Special consideration

Need a short extension?
Extension requests for students enrolled in Law subjects are managed at the faculty level by the Law Wellbeing team. Requests must be submitted through a formal application process, as outlined on MLS Extensions.

When to apply for special consideration

Students should apply for special consideration in the following circumstances:

• Students who have previously been granted a faculty extension of 10 business days and would like a longer extension for an eligible assessment
• Students seeking adjustments for assessments for which extensions are not permitted
• Students seeking an alternate outcome for an assessment, other than an extension (ie, a Reweight)

Please note that requests submitted via special consideration for extensions longer than the published predetermined maximum extension duration will generally be considered for alternative outcomes, such as a late withdrawal.

Prior to applying

All Law assessments have predetermined assessment adjustment outcomes, published for each assessment item on the Learning Management System (LMS). Prior to applying for special consideration, students must consult the assessment information published on the LMS.

Students enrolled in JD and MLM subjects can find this information on the JD and/or MLM LMS Communities; for Breadth students, this information is published on each LMS subject.

Potential circumstances and supporting documentation

Students must provide independent, verifiable supporting documentation when applying for an extension.

Supporting documentation must adhere to the standards required by the University. For a detailed list of eligible circumstances and accepted forms of supporting documentation, please refer to special consideration.

MLM students only may submit applications for extensions on grounds of work commitments if they can demonstrate they have been affected by exceptional employment requirements which are unforeseen, and above and beyond the demands of their usual role. The student must provide independent, verifiable evidence of these commitments. This can be a signed and dated statement from a human resources representative from the student’s place of employment and/or a statutory declaration. In these circumstances, MLS may, on a case-by-case basis, provide adjustments.

Outcomes

Special consideration eligibility is determined by the Special Consideration Team and is outside of the control of the Law faculty.

If an application is deemed eligible, it will be referred to the Law Wellbeing Team for provision of an appropriate outcome. Outcomes are determined based on the published assessment adjustment information for a given subject/assessment item and with consideration of the circumstances of the application.

Students will receive an outcome for their special consideration application within five (5) business days (Monday-Friday). Please note that during peak periods, provision of an outcome may take slightly longer.

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Pending requests

Students awaiting the outcome of a special consideration application should continue working on their assessment where possible.

Students who have not received an outcome for a special consideration application by the assessment due date/time must email a copy of their work-to-date to law-wellbeing@unimelb.edu.au by the original due date/time.

Information to include in the email:

• Student ID,
• Subject code and name, and
• The following statement: “This is a partial submission of my work and I am awaiting an outcome from an extension and/or special consideration review”.

For Cadmus assessments in particular, students must not submit their partial submission in Cadmus itself; please ensure the partial submission is emailed to law-wellbeing@unimelb.edu.au.

Once an extension is granted, the assessment submission link will be reopened so students can submit their assessment prior to their extended due date.

If an extension request is ultimately deemed ineligible, the time-stamped partial submission will be sent for marking to avoid late penalties.

Data retention

Students should maintain a copy of their supporting documentation, should they require it for any other purpose.