Further information
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Faculty variations
Faculty conditions vary for ‘special consideration'. Always seek advice from your faculty adviser.
Getting help
A counsellor may be able to help you.
If you think your study has been severely affected by serious illness or other factors outside your control, you can apply for special consideration.
Special consideration allows faculties to take into account significant and unforeseen factors that may have affected your academic preparation or performance, such as:
- significant personal illness
- death or serious illness of someone close to you
- other significant circumstances.
The faculty can consider:
- extensions for assignments
- withdrawal or changes to courses
- changes to your final grade in a unit of study
- deferred examinations.
Applying for special consideration will not save you from the consequences of poor academic preparation. The final decision rests with the faculty.
Type of application
One-off extension
You can apply to your unit co-ordinator for a one-off extension to a deadline for a written assignment or project. The coordinator will decide how long an extension you can have. You should make contact on or before the due date.
Broad application
If your difficulties are ongoing or have been occuring for some time, you can request that special consideration be applied to all aspects of assessment.
Contact the relevant sub or associate dean or the faculty academic student advisor.
Until otherwise advised, however, normal deadlines apply to assignments, reports, projects and examinations.
Application guidelines
Deadline
- Third university working day after the date the assessment was due.
Your faculty may be able to extend this deadline in exceptional circumstances. Supporting documentation should clearly cover the due date for the assessment.
Application form
Documentation
Applications on medical grounds are best supported by certificates signed by your doctor indicating that you were seen during an illness, or as soon as it was possible afterwards to seek help. The certificate should show:
- when you first sought attention
- probable duration of illness
- level of impact on performance.
Within the limits of confidentiality, certificates should provide sufficient detail on the nature and seriousness of the illness so that an equitable performance assessment can be made.
Applications on other grounds are best supported by a healthcare professional, religious leader, or residential college principal, or by a university lecturer or other person who is sufficiently informed to be able to make a comprehensive and objective assessment of the severity of your circumstances. The kind of documentation you need will depend on the situation, but should support your account of the circumstances and indicate the likely duration and level of impact on performance.
Certificates signed by family members are not acceptable.
Deferred examinations
If your special circumstances prevent you sitting exams as originally scheduled you can apply for a deferred examination.
Be proactive. If you think something serious is affecting your study, tell you sub-dean, associate dean or academic student adviser as soon as possible.
University information
CRICOS Code: 00126G
