Special consideration gives students a chance to be fairly assessed even though they may have been disadvantaged by a range of difficulties and problems during the semester. Technically this is not limited to medical or physical issues; financial difficulties, housing problems, or personal crises such as family difficulties and relationship breakdowns are all valid reasons to apply for special consideration. However, the disruption, problem or illness must have affected your studies substantially.
Special Consideration is available when:
- at any time, your work during the academic year has to a substantial degree been hampered by illness or other cause; or
- you have been prevented by illness or other cause from preparing for all or part of a component of assessment; or
- you were to a substantial degree adversely affected by illness or other cause during the performance of a component of assessment.
To support your application, you must provide appropriate documentation. You should either have a Health Care or Appropriate Professional (HCAP) Form completed, or make a Statutory Declaration, or provide other documentary evidence of the circumstances and their impact on your studies. A HCAP form or Statutory Declaration can be downloaded from the University website when you make your application.
A HCAP form should be completed by an appropriate professional who is familiar with your application for special consideration and is able to provide an evaluation of the severity of the circumstances that may have caused disadvantage.
An appropriate professional could include:
- Your medical practitioner;
- Other health care professional (dentist, psychiatrist, psychologist, physiotherapist, etc);
- Counsellor;
- Member of staff of the Disability Liaison Unit;
- Minister of Religion;
- Member of the Police force or legal professional.
As a general guide, if the professional filling out the HCAP form does not indicate that the affect on your studies was severe, then the application is unlikely to result in any action.
Under certain circumstances, where there is no appropriate professional or other person who can verify your circumstances, a Statutory Declaration can be submitted instead of an HCAP form.
A Statutory Declaration has to be witnessed by an authorised witness, for example, a Pharmacist, a Police Officer or a Justice of the Peace.
More information about appropriate documentation is available at the University website guidelines for submission
You must submit your online application for special consideration no later than 3 days after the due date for submission of the particular component of assessment to which your application refers. You then have 5 working days to submit the HCAP form. To apply for special consideration you must complete the application online . If you need help filling out the online form, please call us for an appointment.
You can apply for special consideration any time during semester, but the earlier the better. If you want special consideration for a component of assessment like an exam, your application can be submitted at any time leading up to the exam or three working days after the exam has taken place. This is similar for other pieces of assessment such as essays, assignments or practical work. It’s helpful to inform your lecturers and tutors that you are applying for special consideration. Various outcomes are possible. You may receive an opportunity to complete additional assessment or a special exam, or it may be found that no action at all is to be taken.
If you need further assistance you can contact your student centre or the Student Union Advocacy Service. If you have an ongoing medical condition, you may be able to access special assistance from the Disability Liaison Unit.
If you have lodged an application and it has been rejected, or the outcome is indicated as ‘no appropriate action’, then you may wish to seek advice from the Advocacy Service regarding an appeal.
Please note: Changes to the process in 2009
In early 2009 the following changes to the University’s Special Consideration process were introduced:
Students can no longer have a mark adjusted as an outcome of an application for special consideration. Additional assessment or a special examination can be offered. If the student elects to complete additional assessment or sit a special examination and achieves a higher mark the subsequent mark will apply.
Students can now submit a Statutory Declaration instead of the HCAP form where there is no appropriate professional or other person who can verify their circumstances, and yet the circumstances are still serious enough to warrant special consideration.
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Posted Thursday 17 January, 2008. Updated Thursday 30 April, 2009.
