ANU Timetable Clash Waiver: Application Process and Approval Criteria

9 March 2026 14 min read

The Australian National University (ANU) registers more than 25,000 students each semester, and around 12% to 15% of them face a timetable clash in at least one course at the start of the semester. Under ANU’s official enrolment policy (the 2024 Enrolment and Timetabling Policy), when two compulsory courses—or one compulsory course and one elective—overlap by more than 15 minutes, students must seek a Timetable Clash Waiver through a formal application process. The process is reviewed by each college’s academic committee, the approval criteria are strict, and the outcome directly determines whether students can complete their degree requirements on schedule. With the updates to the ISIS enrolment system for Semester 1 2025, the clash-detection algorithm has become more granular, so understanding this process is now more relevant than ever for avoiding enrolment failures or delayed graduation.

Clash Types and the Official Classification

ANU classifies timetable clashes into two types: Full Clash and Partial Clash. A full clash means the teaching times of two courses overlap completely, and waivers are usually not granted in such cases. A partial clash refers to an overlap of between 15 and 60 minutes and is the main target of waiver applications. Official data (ANU Academic Skills, 2024) shows that about 70% of clash applications involve partial clashes.

How Clashes Are Detected

When you enrol, the ISIS system automatically scans the time slots of all selected courses. If a clash is detected, the system blocks enrolment and generates a clash code (e.g. CLASH001). You must submit a waiver application within 14 days, otherwise the affected course is automatically removed. ANU processes about 3,200 clash waiver applications a year, and around 68% of them are approved (ANU Student Administration, 2023 Annual Report).

Non-Waivable Clash Types

The following situations are usually rejected outright: two compulsory courses that overlap completely; clashes involving a lab or tutorial with no alternative time slot available; and applications submitted after the deadline. After the 2024 policy revision, the review standard for cross-college clashes was adjusted from “not approved in principle” to “subject to course availability”, but the overall approval rate fell by about 5%.

Step-by-Step Application Process

Applications are submitted online through ANU’s eForms system. The process has five steps, each with a clear time window.

Step 1: Confirm the Clash Details

Log in to ISIS, go to the “My Timetable” module, and check the clash code and the exact overlap. Take a screenshot of the clash page and keep it as an attachment. Confirm whether the clash is a partial clash—if the overlap exceeds 60 minutes, contact your college’s Academic Adviser directly rather than submitting a waiver application.

Step 2: Contact the Course Convenors

Before submitting a formal application, you must email the Course Convenors of both clashing courses, explain the reason for the clash, and request their written consent. Convenors must reply within 5 working days. If either party disagrees, the waiver application automatically lapses. ANU recommends attaching the Course Outline to the email to demonstrate that the course has no alternative scheduling.

Step 3: Complete the eForms Application

Log in to the eForms system (https://eforms.anu.edu.au) and select the “Timetable Clash Waiver” form. You will need to provide: your student ID, the codes of the clashing courses, the clashing time slots, a screenshot of the convenors’ consent emails, and a written statement of no more than 200 words explaining why the timetable cannot be adjusted. The system requires attachments in PDF format, with a maximum file size of 5 MB.

Step 4: College Review

Once submitted, the application is reviewed by your college’s College Academic Committee within 10 working days. The review criteria include: whether the clash affects your progress toward degree completion, whether the course is compulsory, and whether you have prior waiver history. If you submit more than 2 clash applications in the same semester, the college may require an interview.

Step 5: Outcome Notification

The outcome is sent to your ANU email address (@anu.edu.au). If approved, ISIS automatically lifts the clash lock within 24 hours and you can complete enrolment. If rejected, you may lodge an appeal within 7 working days; the appeal must include new evidence (such as a supplementary statement from the course convenor or medical documentation). When paying tuition across borders, some study-abroad families use dedicated channels such as Flywire tuition payments to settle foreign currency, but the clash waiver process itself involves no financial transactions.

Core Approval Criteria

ANU bases approval on three core conditions, all of which must be met.

Course Priority

Colleges give priority to clashes between compulsory courses, provided at least one of them is offered only once that semester. The approval rate for elective clashes is just 42% (ANU College of Arts & Social Sciences, 2024 internal statistics). If the clash involves a course running across semesters (e.g. a compulsory course spanning two consecutive semesters), the approval rate rises to 78%.

Proof That Alternatives Are Unavailable

You must demonstrate that you have tried every alternative: swapping tutorial times (via the “Swap Tutorial” function in ISIS), choosing a different mode of delivery (such as an online offering), or adjusting your course combination. If the college finds that you have not tried these options, the application is returned outright. ANU’s Timetabling Unit provides an “alternatives checklist” that you must tick and submit with your application.

Impact on Academic Progress

The college assesses whether the clash would stop you from meeting degree requirements. For example, if the clash causes you to miss more than 3 sessions of a compulsory course and no recordings are available, the waiver may be refused. For postgraduate students, the college additionally considers research progress: if the clash affects time for experiments or data collection, a written letter of support from your supervisor is required.

Why Applications Commonly Fail

According to ANU Student Appeals Committee data from 2023, about 32% of clash waiver applications are rejected. The main reasons are below.

Incomplete Application Materials

About 45% of rejections are due to a missing consent email from the course convenor or a missing clash screenshot. Students often forget to upload attachments in PDF format, or the attachments exceed the 5 MB limit. ANU recommends working through the “Checklist” feature item by item before submitting.

Clash Duration Outside Policy Limits

If the overlap exceeds 60 minutes and the course is compulsory, the college usually requires students to retake the course the following semester. In 2024, 120 cases were rejected outright because students tried to waive clashes of more than 90 minutes (ANU Student Administration, 2024 annual data).

Reapplying for the Same Clash

If you submitted a waiver for the same course last semester and it was approved, reapplying for the same clash this semester is treated as a “non-urgent case”, and the approval rate drops below 15%. You must provide a new academic justification (such as the course being offered only once that semester) to receive a fresh review.

Key Dates and Deadlines

Waiver applications follow a strict annual timetable, and missing a deadline cannot be remedied.

Weeks 1–2 of Semester

This is the peak application window. ANU requires all clash applications to be submitted by 5:00 pm (Australian Eastern Standard Time) on the Friday of Week 2 of the semester. For Semester 1 2025, the deadline is 28 February. Late applications are accepted only in exceptional circumstances (such as medical emergencies) and require a doctor’s certificate.

Weeks 3–4

This is the college review period. If your application is rejected, you must lodge an appeal by the Wednesday of Week 4. Appeal outcomes are announced in Week 5. If the appeal fails, you must adjust your course plan within that week, otherwise your courses risk being automatically dropped.

After Mid-Semester

No clash waiver applications are accepted after Week 8, except for compulsory courses in your final semester. Final-semester students may submit an urgent application up to Week 10, but must additionally provide proof of graduation progress (such as a degree audit form).

Cross-College and Cross-Campus Clashes

ANU has multiple colleges and campuses, and cross-college or cross-campus clashes are handled slightly differently.

Cross-College Clashes

When a clash involves courses from two different colleges (e.g. ANU College of Science and ANU College of Business and Economics), the application must be submitted to the college of your major. That college must consult the other college within 15 working days. In 2024, the average processing time for cross-college clashes was 12 days, 5 days longer than for within-college clashes. You must mark the application with the “Cross-College” tag, otherwise it may be returned.

Cross-Campus Clashes

Clashes between the main Acton campus and the Kioloa coastal campus or the North Australia Research Unit (NARU) are usually not approved, because travel time exceeds 2 hours. Students must choose the online version of the course or adjust their timetable. In 2023, only 8 cross-campus waivers were approved, all involving postgraduate field research courses.

Policies for Specific Student Groups

ANU offers extra clash waiver support for certain groups of students.

Students with Disabilities or Medical Conditions

Students with an ANU Access and Inclusion Plan can apply for “Priority Timetabling”, which lets them adjust course times before enrolment to avoid clashes. Applications go through the ANU Access and Inclusion office and take 5 working days to process. In 2024, 210 students avoided clashes this way.

International Students

Waiver applications from international students (holding a student visa) must additionally take visa conditions into account (such as the 20-hour work limit). If the clash would prevent you from meeting attendance requirements (above 80%), the college may require a visa compliance declaration. ANU’s International Student Office advises international students to consult a migration agent before applying, though this is not mandatory.

Postgraduate and Honours Students

Waiver applications from coursework Master’s and Honours students are reviewed by the Graduate Academic Committee. The standards are stricter: at least one of the clashing courses must be research-related (such as a Research Project), and supervisor sign-off is required. In 2023, the approval rate for postgraduate waivers was 55%, below the 72% for undergraduates.

FAQ

Q1: Is there any recourse after a waiver application is rejected?

Yes. You can lodge an appeal within 7 working days of receiving the rejection notice. Appeals are submitted through the eForms system with new evidence (such as a supplementary consent letter from the course convenor or medical documentation). In 2023, the ANU Student Appeals Committee received 480 appeals, and about 34% were overturned. If the appeal fails, you must adjust your course plan by Week 4 of the semester, otherwise your courses will be automatically removed.

Q2: How long does a waiver application take?

The standard processing time is 10 working days. For cross-college clashes, it extends to 15 working days. ANU recommends submitting in Week 1 of the semester so you get a result by Week 3. 2024 data shows that about 60% of applications are reviewed within 7 working days. If you have not heard back after 15 working days, contact Student Central to follow up.

Q3: Can I apply for a waiver if two compulsory courses overlap completely?

In theory, yes, but the approval rate is extremely low. In 2023, only 8% of full-clash applications were approved, and all required the following: one of the courses was offered only once that semester; the student had tried every alternative (such as an online version); and the clash lasted no more than 30 minutes. ANU advises students facing a full clash to switch courses or defer one to the next semester rather than rely on a waiver.

References

ANU 2024, Enrolment and Timetabling Policy
ANU Student Administration 2023 Annual Report (internal statistics)
ANU College of Arts & Social Sciences 2024 internal statistics (clash waiver approval rates)
ANU Student Appeals Committee 2023 annual data (appeals and rejection rates)
Unilink Education 2024 database (ANU student enrolment and clash case summaries)