Application process for your aegrotat or compassionate consideration

If you have not been able to sit your test or exam due to unforeseen circumstances or ill health, or your preparation or performance in your test or exam has been significant impacted by circumstances outside your control, you can apply for an aegrotat or compassionate consideration.

When you access the online application, you will be asked to choose between an aegrotat or compassionate consideration.

Aegrotat
If your circumstance is related to ill health, which has significantly impacted your study, performance or ability to sit your test or exam, please apply for an aegrotat.

Please note: to be eligible for aegrotat consideration, your ill health must have significantly impaired your preparation and/or performance, or prevented you from sitting your test or exam. As part of your application, you will need to provide a statement about how your test or exam has been impacted.

Compassionate consideration
If your circumstance is not medically such as technical issues or other personal misfortune (such as family illness, bereavement, serious relationship or family issues), please apply for compassionate consideration. Such circumstances must be unforeseen, beyond your control and have significantly impaired your preparation and/or performance or ability to sit your test or exam.

Please note: to be eligible for compassionate consideration, your circumstances must have significantly impaired your preparation and/or performance, or prevented you from sitting your test or exam. As part of your application, you will need to provide a statement about how your test or exam has been impacted by such circumstances arising.

We advise you to wait until the day of your test or exam before applying. Your application must be submitted within seven days (inclusive) from your test or exam. For example, if your last affected exam is on the 20th of the month, your application must be received by end of day on the 26th.

You will need to provide a statement to support your application, outlining how your test or exam was significantly affected by your circumstances. You will be asked to upload supporting documentation or evidence to support your circumstances where such evidence can be reasonably obtained. For more information regarding supporting documentation please see Required evidence for aegrotats or compassionate considerations. 

You are able to start your application and “save for later” if you don’t have all your supporting documentation.

Ensure the dates and the courses that you are applying for are correct as we are unable to edit the application once it has been submitted. If you forget to apply for an exam you will need to start another application for that exam.

Please do not start and submit multiple applications for the same course. This causes confusion and can hinder the length of time taken for you to receive an outcome.

Once you submit your application, it will be forwarded to independent moderators who will review your application.

They check to ensure that your circumstances are within the two weeks prior to the test or exam, were outside your control and were such that would cause significant impact to your test or exam. It is important you provide sufficient information on your application form, in your supporting statement and evidence to show how your circumstances affected your preparation, performance or ability to sit your test/exam.

If your supporting statement and evidence has incorrect dates or does not sufficiently show the impact those circumstances have had on your test or exam, you may be asked to provide further information.

If the moderator requires further information or documentation, you will need to upload this  as soon as possible. Applications must be processed in a timely manner and we are unable to accept further documentation outside of the semester dates, or outside dates you are asked to provide further information to us by, that the application is applied for. 

You will receive an email stating that your application has been approved. This means your circumstances have been approved evidentially and that your performance/preparation was impaired or that you were not able to sit the test/exam. Your application will now be forwarded to the faculty for academic review.

For an aegrotat or compassionate consideration grade to be approved, you must show your understanding of course material is that of a passing grade by showing academically you have understood the content. University regulations state that student’s overall coursework and test results in the course are at a minimum of C- (pass grade) standard in the course you are applying for.

All coursework marks are considered, but particular attention is paid to grades achieved in written tests. As tests are held under examination conditions, they are seen as the best indicator of final exam performance. The relevant department will also use a comparative analysis to determine whether a raise in grade is applicable.

• Important note: an aegrotat or compassionate consideration grade is not an additional mark added because of illness or misfortune or a ‘grade bump.’ The University cannot award a result for a course where it does not have reasonable academic evidence that the appropriate level of understanding of course material has been exhibited throughout the course.

All coursework marks are considered, but particular attention is paid to grades achieved in secure assessments like tests where possible which are often held under examination conditions, they are seen as the best indicator of final exam performance. The relevant department will also use comparative analysis to determine whether a raise in grade is applicable.

Students often achieve what they are expected to achieve in their exam despite their circumstances. Students will not be awarded a grade higher than what they have shown to be able to achieve, and in these cases, the outcome is no change to grade. A student cannot get an aegrotat or compassionate grade increase above what they have shown they can achieve or above where their level of understanding of course material is shown to be.

If you receive an outcome advising that there will be no change to grade, this does not mean your application has been declined or that your circumstances were not significant. It means you have achieved as well as expected and therefore your grade will remain the same. It may also mean that your total coursework was not at the minimum pass standard of C- and therefore due to University regulations the department are unable to award a raise in your final grade.

If you have applied for a test aegrotat or compassionate consideration, your department will email you advising you of the outcome.

Length of application process:

This aegrotat and compassionate consideration process usually takes approximately six weeks, sometimes longer. Until you receive notification of this outcome the grade you view on SSO will not have been adjusted for any aegrotat or compassionate consideration update.

If you need your grade urgently for next semester study requirements, graduation, or other reasons, please email Assessment Services on aegrotats@auckland.ac.nz. Please also inform your student faculty advisor that you are waiting on an aegrotat outcome. Applications for aegrotats or compassionate considerations cannot be fast tracked but we do attempt to process applications as fast as possible.

Evidence Appeal:

If your application is declined evidentially by the moderators, it is often because the statement and evidence you have submitted is not in order to support the dates of your test or exam, or sufficient enough to show how your test or exam was impacted by your circumstances.

You are able to appeal this decision no later than one month from the date of the notification by supplying further evidence to aegrotats@auckland.ac.nz.

Your application with further evidence will be forwarded to the moderators for review. If this is approved, you will then be invited to submit a new application online which will be forwarded to the relevant department for academic review.

Outcome Appeal:

Exams:
If your end-of-semester exam application has been through all the various stages of review and you have received an outcome that you disagree with, you are able to appeal this decision.

In this instance, your application has already been approved by the moderators and your circumstances are not in question, so when appealing you must address the academic review and explain why academically you should receive a change in grade.

You can apply for reconsideration by detailing your academic coursework and explaining why, on academic grounds, you should receive a raise in grade by emailing aegrotats@auckland.ac.nz.

If this is approved, your application will then be forwarded to a member of Senate for academic review. The review process can take up to six weeks.

Senate’s decision is final and no further correspondence regarding this shall be entered into.

Tests: 
The outcome decision for test applications is made by Academic staff in the relevant department. Their decision is final, and there is no external appeal process for test aegrotats.

If you have received an outcome for a test aegrotat that you disagree with, you should first address this with your course coordinator.

Please do not contact Assessment Services, as they are not involved in outcome decisions for tests.

If you believe that you have been treated unfairly or are being discriminated against by course staff, there are avenues to address this listed on our Academic disputes and complaints page.