Extenuating Circumstances Application

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The University supports coursework students whose ability to complete a specific assessment task has been impacted by unforeseen and unavoidable circumstances. Extenuating Circumstances Applications (ECA) are intended to address individual assessment tasks that have been significantly affected.

Prior to your Application

We encourage you to seek advice from your convenor, school administrators, or student services staff in your College before submitting an ECA to ensure your application is complete and to strengthen your grounds for consideration.  The Dean of Students and the ANU Students' Association (ANUSA) are available to provide you with advice. Depending on your circumstances, Student Safety and Wellbeing or Accessibility may also be able to provide assistance.

What has Changed from Semester 2, 2025

The updated ECA process applies from all Semester 2, 2025 courses, commencing Monday 21 July 2025. These changes do not apply to Winter Session or any earlier courses and will not be applied retrospectively.

Key summary of changes:

  • No more 20% rule:

From Semester 2, 2025, you can apply for an ECA for any assessment task—regardless of its weighting. The final due date you are requesting for the assessment task must be 10 or more working days from the original due date listed in your class summary. Requests for extensions of 9 working days or less, please request an extension as directed by your course convenor. 

  • Changes to appeals for deferred exams:

Appeals regarding deferred examinations will now be considered through a single-stage process that combines procedural and merit-based review. This change means students can receive appeals outcomes more quickly, as the process is reduced from a maximum period of 40 working days (approx. 2 months) down to 20 working days (approx.1 month). 

  • Updated list of acceptable medical documentation:

The ECA webpage has been updated to clearly outline what’s required if you are applying for an ECA and what is acceptable medical documentation. To make it even simpler, there is a new Health Assessment Form on the right-hand side you may choose to download and give to your treating medical professional to fill out, so you know you are giving the right information.

  • Updates and clarifications:

The Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure have been updated to reflect the removal of the 20% rule and the streamlined appeal process for deferred exams. The webpage information has also been improved to help you interpret the policy and procedure, including definitions of the different types of adjustment. We strongly suggest that you review the changed information now so that you are prepared in advance for any future ECA requests.

  • Improved exam incident reporting:

We have improved the invigilator reporting process. If anything negatively impacts your performance while sitting an exam - such as falling ill or disruptions in the room - you're advised to report it. When completing an invigilated in-person exam, ask the invigilator to complete a Exam Incident Report. These Special Reports are important to support ECA requests when relevant, but you may still need to gather other supporting documentation to support your claim. 

Students must consider the following for each ECA adjustment: 

Use the ECA form if:

  1. The requested due date for the assessment task is equal to or more than 10 working days from the published due date in the class summary; or
  2. The requested due date falls on or after the return of the marked assessment, as specified in the class summary.

If your request doesn’t meet the criteria above, please contact your College for advice on how to apply for an assessment extension.

Use the ECA form if:

  1. You did not attempt the exam; or 
  2. You fell ill during an exam and abandoned it (reported to the invigilators). 

An Alternative Assessment refers to a substitute assessment task that replaces the original one, usually when the original assessment task cannot be deferred or re-attempted for valid reasons (such as group work, practicals, or in-class presentations).

Approval is considered on a case-by-case basis and is usually only granted when no other reasonable adjustment is available.

Modified Assessment Weighting is another possible outcome of an ECA. It refers to a change in how much each assessment task contributes to your final grade in a course.

For example, if your final exam is worth 50%, and 5% is moved to another assessment task, your exam would be worth 45%, and the other task would have a higher weighting, which contributes more to your overall grade.

This adjustment is only made if the course learning outcomes can still be met across the reweighted tasks.

Whilst reweighting can benefit some students, the changes are typically minor and may not affect the final grade. Once a reweighting is applied, the outcome cannot be reversed – even if it lowers your overall course grade. Prior to requesting this adjustment, you are strongly encouraged to consult your College in the first instance.

Please note that you may not apply for more than one ECA for the same assessment task. Where a deferred examination is approved as a result of the first ECA and you experience exacerbated or different extenuating circumstances at the scheduled date and time of the deferred examination, you may apply for one further ECA for this assessment task. No further ECAs will be possible after this.

Please refer to the relevant legislation, policies and procedures published on the right-hand side of this page.

In Your Application

Accepted grounds for an ECA will in most instances be previously unknown and unavoidable incidents, conditions or circumstances that have a demonstrable and significant impact on a student's ability to study or undertake an assessment task. This includes:

  • Previously unknown or unforeseen medical, psychological, or compassionate circumstances; or
  • A significant or unexpected exacerbation of a condition that is registered in your Education Access Plan (EAP).

When applying for an ECA, the following conditions must be met: 

  • the ECA must be lodged within five (5) working days of the assessment due date or scheduled date of examination. If an extension has already been granted for an assessment task, the ECA must be lodged within five (5) working days of that revised due date; and

  • the extension or deferral is for ten (10) or more working days from the published due date in the class summary; and/or 

  • the new due date falls on or after the return of the marked assessment, as specified in the class summary.  

Grounds for ECA Adjustment

This includes a significant illness/injury, and/or a significant exacerbation of a condition registered in an Education Access Plan (EAP) that was unforeseeable and unavoidable. Please note that the presence of an EAP alone is not sufficient—there must be clear evidence that the condition has significantly worsened beyond what the existing EAP accommodations address, as the EAP itself already makes adjustments for your coursework.

In your ECA, you need to provide a personal statement which includes the following information, supported by appropriate documentation:

  • the medical condition you have experienced/are experiencing; and
  • the dates of the impact of the medical condition; and
  • how your condition has affected your ability to successfully complete the course requirements.

Supporting documentation

Examples of accepted documentation include:

  • a certificate or report from a registered health practitioner or professional (e.g., a General Practitioner (GP), pharmacist, or nurse practitioner employed at an ACT Walk-in Centre) that details the impact of the circumstances on your health. It is recommended that your certificate or report is from an Australian health practitioner (see Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA));
  • a certificate or report from a mental health professional (e.g., a psychologist) that provides evidence of a significant exacerbation of your mental health condition; or
  • a hospital admission or discharge summary. 

Your supporting documentation should include the following information:

  • the date your medical condition began and/or unexpectedly worsened; and
  • the dates of the impact of the medical condition; and
  • the medical professional’s opinion on how your condition has affected your ability to successfully complete the course requirements; and
  • if possible, the date by which your condition/s will be resolved.

Healthcare professionals should provide this information on official letterhead. Alternatively, you may download and print the Health Assessment Form available on the right-hand side of this page and ask them to complete it.

Find a Suitable Healthcare Provider
  • You can find a healthcare provider, including those that offer telehealth consultations, at HealthDirect.
  • Canberra After hours Locum Medical Service (CALMS) provides after hours medical services, both in-person clinic and call-centre.
  • If you are an international student, you should review your OSHC policy to determine which service providers are covered. 
  • Doctors on Demand provides online consultations with Australian-registered healthcare practitioners.
  • The ACT Walk-in Centres (WiC) provide free health care for non-life threatening injuries and illnesses for anyone over one year of age. You can find their locations on the WiC website.

Please note documentation that only details self-reported effects—such as a doctor’s certificate listing symptoms as reported by the patient without the medical professional’s opinion—will not be accepted. While a professional opinion is required, a specific medical diagnosis is not necessary.

All supporting documentation you provide must meet the requirements for independent evidence (see the Requirements for Independent Supporting Evidence section).

​All relevant supporting documentation must be attached to your ECA application at the time of submission. Documentation submitted elsewhere for other purposes will not be considered.  

If your application has not been finalised and you would like to add documentation, please email examinations.officer@anu.edu.au to re-open your ECA. Additional documentation is not accepted via email or through a new application, as only one ECA can be submitted per assessment task.

Once an ECA has reached an outcome, additional documentation will not be accepted.

This includes but is not limited to being a victim of significant crime (including family and domestic violence), financial hardship, significant car accidents or widespread public transport issues, significant broad spectrum IT issues, sudden and unavoidable primary caring responsibilities.

In your ECA, you need to provide a personal statement which includes the following information, supported by appropriate documentation:

  • the circumstances you have experienced/are experiencing; and
  • the dates of the impact of the circumstances and/or when they unexpectedly worsened; and
  • how the circumstances have affected your ability to successfully complete the course requirements; and
  • if possible, the date by which you will no longer be impacted by the hardship.

Supporting documentation

Depending on the circumstances, examples of accepted documentation may include:

  • a police report which confirms the occurrence and date(s) of the incident;
  • evidence you are customer of an Internet Provider Service that experienced a wide-spread internet outage;
  • official letter from relevant authorities;
  • evidence you were affected by widespread public transport issues;
  • proof of unexpected caring responsibilities;
  • a certificate or report from a registered health practitioner or professional (e.g., a General Practitioner (GP), pharmacist, or nurse practitioner employed at an ACT Walk-in Centre) that details the impact of the hardship circumstances on your health. It is recommended that your certificate or report is from an Australian health practitioner (see Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)). The documentation should include:
    • the date your circumstances began and/or unexpectedly worsened; and 
    • how your circumstances have affected your ability to successfully complete the course requirements; and
    • if possible, the date by which your condition/s will be resolved.

Healthcare professionals should provide this information on official letterhead. Alternatively, you may download and print the Health Assessment Form available on the right-hand side of this page and ask them to complete it. All supporting documentation you provide must meet the requirements for independent evidence (see the Requirements for Independent Supporting Evidence section).

​All relevant supporting documentation must be attached to your ECA application at the time of submission. Documentation submitted elsewhere for other purposes will not be considered. 

If your application has not been finalised and you would like to add documentation, please email examinations.officer@anu.edu.au to re-open your ECA. Additional documentation is not accepted via email or through a new application, as only one ECA can be submitted per assessment task. 

Once an ECA has reached an outcome, additional documentation will not be accepted. 

This includes the death or sudden serious illness of an immediate family member or close friend.

In your ECA, you need to provide a personal statement which includes the following information, supported by appropriate documentation:

  • the circumstances you have experienced/are experiencing; and
  • the dates of the impact of the circumstances and/or when they unexpectedly worsened; and
  • how the circumstances have affected your ability to successfully complete the course requirements.

Supporting documentation

For the passing of a family member or close friend, supporting documentation should include:

  • a death certificate, or other official documentation such as a funeral program or medical certificate confirming of the passing; and
  • evidence of your relationship to the individual.

We take a compassionate and flexible approach to evidence of relationship. If the deceased is your immediate family member and you share the same surname, you are generally only required to provide the death certificate (or equivalent).

If you do not share the same surname, or the person was not a close relative (e.g., a close friend, partner, or extended family), please provide additional documentation to establish the familial or personal link. Examples include:

  • Official government documents such as birth, adoption, or marriage certificates;
  • A funeral notice or program listing your name as a family member;
  • Correspondence or official documentation that demonstrates the nature of the relationship;
  • A medical certificate from a registered health professional demonstrating the impact of the loss on you.

If obtaining this documentation is difficult or not culturally appropriate, you may instead provide a letter from a medical or mental health professional who can attest to the impact your circumstances had on your health or wellbeing. Please refer to the MedicalGrounds tab.

All supporting documentation you provide must meet the requirements for independent evidence (see the Requirements for Independent Supporting Evidence section).

All relevant supporting documentation must be attached to your ECA application at the time of submission. Documentation submitted elsewhere for other purposes will not be considered. If your application has not been finalised and you would like to add documentation, please email examinations.officer@anu.edu.au. Additional documentation is not accepted via email or through a new application, as only one ECA can be submitted per assessment task. 

Once an ECA has reached an outcome, additional documentation will not be accepted.

This includes commitments as an athlete registered with the ANU Elite Athlete Program or as a performer.

In your ECA, you need to provide a personal statement which includes the following information, supported by appropriate documentation:

  • details of the commitment/s; and
  • the dates of the commitment/s; and
  • how the commitment/s have affected your ability to successfully complete the course requirements; and
  • if possible, the date by which your commitments will no longer impact your ability to successfully complete the course requirements.

Supporting documentation

Examples of accepted documentation includes an official letter from the organising body or an appropriate representative that includes:

  • your full name; and
  • details of your commitments, including the start and end dates; and
  • the date the statement was created.

All supporting documentation you provide must meet the requirements for independent evidence (see the Requirements for Independent Supporting Evidence section).

All relevant supporting documentation must be attached to your ECA application. Documentation submitted elsewhere for other purposes will not be considered. 

All relevant supporting documentation must be attached to your ECA application at the time of submission. Documentation submitted elsewhere for other purposes will not be considered. If your application has not been finalised and you would like to add documentation, please email examinations.officer@anu.edu.au. Additional documentation is not accepted via email or through a new application, as only one ECA can be submitted per assessment task. 

Once an ECA has reached an outcome, additional documentation will not be accepted.

This includes but is not limited to military, emergency or volunteer emergency services.

In your ECA, you need to provide a personal statement which includes the following information, supported by appropriate documentation:

  • details of the commitment/s; and
  • the dates of the commitment/s; and
  • how the commitment/s have affected your ability to successfully complete the course requirements; and
  • if possible, the date by which your duties will no longer impact your ability to successfully complete the course requirements.

Supporting documentation

Depending on the circumstances, examples of accepted documentation may include a copy of the legal notice or an official letter from the organising body or an appropriate representative.

All supporting documentation you provide must meet the requirements for independent evidence (see the Requirements for Independent Supporting Evidence section).

All relevant supporting documentation must be attached to your ECA application at the time of submission. Documentation submitted elsewhere for other purposes will not be considered.  If your application has not been finalised and you would like to add documentation, please email examinations.officer@anu.edu.au. Additional documentation is not accepted via email or through a new application, as only one ECA can be submitted per assessment task. 

Once an ECA has reached an outcome, additional documentation will not be accepted.

This includes but is not limited to a significant natural disaster/s or geo-political event/s (e,g., floods, fires, pandemics, earthquakes, tsunamis, war, terrorism or cyber-attacks).

In your ECA, you need to provide a personal statement which includes the following information, supported by appropriate documentation:

  • the circumstances you have experienced/are experiencing; and
  • the dates of the impact of the circumstances and/or when they unexpectedly worsened; and
  • how the circumstances have affected your ability to successfully complete the course requirements; and
  • If possible, the date by which your ability to complete the course requirement will no longer be impacted.

Supporting documentation

Depending on the circumstances, supporting documentation should confirm your statement.

All supporting documentation you provide must meet the requirements for independent evidence (see the Requirements for Independent Supporting Evidence section).

All relevant supporting documentation must be attached to your ECA application at the time of submission. Documentation submitted elsewhere for other purposes will not be considered. If your application has not been finalised and you would like to add documentation, please email examinations.officer@anu.edu.au. Additional documentation is not accepted via email or through a new application, as only one ECA can be submitted per assessment task. 

Once an ECA has reached an outcome, additional documentation will not be accepted.

These duties are consistent with the ANU Reconciliation Action Plan.

Application Process

Applications are completed using the Request for Assessment Adjustment page, via ANUHub. A Student Quick Guide is available under “reference documents” on the right-hand side of this page. Applications should be accompanied by independent supporting documentation.

Independent evidence must:

  • be issued by a relevant independent authority, with which you have no personal relationship (i.e. independent documentation cannot be provided by a family member, partner, friend etc.) and must demonstrate a professional opinion. You may want to inform the authority that the documentation will be provided to the University in the context of your Extenuating Circumstances Application; and
  • include relevant contact information of the independent authority providing the documentation and registration/provider details (as appropriate) for verification purposes; and
  • be clear, in focus, readable and in colour where possible; and
  • be provided in an appropriate format accepted by the application portal: pdf, jpeg, or png files; 
  • not be altered in any way.

Other requirements include:

  • You must not submit photographs, audio files or videos with content that may be considered distressing or graphic. In addition, for any application where you are required to provide supporting evidence, photographs, audio files or videos are generally not considered appropriate evidence as their authenticity cannot be verified.
  • Documentation must be in English or an official translation must be provided. You should submit copies of the original documentation and the English translation of these documents. Documentation in a language other than English without an official translation will NOT be considered.

Please note that any document submitted may be audited and is subject to verification from the issuing body. Any fraudulent documentation identified may result in disciplinary action.

If you have any questions or experience difficulties in obtaining genuine and authentic documents, please get in touch with Student Central or the Dean of Students Office.

Outcomes from an ECA are limited to the following: 
 

  • Approved: altered assessment due date (except for take home examinations, where this is not a permitted outcome);
  • Approved: deferred examination; 
  • Approved: alternative assessment; 
  • Approved: modified assessment weighting: 
  • Not Approved. 

To see what each outcome refers to, scroll up to the top of this page, under “Students must consider the following for each ECA adjustment”.

Please note, the adjusting of marks or grades for an assessment, examination or course is not a supported adjustment. 

FAQs about Extenuating Circumstances Applications

If you were unable to attend your examination due to one or more of the grounds described above, you should submit an ECA with supporting documentation. Please refer to the "Medical" section of this webpage for information on the requirements for medical documentation.

An application form must be completed and lodged within five (5) working days of the original date of the examination.

If the exam has already passed, please refer to the previous FAQ. 

If the exam date is upcoming, please consider the following:

  1. If you believe you will not be well enough to sit your exam, 
  • Seek medical care as soon as you are able.
  • Submit an ECA requesting a deferred examination within five (5) working days after the original date of the examination.
  • Refer to the "Medical" section of this webpage for details on acceptable supporting documentation.
  1. If you decide to still sit the exam, but your condition worsens during it:
  • Notify the exam invigilator immediately
  • You may choose to abandon the exam and later submit an ECA requesting a deferred examination.

Please note that your submitted exam script will be reviewed by the course convenor to determine whether a reasonable attempt has been made. Where it is determined that only a minimal or insubstantial portion of the exam has been complete, a deferred examination may be approved.

However, depending on the extent of the completed work, you may instead be offered an alternative outcome, such as a “Modified Assessment Weighting”. This will be assessed on a case-by-case basis in accordance with University policy.

Please note: you cannot ‘resit’ or ‘retake’ an examination once you have completed it. 

Modified Assessment Weighting is a possible outcome of an ECA. It refers to a change in how much each assessment task contributes to your final grade in a course.

For example, if your final exam is worth 50%, and 5% is moved to another assessment task, your exam would be worth 45%, and the other task would have a higher weighting, which contributes more to your overall grade.

This adjustment is only made if the course learning outcomes can still be met across the reweighted tasks. 

Whilst reweighting can benefit some students, the changes are typically minor and may not affect the final grade. Once a reweighting is applied, the outcome cannot be reversed – even if it lowers your overall course grade. Prior to requesting this adjustment, you are strongly encouraged to consult your College in the first instance.

No, a Statutory Declaration will not be accepted as supporting documentation for ECA. 

Supporting documentation must be independent evidence and verifiable. This means it should be issued by a relevant independent authority, with which you have no personal relationship (i.e. independent documentation cannot be provided by a family member, partner, friend etc.).

Please refer to Requirements for Independent Supporting Evidence section for more details.

If you wish to add more documentation to an ECA that has not yet reached an outcome, please email examinations.officer@anu.edu.au to request that your ECA be reopened.

Once your ECA is reopened, you will receive an email to your ANU email account asking you to provide more information in the ECA form. At that point, you can upload additional documentation. See ECA Guide for Students on the right-hand side of this page for more details.

Please note that there are deadlines to add documentation to your ECA; Additional documentation will not be accepted via email, and additional documentation cannot be accepted once an ECA has reached an outcome.

Once a decision has been made on your ECA, you will receive an outcome email from 'ECA Notifications'. This email will include your ECA request ID, allowing you to identify the relevant application if you have submitted multiple ECAs. 

Please note that submitting an ECA does not guarantee that adjustments will be applied to your assessment task.

A student may request a review of decisions made in relation to an ECA for:

You are encouraged to contact your College Student Services team for advice. Different adjustments may be required depending on course-specific or College-level arrangements.

Applications will not be accepted after five (5) working days unless serious illness, incapacity or misadventure prevents you from submitting the form within this period. Evidence addressing the cause of any delay must be provided with the application. 

Need help with your application? 

For general enquiries regarding the application process, please contact Student Central (contact details in the right-hand column).

For enquiries regarding your submitted application or appeal, please contact the Examinations Office:
E: examinations.officer@anu.edu.au

ANU staff can provide guidance on the application process, however we cannot comment on the likelihood of your application being successful. 

You may also consider contacting the ANU Students' Association (ANUSA) Student Assistance team and/or the Dean of Students for independent advice. 
 
For staff enquiries contact EGAPP.

 

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