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

A real-time consult with a registered Australian doctor. If the doctor signs off, you receive the Professional Practitioner Certificate USyd 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. Medical statement. 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 USyd.

USyd special consideration

$65.00AUD / consultation

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

  • USyd's Professional Practitioner Certificate, completed by the doctor
  • 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 USyd checks.

What USyd looks for in your evidence. Check its telehealth rule first.

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

    How you were seen

    USyd's published policy does not accept telehealth certificates. Read its rules before you book; a Doccy consult may not meet them.

  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 USyd can verify.

  5. 05

    Lodged on time

    No later than three working days after the assessment due date, exam date or missed class, by 11.59pm Sydney time. If the doctor signs off, the certificate is issued the day you're seen.

Talk to a doctor today.

Why USyd 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 USyd 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 USyd? Start here.

Your next step at USyd, 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 USyd 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

    USyd needs its own form

    The doctor completes the Professional Practitioner Certificate on the call. Have your assessment details ready.

  6. 06

    I'm looking for an exam exemption

    USyd handles it through special consideration.

From unwell to lodged at USyd

USyd'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 Special consideration form in Sydney Student, tracked through the University's service portal

    No later than three working days after the assessment due date, exam date or missed class, by 11.59pm Sydney time.

  3. 03

    Attach your evidence

    The Professional Practitioner Certificate, from the doctor.

  4. 04

    Keep the verification link

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

USyd special consideration form and deadline

The doctor issues USyd's Professional Practitioner Certificate on the call. You lodge it with your application. USyd's published policy does not accept telehealth certificates. Read its rules before you book; a Doccy consult may not meet them.

USyd policies checked 23 October 2026

Student resting in bed with tissues and a cup of tea beside him
Doctor form. Telehealth not accepted. Verified online.
  1. 01

    The form

    Professional Practitioner Certificate. The doctor completes it on the call.

  2. 02

    The deadline

    No later than three working days after the assessment due date, exam date or missed class, by 11.59pm Sydney time. See a doctor the day you are unwell, not after the deadline.

  3. 03

    Telehealth

    Sydney accepts in-person consultations, and telehealth consultations only where it was impractical to schedule an in-person appointment. The same page states the University will no longer accept online medical certificates where there was no face-to-face consultation and pre-existing doctor-patient relationship.

  4. 04

    What the certificate must state

    Whether you were totally unable to attend or complete the assessment, were impacted, or the practitioner is unable to assess the impact. That you are suffering from a stated condition, or that the nature of the condition is confidential.

  5. 05

    Rules that catch students out

    Say why an in-person appointment was impractical. Sydney considers telehealth on that basis, so the reason matters as much as the certificate. A backdated certificate needs clinical justification. The Professional Practitioner Certificate is dated on the day of the consultation.

One consultation, four USyd outcomes

Four outcomes, one application, the same evidence.

Special consideration

Special consideration is for illness, injury or misadventure that affected your performance in an assessment you attempted or could not attempt. You apply online and attach the Professional Practitioner Certificate.

Special arrangements

Special arrangements are for circumstances known in advance, such as a scheduled procedure or a religious commitment that clashes with an exam. You apply before the assessment rather than after it.

Replacement exam

If special consideration or special arrangements are approved for an exam you could not sit, Sydney may allocate you a replacement exam. Your certificate must show you were unfit on the original exam date.

Simple extension

A simple extension gives you five calendar days from the original due date on any non-exam task except group work. For an assignment, you choose it in the special consideration form and attach a student declaration.

After you lodge at USyd

When the decision arrives, and what a no means.

How long USyd takes

Sydney says most applications are processed within four working days. It takes longer if the team needs information from your unit of study coordinator, and its main page warns that high volumes can push responses out to 10 working days.

The outcome goes to your University student email account.

If USyd says no

The outcome email explains why the application was declined and what your options are. If you left out key details, you can resubmit with more information.

To contest the outcome, Sydney uses its three-stage academic appeals process. The first stage is raising it with the original decision-maker within 15 working days of the decision.

USyd special consideration FAQs

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

Start my consult · $65

Does USyd accept online medical certificates?

Only in limited circumstances. Sydney accepts in-person consultations, and telehealth consultations where an in-person appointment was impractical. The University states it will no longer accept online medical certificates where there was no face-to-face consultation and pre-existing doctor-patient relationship.

What is the USyd Professional Practitioner Certificate?

It is Sydney's own practitioner form. The doctor records the dates you were seen, states whether you were totally unable to attend, impacted, or not assessable, and either names the condition or marks it confidential. You sign a consent section allowing the practitioner to release the information.

What is the USyd special consideration deadline?

For illness, no later than three working days after the assessment due date, exam date or missed class, by 11.59pm Sydney time. If an assessment was due on Monday, you apply by Thursday. A late application needs a reasonable explanation, or Sydney can't consider it.

How do I get a USyd simple extension?

For an assignment, choose the simple extension option in the special consideration form, in the five days before the due date, and attach a student declaration. For a quiz or in-class task, ask your unit of study coordinator. It gives five calendar days and does not affect a special consideration application.

Will special consideration get me a replacement exam at USyd?

It can. If special consideration or special arrangements are approved for an exam you could not sit, Sydney may allocate a replacement exam. The outcome depends on the assessment type and the impact, and results after a replacement exam can take longer to release.

Unwell before a USyd assessment?

Sorted within the day. A real-time consult with a registered doctor, then the Professional Practitioner Certificate USyd asks for.

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

Not at USyd? Find your university.

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

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