For your reduced study load request to be considered, you must meet compassionate or compelling circumstances eligibility requirements.
Compassionate or compelling circumstances refers to verifiable unexpected or exceptional personal or medical circumstances beyond your control that affect your course progress, wellbeing, or study, including but not limited to:
- serious illness or injury, or the onset or acute flare-up of a medical or psychological condition, illness, or trauma, where medical evidence states that the Student was unable to attend classes or otherwise participate in Course activities;
- the death of, or an onset or acute flare-up of, a medical or psychological condition, illness, or trauma affecting, a close family member, friend or similar;
- major political upheaval or natural disaster in the student’s home country, when this has directly affected the student’s studies, or their ability to pay for tuition costs or personal living expenses;
- a critical or traumatic event that affects a student’s ability to undertake or complete a course, such as incidents that may cause physical or psychological harm, or involvement in or witnessing of a serious accident, or witnessing or being the victim of a serious crime;
- inability to begin studying on the course commencement date due to delay in receiving a visa;
- where the Student has failed occasional units throughout the course, but has not done so poorly as to be picked up by the university’s academic progression interventions, and accordingly no Intervention Strategy has been developed; or
- where the university was unable to offer a co-requisite or prerequisite unit, or the student has failed a co-requisite or prerequisite unit, and therefore faces a shortage of relevant units for which they are eligible to enrol.
Any application based on compassionate or compelling circumstances must be accompanied by sufficient verifiable supporting documentation that demonstrates the impact and outlines why a reduced study load is required.
The university may specify types of documentation that may be required to support your application, this may include but is not limited to:
| Reason for Application | Types of supporting documents needed |
|---|---|
| Serious illness or injury for self or close family member | Medical Certificate and / or medical documentation completed by a treating Medical Practitioner or other approved health professional that follows the Australian Medical Association (AMA) Guidelines - this can also include hospital admission and discharge papers, but excludes pharmacist certificates, prescriptions and online instant medical certificate provider. If the student is already a client of ECU Psychological Counselling Support, a signed statement on relevant official letterhead from ECU Psychological Counselling Support outlining impact and period over which the student is unfit for study. Letters/documents must detail the necessity for the reduced study load together with the recommended number of unit and be less than 3 months old. The provider should be searchable (using the Look up a practitioner tool at the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency). |
| Mental health reasons | Medical Certificate and / or medical documentation completed by a treating Medical Practitioner or other approved health professional that follows the Australian Medical Association (AMA) Guidelines - this can also include hospital admission and discharge papers, but excludes pharmacist certificates, prescriptions and online instant medical certificate provider. If the student is already a client of ECU Psychological Counselling Support, a signed statement on relevant official letterhead from ECU Psychological Counselling Support. Letters/documents must detail the impact and necessity for the reduced study load together with the recommended number of units and be less than 3 months old. The provider should be searchable (using the Look up a practitioner tool at the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency). |
| Recent bereavement of close family members such as parents, grandparents, siblings, spouse and dependents. | Obituary, death, or funeral notice as advertised on newspaper/internet/funeral home website, statement on official letterhead from funeral home or death certificate* A statutory declaration or other evidence confirming the relationship to the impacted family member, friend or service animal may also be required if the deceased does not share the same family name as the student. If the student is already a client of ECU Psychological Counselling Support, a signed statement on relevant official letterhead from ECU Psychological Counselling Support. Letters/documents must detail the impact and necessity for the reduced study load together with the recommended number of units and be less than 3 months old. *it is acknowledged that copies of death certificates may take some time to obtain. Students are encouraged to submit their request with all the appropriate supporting documentation that they have available at the time and discuss with a Student Success Adviser. |
| Pregnancy/Postnatal care | Medical Certificate and / or medical documentation completed by a treating Medical Practitioner or other approved health professional that follows the Australian Medical Association (AMA) Guidelines - this can also include hospital admission and discharge papers, but excludes pharmacist certificates, prescriptions and online instant medical certificate provider. Letters/documents must confirm:
Circumstances of care/complications (if relevant) |
| A traumatic experience such as involvement in, or witnessing a serious accident; witnessing or being the victim of a serious crime; and family and domestic violence circumstances. | Police reports, court documents, insurance claims, employment separation letters or eviction or rental notices. Medical Certificate and / or medical documentation completed by a Medical Practitioner or other approved health professional that follows the Australian Medical Association (AMA) Guidelines - this can also include hospital admission and discharge papers, but excludes pharmacist certificates, prescriptions and online instant medical certificate providers. If the student is already a client of ECU Psychological Counselling Support, a signed statement on relevant official letterhead from ECU Psychological Counselling Support. Letters/documents must detail the impact and/or necessity for the reduced study load together with the recommended number of units and be less than 3 months old. |
| Major political upheaval or natural disaster in your home country requiring emergency travel or has impacted your wellbeing and studies | Supporting evidence relevant to the request being made will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. |
| Academic progression status and/or failed units | Meeting with Student Success is required whereby appropriate study load and support needs will be discussed. |
For other circumstances not listed above, you should seek guidance from a Student Success Adviser.
Circumstances that don’t qualify for a Reduced Study Load
- inability to pay fees
- stress, anxiety, or homesickness associated with adjusting to life in Australia
- normal stress or anxiety associated with examinations or coursework
- dislike of the available elective units, including major electives
- planning to study additional units in a future teaching period, such as Summer School
- studying fewer units to improve your Weighted Average Mark
- avoidable timetable clashes
- late enrolment without verifiable reasons that were beyond your control for the late enrolment
- employment reasons or routine employment
When is this application not required?
- If you are in your final semester and have less than 60CP remaining to complete your course
- Your enrolment load has been restricted by ECU to 45CP or less, due to your academic progression. If your enrolment has been restricted, you should meet with Student Success to discuss your enrolment load and study supports available to you.
- You have limited units available due to course structure and pre-requisite requirements. If your study load is limited due to course structure, you need discuss your available and recommended units with the Student Hub before finalising your enrolment to receive necessary approvals.