Compassionate and compelling circumstances

Compassionate and compelling circumstances are defined as circumstances outside a student’s control that impact the student’s ability to study.

What are compassionate and compelling circumstances?

Compassionate and compelling circumstances are defined as circumstances outside a student’s control that impact the student’s ability to study. Students who are applying for a reduction of study load, leave of absence or transfer to another education provider are required to provide evidence to demonstrate that they are impacted by compassionate or compelling circumstances.

Examples of compassionate or compelling circumstances and evidence

Circumstance	Evidence
Illness or injury	A medical certificate from the registered health practitioner who is treating your condition that includes the dates of consultation, the medical condition, impact of the condition on your ability to study, recommendation for a reduced study load or break from study, and treatment plan
Death, illness or injury or a close family member	Death certificate Evidence of the illness from a doctor or hospital Evidence of your relationship to them (e.g. birth certificate, passport, family record book, etc)
Permanent or temporary disability	Letter from RMIT Equitable Learning Services recommending a reduced study load or a break from study
Incident or issue impacting student's capacity to study – personal (e.g. serious accident, witnessing or being the victim of a serious crime or incident)	Police report Letter from psychologist that includes the dates of consultation, the outcome of the assessment, the impact on the student's ability to study, the recommendation for a reduced study load or break from study, and treatment plan
Incident or issue impacting student’s capacity to study – community issue (e.g. political unrest, natural disaster, community health event, other community issues limiting access to what a student needs for study)	Media reports of political unrest or natural disaster Evidence of student’s residency in the affected area Personal statement outlining how the issue impacts your ability to study
RMIT unable to offer full-time load of courses	Program plan from your School
Delay in receiving a student visa	Correspondence from the Department of Home Affairs
Unforeseen delay to research (Higher Degree by Research students only)	Email/letter from supervisor outlining situation that was outside student’s control
Military service	Correspondence from military organisation Note: Leave of absence can only be approved for up to 50% of the total registered duration of your program. If your military service exceeds this period, you may consider cancelling your program and re-applying for your program when you are ready to return to study
Other circumstances	Any relevant certified document attesting that the situation is outside student’s control and affects their ability to study

Examples of situations that are not considered compassionate or compelling circumstances

Work commitments
Travelling overseas
Minor medical illness or condition
Financial hardship

Need help?

For more information, please contact Student Connect.

Status and details

Last updated February 2023

By Academic Registrar's Group (ARG)

In accordance with National Code 2018 Standard 7, Standard 8, Standard 9