email.

For JCU Singapore please email graduation-singapore@jcu.edu.au.

For JCU Brisbane please email enquire@jcub.edu.au.

You can stay in touch through our Alumni Network. Simply log in using your firstname.surname (surname as at graduation). Your password will be your date of birth as dd/mm/yyyy.

On this site, update your contact details and register to any newsletters. You should also like the JCU Alumni Facebook page.