If your performance in an assessment task or exam for a subject was affected by circumstances beyond your control, you may be able to apply for special consideration.
Special consideration is intended to provide equitable academic treatment for students whose performance in an assessment task / exam has been significantly affected by extenuating or special circumstances beyond their control.
Special consideration is not automatically granted and may not result in a study or mark adjustment.
Can I apply for special consideration?
You may apply for special consideration if you were affected by:
- A health-related matter i.e. infectious disease (e.g. flu or similar virus) serious illness, psychological condition
- A loss or bereavement
- Online technical issues e.g. during an online exam
- Hardship or trauma
- Exceptional employment demands i.e. active service, Australian Defence Force reserve, State Emergency Service
- Religious commitments
- Other circumstances e.g. summons, court order, etc.
The circumstances below are not eligible for special consideration:
- Minor ailments or illness where you are still capable of completing the assessment task
- Balancing workload or work commitments
- Public transport delays
- Personal events i.e. weddings, birthdays, travel plans
- Events which occurred at an unreasonable length of time in the past
Students who are parents/carers/pregnant:
Find more about balancing study with significant carer responsibilities.
Long-term or ongoing circumstances:
If you are experiencing a recurring medical condition, we are encourage you to register with UTS: Accessibility Service.
Knowingly making false or misleading claims of extenuating circumstances or altering or falsifying any documentary evidence (e.g. medical certificate, professional authority form, or other supporting documentation) may be considered an act of student misconduct and may be dealt with in accordance with Section 16 (Student misconduct and appeals).
How do I apply for special consideration?
Steps to take
To apply for special consideration online:
Need help with your application?
A guide is available to help you lodge a special consideration application
Student User Guide (PDF, 999 kB)
- Login into My Student Portal with your UTS credentials
- Click on Special Consideration
- Follow the prompts
- Upload your supporting documents
Note: If you do not have your supporting documents yet, you can click Submit and resume the application before the deadline to upload your supporting documents.- File format must be PDF and file size must not exceed 10MB.
- Multiple files can be uploaded.
- You must attach your supporting documents and submit before the deadline.
- For a list of accepted supporting documents, refer to the section Supporting documentation.
- Click Submit.
- You will be notified of the outcome of your application via an email to your UTS webmail account.
Applying for multiple assessments / exams
When circumstances affect more than one assessment task or exam, you must submit a separate special consideration application for each and attach your supporting documents to each application.
When do I need to submit my application by?
The deadline for your special consideration application varies depending on the type of assessment or exam.
Centrally-conducted exam
These are also known as end-of session exams. The Exams team (from Student Administration Unit) schedule and conduct these type of exams (including online exams).
| Status | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Attended | Submit within 48 hours after exam (excluding weekends) |
| Missed | Apply for an Alternative Exam |
If you know in advance (before the exam period starts) that you cannot attend a centrally-conducted exam then you need to submit a Scheduling Difficulties form to Exams before the deadline.
Faculty-based exam / in-class quiz or test
These are conducted by the faculties during or after the teaching period.
These include:
- Online quiz / test
- In-class quiz /test
- Faculty-based exam
- Take home exams
| Status | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Attended | Submit within 2 working days after |
| Cannot attend | Submit at least 10 working days before the date of exam / test / quiz |
| Missed | Submit within 2 working days after |
Alternative exam
If you miss a centrally-conducted Examination, you may apply for an Alternative Exam. If you miss an Alternative examination as well, you can apply for Special Consideration.
| status | deadline |
|---|---|
| Attended | Submit within 2 working days after |
| Missed* | Submit within 2 working days after |
Assessments
All assessments should be submitted by the due date specified in the subject outline to avoid academic penalty or failure. Assessment items include but are not limited to:
- Essays
- Assignments
- Projects
- Creation of digital products
- Reports
Students may apply for Short Extensions (less than 72 hours) for some assessments – typically those submitted in Canvas with a 11:59pm deadline on their respective due dates. Where Short Extensions are permitted, they must be requested in Canvas by 11:59pm on the due date using the short extension tool. All requests are processed and approved automatically, and require no supporting documentation.
More information on short extensions can be found here.
Long Extension (more than 72 hours) requests are made via Special Consideration through the Student Portal. Long Extension requests must be made in sufficient time before the assessment due date so the subject coordinator can assess and consider the outcome (which will allow you time to complete the assessment by the deadline if your application is refused or request a Short Extension if applicable for your assessment type).
| Request for an extension of | deadline |
|---|---|
| More than 72 hours | You must:
|
| Less than 72 hours | You must:
|
* Note: Short Extensions are not allowed for all Canvas assessments and the Short Extension tool will only appear where allowed.
Clinical Placement
This assessment type applies to students who have mandatory attendance requirements for clinical placements.
| status | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Missed | Submit within 5 working days of the missed date |
| Cannot attend | Submit before the upcoming placement date |
Mandatory Attendance
Some courses have mandatory attendance requirements such as:
- Compulsory attendance in class or tutorials
- Work placements (that is not clinical placement)
- Group work
- Presentations
| Status | deadline |
|---|---|
| Attended | Submit within 2 working days after |
| Cannot attend | Submit at least 10 working days before date of the mandatory attendance |
| Missed | Submit within 2 working days after |
Late applications may be lodged only in exceptional circumstances. Such requests must be supported by documentary evidence for the late submission.
Supporting documentation
All special consideration applications must include current supporting documents as evidence to support your claim. You may be required to supply originals of these documents at any time during your studies at the University.
The supporting documents must clearly indicate:
- The details of the circumstances
- The impact on your ability to complete an assessment / exam
- The duration of the circumstances (include and start and end date)
- A physical signature and contact number of an appropriate representative
- The date the supporting document was issue
Special consideration applications will be refused if no documentation is provided or the documentation provided does not support your claims.
Important - UTS will not obtain documents on your behalf from third parties (e.g. medical doctors, hospital or police). However, the University may verify the documentation provided with your application with the issuing authority. Disciplinary action may be taken if false or misleading documentation is submitted.
What supporting documents can I submit?
In the first instance, please submit a Professional Authority (PA) form which needs to be completed by a medical practitioner, psychologist, counsellor, or other registered health practitioner.
The PA form must include both the AHPRA Practitioner Registration Number AND the Medicare Provider Number (not required if being treated by UTS Health Service practitioners). If either number is missing, then the Professional Authority form cannot be accepted.
UTS require both these numbers to authenticate the registration of the health practitioner. The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) Register of Practitioners (opens an external site) provides the Practitioner Registration Number of health practitioners.
Alternatively, you may submit any of the following documents depending on the special consideration reason:
| Special consideration reason | submit one of the following |
|---|---|
| Health-related matter |
|
| Loss or bearevement |
|
| Hardship or trauma |
|
| Online technical issues during an online exam | A Student Declaration for Online Technical Issues form. You can download a Student Declaration for Online Technical Issues here. In addition to the declaration, you may also submit secondary supporting documents such as:
More information on Student Declaration for Online Technical Issues can be found here. |
| Exceptional Employment demands e.g. Active Service, ADF Reserve, SES | Formal letter (on official letterhead) from your employer confirming the nature and date of the exceptional work commitment. |
| Religious commitments |
|
| Other |
|
What must be included on a medical certificate?
UTS currently accepts medical certificates issued by a registered health practitioner after a face-to-face, video conferencing, or telephone consultation. Medical Certificates or Certificates for Personal Leave issued by a Pharmacist will not be accepted.
Students in Australia
The medical certificate must include:
- severity and impact on ability to complete an assessment / exam
- duration of the impact (start and end date)
- health practitioner’s Medicare provider number
- health practitioner’s AHPRA Practitioner Registration number
- telephone contact and address details of the health practitioner
- signature of the health practitioner
- date of issue
- issued on official letterhead
Students who are overseas
UTS accepts medical certificates from overseas. The medical certificate must include:
- severity and impact on ability to complete an assessment / exam
- duration of the impact (start and end date)
- telephone contact and address details of the health practitioner
- signature of the health practitioner
- date of issue
- issued on official letterhead
Any medical certificates that are in a language other than English must be accompanied by an English translation performed by a NAATI-accredited translator (opens an external site).
Note: The medical certificate will not be accepted if any of the details listed above are missing.
What must be included in a Student Declaration form?
Any students who experienced an online technical issue during an online exam are required to complete a Student Declaration.
Examples of online technical issues:
- Unplanned internet / power outage
- UTS system / program issue e.g. Proctor U
- Hardware issue (not known prior to exam)
The Student Declaration form must include:
- Full name
- Student ID
- Subject details
- Date(s) affected
- Description of the online technical issue
- Student signature and date
In addition to the student declaration, you may also submit secondary supporting documents such as:
- Report from service provider of outage
- Screen capture (include the date and time)
- Evidence of Service Connect request ticket logged
- Error report
You can download a Student Declaration for Online Technical Issues here.
What must be included in a Statutory Declaration form?
A Statutory Declaration is a written statement which a person declares to be true in the presence of an authorised witness (e.g. Justice of the Peace, lawyer, notary public etc.).
The statutory declaration must include:
- your full name
- nature of the unexpected circumstances
- duration of the circumstances (start and end date)
- impact on your ability to attend exams, classes or complete assessments
- details of any group work that might be affected.
You may also need to provide any secondary documents that verify your circumstances and address the impact on your studies.
Examples of appropriate supporting documents include a police report or a death certificate. If you need to travel interstate or overseas for a funeral, you will need to provide a travel itinerary or statutory declaration for the additional time you are away.
You can download a Commonwealth of Australia Statutory Declaration form online (opens an external site). It must be signed in front of a Justice of the Peace (opens an external site) or an authorised witness.
Note: Under new NSW Government regulation (opens an external site), video conferencing technology like Skype, WhatsApp, Facetime and Zoom can now be used in the witnessing of legal documents such as statutory declarations.
Other types of supporting documents
Students affected by other circumstances (i.e. not based on health-related matter) should provide a third party or independently verified document (e.g. a letter from a relevant authority) such as a:
- detailed police report for incidents
- formal letter from a minister of religion (e.g. priest, rabbi, imam)
- formal letter from employer
- formal letter from a counsellor
- formal letter from a funeral director (accompanied by an obituary or funeral notice)
- copy of a summons, subpoena, court order, or notice of selection for jury duty.
This should be written on an official letterhead and must include the following details:
- your full name
- details of your circumstances
- impact on your ability to study
- duration of the circumstances / impact (start and end date)
- a physical signature and phone number of an appropriate representative
- date the statement was created.
Where to certify documents while overseas?
UTS accept documents from overseas if they are certified by one of the following:
- an Australian overseas diplomatic mission
- a UTS authorised representative or agent
- a public notary office
- the administration of the institution which issued the relevant document
- International Education Specialists (opens an external site)
- an Australian university.
Please note that all certifications must be in English.
When supporting documentation is in a language other than English it must be accompanied by an English translation by a NAATI-accredited translator (opens an external site).
Frequently Asked Questions
Will my personal information be kept confidential?
Special consideration applications often contain sensitive personal and/or medical information. Student confidentiality is important to us.
Please look at Your privacy at UTS as it explains how UTS will manage your privacy and protect your personal information.
What can I do if exceptional circumstances are preventing me from submitting a special consideration application by the deadline?
Applications submitted after the deadline will not be accepted. You may request a late submission in exceptional circumstances only. Submit online enquiry and include reasons for late submission which also must be supported by documentary evidence.
Why does the PA form require both the AHPRA Practitioner Registration number and Medicare Provider number?
In order to be able to authenticate the Professional Authority form and identify fraudulent documents, UTS must be able to confirm the Practitioner Registration Number of your health practitioner on the AHPRA register.
What should I do if I am unable to upload my supporting document?
Students who experience difficulties in scanning and attaching their supporting documents should submit an online enquiry.
What if I have not received an outcome?
The outcome of an application will be sent via email to the student’s UTS Webmail. Students can monitor the status of their application by logging into My Student Portal. If it has been several weeks and the status of the application is still showing as Referred to Faculty students should contact the subject coordinator.
Student and related rules
The University's Student Rules cover a suite of mandatory requirements for academic teaching, learning and research related activities. They cover student responsibilities, all processes from admissions through coursework and research requirements to exams, assessments and graduations.