The university announces a range of measures to assist students, including;

*waiving the student service fee for 1H 2020. * extending enrolment deadlines * ensuring Autumn session assessments in “remote mode” or with social-distancing when not.

The most important one is the university deferring census date, when people become liable for HECS-HELP loans, from March 31 to April 16. “This will give students an opportunity to experience UOW’s remote study offerings before they are financially committed to their chosen subjects.”

Smart move. In all the airily ambitious talk of degrees on-line there are few mentions of the students – who will be the judge of what works and doesn’t. Uni Wollongong is appropriately, admirably, given theirs the chance to try before the buy.

But it will be enough?

Universities in general will likely need to do something to address student concerns at the quality of what they will get on-line.

Social media lit-up after yesterday’s announcements of new welfare payments with suggestions students should bail before census date because universities may end up closing (and other allowances pay better than Austudy).

And complaints are starting about the quality of courses quickly transferred on-line.