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 form at the bottom of this page, you will be asked to choose between Aegrotat or Compassionate consideration. Below is information on how to make your application and how it will be be assessed.

We advise you to wait until the day of your test or exam before applying. How you apply, and your deadline, depend on whether it's a test or an exam.

Tests

You must submit a separate application for each test. Your application must be received within seven days (inclusive) of the date of that test. For example, if your test is on the 20th of the month, your application must be received by end of day on the 26th. 

Exams

You may submit one bundled application covering multiple exams. Your application must be received within seven days (inclusive) of the date of your last scheduled exam in that exam period. 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 a test or exam, you will need to start a new application for it.

Please do not start and submit multiple applications for the same test or exam. 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.

Tests

If your application relates to a test, the Examination Regulations set out several possible outcomes. Following academic review, your department may grant you permission for one or more of the following:

• Sit another written or computer-based test
• Receive a mark for the test based on the average of the marks awarded for your other tests or exams
• Take a viva voce (oral) test
• Have the percentage of marks allocated to the test reallocated to the exam

The outcome form also includes a no change option, which may be appropriate if you sat the test and obtained a mark in line with your other comparable assessments. 

Exams

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

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

Students often achieve what they were expected to achieve in their test or exam despite their circumstances. You will not be awarded a grade higher than what you have shown you are able to achieve, or above where your level of understanding of course material is shown to be. In these cases, the outcome is no change to grade.

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

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 fourteen days after 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

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. 

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.

Please provide a statement that refers to your academic coursework explaining why, on academic grounds, you should receive a raise in grade. You can email your statement of appeal to aegrotats@auckland.ac.nz no later than fourteen days after the date of the outcome letter.

If this is approved, your application will then be forwarded to an Aegrotat Reviewer for academic review. The review process takes a minimum of six weeks.

The Aegrotat Reviewer's decision is final and no further correspondence regarding this shall be entered into.