Alternative exam arrangements
If you require Alternative Exam Arrangements (AEAs), you need to be registered for an approved exam adjustment. Make an appointment with an Accessibility and Welfare Adviser as soon as possible to review your circumstances.
Exam adjustments can be made under the following circumstances:
- Disability, injury or condition
- Elite athlete
- Defence reservist
- Specific religious observance
Note: In addition to Saturday exams, central in-semester exams at St Lucia campus for Semester 1 2026 are scheduled on Friday evenings and Sundays. If one of the scheduled exam days is a day of religious observance, you can apply for alternative exam arrangements.
Exam adjustments are separate to a Student Access Plan (SAP). Your SAP does not apply to exams. This only covers in-class participation, activities and assessment.
Eligible circumstances
Disability, injury or condition
You can apply for exam adjustments if your disability, injury, or condition is permanent or temporary, and involves mobility, sensory, learning, physical, mental health, medical, or other conditions.
Adjustments may include:
- additional examination working time
- rest breaks
- use of a scribe (typist or writer)
- ergonomic furniture
- accommodation of personal equipment
- food and drink
- specially prepared examination papers.
Please note: not all approved adjustments can be facilitated for off-campus exams (such as ergonomic furniture).
Elite athlete
If you are a student who is representing Australia, or a state or territory of Australia, you must have your elite athlete status approved by the Academic Registrar before you meet with an Accessibility and Welfare Adviser to request exam adjustments.
Complete the online Elite Athlete Status request form.
Defence reservist
If you are a student who is engaged in defence service, you must have official notification of the dates you will be engaged in service before you meet with an Accessibility and Welfare Adviser to request exam adjustments.
For more details, refer to the Reasonable Adjustments Student Policy and Student Procedure.
Specific religious observance
A specific religious observance is defined as:
- the act of observing or complying with a religious law, custom, command or rule
- undertaking a regular act of worship
- the long-standing custom of celebrating a religious holiday.
Obtain a letter on official letterhead from your place of worship. The letter must state that you are unable to sit an exam because of a specific religious observance.
Email this letter to accessibility.welfare@uq.edu.au for review by an Accessibility and Welfare Adviser before you request exam adjustments.
Supporting documentation
You will need medical or specialist documentation that outlines the nature of your disability or condition. If you provide a medical certificate, you must ensure this meets the requirements for medical certificates.
Use the Guidelines for Academic Adjustments (PDF, 377 KB) table to determine what you'll need to provide.
Elite athletes and defence reservists must have documentary evidence to support their request for AEAs.
Make an appointment with an Accessibility and Welfare Adviser
Book online: Meet with an Accessibility and Welfare Adviser
Phone: 1300 275 870
Email: accessibility.welfare@uq.edu.au
You only need to meet with an Accessibility and Welfare Adviser if you:
- don't have exam adjustments in place, or
- want to change any approved exam adjustments you currently have.
How to apply
Make an appointment with an Accessibility and Welfare Adviser and bring supporting documentation to your meeting. They will identify reasonable adjustments to suit your situation.
Central exams
Your approved adjustments will be automatically applied to exams scheduled in the following exam periods:
- in-semester exams
- in-semester deferred exams
- end-of-semester exams
- end-of-semester deferred and supplementary exams.
You will be able to view your adjustments on your personal exam timetable.
To put new adjustments in place or to change any approved adjustments you currently have, make an appointment with an Accessibility and Welfare Adviser.
Application dates for central exams
Applications for:
- Semester 1, 2026 central in-semester exams close 7 days before the exam date.
- Semester 2, 2026 central in-semester exams close 14 days before the exam date.
- Semester 1 and 2 end-of-semester examinations close at 5pm on Friday of Week 8.
- Summer end-of-semester examinations close 14 days before the start of the exam period.
School-based exams
For some courses, schools will also organise and deliver exams internally. School-based in-semester and deferred in-semester exams will be held on weekdays.
Application dates for school-based exams
To have your adjustments applied to any in-semester exams held on a weekday you need to apply online 14 days before the exam date.
For deferred in-semester exams, apply at the time of submitting your deferred exam request.
Apply online
We'll send an email to your student account with the outcome of your alternative exam arrangement application.
If you need help submitting your request, contact Student Support and Wellbeing Services on 1300 275 870 or email accessibility.welfare@uq.edu.au.
Contact
If you can't attend an exam after making arrangements, contact the Examinations Office as early as possible before the exam start time: