Special Consideration & Short Extension FAQs
- Hardships
- Commitments
Click on a circumstance to see suggested supporting evidence you can supply.
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Medical Certificate (provided by AHPRA-registered health practitioner; see Special Consideration Guidelines). Overseas medical documentation will not be accepted if you're in Australia.
Hospital Discharge Certificate.
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Hardship or trauma may include:
- A sudden change in domestic arrangements, such as eviction or homelessness
- Gendered, domestic or other interpersonal violence
- Severe and unexpected financial difficulties
- Being a victim of crime
- A serious accident
- The hospitalisation of a family member.
Supporting documentation may include:
- An official letter from a relevant service or authority
- A police report
- Hospital documentation, such as a discharge summary
- A medical certificate provided by an AHPRA-registered health practitioner (see the Special Consideration Guidelines).
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- Death Notice/Certificate
- Obituary
- Order of service
- Statutory Declaration
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For online assessments, take screenshots (all screenshots must include the date and time the issue occurred) of:
- Error messages
- Screen not loading
- Timestamped speed tests
- Power outage maps
- Messages or information from your internet provider regarding the issues experienced.
For offline technical issues, provide clear photos or documentation detailing the impact of your issue.
For technical issues that occur during an exam, refer to the UNSW Exams Guidelines for how these are managed and when Special Consideration may apply.
For non-exam technical issues, you must contact your course authority, lecturer, tutor or supervisor via email, Moodle or chat to advise that you are experiencing a technical issue, as soon as practical or immediately at the conclusion of your assessment.
Click on a circumstance to see suggested supporting evidence you can supply.
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These are considered eligible circumstances where they directly clash with a timed assessment:
University competitions:
- Letter from UNSW competition owner confirming support of attendance at competition
Religious commitments (i.e. compulsory religious observances; does not include voluntary commitments):
- Letter from religious leader/elder confirming the date(s) of the religious commitment and requirement to observe (For religious reasons final exam reschedule, see Special Consideration Guidelines)
Unavoidable medical procedures:
- Medical Certificate (provided by an AHPRA-registered health practitioner; see Special Consideration Guidelines)
Court dates or jury duty:
- Letter confirming required attendance in court, including dates
Unexpected carers requirements:
- Carers requirements list with exact dates that care is required
Exams held at another university:
- Letter from other University confirming exam schedule
Interviews (for internship or graduate positions):
- Confirmation of interview
UNSW approved internships:
- Letter from internship host confirming internship dates and their inability to be flexible in start dates, or allowing time off to attend university examinations
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Events such as weddings, graduations or moving house are generally considered expected events. As such, they are not usually grounds for Special Consideration, as you are expected to plan around them.
For weddings and graduations, consideration may only be granted where the event directly clashes with a timed assessment. Only dates directly associated with the event will be considered.
Depending on the event, supporting documentation may include:
- Birth: a birth certificate, hospital admission or discharge documentation, or a medical certificate provided by a health practitioner (as per the Special Consideration Guidelines)
- Wedding: an invitation confirming the date of the wedding
- Graduation: confirmation of registration for the graduation ceremony
- Moving house: official evidence demonstrating that the move was unexpected or resulted from circumstances outside your control, such as an eviction notice or evidence of an unaffordable rent increase.
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If you are part of the Elite Athletes, Performers and Leaders Support Program and have an Elite Athletes, Performers and Leaders Learning Plan (EAPLP), you should arrange educational adjustments directly with your Course Authority. Please provide your EAPLP letter before the teaching period begins or no later than the first week.
If you are an elite athlete but are not currently registered with the program, visit the UNSW Elite Athlete Program webpage to check your eligibility and apply.
If you do not have an EAPLP, you may apply for Special Consideration where your commitments affect your ability to complete course requirements. Supporting documentation may include:
- A letter from your club or team manager confirming competition dates or increased training commitments
- A letter from the competition organiser confirming that you are representing UNSW, your state or your country
- A letter from the Faculty Associate Dean Education supporting your attendance at a faculty competition.
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- An official training notice or similar document from organiser explaining why attendance is required
Non-applicable circumstances
The University does not provide Special Consideration for conditions or circumstances that are the consequence of your own actions or inaction.
Some common examples of circumstances that are not usually considered exceptional include:
- Misreading the course outline
- Misreading the examination timetable
- Submitting the incorrect assessment file or exam file
- Late enrolment in the course
- Heavy academic workload
- Overloading with additional courses in the given term
- Two or more assessments due on the same date
- Attending events such as concerts, gatherings, protests or sporting events (excluding university games/elite competitions)
- Travel or holidays (including holidays associated with weddings)
- Club or society events and commitments
- Professional experience organised independently by you
- Work commitments (unless unexpected and unavoidable)
- Industry placements (unless unexpected and unavoidable)
- Volunteering commitments (unless volunteering during an emergency for a reputable organisation that provides emergency assistance)
- Study at another institution
- Computer updating during an online assessment.
If you are enrolled in a course on an auditing basis, you are not eligible for Special Consideration for your final exam. The main exam is the final opportunity to sit the exam and no further Special Consideration or additional exam opportunity will be granted.
See also
- Circumstances
- Portal
- Tech issues
Find out more about circumstances above.
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If your application is approved, the outcome may be one of the following:
- A supplementary or alternative assessment
- An extended deadline for the assessment (the extension granted is normally, but not always, equivalent to the period of impact outlined in your supporting documentation)
- An aggregated or averaged mark derived from other comparable completed assessments.
Your Course Authority may be contacted to help determine the most appropriate outcome for your circumstances.
Applying for Special Consideration does not automatically mean you will be granted an alternative assessment, or awarded an amended result. For example, if you have a poor record of attendance or performance in a course throughout the term, you may be failed regardless of illness or other reason affecting a final examination in that course.
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You only need to apply for Special Consideration if you're missing a class that:
- Counts towards your final mark (check your course outline)
- Puts you under the minimum attendance requirements for your course
- Contains an in-class assessment on that day.
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If you feel unwell before an exam and believe you cannot sit the exam, you should:
- See a medical practitioner within 24 hours and get a medical certificate covering the date of the exam. (If you are providing an online medical certificate, evidence confirming that your certificate was issued via a telehealth consultation must be provided in conjunction with your medical certificate. More information can be found in the Special Consideration Guide.)
- Submit a Special Consideration application within 3 working days of the exam.
Please keep in mind: If you sit or access your exam or any other timed assessment on the scheduled date, you will no longer be eligible for Special Consideration. For more information, see UNSW’s Fit to Sit rule.
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If you’re studying remotely and your exam is scheduled between 10pm and 7am in your local time, you can apply for Special Consideration and a supplementary exam will be held at a time outside of these hours.
You must apply no later than 5 days before the scheduled date of the timed assessment.
Please note: All exams and assessment items are set to Sydney, Australian Eastern Standard or Daylight Time (AEST/AEDT).
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Special Consideration is for a short-term circumstance that impacts your performance during a particular study or assessment period. You will have to apply for each affected assessment individually.
If your circumstance is long-term or recurring, and will impact your performance across multiple assessment tasks, you may need more appropriate ongoing support and may wish to:
- Book an appointment with a Student Support Advisor to discuss support available under the Support for Students Policy
- Apply for educational adjustments through an Equitable Learning Services learning plan if you have a long-term physical or mental health condition, or are a carer for someone with these conditions
- Apply for fee remission in accordance with the Enrolment and Withdrawal Procedure.
You can still apply for Special Consideration for multiple assessments if your circumstances meet the eligibility criteria.
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If you’re registered with Equitable Learning Services (ELS), you should only apply for Special Consideration if:
- Your Equitable Learning Plan (ELP) had not been approved or developed at the time of the assessment deadline
- Your condition has worsened and the adjustments in your ELP can no longer adequately support you
- Your Special Consideration request is unrelated to the condition registered with ELS.
If your application is approved, you may receive an extension through Special Consideration in addition to the extension provided under your ELP, up to a maximum of:
- 14 calendar days for a term;
- 21 calendar days for a semester; or
- 7 calendar days for a hexamester.
These are the maximum additional extensions available through Special Consideration. No longer extension can be granted through this process.
Find out more about Equitable Learning Services at UNSW.
What should I do if:
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If you're having issues accessing the Special Consideration portal, please try the following:
- Use a desktop computer or laptop instead of a phone
- Switch to a different browser
- Log in through an incognito/private window
- Clear your cache (browsing history).
If you're receiving an invalid user ID/password error message, you must reset your password via Identity Manager.
Finally, if you are still experiencing issues accessing the portal, please email the Student Case Review team via specialconsideration@unsw.edu.au. You must include your student ID, the course you are applying for and any screenshots of the issues you are experiencing.
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If your assessment type is not in the Special Consideration portal, please choose the closest type of assessment and provide more details in the application summary box.
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To add further supporting documentation after applying, please follow these steps:
- Select your application on the My Applications page
- Scroll down to Attachment
- Choose the file(s) you want to add
- Click on the yellow ‘Upload’ button at the bottom right to submit your documents.
Please note: You can only add further documents to applications with the following status:
- Submitted
- Decision Made - On Hold
- Decision Made - Document(s) added.
Once your application has been processed, you will not be able to add further documentation. Please review your outcome for further information.
What should I do if:
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Technical issues may include an inability to log into your device. You must contact your Course Authority, Tutor or Exam Supervisor via email, Moodle or other chat to advise that you are experiencing a technical issue, as soon as possible.
Take screenshots of as many of the following as possible (each must include the date and time):
- Error messages
- Screen not loading
- Speed tests
- Power outage maps
- Messages or information from your internet provider regarding service issues.
Submit a Special Consideration application using the screenshots you took immediately after your timed assessment concludes.
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First, try to find an alternate location to sit your exam. Consider booking a room or quiet study space in the Main or Law Libraries. Please note that you'll be required to bring your own device to complete the task.
If you're unable to find an alternate location, submit a Special Consideration application before the date of your exam and provide supporting documentation that includes the dates of the planned outage.
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You are expected to be prepared for your assessments, including charging your devices and having them ready ahead of time.
Special Consideration will not be awarded on the grounds of running out of battery before or during an assessment.
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You must ensure that auto-updates are disabled on your computer prior to the online assessment.
Special Consideration will not be awarded on the grounds of your computer updating during your online assessment.
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You are expected to save your work on an online file storage service.
Unless your ability to save your work was affected by exceptional circumstances, Special Consideration will not be awarded on the grounds of losing your files.
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You are responsible for checking your work and ensuring you select the correct file before uploading.
Special Consideration will not be awarded on the grounds of uploading incorrect files.
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You can view your revised due date on the View Submissions page in the Short Extension Student Portal.
On your revised due date, you are expected to submit the assessment at the same time as the original due date.
For example, if the assessment was due at 11:59pm on the original due date, then it will be due at 11:59pm on the revised due date.
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If the teaching period for the course hasn’t commenced yet, you won’t be able to see the course in the Short Extension Student Portal.
If you can’t find your course in the portal during the term, it usually means a Short Extension isn’t available for any assessment in the course. Please check your course outline or Learning Management System (LMS), such as Moodle, for more information.
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Short Extension availability is predetermined by your course authority. You cannot apply for a Short Extension after the due date of your assessment under any circumstance.
If you have circumstances that meet the eligibility criteria and appropriate supporting documentation, you can apply for Special Consideration instead up to 3 working days after the assessment due date.
Late applications for Special Consideration will only be considered if your documentation justifies an inability to submit on time.
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If you have already received a Short Extension for the assessment, the days granted will count towards the maximum extension available through Special Consideration.
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If you have an approved Equitable Learning Plan (ELP), you may apply for a Short Extension in addition to the extended due date already provided under your ELP.
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If you have an approved EAPLP, you may apply for a Short Extension in addition to the extended due date already provided under your EAPLP.
Need further assistance?
Send your Special Consideration and Short Extension queries to specialconsideration@unsw.edu.au, or explore other support services we offer.
