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

A real-time consult with a registered Australian doctor. If the doctor signs off, you receive the Medical or Mental Health Certificate JCU asks for.

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. As JCU expects. Verified online.
  • Real-time doctor consultation
  • AHPRA-registered doctors
  • Form and certificate included
  • Verification link
  • Issued the day you're seen
  • All Australian institutions

One flat fee at JCU.

JCU special consideration

$65.00AUD / consultation

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

  • JCU's Medical or Mental Health Certificate, completed by the doctor
  • A medical support letter
  • A real-time call with an AHPRA-registered doctor, as JCU expects
  • 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 JCU checks. One call covers them.

What JCU 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 JCU can verify.

  5. 05

    Lodged on time

    Extensions before 11:59 on the due date; special consideration for an exam or timed assessment, and a deferred End of Study Period exam, no later than two University working days after the scheduled 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 JCU 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 JCU 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 JCU? Start here.

Your next step at JCU, 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 JCU 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

    JCU needs its own form

    The doctor completes the Medical or Mental Health Certificate on the call. Have your assessment details ready.

  6. 06

    I'm looking for an exam exemption

    JCU handles it through special consideration.

From unwell to lodged at JCU

JCU'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

    Lodge your application

    Extensions before 11:59 on the due date; special consideration for an exam or timed assessment, and a deferred End of Study Period exam, no later than two University working days after the scheduled date.

  3. 03

    Attach your evidence

    The Medical or Mental Health Certificate, from the doctor.

  4. 04

    Keep the verification link

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

JCU special consideration form and deadline

The doctor issues JCU's Medical or Mental Health Certificate on the call. You lodge it with your application.

JCU policies checked 16 September 2026

Student resting in bed with tissues and a cup of tea beside him
Doctor form. Real-time consult. Verified online.
  1. 01

    The form

    Medical or Mental Health Certificate. The doctor completes it on the call.

  2. 02

    The deadline

    Extensions before 11:59 on the due date; special consideration for an exam or timed assessment, and a deferred End of Study Period exam, no later than two University working days after the scheduled date. See a doctor the day you are unwell, not after the deadline.

  3. 03

    Telehealth

    JCU states that supporting documentation for medical or psychological reasons must have resulted from a face to face or online consultation with a medical practitioner, and that medical certificates where there has been no consultation, such as one issued from a questionnaire the student submitted, will not be accepted.

  4. 04

    What the certificate must state

    The date on which the health practitioner examined you. The start and end of the condition, and where relevant that a pre-existing condition worsened.

  5. 05

    Rules that catch students out

    Use the JCU Medical or Mental Health Certificate where you can. JCU says that if its certificate is not used, or is not completed correctly, you may be asked to go back to your practitioner for more information. A certificate issued without a consultation, for example from an online questionnaire, is refused outright. The consultation is what JCU is checking for.

One consultation, three JCU outcomes

Three outcomes, one application, the same evidence.

Special consideration

Special consideration covers assessment affected by illness or other extenuating circumstances. For an exam or a timed activity with compulsory attendance, the application is due no later than two University working days after the scheduled date.

Deferred examination

Deferring an End of Study Period exam is its own request, lodged with the supporting documentation no later than two University working days after the scheduled exam. Use this when illness stopped you sitting rather than affected how you sat.

Assessment extension

An extension moves the due date on an assessment item you can still complete. A short-term extension of up to 48 hours needs no documents.

After you lodge at JCU

When the decision arrives, and what a no means.

How long JCU takes

JCU sends the outcome to your JCU email. A short-term extension is approved automatically on the day you submit it.

A long-term extension is decided within two University working days of JCU receiving it, and a deferred exam within three.

If JCU says no

If JCU denies the application, the outcome email gives the reasons.

JCU's Student Special Circumstances Policy lets you request a review and appeal of the decision through its student review and appeal process.

JCU special consideration FAQs

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

Start my consult · $65

Does JCU accept online medical certificates?

Yes, provided a consultation actually happened. JCU says documentation must result from a face to face or online consultation with a medical practitioner, and that certificates issued without a consultation, such as one based on a questionnaire you submitted, will not be accepted.

What is the JCU special consideration deadline?

For an exam or a timed activity with compulsory attendance, no later than two University working days after the scheduled date. A request to defer an End of Study Period exam has the same two day window. Extensions go in before 11:59 on the due date.

How do I defer an exam at JCU?

Lodge a deferred exam request with your supporting documentation no later than two University working days after the scheduled End of Study Period exam. For a Block Mode subject, JCU uses the Reschedule request type instead.

Do I have to use the JCU medical certificate template?

JCU asks you to use its Medical or Mental Health Certificate. If it is not used, or not completed correctly, you may be asked to go back to your practitioner for further information, which costs you time against a two day deadline.

Does my JCU certificate need a stamp?

It needs the practitioner's name and signature on letterhead or with an official stamp, including contact details. JCU needs to be able to identify and contact the practitioner who examined you.

Unwell before a JCU assessment?

Sorted within the day. A real-time consult with a registered doctor, then the Medical or Mental Health Certificate JCU asks for.

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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