Special consideration is a formal process at Australian universities that lets you ask for an adjustment, an extension, a deferred exam, a re-sit, or re-grading, when illness, injury, bereavement, or another serious, unforeseen circumstance outside your control affects your performance on an assessment. It is a legitimate, sanctioned part of every university’s assessment policy, not a loophole. This guide explains what special consideration is, what grounds qualify, the evidence you need, how to apply step by step, typical deadlines, and what to do if your application is rejected, with the specifics for the major AU universities. If a single bad result has already cost you a unit, our companion guide on what to do when you fail a unit and face a show-cause notice picks up where this one leaves off.
If a deadline has already slipped past what special consideration can fix, our assignment help service pairs you with a Masters- or PhD-qualified writer who can produce AI-free, Turnitin-checked work fast, but apply for special consideration first; it is free and it protects your record.
Key takeaways
- What it is: a formal request for an assessment adjustment due to serious, unforeseen circumstances beyond your control.
- Common grounds: medical illness or injury, hospitalisation, bereavement, accident, acute mental-health episodes, and significant unexpected hardship.
- Evidence is essential: almost every application needs supporting documentation (medical certificate, statutory declaration, death notice).
- Apply fast: most universities require you to lodge within 3-5 working days of the affected assessment, often before, if you can.
- Outcomes: an extension, a deferred or supplementary exam, an alternative assessment, re-grading, or (rarely) discounting the attempt.
What is special consideration?
Special consideration (sometimes called “special arrangements”, “academic consideration”, or “special circumstances” depending on the university) is the process by which you formally tell your university that something serious and outside your control has affected your ability to complete an assessment or sit an exam, and ask them to make a fair adjustment. Every Australian university is required to have such a policy under the standards overseen by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA), because assessment must be fair and account for genuine disadvantage.
It is important to understand what special consideration is not. It is not a way to buy more time because you left an assignment late, mismanaged your workload, or simply want a better mark. The circumstance must be serious, unforeseen, and beyond your control, and it must have genuinely affected the specific assessment. Ongoing conditions (such as a diagnosed disability or a chronic illness) are usually handled through a separate, longer-term mechanism, a disability or access plan, rather than one-off special consideration. If a poor result has already pulled down your average, it can help to model the impact first with a WAM calculator so you know exactly what is at stake before you lodge.
What qualifies for special consideration?
Grounds vary slightly between universities, but the categories below are accepted almost everywhere. The test is always the same: was it serious, unexpected, and outside your control, and did it affect this assessment? Knowing how a single mark feeds into your overall standing, the difference between a WAM and a GPA, helps you judge whether an assessment is worth fighting for.
| Grounds | Examples | Usually accepted? |
|---|---|---|
| Medical | Illness, injury, hospitalisation, surgery, acute flare-up of a condition | Yes, with a medical certificate |
| Mental health | Acute anxiety/depressive episode, crisis, panic attack on exam day | Yes, with practitioner evidence |
| Bereavement | Death of a close family member or friend | Yes, with a death notice / stat dec |
| Accident / trauma | Car accident, assault, being a victim of crime | Yes, with police report / evidence |
| Hardship / compassionate | Family emergency, caring responsibilities, sudden homelessness | Often, with a statutory declaration |
| Not accepted | Poor planning, heavy workload, IT failure you could have avoided, holidays, minor everyday illness | No |
How to apply for special consideration: step by step
The mechanics differ slightly by university, but the process follows the same five steps everywhere. Apply as early as you can, ideally before the assessment if you already know you will be affected. If an assignment deadline is the only thing at risk, you may simply need a short extension, and a well-judged assignment extension email can sometimes resolve it without a full application.
- Check your university’s policy and deadline. Find the special consideration page in your student portal and note the lodgement window (usually 3-5 working days after the assessment).
- Gather your evidence. Obtain the required documentation, a medical certificate, a practitioner’s letter, a death notice, or a statutory declaration, dated to cover the assessment period.
- Complete the online application. Log into the student system, select the affected assessment(s), choose the grounds, and write a short, factual statement of how the circumstance affected you.
- Upload your documentation and submit. Attach the evidence, double-check the assessment details, and lodge it. Keep the confirmation/reference number.
- Watch for the outcome and act on it. Decisions typically arrive within about five working days. If granted an extension or deferred exam, note the new date immediately.
Granted an extension but still won’t finish in time? Our Masters- and PhD-qualified writers can take it from here, AI-free, Turnitin-checked, matched to your rubric and your university’s referencing style.
What evidence do you need?
Evidence is the part students most often get wrong, and a missing or mismatched document is the most common reason an application fails. The golden rule: the evidence must be independent, dated to cover the assessment, and from an appropriate professional. A medical certificate that simply says “unfit for work” on the wrong date will be rejected. Many universities use a specific Health Professional Report form rather than a generic certificate, download it from your portal and have your practitioner complete it. For bereavement, a death notice, funeral notice, or statutory declaration is standard. For hardship or compassionate grounds where no formal document exists, a statutory declaration (a legally binding written statement) is usually accepted. Write your supporting statement in clear, factual Australian English spelling, the assessors read hundreds of these, and a tidy, consistent submission reads as more credible.
Apply with the evidence ready, not “to follow.” Universities decide on what you lodge, an application submitted without its supporting document is the single most common reason students are knocked back.
, BAO academic support team
Special consideration deadlines and outcomes
Deadlines are strict and short. As a rule, lodge within three to five working days of the affected assessment, although the exact window and the available outcomes depend on your university and the type of assessment. Where the assessment was an exam, a granted application typically routes you into the supplementary and deferred exam system rather than an extension.
If your application is granted, the outcome is tailored to the assessment: an extension for an assignment, a deferred or supplementary exam for an exam, an alternative assessment, re-grading, or in serious cases the discounting of the attempt. Special consideration almost never changes a mark directly, it gives you a fair opportunity to demonstrate your ability. If your circumstances affected several units at once, it is worth running the numbers through a GPA calculator to see how much a single granted re-sit could move your overall standing.
Special consideration by university
Every university runs the same broad process under a slightly different name and portal. Use the guide for your university below for the exact form, grounds, and deadlines, and note that each links through to local writers who know that university’s rubrics if you need the work itself completed. The stakes are highest at the research-intensive sandstones, where graduating with a strong average matters for honours and postgraduate entry, our guide to earning first-class honours at the University of Melbourne shows just how much a single salvaged unit can count.
| University | Detailed guide | Local writer help |
|---|---|---|
| University of Sydney (USyd) | USyd special consideration | Sydney writers |
| Monash University | Monash special consideration | Monash writers |
| UNSW | UNSW special consideration | UNSW writers |
| RMIT | RMIT special consideration | RMIT writers |
| University of Melbourne (UniMelb) | UniMelb special consideration | Melbourne writers |
| Macquarie University | Macquarie special consideration | Macquarie writers |
| UTS | UTS special consideration | UTS writers |
What if your application is rejected?
A rejection is not the end of the road. First, read the reason carefully, it is often a fixable problem such as insufficient evidence or a missed deadline. You generally have the right to request a review or appeal the decision, usually within a set number of working days, by supplying stronger evidence or explaining a genuine reason the application was late. If the outcome stands and the assessment cannot be salvaged, talk to your unit coordinator about other options, and consider whether withdrawing without academic penalty (a “WW”/census-date withdrawal) protects your record better than a fail. If you are weighing up where to study after a setback, our overview of the best graduate schools in Australia can help you plan the next step. The worst response is to do nothing.
Special consideration vs extension vs deferred exam
Students mix these up, but they are distinct tools. An extension is simply more time on an assignment and is sometimes granted informally by a unit coordinator without a full application. Special consideration is the formal, evidence-backed process that can produce an extension or other outcomes and creates an official record. A deferred exam (or supplementary exam) is a specific outcome, sitting the exam at a later date, that usually flows from a granted special consideration application. If you only need a short extension on one assignment and your university allows direct extension requests, that may be the faster route; for anything involving an exam, illness, or a serious circumstance, special consideration is the correct channel. Whichever path you take, it pays to understand how your institution converts a composite assessment score into a final grade, and to keep a healthy Turnitin similarity score on any replacement work you submit so a salvaged assessment is not undone by an integrity flag.
Frequently asked questions
What is special consideration at university?
Special consideration at university is a formal process that lets you request an assessment adjustment, such as an extension, a deferred exam, or re-grading, when a serious and unforeseen circumstance beyond your control, like illness or bereavement, affects your performance. It is part of every Australian university’s assessment policy and is designed to keep assessment fair.
What grounds qualify for special consideration?
Grounds that qualify for special consideration include medical illness or injury, hospitalisation, acute mental-health episodes, bereavement, accidents, being a victim of crime, and significant unexpected hardship. The circumstance must be serious, unforeseen, and outside your control, and it must have genuinely affected the assessment. Poor time management, heavy workload, and avoidable problems do not qualify.
How long do I have to apply for special consideration?
You usually have three to five working days after the affected assessment to apply for special consideration, though the exact window varies by university and you should apply earlier, even before the assessment, if you already know you will be affected. Late applications are only accepted with a valid reason, so lodge as soon as possible.
Do I need a medical certificate for special consideration?
Yes, most special consideration applications need supporting evidence, and for medical grounds that means a medical certificate or, at many universities, a specific Health Professional Report form completed by your practitioner. For bereavement you provide a death or funeral notice or a statutory declaration; for hardship a statutory declaration is often accepted. The document must be dated to cover the assessment period, and it helps to write your accompanying statement in plain, correct Australian spelling and usage so the assessor can read it without friction.
Does special consideration change my grade?
No, special consideration does not directly change your grade. Instead it gives you a fair opportunity to demonstrate your ability, through an extension, a deferred or supplementary exam, an alternative assessment, or re-grading. The aim is to remove the disadvantage caused by your circumstances, not to award extra marks. If the assessment is essay-based, planning a clean university essay structure for the replacement piece is the quickest way to use that second chance well.
Can I get special consideration for anxiety or stress?
You can get special consideration for an acute mental-health episode, such as a panic attack, an acute anxiety or depressive episode, or a crisis, if it was serious and affected a specific assessment, supported by evidence from a health professional. Ongoing, diagnosed conditions are usually managed through a longer-term disability or access plan rather than one-off special consideration, which gives you adjustments across the whole semester.
What happens if my special consideration is rejected?
If your special consideration is rejected you can usually request a review or appeal within a set number of working days, often by supplying stronger evidence or explaining a genuine reason the application was late. If the decision stands, speak to your unit coordinator about alternatives and consider whether withdrawing without academic penalty protects your record better than a fail. Do not simply ignore the outcome.
Is special consideration the same as an extension?
No, special consideration is not the same as an extension. An extension is simply more time on an assignment and is sometimes granted directly by a coordinator, whereas special consideration is the formal, evidence-backed process that can result in an extension or other outcomes and creates an official record. For exams or serious circumstances, special consideration is the correct channel.