Special Consideration: Causes for Applying and Treatment Options

Special consideration is the process universities and TAFE institutes use to adjust an exam or assignment when illness, injury or another serious event outside your control has affected it. It doesn't add marks; it changes when or how you're assessed. To apply for special consideration you usually need evidence from the time, such as a form or certificate from a GP, and you need to lodge it within a few working days.

Key takeaways

• It's for short, serious and unavoidable events, not for an ongoing condition or a heavy workload.
• Most institutions want your application within a few working days of the affected task.
• Evidence from a practitioner who saw you during the affected period carries the most weight.
• A GP can assess you, talk through treatment and decide what they can honestly document.

Special Consideration at University and TAFE

You can apply for special consideration when something serious, sudden and beyond your control stops you sitting an exam or finishing an assessment, or badly affects how you perform. The support available through the process includes more time, a deferred exam or another way of completing the assessment. Applying is usually done online through your student portal, with documentation attached. When not to apply depends on the situation:

Situations Serious Enough to Qualify for an Adjustment

A situation qualifies when it was serious, unexpected and outside your control, and it affected a particular assessment rather than your study in general. A bad cold the week before is rarely enough; gastro on the morning of an exam usually is. Universities assessing special consideration ask three things: did it happen, did it stop you or seriously affect you, and does your documentation cover the dates? Work shifts, holidays and computer problems you could have avoided don't usually count, and neither does stress that's part of normal study, though stress that has become a health problem can.

Short-Term Illness, Bereavement and Caring Duties as Grounds

Short-term illness and injury are common grounds for special consideration, as are bereavement and sudden caring duties, such as looking after a partner or parent who has become seriously unwell. A sudden flare of a mental health condition can count too. Each needs evidence: a practitioner's form or certificate, a death or funeral notice, or a letter from the doctor treating the person you cared for. Outcomes range from extensions to a deferred sitting, and ongoing adjustments belong in a separate plan.

Before you apply, read your institution's policy, because the application due date is strict: many want it within three to five working days of the affected assessment, and some won't take a late application without a strong reason. Gather your evidence first, and keep a copy of everything.

Types of Adjustment a University Can Grant

The adjustment a university grants depends on the assessment task and your circumstances. For an assignment, the usual outcome is an extension to the deadline, so you can submit later without a late penalty; extensions are often a few days to a week or two. For an exam, it's usually a deferred or supplementary sitting. Other options include an alternative task, a different weighting across the subject's assessments, or withdrawing from the subject without a fail on your record. Your supporting documentation shapes the outcome, because it tells the university how long you were affected.

How Universities Assess an Adjustment Request

Universities assess a request by checking whether your circumstances meet their policy and whether your supporting documentation backs up what you've said. The staff deciding usually look at the dates the practitioner certified, how severely you were affected and whether you met the deadline for your submission. Universities often don't grant extensions beyond the dates your evidence covers, and an exam you sat is usually treated as completed. If the evidence is thin, they may ask you to submit more, so a clear, detailed document saves time. If you think a decision is wrong, most institutions have an appeal or review process.

Academic Adjustment Plans for Predictable Problems

An academic adjustment plan is the better route when a problem is ongoing or predictable, such as a chronic disease, a disability or a long-term mental health condition. You register with your university's disability or equity service, submit supporting documentation from your treating practitioner, and if you're eligible, the plan sets reasonable adjustments in advance: additional exam time, rest breaks, flexibility with compulsory attendance or set extensions. Under the Disability Standards for Education 2005, universities must provide them. With a plan in place, you won't need to prove the same condition before every exam.

Seeing a GP for Supporting Medical Evidence

A GP is the usual source of supporting documentation for an application, and seeing one during the affected period makes the evidence much stronger. The doctor assesses how you are, talks through treatment options, and writes only what they can stand behind: the dates you were affected and how it affected your ability to complete the assessment task. With Medio, an AHPRA-registered doctor reviews a short questionnaire and phones you if anything needs clarifying, or you can book a phone consult. If your university wants its own form completed, mention it, and the doctor will tell you whether they can help. If you're struggling to cope, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 for support, or 000 in an emergency.

Supplementary Assessments for Affected Students

A supplementary or deferred assessment is a fresh chance to complete an assessment you missed or were seriously affected in. Deferred exams are usually held in a set period after the main exams, so check the dates as soon as your outcome arrives and plan around them. The new assessment may differ from the original, though it covers the same material. If you're also too unwell for the deferred assessment, you usually need to apply again with new supporting documentation, and some universities won't offer a third sitting. In that case, ask about withdrawing without academic penalty. Keep your documentation from the first application, as the university may ask how the two periods connect.

How an Extension Differs From Formal Consideration

An extension gives you more time on an assignment, while formal consideration covers exams and longer or more serious disruption. Many universities let you request a short extension straight from your subject coordinator, sometimes without documentation if you ask before the due date. A longer extension, or any change to an exam, goes through the formal process with evidence. If your circumstances are likely to affect more than one assessment task, the formal route usually suits better, because one application can cover the whole period.

Summary

Special consideration protects students whose study is knocked off course by a serious, sudden event, provided the evidence and the deadline line up. A Medio GP can assess you by phone, talk through treatment and, where the doctor finds it right, provide a medical certificate to support special consideration.

Frequently asked questions

What do you need to do to apply?

You need to lodge a special consideration application through your institution's online form, usually in the student portal, within its deadline. Explain what happened, which assessment it affected and the dates, and attach your evidence: a practitioner's form or certificate, or other documents such as a funeral notice. Then check your student email, because the university may ask for more before it decides.

What do you need to know?

You need to know your own institution's rules, because they differ: what counts as grounds, the deadline, which evidence it accepts and whether it has its own practitioner form. Know too that sitting an exam usually means you've declared yourself fit, and that the university, not your doctor, decides the outcome. Your faculty's student centre can explain anything unclear.

Can a doctor help with special consideration?

Yes, a doctor can assess how being unwell or injured affected you and write evidence for the dates they can stand behind. Medio's doctors issue university and TAFE certificates for these applications, missed exams and assessment extensions, through a short $19 questionnaire. The doctor decides whether a certificate is appropriate, and paying doesn't mean you'll get one.

When do I need to submit my application by?

You need to submit your application within your institution's time limit, which is usually a few working days after the affected assessment, often three to five. Some ask you to apply before the due date when you can. If you were too unwell to apply in time, say so and include evidence; a late application is sometimes accepted, but not always.

What should you know about application process requirements?

The application process requirements are set by each institution, but most want a completed online form, a personal statement and evidence that covers the affected dates. You submit supporting documents as uploads, and universities may check them with the practitioner who wrote them. Never alter a document: a false or changed certificate is academic misconduct and can lead to serious penalties, including exclusion.

What should you know about applying for an extension?

Applying for an extension is simplest before the assignment is due. Ask early, through your subject coordinator or your university's extension form, and say how many days you need and why. Short extensions sometimes need no evidence; longer ones need documentation that covers the time you were affected. An extension usually applies to assignments, not exams.