Student Guide to Special Consideration

If you are impacted by unexpected illness or difficult personal circumstances which are so serious that they impact your academic performance, prevent you from attending an exam or submitting an assessment on time, you may be eligible to apply for Special Consideration.

Special Consideration is affected by circumstances that are:

• Unexpected
• Beyond your control
• Serious enough to impact your academic performance

Some compassionate or compelling circumstances include (but are not limited to):

• Illness, injury, or hospitalisation
• Birth of your child or sibling
• Death of a family member, friend, or pet
• Court appearance or jury duty
• Eviction or urgent move from your residence

These circumstances must be recent and relevant to the timing of the assessment. If the impact of an event (such as grief) continues past the original timeframe, further documentation may be required.

The “Fit to Sit” rule applies to exams and timed assessments. Students must decide before the start of an assessment whether they are well enough to proceed.

• By sitting an exam or accessing a timed assessment on the scheduled date, you are declaring that you are fit to do so.
• You cannot apply for Special Consideration after sitting the assessment.
• If you access or complete an assessment after submitting a Special Consideration application, the application becomes void.

• If you become unwell during an exam:

  • Stop working immediately

  • Notify the Examination Supervisor on site

  • Provide a local medical certificate dated within 24 hours of the exam

Exceptions to the “Fit to Sit” rule may be made in cases where students were clearly unfit to make a reasonable judgment due to mental illness or other extenuating circumstances.

Special consideration applications must be submitted within 3 working days of the due date or scheduled exam. Where the documentation demonstrates the student was unable to submit on time, late applications may be considered in exceptional circumstances.

Important: If you submit a special consideration application for an assessment with a set due date, you should continue working on your assessment and submit it while waiting for an outcome of your application – do not wait for an extension approval before commencing and submitting your work. If your application is approved, late penalty will be removed.

• Only one (1) application per assessment is permitted.
• Only one (1) extension or supplementary exam will be granted.
• Where a student has applied for multiple special considerations in one (1) course or across different courses due to an ongoing medical issue, an Equitable Learning Plan (ELP) should be implemented. Student should contact els@unswcollege.edu.au to arrange an Equitable Learning Plan.

Special Consideration applications must include supporting evidence that:

• Identifies your specific circumstances
• States the time period affected
• Includes the date you were seen by a professional
• Explains the impact on your ability to complete your assessment.

Applications without supporting evidence or incomplete applications will not be assessed.

Photos of injuries or illness are not considered in your Special Consideration application. Please only attach relevant documentation as failure to do so may result in your application being delayed.

Acceptable Evidence and Documentation includes:

• Local medical certificate from an AHPRA-registered health practitioner. Medical certificate must also meet the conditions set out in section 5 of the Guidelines of Assessing Compassionate or Compelling Circumstances to be accepted.      
• Hospital admission/discharge papers
• Police reports or statements
• Official letters from authorities or organisations
• Death notice
• Statutory declaration for hardship or trauma (e.g. eviction, financial issues)
• Court appearance or jury duty notice
• Letter from employer (for unexpected obligations)
• Letter from religious leader or Elder confirming religious requirements
• Letter from sports club, performance group, or manager for elite commitments
• For online assessment technical issues:
  • Screenshots of error messages or loading issues
  • Timestamped internet speed tests
  • Power outage maps
  • Provider communication about service disruption
  • Invigilator acknowledgement of issue

Your application will be denied if:

• You submit incomplete or inadequate documentation
• You do not explain your reason for missing the assessment
• You apply more than 3 working days after the due date
• You did not plan ahead (e.g. woke up late or missed your bus)
• You misread or forgot the correct assessment date or time
• You submitted the wrong file for your assessment or exam
• Your laptop battery died and you forgot your charger
• Your device did not meet exam requirements (e.g. working camera/software)
• You booked personal travel or holidays
• You booked flights before supplementary exam dates were released
• You chose to attend an event (e.g. wedding, funeral) without informing UNSW College within the first two weeks of term
• You experienced public transport delays (unless due to strike action)
• You were balancing a heavy study load or had multiple tasks due
• The affected task was:
  • Worth less than 5%
  • Open for more than 3 days
• You had work, club, or voluntary commitments
• You undertook professional experience arranged independently
• You enrolled in the course late (not due to compliance or visa issues)
• You experienced technology issues due to poor time management, such as:
  • Submitting in the final minutes
  • Failing to back up work
  • Allowing auto-updates during an exam

In some rare cases, marks derived from other completed assessment tasks may be aggregated or averaged to achieve an overall mark.

All medical documentation must be local or obtained through telehealth consultation with an AHPRA-registered provider and meet the conditions set out in section 5 of the Guidelines of Assessing Compassionate or Compelling Circumstances to be accepted.      

Submitting a fraudulent medical certificate is a serious offence and a breach of the College Student Code and Student Misconduct and Academic Integrity Policies and Procedures. Where a student submits a fraudulent medical certificate, this will lead to penalties under the Academic Integrity and Student Misconduct Policies and Procedures.

AHPRA-accredited professions include:

• Medicine
• Psychology
• Nursing and Midwifery
• Pharmacy
• Dental
• Occupational Therapy
• Optometry
• Podiatry
• Physiotherapy
• Chiropractic
• Osteopathy
• Chinese Medicine
• Medical Radiation Practice
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practice

Submitting a fake certificate is a breach of the Student Code of Conduct and will lead to penalties under the Student Misconduct Procedure.

Medical certificates that list symptoms as self-reported will be assessed based on the impact period noted. However, if your account and the certificate do not align, the application will be reviewed individually.

If your application is denied, you may lodge an appeal using this form.

For more information, read our Student Guide to Complaints and Appeals.

If you need assistance regarding the appeals process, you can email our Conduct and Integrity Team or see us in person at Level 1, UNSW College L5 Building (Student Enquiries) for support.

If you are struggling, do not hesitate to ask for help from our Student Wellbeing Team who are located at UNSW College L5 Building, Level 1 (Student Enquiries). You can also book a confidential appointment.

• Offers learning support and adjustments for students with ongoing circumstances.
• More about ELS.

If you require help with translation, choose a translator accredited by NAATI (National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters).
www.naati.com.au
+61 2 9267 1357

For further details, refer to these official UNSW College policies:

• Guidelines for Assessing Compassionate or Compelling Circumstances
• Assessment Policy
• Student Appeal Policy