If special circumstances beyond your control have prevented you from successfully completing your course requirements, you may be eligible to apply for a Withdrawal from Course Due to Special Circumstances. This may entitle you to:
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cancel your HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP debt for the course/s;
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a refund of tuition fees paid for the course/s; and/or
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removal of academic penalties for the course/s.
Applications are assessed in accordance with the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (HESA) and the University’s Enrolments and Graduation – Procedures.
If you are currently enrolled in your course, we encourage you to explore the support and adjustment options available at UniSC before applying to withdraw from your course due to special circumstances.
UniSC offers free support services to help you manage academic, wellbeing, financial and personal challenges. If circumstances are affecting your studies, you may wish to access available support or discuss your options with an adviser. Depending on your circumstances, academic support options may include:
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Learning Access Plans (LAP); and/or
If you are unsure which supports are the right option for you, contact Student Central for advice.
Before submitting your application, carefully review the eligibility criteria and supporting documentation requirements.
To apply for a Withdrawal from Course Due to Special Circumstances, you must meet all eligibility criteria, including the application threshold criteria and special circumstances criteria outlined below.
Application threshold criteria
You must:
- have remained enrolled in the course after the census date or academic penalty date;
- have not successfully completed the course and have received a withdrawn or failing grade (i.e. WN, WF, FL, UF, MF, FA); and
- submit your application within 12 months of the last day of the relevant teaching period, or the day that you dropped the course.
Special Circumstances criteria
Special circumstances are situations or conditions beyond your control that affected your ability to successfully complete the requirements of your course.
You must meet all of the special circumstances criteria:
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The circumstances were beyond your control.
- the circumstances were not the result of your own actions or decisions and were unusual, unexpected or unavoidable.
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The circumstances did not make their full impact on you until on or after the census date.
The circumstances either:
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- occurred after the census date;
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- existed before the census date but significantly worsened on or after that date; or
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- existed before the census date but their full impact was not apparent until on or after the census date.
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The circumstances made it impossible or impracticable for you to successfully complete the course requirements.
You can apply for a Withdrawal from Course Due to Special Circumstances once:
- you have dropped the course and received a withdrawn grade (i.e. WF or WN); or
- the teaching period has ended, and you have received a fail grade for the course (i.e. FL, UF, MF, FA).
You must submit your application within 12 months of:
- the last day of the relevant teaching period; or
- the day that you dropped the course.
If you are applying outside the 12-month application period, you must provide supporting evidence demonstrating that circumstances beyond your control prevented you from applying within the required timeframe.
You must provide appropriate supporting documentation to demonstrate how your circumstances affected your ability to successfully complete the course requirements.
Your supporting documentation must comply with the University’s Appendix 006: Supporting Documentation for Student Applications.
Documentation must:
- be from an independent and appropriate third party;
- clearly identify when the circumstances occurred, worsened, or made their full impact;
- explain how the circumstances affected your ability to successfully complete the course requirements; and
- relate to the key dates for the teaching period that you are applying for.
View examples of common types of special circumstances and suggested supporting documentation.
If you are having difficulties submitting your application, please contact Student Central for advice.
For guidance on the application process, we encourage you to link in with a member of the Student Success team.
For advice on how to gather documentary evidence, please contact to the Student Guild Advocacy team.
Demonstrating Special Circumstances
Examples of special circumstances are provided in the table below. These examples are intended as a guide only and are not exhaustive. Meeting one of these circumstances does not automatically mean your application will be approved.
The examples below provide guidance on common types of special circumstances and suggested supporting documentation that may be submitted within your application.
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Circumstance
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Examples
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Supporting documentation
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Medical
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Serious illness, injury, deterioration of a pre-existing medical condition, significant mental health condition |
Medical certificate or letter from a treating health professional explaining the dates of impact, how the circumstances affected your studies, and when the condition occurred or worsened. |
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Family or Personal
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Death of a close family member, unexpected caring responsibilities, family crisis, significant personal hardship |
Letter from a counsellor, doctor, social worker, lawyer, community leader or other independent professional explaining the circumstances and their impact on your studies. A death certificate may be submitted along with evidence of your relationship to the deceased. |
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Employment
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Employment relocation, unexpected increase in work hours, significant change in employment conditions beyond your control |
Employer letter on company letterhead outlining the change, dates of impact, and how the circumstances affected your studies. |
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Course
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Significant changes to course delivery, administrative issues, delayed enrolment or credit decisions, or circumstances affecting required placement activities |
Supporting statement from the relevant UniSC School staff, Course Coordinator, Placement Coordinator or other appropriate University representative. |
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Other Exceptional Circumstances
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Natural disaster, crime victimisation, significant property damage, or other unforeseen events beyond your control |
Documentation from an appropriate independent authority or professional confirming the circumstances and their impact on your studies. |
The following is not accepted as sufficient supporting documentation:
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statutory declarations without independent supporting documentation;
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statements from family members or friends;
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photographs of injuries or medical conditions;
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x-rays, scans, pathology results or medical imaging;
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prescriptions or medication packaging; or
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appointment reminders or booking confirmations.