Applications for Special Consideration in final examinations are made through your eVision student portal and must be within 5 calendar days of the last examination for which you are seeking Special Consideration.
If supporting documentation (see below) is not available by the 5 calendar day deadline, please make an application regardless. You have 7 calendar days from the date of your application to send the documentation to:
Email examspeccon@otago.ac.nz
How to apply
There are different ways to apply for Special Consideration based on what you are studying.
Anyone seeking Special Consideration for all programmes in Radiation Therapy, Medicine and Physiotherapy and postgraduate programmes in Health Sciences must apply here:
Special consideration in final examinations in the Division of Health Sciences
Those studying in all other programmes (including HSFY students) should apply following the process outlined below.
To make an application:
- Log into the eVision student portal
- Go to Examinations and Results.
- Click on “Apply here” under section 2, Consideration due to your examination performance being affected by serious illness or exceptional circumstances at the time of or in the 14 days immediately prior to the examination.
- Complete the details and explanation, and attach electronic copies of appropriate supporting documentation (see below).
- Continue to select the papers you wish to apply for.
- If the exam has already taken place, the “effect on exam” will already be correct.
- If the exam is yet to take place, please confirm whether you will sit the exam (i.e. will be impaired), or if you will be absent.
- Submit your application – if you do not receive a portal notification to confirm your application has been submitted, you have not applied for Special Consideration.
Health Declaration
If relevant documentation has been completed by Student Health, the Health Declaration will be forwarded to Student Administration and uploaded to your application for Special Consideration on your behalf.
Supporting documents
Appropriate supporting documentation is required to provide evidence of your circumstances.
Supporting Statement
Whatever the circumstances for your impairment (except for testing positive for Covid-19, see below), a Supporting Statement is recommended and should be completed by an appropriate third party, who can confirm those circumstances.
It is best that this person be independent of you (i.e. not a friend or family member), but it is essential that they be able to verify your circumstances and this should take priority. In some cases, it may be appropriate to seek verification from a Head of College, academic staff member, or a staff member in a relevant student support service.
Supporting Statement for Special Consideration in Final/Special Examinations (PDF)
Documents for specific circumstances
Medical impairment
Applications based on medical impairment (illness, injury or mental health), except where you have tested positive for COVID‑19 on the day of or in the 7 days before your exam (see below), must be supported by a University of Otago Health Declaration:
Health Declaration for Special Consideration in Final/Special Examinations (PDF)
It is strongly recommended that you see a Health Professional (preferably Student Health) at an appropriate time, i.e. when the symptoms of your illness or injury are apparent.
Complete Part A of the Declaration yourself and have Part B completed by the Health Professional.
COVID-19 impairment
For applications related to testing positive for COVID‑19, on the day of or in the 7 days before your exam, you will need to complete the following declaration:
You will also need to provide a screenshot of your My Health Record, showing your name and the date of notification of the positive test (either PCR or RAT).
Bereavement
In cases of bereavement, appropriate evidence may include a death notice.
Where the notice does not mention you by name, you should provide a letter from a funeral director, minister of religion, kaumatua/kuia or the police to confirm your relationship with the deceased.
Other exceptional cases
For all other exceptional cases, the nature of the supporting documentation will depend on the circumstances, but might include police reports or a letter from an appropriate third party (e.g. Airline or Government Department).
For further advice, contact:
Email examspeccon@otago.ac.nz
Assessment of applications
The first step in assessing a Special Consideration application is review by Student Administration, who will determine whether Special Consideration will be granted. This involves assessing whether the evidence you have provided is sufficient to support your claim of impairment, and if so, determining whether the circumstances you describe would have had impacted on your examination(s) enough to justify Special Consideration being approved.
If impairment is insufficient or the documentation provided did not support impairment, your application will be declined and you will be notified via your eVision student portal.
If impairment is sufficient, Special Consideration will be granted for the examination in question, and your application will be forwarded to the relevant academic department to determine an outcome (see below). Please note that the department does not have access to the specific information contained within your application, only that Special Consideration was approved.
There may be some delay between your application being approved and you being informed of the academic outcome as special consideration outcomes are not able to be applied until after confirmed results are released. This means that your original final result will be displayed without special consideration applied until the department has decided on the outcome of your approved application, or, if applicable, the result of a special exam is confirmed.
The outcome will normally be communicated following the release of results for that examination period and you will be advised via your eVision student portal.
Any paper for which Special Consideration is approved under the first stage above, will be marked “SC” on your academic transcript except when there is no change in the academic outcome.
Appealing a declined application
If your application for Special Consideration was declined, you may ask for the decision to be reviewed.
To do so you must complete the 'Appeal special consideration' online form within 5 calendar days of the date of the portal notification of the decision, outlining the grounds upon which you are requesting the review and include any additional documentation as appropriate.
Appeal Special Consideration form
On reviewing the Special Consideration decision, the Director Student Experience will consider any additional documentation provided. This could include further consultation with your Health Professional so there is no requirement for you to provide medical (clinical) records, nor should Student Health or other Health Professionals be approached about altering a previously provided assessment that has been recorded on a Health Declaration for Special Consideration form.
Possible outcomes if your application is approved
Departments will determine an academic outcome, taking into account your previous performance in the paper and/or other papers you have sat.
They may choose from the following outcomes:
No change / No action
There are two common situations in which departments may choose not to alter your results:
- No Change
Your mark on the exam is the same (or higher) than what was expected based on your internal marks for the paper and/or marks in other papers. - No Action
Your internal marks were very low, or no other outcome was justified.
Mark adjustment
If the recommendation is for you to receive a mark adjustment, your Academic Transcript will be updated and this will override the original result you received for that paper.
Special Examination
A Special Examination is a new examination which allows the student's performance to be assessed without significant impairment. Special examinations may be held sometime after the examination period, but where possible, will be scheduled before teaching commences in the next semester. If you sit a Special Examination your final result will be the best result out of your Special Examination and your original examination.
If your special consideration application is approved, one of the outcomes you may have (or be offered) is a special examination.
Dates for special examinations
Aegrotat Pass
An Aegrotat Pass may be awarded, as long as your internal marks are well above the minimum standard to pass the paper (usually a C+). An Aegrotat Pass has no mark or grade awarded, and so will be excluded from your official University of Otago GPA. This could have implications for you if you intend to apply for scholarships, admission to some restricted courses, or study at other institutions. If you wish to discuss this further, please contact the Department teaching the paper concerned.
Departments may also offer a student the choice of a mark adjustment or a Special Examination, the original result or a Special Examination, or the choice of an Aegrotat Pass or a Special Examination.
Reviewing the outcome of an application
You are able to request a review of a special consideration outcome for a Final Examination by emailing us within 5 calendar days of the notification via eVision or email of the outcome decision, outlining the grounds upon which you are requesting the review and include any additional documentation as appropriate.
Email examspeccon@otago.ac.nz
Your request will be reviewed by senior academic staff based on what you provide in your application, and the original documentation and information you provided on your special consideration application.
You will be notified of the decision of the review via your student email.