University of NSW to waive deferral fees for China students stranded by coronavirus

The University of NSW will waive course deferral fees for Chinese students who can’t arrive in Sydney in time for this year’s classes.

The University of NSW will waive course deferral fees for Chinese students who can’t arrive in Sydney in time for this year’s classes because of fears of spreading the coronavirus.

The university has told Chinese students that if they miss the start of term one on February 17 they won’t suffer a financial penalty if they defer courses to term two or three.

Up to 10,000 Chinese students are studying at the institution, where classes start earlier than at other major Australian universities.

The university is also willing to consider extending the enrolment deadline from February 21 to February 28 for Chinese students ­affected by the virus.

A UNSW student who arrived in Australia last week from Wuhan has been diagnosed with the coronavirus and is being ­treated in a Sydney hospital.

But universities in the Group of Eight, which includes UNSW, have decided not to exclude students and staff who have been in China in the past two weeks.

This is in accordance with ­advice from the Communicable Diseases Network Australia, the Go8 said.

The University of Sydney, which is also popular with Chinese students, has also told them it will help them change their study plans if they can’t travel in time to start classes on March 2.

The university said it was monitoring the situation closely.

“Students still in China are asked to follow the advice of the Chinese government and to avoid travel if they are ill,” it said.

One Chinese student from Wuhan, who gave her name as Yui, said she feared she would not be able to graduate from the University of Sydney later this year ­because of the virus.

“This is my last semester and if I cannot return on time, my graduation will be ­delayed,” she said.

Many Chinese students are sharing similar concerns on popular Chinese social media platforms WeChat and Weibo.

“My student accommodation expires and I will have to move to the new place by next week, but I’m now stuck here (in China),” one student posted.

“As a student who cannot get out of Wuhan, what can I do? I am so worried that I cry everyday,” said another student, a woman ­enrolled at UNSW.

“All the classes are only available in the first term, and to defer the term means a gap year for me.”

Others suggested she should check if the university provided special consideration for students in her situation or offered other options such as online courses or recordings of lectures.

A UNSW spokesman said that most lectures at the university were recorded or available online.

Most Chinese students in Australia study at the Group of Eight universities, and Vicki Thomson, the chief executive of the group, said it was taking a “cautious but not alarmist approach”.

“The Go8 does have a large number of international students within Hubei province (the centre of the coronavirus outbreak) and our universities are working through the implications for those students to ensure they are supported as much as possible,” Ms Thomson said.

The Department of Education said it was working with the ­Department of Health to manage the virus risks, and measures were in place to detect travellers ­entering Australia who were ­unwell .

Additional reporting: Jill Rowbotham