Students' gateway to Campus

Study support

Special Consideration

Special Consideration is intended to assist a student who, due to circumstances beyond their control, has been disadvantaged in their assessment tasks in comparison to other students.

Eligibility

Students should approach their Unit Chair or Faculty Adviser to discuss any concerns. In many circumstances an extension of time granted by the Faculty may be sufficient to assist the student through their particular difficulty.

Special Consideration is only given in serious and exceptional circumstances, which are beyond the student's control and these circumstances prevent the student from performing at their best for a particular piece of assessment.

The reasons for application must be classified under one of the following categories:

  • Medical
    To cover medical conditions of a serious nature, e.g. hospitalisation, serious injury or chronic illness
    Note: Temporary minor ailments such as headaches, colds and minor gastric upsets are not serious medical conditions and are unlikely to be accepted.However, serious cases of these may be considered.
  • Compassionate
    e.g. death of close family member, family breakdown
  • Hardship/Trauma
    e.g. sudden loss or gain of employment, severe disruption to domestic arrangements, victim of crime
    Note: Misreading the timetable, exam anxiety or returning home will not be accepted as grounds for consideration.

Students must provide evidence to support the reasons for their application; therefore all applications for Special Consideration must be accompanied by appropriate documentation from a recognised authority, including professionals registered with a professional body (such as social workers, medical practitioners, lawyers and psychologists), death notices or certificates, police reports and statutory declarations. Applications on medical grounds should be presented on the Deakin University Medical Certificate. Applications without supporting documentation will not be considered.

The Counselling service also provides a list of frequently asked questions about the Special Consideration process which may be of assistance.

Religion/Faith issues

Please note that religious or faith based issues are not in themselves grounds for special consideration. However, they may be used in support of an application that meets the eligibility criteria set out above.

Faculty contacts

  • Faculty of Business & Law (Undergraduate Melbourne Burwood Campus)
    Email: enqblm@deakin.edu.au
    Phone: (03) 9244 6555

  • Faculty of Business & Law (Undergraduate Geelong Campuses)
    Email: enqblg@deakin.edu.au
    Phone: (03) 5227 1277

  • Faculty of Business and Law (Undergraduate Warrnambool Campus)
    Email: enqblw@deakin.edu.au
    Phone: (03) 5563 3510

Application process

Applications for Special Considerations should be lodged online. To access the Special Consideration application portal, log in to StudentConnect and click 'Special Consideration' on the left vertical (blue) menu. Read all the information carefully and follow the prompts to submit your application.

A Student User Guide (778 KB) is available. The guide can also be accessed from the Special Consideration Portal in StudentConnect.

Further information is available from your Faculty Campus Office or Student Centres.

An application for Special Consideration MUST be lodged NO LATER than three (3) University working days after the assessment items due date or the date of a scheduled examination.

Students, who for very genuine reasons are not able to apply online, must contact their Faculty Campus Office or Student Centre. The hardcopy application form is not available to be downloaded.

back to top

Supporting documentation

Students must provide evidence to support the reasons for applications; therefore all applications for Special Consideration must be accompanied by appropriate documentation from a recognised authority. Refer to the Student User Guide available via StudentConnect for directions on how to scan and attach supporting documentation to the application.

Applications without supporting documentation will not be considered .

Deakin Medical Certificate

Applications based on medical grounds should be presented on the Deakin University Medical Certificate. Students can contact the School/Faculty/Campus office or alternatively download the Deakin Medical Certificate Form (133 KB).

Other forms of documentation

For applications on non-medical grounds, evidence can be provided by professionals who are registered with a professional body, such as social workers, lawyers and psychologists. Other acceptable documents may include a death notice or certificate, a police report or statutory declaration. Certificates signed by family members are not acceptable.

Statutory Declaration

A Statutory Declaration may be used when the application is for hardship/trauma or compassionate grounds to explain issues relevant to the application. Statutory Declarations can be obtained by contacting the Faculty/School/Campus office or alternatively students may download a Statutory Declaration Form (20 KB)

Note: A Statutory Declaration is insufficient in itself and other supporting documentation must accompany the application.

Warning

Making a false statutory declaration is an act of perjury. Perjury is a criminal offence and the penalties can be severe.

Special Consideration applications for assignments

If seeking an extension for an assignment, the student should contact the Faculty/School/Campus office in the first instance. Generally, assignment extensions are handled via a separate process by the School/Faculty Office and do not require an application for Special Consideration.

Special Consideration applications for examinations

Applications must be received by the Faculty/School/Campus office no later than three (3) University working days after the examination. A medical certificate must clearly support your application where illness:

  • prevents students attending for an examination
  • prevents students from completing the examination once begun
  • disadvantages students during the examination.

In all cases of medical grounds, a medical certificate clearly stating the severity of the medical condition and its effect on the student's ability to attend/complete examination, must accompany the application.

In all instances applications MUST be complete at the time of submission.

Special Consideration applications for other forms of assessment such as Clinical Placements, Teaching Practice, Laboratory Reports, etc, should all be addressed through the Faculty/School/Campus office.

Additional assistance available

Students experiencing difficulties with hardship, illness, compassionate issues or problems with their studies may be eligible to access counselling support through Student Life. This service is available at all campuses.

Application outcomes

Applications will be considered by the Unit Chair and Chair of the Faculty Academic Progress and Discipline Committee (FAPDC). The Division of Student Administration (DSA) will notify the student via their Deakin email address of the outcome of their application.

Students will also be able to view the status of the application, including the outcome, via the online process. Refer to the Student User Guide available via StudentConnect.

Please note: submitting a Special Consideration Application Form does not guarantee Special Consideration will be granted.

back to top

Deakin University acknowledges the traditional land owners of present campus sites.

18th September 2013