Success in your first study period

Starting uni can feel like a big step, but you’re not doing it alone. Our Student Success Advisors are here to help you settle in, build confidence, and get the most out of your studies.

They’ll reach out with a welcome call or email, and if you complete the Get Ready to Study Survey, you’ll receive a personalised plan with tips, resources, and support tailored just for you. It’s quick, confidential, and designed to help you start strong.

Watch this quick introduction on how a Student Success Advisor can help you and find out how the data-enabled student support system (PDF) works.

1. Time on task

One of the most impactful things you can do to be successful at university is to devote enough time to your study. A rough guide is that for each course you are enrolled in, you should be putting at least 10 hours per week towards that subject. These 10 hours will include attending on campus or online classes, studying, researching, and doing assessment. There are times this will fluctuate, especially at the end of semester when there’s lots of assessment due. By putting in enough time each week, you will stay on track and get the most out of each of your subjects.

Don’t worry if this seems a bit much, you can talk to one of UniSQ's Learning Advisors for help to map out a weekly plan that includes your studies and your work/ life commitments to create a schedule that is realistic and works for you.

2. Go to class

This may seem pretty obvious, but attending either online or on campus classes regularly, gives you a great chance of success. Going to classes will help you meet and connect with your Teaching Team and your fellow students. It also will ensure that you’re across your content and up to date with assessment requirements. Find out how to access your class schedule.

3. Focus on your goals

There will be times when you don’t feel motivated to study or you run into study challenges. This is normal! This is when it’s important to remember why you’re here at university. Having a sense of your future profession or possible career pathways will help you to hang in there and persist in your studies. If you’re not sure what this looks like for you, explore the resources or book in for a chat with one of the friendly Career Advisors. They can help you at every stage of your career planning journey.

4. Be confident

Be confident! You got in to UniSQ because you belong here. Having a sense of ‘academic’ self-confidence and an expectation that you can and will succeed at uni is central to your ongoing success. Be kind to yourself and try to engage in a bit of ‘positive self-talk’. Celebrate the small wins as you progress through your studies. Don’t be overly harsh with yourself if you experience a setback, if you get stuck there are people here like the Wellbeing team to help you.

5. Develop peer connections

Having a network of uni connections will also provide you with a great support system that you can draw on throughout your studies. Think about joining one of UniSQ's Student Clubs, going along to Peer Assisted Learning session (PALs), or check out upcoming student events. Some of the friendships you develop at UniSQ will be strong and long lasting.

6. Access your study materials (StudyDesk) and emails

To maximise your chances of academic success, you also need to feel confident with UniSQ's online learning environment. Have you checked your UMail recently? If you haven’t, you might like to set up a forward to your personal email. It’s also very helpful to regularly access your course sites on StudyDesk. This way you’ll be up to date on everything that is happening with your course and at the university. If you need a bit of help, check out the Student Tech-torials.

If you haven’t used StudyDesk (UniSQ’s Learning Management System) or have only partially accessed it, a Student Success Advisor will get in touch with you before the last date to withdraw from a course without academic or financial penalty (census date).

They’ll help you navigate the learning platform, support your interaction with course materials, content, and classes, and link you up with Student Support services and resources so that you can get back on track.

7. Get some balance

You probably have a lot going on. That’s why it’s important to balance your work-life-study commitments to ensure you have enough time and energy for your studies. Research shows that if you are enrolled as a full-time student undertaking four courses across the study period, it will be very challenging if you work more than 15 hours of paid work each week. Working more than this will make it difficult to allocate enough time each week for your studies.

Book an appointment with our Learning Advisors or Student Success Advisors if you need to get some advice about balancing your study load with your outside work commitments. You can also connect with our Wellbeing Team for help organizing your finances and applying for scholarships.

Academic integrity means doing your own work, being honest, and giving credit where it’s due. It’s the foundation of a degree you can be proud of.

To get started, complete the Student Academic Integrity Mandatory Training between 13 January 2026 and Week 2 of your first study period. You’ll need to do this each year to access and be able to submit your assessments on time.

Find out more about academic integrity at UniSQ.