Special consideration at Monash University is a formal process that lets you ask for an assessment adjustment, a short extension, a deferred exam, an alternative assessment, or re-marking, when illness, injury, bereavement, or another serious, unforeseen circumstance outside your control affects your performance. It is a legitimate, sanctioned part of Monash’s assessment policy, applied for through the my.monash portal, not a loophole. This guide explains what special consideration at Monash University means, which grounds are eligible, the evidence you need, how to apply step by step, typical deadlines and outcomes, and what to do if your application is rejected. If your situation is really about an assignment running late rather than a serious circumstance, our walk-through on how to write an assignment extension email may be the better first move.
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. For the cross-university picture, see our special consideration guide.
Key takeaways
- What it is: a formal Monash request for an assessment adjustment due to serious, unforeseen circumstances beyond your control.
- Where to apply: through the my.monash portal, not by emailing your lecturer directly.
- Common grounds: medical illness or injury, hospitalisation, acute mental-health episodes, bereavement, accidents, and significant unexpected hardship.
- Evidence is essential: almost every application needs supporting documentation, often on a Monash Health Professional Report form.
- Apply fast: Monash typically expects you to lodge within a few working days of the affected assessment, check Monash’s policy for the exact window.
What is special consideration at Monash?
Special consideration at Monash is the process by which you formally tell the university that something serious and outside your control has affected your ability to complete an assessment or sit an exam, and ask Monash to make a fair adjustment. Like every Australian university, Monash is required to maintain 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. The same fairness principle applies at peer institutions, so the process closely mirrors the one set out in our special consideration at Unimelb guide.
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 Monash’s separate, longer-term support (a disability or access plan) rather than one-off special consideration. Students at other campuses face the same distinction, which is why our special consideration at USYD guide draws the line the same way.
Eligible grounds for special consideration at Monash University
Grounds vary slightly between universities, but the categories below are accepted at Monash and almost everywhere else; you will find a near-identical list in our special consideration at RMIT guide. The test is always the same: was it serious, unexpected, and outside your control, and did it affect this assessment?
| Grounds | Examples | Usually accepted? |
|---|---|---|
| Medical | Illness, injury, hospitalisation, surgery, acute flare-up of a condition | Yes, with a medical certificate / report |
| 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, avoidable IT failure, holidays, minor everyday illness | No |
How to apply for special consideration at Monash: step by step
The mechanics at Monash follow the same five steps, all routed through the my.monash portal, much like the workflow described in our special consideration at UNSW guide. Apply as early as you can, ideally before the assessment if you already know you will be affected.
- Check Monash’s policy and deadline. Find the special consideration page via my.monash and note the lodgement window and which assessments are eligible, check Monash’s policy for the exact timing.
- Gather your evidence. Obtain the required documentation, a medical certificate or Health Professional Report, a death notice, or a statutory declaration, dated to cover the assessment period.
- Lodge the application in my.monash. Log into the portal, open the special consideration form, select the affected unit and 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 a few working days, check Monash’s policy. If granted an extension or deferred exam, note the new date immediately, and read our overview of how supplementary and deferred exams work in Australia so you know what to expect.
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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. Monash, like many universities, may ask for a specific Health Professional Report form rather than a generic certificate, download it from my.monash 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. The evidence standard is consistent across campuses, as our special consideration at Macquarie guide also shows.
Apply with the evidence ready, not “to follow.” Monash decides 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 at Monash
Deadlines are strict and short. As a rule, lodge within a few working days of the affected assessment, although the exact window and the available outcomes depend on the assessment type, check Monash’s policy for the current timing. Tighter windows apply at some universities, as our special consideration at UTS guide notes.
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-marking, 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 you are weighing how much a single affected assessment really matters, our WAM calculator for Australia and GPA calculator for Australia let you model the impact before you decide your next step.
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, check Monash’s policy for the appeal process. 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 census-date withdrawal) protects your record better than a fail. The worst response is to do nothing. If a fail does land on your transcript, our guide to recovering after you have failed a unit and face a show-cause process covers what comes next.
Frequently asked questions
What is special consideration at Monash University?
Special consideration at Monash University is a formal process that lets you request an assessment adjustment, such as an extension, a deferred exam, or re-marking, when a serious and unforeseen circumstance beyond your control, like illness or bereavement, affects your performance. It is part of Monash’s assessment policy and is designed to keep assessment fair.
How do I apply for special consideration at Monash?
You apply for special consideration at Monash through the my.monash portal, not by emailing your lecturer. Log in, open the special consideration form, select the affected unit and assessment, choose your grounds, write a short factual statement, and upload your supporting evidence before submitting. Keep the confirmation reference number for your records.
What grounds are eligible for special consideration at Monash?
Grounds eligible for special consideration at Monash 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 and heavy workload do not qualify.
How long do I have to apply for special consideration at Monash?
You usually have a few working days, typically around three to five, after the affected assessment to apply for special consideration at Monash, though you should check Monash’s policy for the exact window and apply earlier 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 at Monash?
Yes, most special consideration applications at Monash need supporting evidence, and for medical grounds that means a medical certificate or, in many cases, 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.
What happens if my special consideration at Monash is rejected?
If your special consideration at Monash 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, check Monash’s policy for the process. 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.