Special consideration at RMIT is a formal process that lets you ask the university for an assessment adjustment, an extension, an equitable assessment arrangement, a deferred or supplementary assessment, or another reasonable accommodation, when illness, injury, bereavement, or another serious, unexpected circumstance beyond your control affects your performance on an assessment. It is a legitimate, sanctioned part of RMIT’s assessment policy, not a loophole. This guide explains what special consideration is at RMIT, the grounds that qualify, the evidence you need, how to apply step by step through myRMIT / Student Connect, typical deadlines, and what to do if your application is rejected. If your situation is broader than one assessment, our guide on what to do after failing a unit and a show cause notice covers the next steps.
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 broader picture across every Australian university, see our special consideration guide, and if an exam was affected, our explainer on supplementary and deferred exams in Australia is the natural companion to this one.
Key takeaways
- What it is: RMIT’s formal request for an assessment adjustment due to serious, unforeseen circumstances beyond your control.
- Where to apply: through myRMIT / Student Connect using RMIT’s online special consideration application form.
- Common grounds: medical illness or injury, hospitalisation, acute mental-health episodes, bereavement, accidents, and significant unexpected hardship.
- Evidence is essential: nearly every application needs supporting documentation, a medical certificate or RMIT’s Health Professional Report, a death notice, or a statutory declaration.
- Apply fast: RMIT typically expects you to lodge within a few working days of the affected assessment, check RMIT’s current policy for the exact window.
What is special consideration at RMIT?
Special consideration at RMIT 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 for a fair adjustment. Like every Australian provider, RMIT 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 must account for genuine disadvantage. At RMIT the request is lodged online and assessed against the university’s published criteria. The process mirrors what other providers run, so if you study elsewhere too it is worth comparing RMIT’s approach with the special consideration process at Monash and the University of Melbourne’s version.
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, unexpected, and beyond your control, and it must have genuinely affected the specific assessment. Ongoing situations, a diagnosed disability, a long-term medical condition, or carer responsibilities, are usually handled through RMIT’s Equitable Learning Services and an equitable assessment arrangement, rather than one-off special consideration. The same distinction shows up at other universities, so the University of Sydney guide and the UNSW guide are useful cross-checks if you transfer or study across campuses.
What grounds qualify for special consideration at RMIT?
Grounds vary slightly between universities, but the categories below are accepted at RMIT and almost everywhere else. The test is always the same: was it serious, unexpected, and outside your control, and did it affect this assessment? It is worth comparing these grounds with the Macquarie University criteria and the UTS criteria, since the wording differs slightly from one provider to the next.
| 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 assessment 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, sudden caring responsibilities, unexpected hardship | 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 RMIT: step by step
RMIT’s application is lodged online through myRMIT / Student Connect. The process follows the same five steps each time. Apply as early as you can, ideally before the assessment if you already know you will be affected. If you only need a short extension for a single piece of coursework, it can also be worth asking your lecturer directly first; our template for an assignment extension email shows how to word that request professionally.
- Check RMIT’s policy and deadline. Open the special consideration page in myRMIT / Student Connect and note the lodgement window (typically a few working days after the assessment, check RMIT’s current policy for the exact figure).
- Gather your evidence. Obtain the required documentation, a medical certificate or RMIT’s Health Professional Report, a practitioner’s letter, a death notice, or a statutory declaration, dated to cover the assessment period.
- Open the application in Student Connect. Log into myRMIT, go to Student Connect, and start a new special consideration application, selecting the affected course and assessment(s).
- Complete and upload. Choose the grounds, write a short factual statement of how the circumstance affected you, attach your evidence, and submit. Keep the confirmation / reference number.
- Watch for the outcome and act on it. Decisions typically arrive within a few working days. If granted an extension or a deferred assessment, 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 RMIT’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 RMIT 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. RMIT often expects a specific Health Professional Report form rather than a generic certificate, download it from Student Connect 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. If the affected assessment counts toward your overall result, it is worth understanding how a single mark flows through to your average using a WAM calculator before you decide whether to push for an adjustment.
Apply with the evidence ready, not “to follow.” RMIT 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 RMIT
Deadlines are strict and short. As a rule, lodge within a few working days of the affected assessment, check RMIT’s current policy for the exact window, as it can differ for exams and for in-semester assessments, and apply earlier if you already know you will be affected.
If your application is granted, the outcome is tailored to the assessment: an extension for an assignment, a deferred or supplementary assessment for an exam, an equitable assessment arrangement, re-grading, or in serious cases the discounting of the attempt. Special consideration at RMIT almost never changes a mark directly, it gives you a fair opportunity to demonstrate your ability. If you need the work itself completed to your unit’s rubric, it helps to know how that result feeds into your GPA so you can judge how much is at stake.
What if your RMIT 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 RMIT’s policy for the exact appeal pathway and timeframe. If the outcome stands and the assessment cannot be salvaged, talk to your course 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 you want to see how a recovered or failed mark moves your standing, our comparison of WAM and GPA in Australia explains how each figure responds to a single result.
Frequently asked questions
What is special consideration at RMIT?
Special consideration at RMIT is a formal process that lets you request an assessment adjustment, such as an extension, a deferred or supplementary assessment, or an equitable arrangement, when a serious and unforeseen circumstance beyond your control, like illness or bereavement, affects your performance. It is part of RMIT’s assessment policy and is designed to keep assessment fair, and it is lodged online through myRMIT / Student Connect.
How do I apply for special consideration at RMIT?
You apply for special consideration at RMIT online through myRMIT / Student Connect, by starting a new special consideration application, selecting the affected course and assessment, choosing the grounds, writing a short factual statement, and uploading your supporting evidence. Keep the confirmation or reference number, and apply as early as you can, ideally before the assessment if you already know you will be affected.
What grounds qualify for special consideration at RMIT?
Grounds that qualify for special consideration at RMIT 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 at RMIT?
You usually have only a few working days, commonly cited as around three to five, after the affected assessment to apply for special consideration at RMIT, but you should check RMIT’s current policy for the exact window because it can differ between exams and in-semester assessments. Apply earlier, even before the assessment, if you already know you will be affected, as late applications are only accepted with a valid reason.
Do I need a medical certificate for special consideration at RMIT?
Yes, most special consideration applications at RMIT need supporting evidence, and for medical grounds that means a medical certificate or RMIT’s 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 independent and dated to cover the assessment period.
Can I get special consideration at RMIT for anxiety or stress?
You can get special consideration at RMIT 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 RMIT’s Equitable Learning Services and a longer-term equitable assessment arrangement rather than one-off special consideration.