Minimum IT requirements for studying with us

To help you get the most from your learning experience, it's important that you own or have frequent access to a fast and reliable computer that's ideally not more than two years old.

Internet connection

You will also need frequent access to a reliable high-speed internet connection. Depending on the requirements of your course, you’ll be using this data to watch educational videos, access research and reading materials, complete online assessments,participate in discussion forums, chat groups, and virtual classes with your fellow students, and more. You can expect to use approximately 4.6GB per month of internet data for each subject you study, though it may be more.

IT requirements

  • Access to a desktop or laptop computer running Windows 10 or later, Mac OS X10.14 Mojave or later
  • Access to an updated internet browser (Firefox, Safari, Chrome or Edge) - Note: Internet Explorer is NOT supported
  • A webcam and headset (including microphone)
  • Installation of Federation University Office 365 (provided free to our students). Office 365 includes programs to create documents, spreadsheets, presentations, store your study materials in the cloud, and communicate with staff and students
  • A reliable, high-speed broadband internet connection, with sufficient upload and download capacity
  • You may require administration rights to your computer in order to install additional software.

We also encourage you to acquire the following skills and knowledge related to operating and maintaining a functional online study environment:

  • Know how to install, use, and keep your computer’s internet browser and other software up-to-date (e.g. installing security updates)
  • Be proficient in connecting your laptop and/or mobile device to wireless networks either at Federation University, your local library, or other locations
  • Ability to use a web camera and headset/microphone
  • Know how to use cloud storage (e.g. through Office 365 OneDrive)
  • Ability to use Microsoft Word and other related software packages

WiFi

Students on campus (without any portable devices) can use the shared computing facilities in libraries and computer labs. Students can also access wireless connections (eduroam) at all Federation campuses and many other educational institutions worldwide.