The purpose of Special Consideration is to enable you to maintain your academic progress despite adverse circumstances. Special Consideration is available on the understanding that it will be used sparingly and only where genuine need is proven.

You may be eligible to apply for Special Consideration in the following circumstances:

1. You have been hampered, to a significant degree, by illness or other extraordinary cause in studying for a unit;
2. You have been prevented by illness or other extraordinary cause from preparing or presenting for a component of assessment, or part of a component of assessment; or,
3. You have been, to a significant degree, adversely affected by illness or other extraordinary cause, during the performance of a component of assessment.

Examples:

• Study hampered by acute illness or condition
• Prevented from presenting an assessment task by a car accident
• Prevented from preparing for an assessment task by unexpected flooding in primary place of residence
• Acute illness during an exam
• Family bereavement during assessment preparation period

Attending assessment and exams

Please note that unless your medical condition specifically prevents you from attending or sitting an examination or test, you must still attend and sit examinations and tests.

Hurdle requirements

If you have not met the hurdle requirements for the unit, the university may not consider your application.

How to apply

Applications for special consideration must be lodged no later than 5.00 pm on the third business day after the assessment due date or date of the exam/test.

Special Consideration in Assessment Application (which includes Special Examination) is available on the website. Please complete and submit to Student Central within the time frame.

Click here to apply.

Outcomes

The possible outcomes of an application for special consideration (SPC) are:

• defer assessment;
• grant an extended period for assessment;
• approve special arrangements for assessment;
• allow the student to re-do one or more assessment tasks
• not granted (a full reason will be provided).

Note: where special consideration relates to an examination (SPX), approved students will sit an alternative version of the final examination paper.

Take note

If your application is approved, there are only 2 possible outcomes:

1. If your application relates to an end of semester exam, you may be allowed to sit a special examination. You must sit this exam even if you sat the original exam as that mark is now void. If you don’t sit the special exam you will receive a zero mark for the exam.
2. If you were impacted in the preparation or delivery of another form of assessment, you may be granted an alternative assessment. Your convenor will determine what form this will take.

There are no other approval outcomes. You should not lodge an application if you are not prepared to follow this process. You have 2 days to retract an application once it is lodged.

Lodging an Application for Special Consideration

1. The applicant must be a current student who is enrolled in the unit/s for which special consideration is sought.
2. An application for special consideration (the “application) must be made no later than 5.00 pm on the third (3) business day after the submission due date for that particular assessment task.
3. Applications can normally only be retracted within two days of the creation of the application.
4. Creation of an application for special consideration does not guarantee that special consideration will be granted. Approval is not automatic. The applicant will be advised by email to your Swinburne student email account the outcome of the application.
5. The applicant authorizes designated Swinburne University of Technology personnel involved in the management and assessment of the application to access the applicant’s personal and academic records held by Swinburne to determine the outcome of the application.
6. The applicant acknowledges that Swinburne reserves the right to confirm the information provided and may vary or reverse any decision regarding special consideration on the basis of incorrect or incomplete information.
7. The applicant authorizes Swinburne to contact my treating practitioner and/or other person or organisation named in any supporting documentation to confirm/clarify the information provided and for the practitioner [other person] to provide information relevant to my application.
8. The applicant understands that I may be asked to provide original supporting documentation within five (5) business days of the request being made. Failure to provide original supporting documentation may result in rejection of the application.
9. The applicant understands that incomplete, unsupported applications cannot be considered by Swinburne and that provision of false, altered or misleading information or documentation is grounds for Disciplinary action. It may also be a criminal offence.