Check Your Course Handbook First: Do You Actually Need a Lab Coat?

Before you spend anything, spend five minutes finding out whether you actually need to. Here's how to check — and what the answer means for what you buy.

The Quick Answer

You need your own lab coat if your subjects include wet labs — chemistry, biology, microbiology, food science, anatomy, and most engineering workshops. You usually don't need one for pure lecture/tutorial subjects, maths, computing, or theory-heavy first-semester subjects.

But the details vary by course and by uni, so don't rely on what a second-year told you at O-Week. Check the actual sources.

Where to Look (in Order)

1. The subject outline / course handbook — the "required equipment," "PPE" or "materials" section. This is the authoritative answer
2. The LMS page for the subject — some unis put equipment lists in the subject's welcome announcement instead of the handbook
3. The lab manual — usually released in week 1, but sometimes available earlier
4. The subject coordinator — one email clears it up: "Hi, will I need to supply my own lab coat and safety glasses for [subject code]?" Coordinators answer this question dozens of times and always reply

What "The Uni Supplies It" Actually Means

Some unis loan coats at the lab door or sell them on campus. Two things worth knowing:

• Loan coats are shared. Worn by whoever had your class slot last year. Many students who can borrow still choose to own — $24 for your own coat is a fair trade for a garment only you have worn
• Campus-sold coats cost more. Where unis sell rather than loan, campus options are typically pricier than ordering direct — compare the spec sheet (fabric weight, closures, sizing) before paying

The Honest Advice: Buy It Once You Know

If the answer is yes — order before semester starts, not during week 2. Two reasons:

• Delivery takes 5–7 business days (2–3 express), and most unis won't let you into a lab without a coat — the busiest week of the semester is the worst time to discover that
• Sizing takes one exchange sometimes. Free size exchanges within 7 days only help if there's time to use one

If the answer is "not this semester," you've lost nothing by checking — and you'll know where to come when the second-year subjects kick in.

If the Answer Is Yes

• Shop lab coats — white $24 ex GST (the standard requirement), navy $27, XXS to 3XL
• Measure up on the Sizing Chart — from a garment you already own, in two minutes
• Add safety spectacles ($5, AS/NZS 1337.1) if your subject outline lists them — Breeze for most students, Traditional if you wear prescription glasses

Still not sure what your course needs? Contact us with the subject or course name — we've kitted out thousands of students and we can usually tell you what the outline means.