Eligibility for deferred assessment

You may be eligible to defer your scheduled final assessment (exam) if you couldn’t complete it on the set date due to exceptional circumstances beyond your control.

Here are exceptional circumstances that may make you eligible for a deferral:

• medical condition (including COVID-19)
• mental health condition
• loss or bereavement
• family (relationship breakdown)
• victim of crime or concerns about safety
• financial/employment issues
• military, jury or emergency services obligations
• obligations as athlete, artist or performer registered with Elite Student Performer Scheme or as representative of University in other key events and programs
• carer responsibilities
• religious or cultural obligations
• technical disruption
• other exceptional circumstances beyond your control.

When you're not eligible

We can’t give you a deferral for things like:

• losing your Moodle access because you didn’t complete a compulsory module
• technical issues you might have avoided by uploading the correct files, allowing enough time for uploading and having the right equipment
• a brief interruption to power and/or internet service where you’re given additional time to complete your assessment
• missing your assessment due to mistaking its set date, time or location
• representing a club or society as a volunteer.

Long-term or ongoing circumstances

If you’re affected by long-term or ongoing circumstances, such as a recurring medical condition, we encourage you to register with Disability Support Services (DSS). If you’re registered with DSS and your disability prevents you from completing your assessment (exam) on the set date, you may be eligible to defer it (as long as DSS has approved you for this type of adjustment). DSS can also support you with other reasonable adjustments.

How to apply

You should apply as soon as you’re aware that you can’t sit your scheduled final assessment (after timetable release) but no later than 11.55pm on the set date for your assessment. Make sure you attach all required supporting documents as evidence of your exceptional circumstances.

Applications can still be submitted without supporting documents (if we haven’t received these documents within three calendar days and the date of when the documents will be available is not included in your application, we’ll decline your application.)

If you're registered with DSS and your DSS registration doesn’t include deferred assessments (exams), you’ll need to provide supporting documents.

Apply to defer your assessment

Unwell during your assessment

You generally won’t be eligible to defer your assessment if you’ve seen and/or attempted to answer questions on your scheduled final assessment (exam).

If you become unwell during the assessment you must alert your online supervisor or contact the Exam Support hotline so a medical support staff member can assess you and, if necessary, provide written confirmation that you are unfit to continue and complete your assessment (exam).

You need to provide a copy of this written confirmation with your application, along with supplementary supporting documents verifying your condition at the time of the assessment, to be eligible to apply to defer the assessment. If you don’t alert Monash medical support staff that you’re unwell on the day, we can’t consider your application to defer your incomplete assessment.

Missed your assessment

If you missed the assessment because you were unwell, or because of some other exceptional circumstances, you need to provide supporting documents. For example, you need to immediately get a medical certificate (or an approved alternative) from your doctor or a campus health service to be considered eligible to defer your assessment.

You must submit your deferral application no later than 11.55pm on the set date for your assessment.

Outcome

We'll email you the outcome of your application within two University working days as long as you’ve submitted a complete application with all the required supporting documents.

Successful application

If your application is approved, we’ll defer your scheduled final assessment and you’ll get an interim DEF (deferred assessment) result. This may affect your enrolment in the next teaching period if your unit is a prerequisite.

You’ll need to make sure you’re available to sit your assessment during the deferred assessment period (or alternate dates set by your faculty) at the new date and time. You’ll get an email with information about your assessment date, time and location once it’s available.

If your deferral application has been approved, but you decide to go ahead and sit your assessment on its original set date, the deferral is no longer valid.

If you complete a deferred assessment, you won’t be eligible for a supplementary assessment.

Unsuccessful application

If we don’t approve your application and/or you didn’t sit your scheduled final assessment on the original date, your final grade will be based on your marks for other assessments you’ve completed for that unit.

You may wish to get support and advice.

Eligibility for rescheduled deferred assessment

Before you apply to reschedule your deferred assessment (exam), make sure you carefully check all requirements. They are not the same as the ones that you needed to defer your assessment.

To be eligible, you must:

• have an ongoing disability registered with Disability Support Services (DSS) that directly prevented you from sitting your deferred assessment (such as a serious and debilitating medical condition or severe mental health condition) or
• show that the exceptional circumstances approved for your deferred assessment have not yet been resolved by providing updated supporting documents or
• provide evidence of one or more of these extreme circumstances beyond your control:
  • serious and debilitating medical condition
  • severe mental health condition
  • loss or bereavement: death of a person with whom you had a significant relationship
  • military, jury or emergency services obligations
  • other extreme circumstances.

Additionally, you need to submit both your application and supporting documents in time for us to reschedule your assessment and for you to complete it within 90 calendar days of results release for the original assessment period (see successful application). We may ask you to show that you can complete a rescheduled assessment within this timeframe.

If you’re eligible for a rescheduled deferred assessment, but can’t pass your unit even if you successfully complete your assessment, we recommend that you instead apply for a Withdrawn Incomplete (WI) grade if you meet the criteria.

How to apply

You can apply to reschedule your deferred assessment no later than 11.55pm on its set date.

Make sure you attach all supporting documents required as evidence of your unresolved circumstances or new extreme circumstances. (If necessary, you can provide these documents up to three calendar days after the deadline as long as you explain the delay on your application.)

Apply to reschedule

Outcome

We'll email you the outcome of your application within five University working days as long as you've submitted a complete application with all the required supporting documents.

Successful application

If we approve your application to reschedule your deferred assessment, the assessment will take place during the rescheduled deferred assessment period (or alternate date selected by your faculty). You’ll get an email with this information once it’s available.

You’ll need to complete your assessment on the new date and within 90 calendar days of results release for the original assessment period (otherwise, the rules for an unsuccessful application will apply).

Unsuccessful application

If we don’t approve your application to reschedule your deferred assessment, we’ll:

• consider your application for a Withdrawn Incomplete (WI) grade if you meet the eligibility requirements
• convert your interim DEF result to a final grade based on your marks for other assessments you’ve completed for that unit, if you're not eligible for a WI grade.

You may wish to get support and advice.

Other things to know

If you can’t complete your rescheduled deferred assessment on the rescheduled date, you won’t be able to reschedule it again. We’ll finalise your grade by converting your interim DEF result to a final grade based on your marks for other assessments you’ve completed for that unit. (We’ll still consider you for a WI grade if eligible. You should tell us within 10 working days if you couldn’t attend your rescheduled deferred assessment.)

Your managing faculty may place conditions on your enrolment, such as:

• limit to the credit points you can enrol in for a specific teaching period
• mandatory enrolment in specific units
• requirement to successfully pass specific units or a number of credit points.

If a condition applies, your managing faculty will let you know. You won’t be able to complete your rescheduled assessment until you meet this condition.