Support for compassionate or compelling circumstances

Help is available if circumstances affect your course progress or wellbeing.

What support is available?

If you're an international student on a student visa, the Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) Act (2000) and the National Code of Practice for Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2018 allow for you to apply for the below support measures if you are able to demonstrate compassionate and compelling circumstances:

What circumstances are considered compassionate or compelling?

Compassionate and compelling circumstances are generally those beyond your control and which have an impact upon your course progress or wellbeing.

These could include, but are not limited to:

  • Serious illness or injury, where a medical certificate states that the student was unable to attend classes
  • Bereavement of close family members such as parents or grandparents (where possible a death certificate should be provided)
  • Major political upheaval or natural disaster in the home country requiring emergency travel and this has impacted on the overseas student’s studies
  • A traumatic experience, which could include:
    • involvement in, or witnessing of a serious accident; or
    • witnessing or being the victim of a serious crime, and this has impacted on the overseas student (these cases should be supported by police or psychologists’ reports)
  • Where the registered provider was unable to offer a pre-requisite unit, or the overseas student has failed a prerequisite unit and therefore faces a shortage of relevant units for which they are eligible to enrol
  • Failing subjects where is it unreasonable to expect the student to catch-up
  • Genuine delays to visas outside of your control.

What circumstances are not considered compassionate or compelling?

Circumstances that are not considered compassionate or compelling are those considered to be within the control of a student, or which are to be expected in the normal course of the student's study, work, family or social life.

These include, but are not limited to:

  • travel or employment opportunities
  • An increase in hours or duties of paid or unpaid employment
  • family or customary obligations, such as weddings of a relative or friend
  • minor medical illness or homesickness.

International student visa holders must not rely on the proceeds of paid employment in Australia to support their studies or living costs. Students who experience financial strain that results negatively on their studies should contact Financial Aid for support in the first instance. Find out more about working on a student visa.

What documentation is required?

When applying for one of the above due to compassionate or compelling circumstances, you’ll need to provide any documents which support your application. Examples of appropriate documentation include:

  • a detailed medical statement from a physician or medical specialist (a doctor’s certificate is not acceptable)
  • a detailed statement from a counsellor (for example, the University's Counselling and Psychological Services team) who has been involved in your assessment and/or treatment. If you have been seeing a CAPS counsellor in an ongoing way about issues affecting your study, you can talk to your counsellor about completing a Health Professional Report (HPR) to support an application under compassionate and compelling circumstances
  • a police statement
  • a copy of a death certificate or death notice for close family member
  • A Statutory Declaration (for exceptional circumstances only).

Supporting documentation for compassionate or compelling circumstances must be from an independent source or authority, and clearly indicate:

  • what the special circumstances were
  • when they occurred
  • how long they lasted
  • the level of impact of the special circumstances. Including the dates of impact and if relevant the period of impact as determined by the source of authority
  • Please ensure all documents are recently dated and/or confirm circumstances are ongoing and relevant to the timeframe to be considered.

Overseas medical certificates issued in a language other than English must be translated into English by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) or an overseas notary department with a common seal.