Circumstances are considered beyond your control if:

• a situation that a reasonable person would agree is outside your control, not caused by anything you did or didn’t do, and for which you’re not responsible
• that situation is considered to be unusual, uncommon or abnormal.

A lack of knowledge or understanding of deadlines for enrolment, withdrawing from units, and paying fees, are not considered grounds for removing a unit withdrawal penalty.

Circumstances will be considered if:

• they occur on or after the census date.
• they occur before the census date, but worsen, do not improve as expected or do not make their full effect until after the census date.

For withdrawal without academic penalty requests, we will also consider impacts that occur on or after the academic penalty date.

A person is considered unable to complete the requirements for a unit, for example, if the person is unable to:

• undertake the necessary private study required, or attend sufficient lectures or tutorials or meet other compulsory attendance requirements
• complete the required assessable work
• sit the required examinations
• complete any other compulsory unit or course requirements.

• Short-term illness, impairments or circumstance which do not impact on your ability to complete the requirements of your units
• Known impairments or circumstances, unless evidence confirms that, despite appropriate management, there has been an unexpected change or worsening of the impairment or circumstances
• Choosing to increase work hours or accept a new position
• Circumstances which are more appropriately covered by other administrative processes (e.g. deferred or supplementary assessment, special consideration or assignment extensions)
• Inability to pay tuition fees or repay a HELP debt
• Failure to appropriately manage your enrolment in relation to the census and academic penalty dates
• If at the time the circumstances emerged, it was already not practicable for you to meet the requirements to pass the relevant units
• Substantiated cases of academic misconduct cannot be considered for removal of academic penalty.

A recognised health professional can complete our Health Professional Assessment Form (PDF file, 354KB), which has been designed to help students and health professionals provide relevant supporting information.

Alternatively, you can provide a medical certificate or official letter from an independent health professional that must include:

• the date(s) the health professional examined you
• the date your medical condition began, changed or exacerbated and the duration
• how the effects/symptoms of your condition impacted your ability to study (details of the condition itself are not required)
• when it became apparent, in the health professional’s opinion, that you could not continue your studies
• the health professional’s name, contact details, provider number and signature.

Medical documentation such as x-rays, pathology reports or prescriptions should not be included as part of your application.

A dated medical certificate or official letter from an independent health professional or a letter from a relevant professional (such as a counsellor, QUT Respect and Safety Partner, police officer or funeral director) that must include:

• the date your personal circumstances began or changed  
• the duration of the change in circumstances
• the impact that your personal circumstances had on your ability to study
• when it became apparent that you could not continue your studies
• the professional’s name, contact details, provider number (where relevant) and signature.

If documents relate to someone else, you must also provide evidence to confirm your relationship with the person named in the documents.

Medical documentation of relatives such as x-rays, pathology reports, or prescriptions should not be included as part of your application.

Example circumstances include (but are not limited to):

• severe illness or medical problems within your family
• death of a close family member or friend
• unforeseen and sudden change of living arrangements or financial circumstances
• being a victim of a serious crime or accident
• family or relationship breakdown, including domestic and family violence.

A dated letter on company letterhead from your employer that must include:

• the date and reasons your employment circumstances changed and when you were advised of the change
• details of your previous employment conditions and current (changed) employment conditions (e.g. work hours, responsibilities, location)  
• the impact that the change in circumstances had on your ability to study
• when it became apparent that you could not continue your studies
• your employer’s name, contact details and signature.

Example circumstances include (but are not limited to):

• After the census date, your work commitments unexpectedly increase. As a result, you are unable to continue with your studies.
• An unplanned transfer for work that is beyond your control and makes it impossible for you to complete your unit requirements.

A supporting statement from the QUT school or faculty of changes to the arrangements for your unit or course and the extent that you were disadvantaged from completing the requirements of the units.

A recommendation to apply to withdraw without penalty is not considered sufficient support.

A dated letter from a relevant professional that must include:

• the date these circumstances first became evident and made their impact
• the duration of the change in circumstances
• the type of circumstances and impact they had on your ability to study
• when it became apparent that you could not continue your studies.

Commonwealth supported students are assessed for a removal of financial penalty using the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (HESA), but we also apply the same criteria to students who are not Commonwealth supported.

We also use the HESA criteria to assess requests to remove an academic penalty. In certain circumstances, where legislative requirements can’t be fully met however special circumstances are evident, you may be eligible for a removal of academic penalty but not financial penalty.

If you believe the outcome of the decision to be incorrect, you can request a review of the decision by emailing sa.hubprogression@qut.edu.au stating your reasons and including any additional supporting documentation.

The type of documents you need to supply will vary depending on your circumstances. Documentation examples are available on the Special circumstances page. The QUT Guild Advocacy team may also be able to help you prepare a review request.

Review requests must be submitted within 28 days of receiving your original outcome. Late requests will not be accepted unless you can provide evidence to demonstrate that exceptional circumstances prevented you from submitting your request on time.

We'll email you to confirm we've received your review request.

What happens after you request a review

The Director (or delegate) of Student Administration will consider your original application, any information you included in your review request and the requirements of policy and legislation, including the Higher Education Support Act 2003.

The Director (or delegate) of Student Administration will then choose to either:

• confirm the original decision
• change the decision
• set the decision aside and make a new decision based on a new rationale.

You'll normally be emailed with the outcome of your review request within 45 days. The original decision remains in effect until your appeal is finalised.

If you’re unhappy with how we handled your review

Commonwealth Supported Place students or students receiving HELP

If you are dissatisfied with this decision you may apply within 28 days to the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) for review of the financial component of this decision only. This time limit may be extended in limited circumstances by order of the ART. Visit the ART website to locate your nearest location.

If you apply to the ART for review of a decision, you must pay an application fee of approximately $1,121 (as at February 2025). In certain circumstances a reduced fee of $100 can be paid. These circumstances include where a person receives Youth Allowance, Austudy or ABSTUDY Centrelink payments or if the fee would cause the person financial hardship. You must provide the ART with evidence that you are eligible to pay a reduced fee. To ask for fee reduction due to financial hardship you must fill in the Request for fee reduction form. You should send the ART this form when you submit your application if you are seeking an application fee reduction. This standard application fee is subject to change, and you should confirm the fee with the Tribunal Registry before you submit an application. Your application cannot proceed until you pay the application fee. In certain limited circumstances, you can receive a refund or partial refund of the application fee. The ART can provide you with further information about the basis on which you may qualify for a refund or partial refund of the application fee. Visit the ART website for further information on this process.

Domestic fee-paying and international students

If you believe we have not followed policy and procedure in arriving at the review decision, you can seek advice or lodge a complaint with the QUT Student Ombudsman. The Ombudsman is responsible for administering QUT’s student related complaints policy.

However, the decision of the Director is final within QUT. The QUT Student Ombudsman is unable to make a fresh decision on the review outcome. The QUT Student Ombudsman can only assess whether the review process and decision complied with QUT's established policies and procedures.

If you are unhappy with the outcome from the QUT Student Ombudsman, you have the right to seek external review from an agency such as the National Student Ombudsman. If you hold an international student visa, you also have the right to contact the National Student Ombudsman if you believe that procedures outlined in the National Code have not been correctly followed by the University.

If you decide to apply for an external review from the National Student Ombudsman or other agency, please advise the QUT Student Ombudsman of your application by sending an email to ombudsman@qut.edu.au.