Special Consideration
Are you having difficulty meeting the requirements of your degree? Your work may be affected by sickness - ranging from a bad cold to more serious illness - or your study routine may be disrupted by moving house or as a result of additional demands on your time caused by the illness of a family member or close friend. These are circumstances beyond your control and the university takes such matters into account. We are aware that you may, on occasion, need extra time to complete an essay; or you may have to sit an exam outside the scheduled exam period. We are also sympathetic to students who may have managed to complete their work on time - despite their difficulties - but are then concerned that it was not up to their usual standard. Some problems can be dealt with at departmental level, others need to be processed through the Faculty of Arts as 'Special Consideration' applications on the grounds of 'sickness' or 'misadventure'. The Counselling Service and Disability Services are available to help you further if you have long-term difficulties. If you are registered with Disability Services you will not have to apply for 'Special Consideration' through the faculty.Department Level
Consult your department:- if you have missed tutorials or are unable to attend an in-class test or quiz OR
- if you need an extension on an essay or assignment and your problem is short term - up to two weeks OR
- if you have missed an exam (you will also need to put in a 'Special Consideration' application) – but please inform the department immediately as they will have to reschedule another exam for you.
Faculty Level
Submit a Special Consideration on the grounds of 'sickness' or 'misadventure' form to the Faculty of Arts office:- if you have more serious difficulties and are likely to be unable to complete your work for a longer period – more than two weeks OR
- if you are concerned that the written work you have submitted is not up to your usual standard because of your sickness or misadventure.
International Student Support Unit (ISSU)
Are you an international student? Living and studying in a foreign country, away from all your usual support people, can be a real challenge. It’s easy to get lonely and isolated, stressed about finances and about doing well academically and to feel that you have no-one you can talk to about your experience, nowhere to go for help or advice.
Well, good news! The International Student Support Unit (ISSU) is here for you. We are a team of professionally qualified psychologists with many years of experience working with students from different countries and different language backgrounds. You can get free, confidential personal counselling at ISSU. We are friendly, non-judgmental and it’s easy to make an appointment for a counselling session with one of the team. We can help you deal with whatever issues come up for you and we can help you access other support services on campus as well.
You can contact us by phone on 9351 4749, by email on or by coming in to our office which is currently on the ground floor of the Services Building. Later this year we will be moving to Level 5 of the new building next to the Wentworth Building in City Road.
You don’t need to have a problem to see an ISSU Counsellor. Sometimes it’s good just to come and have a chat with someone about your experiences here. If there is something that’s bothering you, remember it’s best to deal with it early.
We have lots of good information on our website http://www.usyd.edu.au/stuserv/issu/ as well as a monthly e-Newletter just for international students.
