What documents will I need for special consideration, a discontinue not fail (DC) application, or showing good cause?

When you apply for special consideration, a discontinue not fail (DC) grade, or show good cause, you need to provide documentation that supports your claim. There are many different types of documents you can provide, depending on your situation.

Professional Practitioner’s Certificate (PPC) 

A PPC is the Uni’s version of a medical certificate and is a very useful form of supporting documentation. It shows the date you met with the medical practitioner, the dates that you were affected, and how severely you were affected. It asks what your illness was, however, it can also say that your illness is confidential. The Uni is more interested in the impact of your illness on your study, rather than the illness itself. For example, you were not able to attend classes, complete written assignments, or sleep, which made you unable to concentrate.

Statutory Declaration

This is a document of truth that you, a family member, a friend, or another relevant person can write on a downloadable government form. It is a statement where you or another person provides the details of the misadventure you experienced, written based on what was observed or experienced. Statutory Declarations are not as meaningful as other documents, so only use them in conjunction with other documents, e.g., a death certificate, or as a last resort. A Statutory Declaration will need to be witnessed and signed by an authority or witness, such as a Justice of the Peace.

Student Declaration

In April 2020 the University introduced the Student Declaration, as isolation and lockdown made it difficult to meet with doctors and counsellors to get a PPC or find a Justice of the Peace to get a statutory declaration witnessed. These are not particularly strong pieces of evidence, so avoid using them if possible.

Police Report

If you experienced a misadventure that involved the Police, you may be able to provide a Police Report as your supporting document. However, Police Reports are relatively difficult to get, especially within a few days of the incident. Instead, you could mention the Police Event Number in a statutory declaration (see above), together with the name of the officer you dealt with and the station they were from.

False Documents

While it may be tempting to buy or create false documents, the University will likely discover this fraud, which could lead to you being suspended from the university. If you are in such a difficult position that you are considering doing this, you should talk to an SRC Caseworker about other options available to you. Failing a subject is significantly better than being suspended from your studies. Some students who previously bought false documents online found that the people they bought them from started blackmailing them, threatening to tell the University, their families, and their future employers about their deceit. If you are experiencing this, talk to an SRC Caseworker. The SRC is independent of the Uni and caseworkers can offer you free, confidential advice. You can contact an SRC caseworker via our contact form or by calling 9660 5222.

Need more help or advice?

If you need more advice about your specific situation contact an SRC Caseworker by completing the contact form (below) or call 9660 5222 and our reception team will complete the contact form with you.

Caseworker Contact Form