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Sick before an exam at UC? Get special consideration sorted.

A real-time consult with a registered Australian doctor. If the doctor signs off, you receive the medical certificate UC asks you to upload.

Start my consult · $65

If the doctor signs off, issued the day you're seen

Student at his desk reading over a highlighted textbook
Real-time call. Medical statement. Verified online.
  • Real-time doctor consultation
  • AHPRA-registered doctors
  • Certificate in the format UC requires
  • Verification link
  • Issued the day you're seen
  • All Australian institutions

One flat fee at UC.

UC special consideration

$65.00AUD / consultation

The evidence UC asks a doctor for, from one real-time call. For an exam, an assignment or an extension.

  • The medical statement UC asks you to upload, dated, signed and verifiable
  • A medical support letter
  • A real-time call with an AHPRA-registered doctor
  • A two-minute form and a preconsult call, so the doctor's call is short
  • Issued the day you're seen, if the doctor signs off

Issued only if the doctor finds it clinically appropriate. If the doctor completes your consult and decides a certificate isn't appropriate, the fee still applies. We refund it only when we can't deliver the consultation.

Start my consult · $65

Five things UC checks. One call covers them.

What UC looks for in your evidence, and how the consult answers it.

Student at her desk on the phone to a doctor, laptop and tea beside her
Video or phone. AHPRA signed. Same-day consult.
  1. 01

    A video or phone consult

    Every Doccy consult is a real-time call with an AHPRA-registered doctor.

  2. 02

    That you couldn't sit or finish it

    The doctor records the assessment and the date it falls on.

  3. 03

    When you were seen, and for how long

    Dated the day of your call, covering the days the doctor confirms.

  4. 04

    Who signed it

    Registration and practice details printed, with a link UC can verify.

  5. 05

    Lodged on time

    No later than three business days after the scheduled exam for an unpredictable event, no later than five working days before it for a predictable one, and as soon as possible for an extension, no later than five business days after the due date. If the doctor signs off, the certificate is issued the day you're seen.

Start my consult · $65

Talk to a doctor today.

Why UC students choose Doccy for special consideration.

Student wrapped up at home, holding a cup of tea
From bed, today. AHPRA signed. 24/7 access.
  1. 01

    Seen from bed, the same day

    No waiting room. A doctor calls you, and if they sign off, the certificate is issued the day you're seen.

  2. 02

    The history is taken before the doctor calls

    A two-minute form and a preconsult call collect your dates and symptoms, so the doctor's call is short.

  3. 03

    Evidence UC can check

    Signed by an AHPRA-registered doctor, with a verification link on every certificate.

  4. 04

    One price, shown before you start

    One flat fee for the consult and everything it issues. Nothing added at checkout.

Too unwell for an exam or assignment at UC? Start here.

Your next step at UC, and what to tell the doctor.

  1. 01

    My exam is today or tomorrow

    See a doctor before it starts and tell them the exam date.

  2. 02

    I've already missed my exam

    Tell UC now, then see a doctor today.

  3. 03

    I'm too unwell to finish an assignment

    Tell the doctor the due date and when you fell ill.

  4. 04

    I became unwell during the exam

    Tell the invigilator at the time, then see a doctor the same day.

  5. 05

    I apply through a portal

    Upload the certificate through Deferred Assessment form in myUC for Final Assessment Period exams, otherwise an application emailed to the Unit Convener.

  6. 06

    I'm looking for an exam exemption

    UC handles it through deferred assessment.

From unwell to lodged at UC

UC's process, in the order it happens.

  1. 01

    See a doctor while unwell

    A real-time special consideration consult. Tell the doctor the exam or due date; the certificate covers those dates.

  2. 02

    Apply through Deferred Assessment form in myUC for Final Assessment Period exams, otherwise an application emailed to the Unit Convener

    No later than three business days after the scheduled exam for an unpredictable event, no later than five working days before it for a predictable one, and as soon as possible for an extension, no later than five business days after the due date.

  3. 03

    Attach your evidence

    The certificate after a real-time doctor call.

  4. 04

    Keep the verification link

    UC may contact the practice to confirm the consultation. The link on each document answers that.

UC special consideration: what to upload and the deadline

UC takes the medical certificate on its own, uploaded with your application.

UC policies checked 23 October 2026

Student resting in bed with tissues and a cup of tea beside him
Portal upload. Telehealth not mentioned. Verified online.
  1. 01

    Apply through

    Applications go through Deferred Assessment form in myUC for Final Assessment Period exams, otherwise an application emailed to the Unit Convener.

  2. 02

    The deadline

    No later than three business days after the scheduled exam for an unpredictable event, no later than five working days before it for a predictable one, and as soon as possible for an extension, no later than five business days after the due date. See a doctor the day you are unwell, not after the deadline.

  3. 03

    Telehealth

    The UC Assessment Procedures do not mention telehealth, virtual consultations or online medical certificates. They require certificates from practitioners registered with AHPRA, on the practice's letterhead and including the provider number and contact details.

  4. 04

    What the certificate must state

    The impact of the condition on your study. The expected duration of the condition.

  5. 05

    Rules that catch students out

    UC names three things the certificate must state: impact, expected duration, and when you can resume study and assessment. The third is the one generic certificates leave out. The practitioner cannot be a relative, colleague or close friend, because the procedures exclude signatories with a conflict of interest.

One consultation, three UC outcomes

Three outcomes, one application, the same evidence.

Deferred assessment

A deferred assessment is a later sitting of an exam you could not attend. For an unpredictable event such as sudden illness, UC asks for the request no later than three business days after the scheduled exam.

Assignment extension

An extension moves the submission due date on a non-exam assessment. You email an assessment extension application to your Unit Convener from your student account, nominating the extra time you need.

New medical circumstances

Where a condition is new rather than ongoing, the certificate has to state the impact, the expected duration, and when study and assessment can be recommenced. That last element is what lets the convener set a workable new date.

After you lodge at UC

When the decision arrives, and what a no means.

How long UC takes

For an extension, the Unit Convener must give you a decision in writing within five business days of your application. An approval includes the new submission date and time.

For a deferred exam, the decision comes by email, with the new date and time if approved. A faculty-managed deferred exam is held within 10 business days of the original wherever possible.

If UC says no

A refused extension or deferral comes with written reasons, for example that medical documentation was not provided. Work submitted late without an approved extension attracts late penalties.

The procedures set no review window for a refused extension. They send appeals about deferring a deferred exam through the Student Grievance Resolution Policy, and Student Wellbeing and International Support can help with the grievance process.

UC special consideration FAQs

Deadlines, portals and evidence rules at UC, from its published policy. How special consideration works at every university

Start my consult · $65

Does UC accept online medical certificates?

The UC Assessment Procedures do not mention telehealth, virtual consultations or online medical certificates. They require a certificate from a practitioner registered with AHPRA, on the practice's letterhead and with contact details, stating the impact, expected duration, and when study can recommence. Silence on modality is not the same as acceptance.

What is the UC deferred assessment deadline?

For an unpredictable event such as sudden illness, no later than three business days after the scheduled exam. For a predictable event, no later than five working days before the exam. Extensions on non-exam assessments are due five working days before the due date for a predictable event, and no later than five business days after it where the circumstance was unpredictable.

How do I get an extension at the University of Canberra?

Email an assessment extension application to your Unit Convener from your University student email account. For a predictable event, apply no later than five working days before the due date. For an unpredictable one, notify the convener as soon as possible and no later than five business days after it.

What does my medical certificate need to say for UC?

The impact of the condition, the expected duration of the condition, and when study and assessment can be recommenced. The certificate must come from a practitioner registered with AHPRA, be on the practice's letterhead, and include the provider number and contact details.

Who can sign a medical certificate for UC?

A practitioner registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency who is not a relative, colleague or close friend with a conflict of interest. A registered mental health care provider can also sign. The certificate must be an original or certified copy.

Unwell before a UC assessment?

Sorted within the day. A real-time consult with a registered doctor, then the certificate UC asks you to upload.

Start my consult · $65
Student smiling at his phone after a Doccy consult
Australian registered doctors. Real-time consultation. Verification link provided.

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The same consult, with each university's own rules and deadline.

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