Welcome to UniSC
Have a question that’s not answered below? Check out the UniSC FAQs in the first instance, and then ask someone in the team.
Student systems
Here is the landing page for all UniSC student systems (i.e., email, USC Central, online payments, IT support etc.)
USC Central
USC Central is where you manage your enrolment and personal details (and, if you’re a HDR student, submission of documents (e.g., plan and progress reviews, PhD theses etc). Note that HDR students will have two tabs available: USC Research, and USC Central.
Note that when submitting HDR-related documents through USC Central/Research, your primary supervisor will automatically be notified, and asked to approve the form via email (if required).
Fees
Depending on your program and scholarship status, you might need to pay tuition fees. See here for more information on how to pay your fees. One of the most common methods of payment is through UniSC Online Payments.
Further, all students are required to pay a yearly Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF). These funds help to improve student services and amenities that are non-academic in nature, like sporting activities and support services. The maximum Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) for 2023 is A$326 per year. Please visit Student Services and Amenities Fee for more information.
Rooms
Room numbers
UniSC has a numbering system for tutorial rooms, lecture theatres, computer laboratories and offices on campus. The numbering system identifies (in order) the building, the level, and the room number. For example K-G.46 is Building K, Ground floor, room 46. Lecture theatres are identified by the letters LT and a number. For example LT7 is Lecture Theatre 7.
View the campus map to locate the building on your campus.
Kylie’s office is H1.2.40 at UniSC Sippy Downs (next to the staff kitchen). Dave’s is H1.2.29, on the opposite end of the corridor from Kylie’s office. Both of their pigenholes/mail slots are located in the staff kitchen in Building H1 Level 2. Use these if you need to drop something off (please prearrange this with Kylie or Dave).
How to book a room
Only UniSC staff can book a room for lab meetings/workshops etc. Talk to Kylie or Dave in the first instance if you don’t have a staff account.
Otherwise, there are group study rooms available to book at each campus. At Sippy Downs, these rooms are on Level 2 of the library.
24 hour study spaces
If you’re a full-time HDR student, you will already likely have 24/7 access to a workstation/desk in a HDR suite.
If you are using a hotdesk in Building H1, note that UniSC security ‘lock’ swipe access to the staff section of the building at 5pm, and the rest of the building at 9pm. Ensure you get 24/7 swipe access added to your student card if you intend on being there after hours. If you get caught out, you can always phone UniSC security to open the door/let you in remotely.
Some computer labs can be accessed 24 hours for general study purposes. You will need your student card to access the room and/or the building. You can also use find a PC to locate available computers.
Laboratory space and fieldwork
The labs at UniSC Sippy Downs are located in Building I. However, our group doesn’t have a dedicated PC1/PC2 space for lab work, since most of projects within our group do not involve working in a laboratory. That said, if your project requires lab work, talk to Kylie to organise.
Explore the Laboratory and Field Activities page in Canvas for information, including:
- Access to laboratories (re. swipe access, inductions, training modules etc.)
- Access to other research facilities
- Complete a risk assessment
- Be added to a Risk Assessment
- Plan a research project (from a field work perspective)
- Plan a regulated activity
- Travel (risk assessment information)
- Work off-campus
- Loan field equipment
- Hiring volunteer researchers for your project
Travel
For all information and processes on domestic and international travel, click here. We strongly recommend to organise your travel as early as possible to avoid any delays or price increases.
To take advantage of the best pricing policy for flights and accommodation, ensure you submit your Travel Requisition and documents for approval, processing and booking as early as possible (UniSC recommends this should be 15 - 20 working days prior to your travel date, but we recommend much earlier…). Domestic travel usually takes ~2 weeks to book, while international travel can take 4 weeks (or more) due to potential absences or workloads of approvers.
Note that UniSC closes over the Christmas and New Year, and student travel requests for mid-late December through January need to be submitted by the close finance cut-off, which is usually the first week in December.
All university-related travel must be booked through the University’s travel management company (FCM Travel). This will be facilitated by the UniSC Travel Team once all required approvals are in place. Please do not book travel yourself.
Cafes
There are a few cafes around UniSC Sippy Downs. You can get coffee from Good Bean (opposite the Student Guild), the brassarie cafe (Brassarie), Cafe E (E Block), Cafe C (C Block) and at the sports centre.
The brassarie have discounted lunch meals for students. Think chicken parmies, pasta, burritos etc. UniSC therefore provides the Student Food Subsidy at the Brasserie and Cafe C with students being able to purchase a main hot meal for A$5.50-6.50 and other subsidised items. A valid UniSC Student Identification card must be shown prior to payment being made.
Miss Koko (Sippy Downs campus) is a good choice if you’re vegan or gluten free. Miss Koko is located under the Library stairs and provides plant-based light meals and drinks, including fresh juices, shakes, smoothies, wraps, waffles, soft serve desserts and acai bowls. All vegan and gluten-free.
Support Services
Student Central
The Student Central team provides advice about most UniSC services, facilities and procedures. If they can’t help, they’ll put you in touch with someone who can.
Online: Search for answers online at Student Central FAQs
Email: studentcentral@usc.edu.au
Tel: +61 7 5430 2890, Monday to Friday: 8.30am–4.30pm
Walk in: Building C, Ground Floor, UniSC Sippy Downs
IT Services
IT support staff are available to help via the IT Self-Service Portal UniSC Connect, by phone or face-to-face (if necessary):
Self-Service: You can search for answers and ask for help via Self-Service
Phone: +61 7 5459 4455
Face-to-face: Different campuses have different availability. Check each campus’s Student IT Help Desk hours.
Indigenous Services
Indigenous Services is dedicated to improving the access, participation, and success for you as an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Student. See here for more information on academic and cultural support available.
UniSC acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the Kabi Kabi Nations to which the Sunshine Coast, Moreton Bay and Gympie campuses are located, and the Traditional Custodians of the Butchulla Nation to which the Fraser Coast campus is located. We pay our respects to the ancestors, Elders and descendants of these lands, and acknowledge that these have always been places of learning.
Email: Indigenous_services@usc.edu.au
Telephone (07) 5456 5889
AccessAbility
AccessAbility Services can provide access to appropriate reasonable adjustments and practical advice about the support and facilities available to you throughout the University. If your studies are affected by a disability, learning disorder, mental health issue, injury or illness, or you are a primary carer for someone with a disability or who is considered frail and aged, you are strongly encouraged to connect with AccessAbility Services as early as possible.
Explore the AccessAbility Services webpage for detailed information on support, contact details and services.
Health and Wellbeing
The Student Wellbeing team are here to support the mental health and wellbeing of all UniSC students, on campus and online. See here for further information on counselling, individual support services and wellbeing initiatives on offer.
USC also offer free flu vaccinations during the flu season, typically beginning in April.
Parents Room
On the UniSC Sunshine Coast campus, you can use the parents room located in Building I. Students requiring access to the parent’s room in Building I should contact Student Central to have swipe access added to their student card. Alternatively, there are accessibility toilets with baby change facilities in the Sports Arena-Room S-G.23-Athletes and Parents Rest Room.
At the (Sunshine Coast campus) Uni Club, the Student Guild has a “family friendly” space where parents can go to study on campus. There are game consoles, Netflix, colouring books, block and board games available.
UniSC Moreton Bay students can access a parents room located on the ground level of the foundation building.
UniSC Fraser Coast students can access a parents room in A Block FCA-1.35B. Alternatively, there are accessibility toilets with baby change facilities in Buildings A, B and C.
Prayer and Reflection Room
UniSC Sunshine Coast If you need access to a Reflection Room, visit the Student Wellbeing team (Ground Floor, Building E) and they will arrange access to a quiet space.
UniSC Moreton Bay If you need access to a Reflection Room, visit SafeUniSC Security (Front of the building, next to the entry to Car Park 1) and they will arrange access to a quiet space.
Wildlife
The UniSC Sunshine Coast campus is a flora and fauna reserve, spread over 100 hectares (1 km2) adjoining the Mooloolah River National Park.
In 2013, the University became a Land for Wildlife member with the Sunshine Coast Council to further commit to managing a large proportion of the site as habitat for native plants and animals.
Each year, UniSC runs the Gerard Mills Memorial Prize for Wildlife Photography. If you’re keen on photography, give it a go!