Documents to support your application

You must provide relevant supporting documentation in your application for Withdrawal Without Penalty.

During COVID-19 and until a date determined by the Academic Senate, where students in standard teaching periods have been impacted by COVID-19, students may submit a statement of fact as evidence. The Evidence must:

  1. identify the circumstances;
  2. include dates and / or the length of the circumstances;
  3. explain the severity and impact of the circumstances;
  4. clearly describe how the circumstances have adversely affected the student’s capacity for effective study to which an assessment relates; and
  5. include the date(s) on which the student was seen by the professional providing the Evidence.

Guidelines

It is the responsibility of the applicant to provide supporting documentation that they wish to be considered as part of their application to withdraw without penalty. The University will not seek out supporting documentation on behalf of an applicant. All supporting documentation must be provided at the time of application.

The below guidelines have been put together to assist you with what information will be required to be included in your independent supporting.

Please note: It is not necessary for the University to know the specific nature or details of a medical condition or any circumstances that have affected your study.

A professional authority form [PDF 729KB], medical certificate or official letter or from an independent registered health professional that must include:

  • the health professional’s provider number
  • the date or dates of consultation
  • the date your medical condition or circumstances began or changed and the duration
  • the impact that your condition or circumstances had on your ability to study
  • when it became apparent that you could not continue with your studies
  • For ongoing conditions – date in which your condition exacerbated and the extent to which it affected your study.

A professional authority form [PDF 729KB], medical certificate or official letter or from an independent registered Health Professional that must include:

  • the date your personal circumstance began or changed
  • how your circumstance affected your ability to study
  • the duration of the change in circumstances
  • when it became apparent you could not continue your studies.

Or, where relevant:

  • Death Certificate – this applies to the death of a parent, grandparent, sibling, child or spouse
  • proof of your relationship to the deceased (for example, birth or marriage certificate).

Where a student is unable to provide supporting documentation from a Health Professional, we may accept a letter from an Independent Community Member (Minister of Religion, Lawyer, Accountant, Police Officer, etc.) explaining the above points.

A signed letter from your employer with the following:

  • contact details of your employer
  • independent employer advice that your work arrangements changed unexpectedly, the dates they changed and were due to take effect from, and the duration.
  • the extent of the impact that the change in circumstances had on your ability to study
  • a statement from your employer that must include:
    • your previous work hours and location
    • your current work hours and location
    • the reason for changed hours and location.

A statement from the Faculty/Department of changes to the arrangements for your unit or course and extent you were disadvantaged from completing the requirements of the course.

Where the unavoidable disruption is neither medical nor a consequence of employment, documentation must be attached to the application indicating:

  • the date these circumstances first became evident and made their impact
  • the type of circumstances and impact that they may have had on your ability to continue tertiary study
  • the duration of the change in circumstances including the date it first became evident.

Documentation not to include

Documentation that you should not include as part of your application:

  • Photos of injuries
  • Medical reports
  • Prescriptions
  • Pathology reports
  • X-Rays
  • Referrals
  • Statutory Declaration (unless supplemented by additional independent supporting documentation)

Note: The University will not contact a health professional or other agents on a student’s behalf in order to obtain supporting documentation.

All documentation relating to Withdrawal Without Penalty applications will be treated in accordance with the University’s Privacy Framework.

Additional supporting documentation requirements

Supporting documents should also:

  • Be written in English. On occasion, documentation written in another language may be accepted (for example, illness or death of a family member). Where this occurs, a student will need to have this supporting documentation translated into English by a certified NAATI translator.
  • Be a professional’s true opinion of the student’s ability to continue with their studies. Professionals should not state what a student advises but what they observe to be correct.
  • For ongoing conditions, a professional should support that there was an exacerbation of the condition and it was this occurrence that made the completion of studies impractical.
  • For limited ability to study, an independent professional must state the capacity of the student to study. If a student is able to complete some units but not others the professional must clearly state the reason why.
  • A health professional must state all consultation dates with the student and the time frame in which the condition would make studies impractical to complete.
  • Not contain any pictures of x-rays etc or medical reports (such as psychological assessment journals) which do not clearly mention the impact of the condition on the student's ability to study the specific units in question. Obtain a written statement from the independent professional as to when the condition began or was exacerbated to the point that it made it impractical to complete your studies in the relevant unit.

Note that medical documentation will normally be required to be completed by a registered health professional registered with a National Board of Australia that is accredited by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).

The following is a list of registered health professionals:

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practice
  • Chinese Medicine
  • Chiropractic
  • Dental
  • Medical
  • Medical Radiation Practice
  • Nursing and Midwifery
  • Occupational Therapy
  • Optometry
  • Osteopathy
  • Pharmacy
  • Physiotherapy
  • Podiatry
  • Psychology
  • Social workers

Verification of documentation

The University reserves the right to request and retain the originals of supporting documentation and will conduct regular audits of supporting documentation submitted electronically.

You must retain all original documentation provided in your withdrawal application for a six (6) month period from the date your application is submitted, and you must supply original documents to the University within ten (10) working days of such a request being made.

Where documentation is believed to be fraudulent, it may be referred for disciplinary action.