Applying for removal of course
If special circumstances prevent you from completing or passing a course, you may be eligible to remove your academic penalty and/or financial liability.
If your application for removal of course is successful:
- the course may not count towards your completion rate
- you may have your SLE (Student Learning Entitlement) re-credited
- your financial liability and/or academic penalty may be removed
- your finalised grade may be changed.
Domestic students: please note it is not possible to remove a SA-HELP debt, even if your HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP debt are removed due to special circumstances.
Refer to the Removal of Courses Due to Special Circumstances Procedure for more information.
2. Documentation
You will need to demonstrate your special circumstances and provide supporting documentation.
Supporting documentation
To be approved for removal of course, your statement and supporting documentation must demonstrate each of the below points.
Don’t assume the decision maker is familiar with your personal situation or circumstances, even if you have provided these details to the University previously.
You may be asked to provide further documentation after applying, so please check your student email regularly.
1. You had special circumstances
The type of documentation you need to provide will depend on the nature of the circumstances. The reasons for your circumstances may be:
Medical reasons
This can include:
- a medical condition that began or worsened after census date, making it impossible to continue studying
- a prolonged illness that prevented you from completing a primary assessment item, with no option for an extension or alternative assessment.
This does not include:
- reasonable or expected levels of stress or anxiety associated with study and completing assessment.
Acceptable documentation
A medical practitioner must assess your condition and provide a written statement that meets the UQ requirements for medical certificates. This must:
- explain the nature of your medical condition, and how it affected your ability to complete the course.
- include specific dates for when your condition began, changed or worsened. If these dates don’t align with the dates you were enrolled in the course, it’s unlikely that your request will be approved.
If you’re enrolled or studying onshore, your medical certificate must be issued by a registered Australian medical practitioner.
If you’re enrolled or studying offshore, you may be able to submit an international medical certificate. However, this must be completed in English or have a certified English translation.
Unacceptable documentation
- photos of injuries or conditions
- incomplete or unverifiable documents
Family or personal reasons
This can include:
- death or severe illness of a family member or significant other
- traumatic incidents
- significant personal problems
- sudden change of living arrangements
- sudden change of financial situation.
Acceptable documentation
- letter from counsellor or psychologist
- death certificates or funeral notice
- eviction notice
- police report
- government letter confirming emergency support.
Unacceptable documentation
- documents without dates or proof of relationship
- incomplete or unverifiable documents
- video of your stated circumstances or video of funeral service.
Employment related reasons
Your employment status or arrangements may have changed after the census date, to an extent that you are unable to continue your studies.
This can include:
- loss of primary income for you or your parent/guardian if you are a dependant
- change in work location
- overseas deployment.
This does not include:
- a voluntary increase in work hours and commitments.
Acceptable documentation
- termination notices with dates
- employer letters confirming relocation
- financial documents (e.g., bank statements, bankruptcy notices).
Unacceptable documentation
- vague or undated employer communications
- documents without employer contact details.
Course related reasons
This can include:
- a major change in course delivery or assessment type and/or weighting after census or lockdown dates.
This does not include:
- misreading schedules or assignment dates
- misunderstanding or lack of knowledge regarding university processes
- finding an assessment’s content or format difficult.
Acceptable documentation
- communications from course coordinator or faculty
- blackboard announcements.
Unacceptable documentation
- snippets of emails or incomplete communications.
2. The circumstances were beyond your control
The circumstances must be out of the ordinary. You will also need to demonstrate that you are not responsible for the circumstances, either through your actions or inaction.
3. The circumstances did not make their full impact until on or after the census date
Your statement and your supporting documentation must:
- state exactly when your circumstances began and/or worsened
- state the specific impact(s) of the circumstances.
If you apply for multiple courses with different census dates (e.g., Semester 1 and Semester 2), you will need to address the criteria and provide relevant documentation for each.
4. The circumstances made it impracticable for you to complete the course
You need to prove that:
- the circumstances made it unrealistic to complete the course with the resources available to you, not just difficult or challenging
- you could not reasonably adjust or adapt to these circumstances to successfully continue your studies (e.g., by applying for a deferred exam, assessment extension, supplementary assessment, or other academic adjustments).
Documentation requirements
All documents must:
- include relevant identifying information such as your name, date of birth, address and UQ student ID. For documents that relate to someone else, you should also provide additional documentary evidence to confirm your relationship.
- provide the full context – include original emails rather than replies, and full screenshots rather than cropped images.
- be verifiable and include the name and contact details of the person or body who issued the document. We may ask you to provide original documents or contact the issuer of the document to confirm its authenticity.
- be in English or have a certified English translation – only NAATI-certified translators are accepted.
The Institute of Modern Languages (IML-UQ) provides pay-by-use NAATI certified translation and interpreting services for the UQ community and general public.
Up until census date, it is still possible to withdraw from course(s) without academic penalty or financial liability.