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Special consideration is only available to domestic students. If you’re an international student, please view pathways available to you.
Eligibility
An application for special consideration is only for students new to Curtin.
If you are a current student, you are not eligible to apply through this process; for advice and/or academic counselling please liaise with the Student Wellbeing Advisors regarding your current circumstances.
The circumstances may be one-off occurrences or ongoing situations such as but not limited to:
Medical condition and/or disability
Accidental injury
Caring for ill or injured close family members
Financial hardship
Close family bereavement
Incorrect advice provided by a previous educational institution or Curtin.
Alternatively, the disadvantage may be a result of being part of an equity group such as:
Low socio-economic (SES) background
People from rural and isolated backgrounds
People with disabilities
Indigenous Australians.
For some circumstances, Curtin has established entry pathways other than special consideration, such as bridging or enabling courses. In assessing the application for special consideration the panel will advise you if there are other pathways more suitable to obtain University entry.
Guidelines
Whilst each application will be considered on its own merits, the following guidelines will be taken into account.
Whether special consideration has already been given to you. Please be aware if you have already received consideration from the School Curriculum and Standards Authority under their Sickness and Misadventure, Special Examination Arrangement or Alternative Examination policies you will not be eligible for additional special consideration from Curtin University.
Do you meet Curtin University’s English language proficiency? Curtin requires that all entrants meet certain standards of English language proficiency to ensure they are successful in their studies.
Do you have a reasonable chance of success in completing your studies at Curtin? In some instances, your circumstances may have left you unprepared for tertiary studies. Whilst this may not be your fault, the University has a duty of care to ensure that you are not put into a situation where you will not have a reasonable chance of passing – which will just put you under more pressure.
If you have a long-term condition which has been present for a number of years, then we may assume that you and your educational institution have made adjustments for this. Hence, your academic results should accurately reflect your ability to attempt tertiary studies.
If you have not achieved an ATAR score or successfully completed any tertiary studies, we will usually advise you to consider enrolling in a University enabling course in the first instance.
We will not take into consideration the course in which you wish to enrol and its indicative ATAR score.
We believe that, if adherence to religious custom has affected your study or exams, this would have been addressed by the educational institution and/or the School Curriculum and Standards Authority.
If you feel that the standard of teaching at your school, the curricula or school resources were insufficient.
If you feel you had a lack of opportunity to access pre-university education (i.e. you had been denied the opportunity to obtain preparatory skills, such as Year 12). In this case, whilst it is not appropriate to give you special consideration allowing direct access to tertiary studies, there may be other avenues available to you to prepare you for tertiary studies.
Application process
The special consideration application process can be found below.
Depending on how you apply, all applications will be acknowledged by email by either TISC, or the Admissions Office.
The Manager or delegate, Admissions Office, may contact applicants to obtain more information. While not a mandatory part of the consideration process, an interview may be deemed necessary where an application requires clarification.
The Manager, Admissions Office, will make an initial assessment of the application to determine whether the applicant meets special consideration eligibility. If an application does not meet eligibility the Manager, Admissions Office, will provide information on alternative pathways. If appropriate, a decision can be made by the Manager, Admissions Office, at this stage, based on precedent. This often occurs with recurring circumstances, or for any issue for which the University has clearly established guidelines.
More complex cases are submitted to the Special Consideration Panel Members for a determination. The Manager, Admissions Office, may consult the relevant Head of School depending on the circumstances presented in the application.
Once a decision has been made, the Manager or delegate, Admissions Office, will notify the applicant of the outcome via email. The applicant’s ATAR will be amended on the TISC database, if appropriate, or the outcome will be communicated to the Faculty assessing the admission application during mid-year entries.
In cases where the decision is to not grant Special Consideration, the Manager, Admissions Office, will provide information on alternative pathways to the University.
The Student Wellbeing Advisory Service will ensure successful applicants receive support once they have commenced studies.
Confidentiality
Whilst applications are treated confidentially, this does not preclude the Manager from seeking advice from appropriate Heads of School or other appropriate persons. Wherever possible the applicant’s personal details will be suppressed.
