It doesn’t matter if you’re studying online or on campus. For most people, the years you spend as a uni student are pivotal. In 2025, more than 3.2 million Australian’s aged 15-74 years were studying1. So, you’re not the only one!
While studying, you will make some great connections. Develop intellectually and as a person. You also gain valuable life experience. However, there is a greater purpose to your university enrolment. That is, of course, to gain the skills and qualifications required to launch a successful career in your chosen field.
Learning how to study effectively is one of the best ways to help maximise your chances of hitting your academic goals. It will make sure you don’t miss out on the fun stuff at uni. Plus, it should mean you never miss a deadline.
We’re sharing expert advice on how to study effectively, so you can achieve the academic and personal results you’re after.
Why is studying important?
Studying is training your mind. It is the process of actively learning, practising and revising information to help you:
- understand information
- remember information
- apply learning when they count (like assessments, exams or real-world situations)
Studying is so much more than a means of passing your exams. What you learn and knowing how to learn them, will shape your future, not only at uni but long term.
The process involves more than pouring over notes or attending lectures. Studying involves:
- planning your time
- developing good habits
- using study tools
- creating a productive space
- practising techniques that improve recall and confidence
Studying is about building the skills and routines that help you succeed. This can lead to three key outcomes.
- Career and financial benefits
- Skills development
- Personal growth and experience
Career and financial benefits
To be able to work in many professions, you are often required to hold specific qualifications. Effective study is often the best way to gain those professional credentials. By studying well, you can:
- improve your job prospects
- give yourself a higher earning potential
- increase your opportunities for career advancement
Skills development
Through studying, you build valuable skills, such as critical thinking, communication, organisation and other soft skills.
You’ll develop transferable skills that employers value. These include problem solving, teamwork and adaptability.
Personal growth and experience
Studying broadens your understanding and perspective. It also supports your personal development. You’ll be exposed to new ideas, meet people from diverse backgrounds and gain networking opportunities that can shape your personal and professional life.
Most importantly, studying provides an opportunity to explore your interests and passions academically.
What is active and passive studying?
Developing effective study techniques helps you learn faster, stay motivated and achieve better results. There are two main study types to be aware of: passive and active. It is good practice to work both of these study types into your routine.
Passive study involves taking in information with little engagement, such as reading, highlighting, or listening. It does have its place, especially when you’re first becoming familiar with a topic. | Active study strategies force your brain to retrieve, apply and explain information. This strengthens your understanding and improves your long-term memory recall. |
| Passive studying examples | Active studying examples |
| Flashcards | Explaining material in your own words, from memory |
| Rewriting notes | Creating a concept map or flow chart |
| Rereading chapter summaries or textbooks | Answering practice questions |
| Looking over chapter outlines | Relating theories to stories or real-life examples |
| Rewatching lectures | Analysing textbook infographics in your own words |
Top tips for studying effectively
To maximise your chances of hitting your academic goals, you will need to master how to study actively and effectively. Here is a good process to follow:
Step 1: Create a study plan
Step 2: Use active learning techniques
Step 3: Create a focused study environment
Step 4: Manage your time well
Step 5: Seek help when needed
Step 6: Maintain motivation and avoid burnout
Let’s break these down into more detail.
Step 1: Create a study plan
The best way to set yourself up for success is to follow a study plan. This is a simple timetable you can draw up to organise your time and prioritise tasks.
A good study plan usually includes:
| Setting your overall goals and objectives | Your study plan should reflect what you want to achieve as your end goal(s). Once you have established that, you can break it down into steps that will walk you toward your goal(s). |
| Establishing priorities and deadlines | Start by recording all of the deadlines for your assignments and exams. You can do this per class or per semester. Work backwards from there, allocating plenty of time to complete the work and prepare properly. Top tip: Slow and steady wins the race. Falling behind, or cramming at the last minute, is a surefire way to create unnecessary stress, pressure and self-doubt. |
| Determining your ideal study time | Start by learning when you’re most productive. Are you a morning person? A night owl? Is the middle of the day best for avoiding disruptions? Next, pair that with your schedule, and set aside X hours every day to study. Top tip: Find the balance between prioritising yourself and your study goals, and adapting if assignments take you longer than planned, or your schedule needs to change. |
| Factor in breaks and leisure activities | Our minds need breaks. Downtime is important, and it can actually enhance creativity and productivity. Make sure you take regular breaks and factor in leisure, social or uni club activities into your study plan. This will help you prevent burnout and maintain a good study-life balance. |
Step 2: Use active learning techniques
As mentioned earlier, adopting active learning techniques can help you to study more effectively.
Let’s take a look at a few techniques you might find helpful, depending on your learning style:
| Active recall | Quiz yourself on key concepts without looking at your notes. This helps to strengthen your understanding and remember facts. (Pair up with a classmate if that’s helpful or makes studying more enjoyable.) |
| Mind mapping | Create visual diagrams to organise and connect ideas. Mind maps are particularly useful for visual learners. |
| Group study sessions | Collaborate with classmates to discuss and review course material. Explaining concepts to others and hearing their perspectives can deepen your understanding. |
| Flashcards | Use flashcards to memorise definitions, formulas, concepts or vocabulary. Keep them in your bag and do a quick review session when you have 10 minutes to spare. |
| The Feynman Technique | Teach a concept as if you were explaining it to someone who knows nothing about it. This method helps identify gaps in your understanding. |
| Visual aids | Visual aids can make abstract concepts easier to understand. Create charts, diagrams, or illustrations to visualise complex information and map concepts. |
| The SQ3R method | Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review. This reading and note-taking strategy is a proven retention technique. |
Step 3: Create a focused study environment
To study most effectively, create a space that helps you focus. Start by making sure your space has everything you need – such as your study materials and resources (like the on-campus library). Some people prefer comfortable, cosy environments. Other people focus more in austere locations. Figure out what type of space serves you best and utilise/create that.
Top tip: Remove distractions! Put your phone on silent. Set a timer, and tuck it out of sight so you’re not tempted to use it. If you’re studying at home, turn the TV off. Set yourself up for success.
Step 4: Manage your time well
Time management skills are essential now and for the rest of your life, so uni is a great place to experiment with different time management techniques.
One of these is the Pomodoro technique, which involves breaking work into intervals, such as 25-minute slots, separated by short breaks.
This can be an effective study tip because it forces you to create study schedules with regular breaks. It can also work exceptionally well if you break it up with rewards. For example:
- Study session 1, followed by a short walk outside
- Study session 2, followed by watching TV, gaming, or reading for pleasure.
- Study session 3, followed by meeting up with a friend for coffee or a meal.
You can also try time blocking. This involves allocating specific blocks of time for different tasks or activities throughout your day.
Step 5: Seek help when needed
So much of your uni experience is learning, and that includes learning how to study effectively. It’s helpful to talk to your friends and other students to see what they do (or don’t do). And remember: you can always reach out to us for assistance, whether it’s fine-tuning your process or helping if you’re struggling.
We want you to succeed in life and study. If you need a little bit of support to make that a reality, we’re here to help. We offer free study support services to help you succeed, including:
- Self-paced learning
- Interactive workshops
- One-on-one training, online courses and resources
- Peer tutoring and mentoring
Top tip: You might also consider forming a study group with other students. This can be a useful way to learn in a supportive group of people in the same situation as you.
Step 6: Maintain motivation and avoid burnout
Studying effectively and achieving your goals are both important. But they shouldn’t come at the expense of your mental or physical health.
It is important to strike a balance between maintaining your motivation and avoiding burnout. The best ways to do this are to:
- Set realistic goals for what you want to achieve
- Take regular breaks and look after yourself
- Feed your brain with nutrients – don’t forget your study snacks
- Fine-tune your study methods until you find what really works for you
Creating an effective study space at home
Most students, and especially our online students, will do the majority of their studies at home. There are certain perks associated with doing this, including:
- the ability to create a flexible study schedule that fits their lifestyle
- being able to study at any time in a comfortable environment
- not losing valuable time commuting to your study space
- having everything you need to study within reach
- exercising greater control over their routine and breaks
- possibly finishing your degree faster.
However, this freedom can present its own challenges.
Distractions to watch out for
Studying from home requires discipline and concentration, and sometimes people skills. Here are a few key distractions to watch out for:
- Family or housemates: Find a quiet and isolated space, away from any loud housemates, pets, or unexpected visitors.
- Social media: Turn your phone on do not disturb so the ping of constant notifications or mindless scrolling temptations aren’t there.
- Streaming: Resist the call of a Netflix binge. Well, at least until you’ve hit submit.
- Household chores: Procrastination is a real thing. The dirty dishes can wait; your assignments can’t!
Our top tips for studying at home
Here are a few tips to help you study successfully.
- Stay organised: Consider investing in a digital or hardcopy planner. This will make it easier for you to know what you need to study for and when.
- Dress the part: It’s a mental game – if you dress as if you’re going to a job or school, your brain will switch into active mode. If you study in your PJs, your brain will think it’s time to relax.
- Stay connected: Studying from home can make you feel isolated. To counter this, you might want to join a uni Facebook group or online forum. As one of our former students, Kathy puts it: “A memorable moment would be during my very first module, joining a Facebook group with a few other students and being able to share the journey with them. I often think of the support we gave to each other and how we celebrated each other’s achievements – I don’t think I’d be where I am today without them.”
- Be prepared: From academic help to tech support, know what our support services are available whenever you need assistance.
Do’s and don’ts for studying at home
Studying from home has its benefits, but you can also fall into common pitfalls which might impact your study. It’s good to acknowledge these before you start studying so you can prevent yourself from falling into them.
Charlotte Groves completed the final years of her degree online. She has put together a do’s and don’ts list to help you work effectively from home.
“I needed a dedicated study area that I could call my own and keep my things all in one place… It was well worth it and it’s definitely one of my top tips for studying online!”
| ✅Do’s | ❌Don’ts |
| Set up a productive workspace | Let study take over your life |
| Plan your time effectively and prioritise your studies | Expect flexibility without discipline |
| Stay connected and engaged with other students | Forget to stay organised |
| Reward yourself after a study win | Let yourself fall into a study rut |
Ready to start? Hear from another one of our former students about her experience, balancing being a mother of two while completing her master’s degree. You can also explore our online degrees today.
Studying on campus
All these tricks and tips are transferrable to any location that you find yourself in. While a lot of your studying will be from home – in the early morning or all-nighters. You can also study from anywhere on campus!
Charles Sturt campuses have designated study spaces where you will be able to quite area to focus. If you prefer to study in a group and bounce ideas off your peers, you can also use breakout rooms, cafés and outdoor spaces.
Using AI to study more effectively
Artificial intelligence can be a great tool to help you study more effectively.
However, a word of caution: AI should be used to support your learning efforts. It should not replace your own thinking, writing, or research – and never submit AI-generated content as your own work.
AI tools can enable you to study in a more organised and efficient manner. They can help you better understand complex topics, generate ideas and brainstorm. This is especially helpful when you’re starting an assignment and don’t know where to begin.
Ai tools can help you explore angles, define key terms, or break down complicated concepts into simpler explanations. AI can also assist with:
- researching topics by summarising articles
- suggesting additional readings
- acting as an effective self-testing tool.
Summing up
Set yourself up to succeed by studying how to study – learn what techniques work best for you and how to manage your time. These are skills that will not only help you achieve your academic goals, but they’ll also be a huge help outside of uni as well.
Explore our courses and if you have any questions or concerns, reach out at any time. We’re here to help!
How do I know if my study plan is effective?
If you’re hitting your goals, ticking all the items off your checklist, and having time to relax and unwind, fantastic! That’s a great sign that you’re doing a great job of maintaining your study plan.
When should I seek help from a tutor?
You can reach out to a tutor at any time. However, it is worth doing so if you feel like you are struggling in the course. They’ll provide you with the resources to improve your understanding of the coursework and academic performance going forward.
What should I do if I need to catch up on my study plan?
It is advisable to review your study plan if you feel like you are falling behind. Map out all your coursework and assignments to see what areas you need to catch up on. And if you need help, reach out early.
Where can I study on campus?
You can study from anywhere on campus! Designated study rooms, quite zones and the library are popular study hubs, but you could even set yourself up in the on-campus cafés or on the outdoor picnic tables. Wherever you find the most productive!
Will my qualifications be the same if I study online?
Yes! Whether you study online or on campus, you’ll get the exact same qualification. It’s a qualification that’ll open doors and take you wherever you want in your career.
What technology or equipment do I need for online study from home?
You’ll need a reliable internet connection, a computer or laptop with video and audio capabilities for lectures and access to software like Microsoft Office. Some courses may require specific software, so once you’re enrolled in your course, you’ll need to check out your course requirements for any additional tech needs. And of course we’re here if you need any support!
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