Life isn’t always kind to everyone. If you’ve experienced an exceptional situation or event during your high school period, particularly in your senior years, you may not be able to perform to the best of your abilities. And that could affect your results.
You don’t have to miss out on achieving your goals if circumstances beyond your control mean that you’ve been held back in your studies or exams. That’s where special consideration comes in.
Exceptional doesn’t always mean better
When you’re at school, you might hear about “exceptional students” and link them with being high achievers. And that’s technically one definition – but that’s not all there is to it.
Exceptional can also mean unusual, out of the ordinary, not your everyday occurrences.
So even if you’re not one of the top academic achievers at school, don’t think the word can’t apply to you. Because if you’ve been unfortunate and suffered in any way, then your case may be exceptional too.
How can you get into university if you’ve been disadvantaged?
There are lots of systems in place designed to help you secure a place at university, regardless of what you’ve been through in high school. Lots of institutions refer to this as special consideration, meaning they take into account all that you’ve been through and may make adjustments to your application. They may also be called access schemes, adjustment factors, or alternative pathways.
Researching your options and applying for special consideration could help you secure a place in the course you wanted, even if your results don’t necessarily meet the requirements.
Who is eligible for special consideration?
Universities understand that there are lots of ways that your studies could have been negatively impacted. If you can prove (or show evidence) of the circumstances or event that caused your setback, then you’ll most likely have some exceptions applied to your application that could help you gain entry.
Special consideration categories generally include:
Home situation and obligations
Lots of living environments can make school even tougher than it has to be, including:
- Domestic, physical, sexual, emotional, or financial abuse at home
- Your parents went through a legal separation or divorce that caused problems
- You or someone in your household has struggled with substance abuse
- Lack of stable housing (e.g. homelessness, couch surfing)
- You have been forced to care for yourself and/or other family while under the age of 18
- Your studies have been disrupted through foster care or other out of home care
- You have not had adequate education support due to cultural demands
- You’re the main carer at home for a disabled or seriously ill family member
- You have experienced bereavement through the death or serious illness of a loved one
- Your home has been affected by disaster (natural or otherwise)
If any of those categories describe you or your home environment, then you will most likely be eligible to apply for special consideration. Benefits you might receive include adjustment factors towards your results or access to other kinds of help.
Personal illness or disability
Sadly, you’re not eligible for this category if you’ve been through a few bouts of gastro. However, if you have suffered from:
- A long-term or chronic medical, psychiatric, or psychological condition or disability
- A serious, short-term medical, psychiatric, or psychological condition (e.g. an accident, surgery, break down)
- A formally diagnosed learning, sensory, physical, psychological, or other disability or disorder
And you have evidence to support your claim (this could be from your school or a doctor), then you can most likely apply for special consideration.
Educational disruption
For students in high school who have experienced:
- High turnover of staff at your school (e.g. more than three teachers for one class in a school year)
- Moving between multiple schools (you’ll need a letter from each school you enrolled at to support this claim)
- Prerequisite subjects not being offered at your school
- Bullying that impacted on your ability to attend school or do well
- School being closed or significantly affected by natural disaster (e.g. buildings destroyed)
- Regional or remote schooling (check carefully with your chosen university)
You may be able to apply for special consideration, or the university might offer to enrol you in a foundation program that provides a pathway into your chosen course.
Financial hardship
If you’re from a low-income background you could apply for (or in some cases automatically receive) financial help, either from the university or an external provider. This could be in the form of:
- Scholarships
- Bursaries
- Government payments
Some universities may also consider financial hardship under special consideration.
What you’ll need to do next
If you feel like high school was tough but you still want to go to university, you have options – special consideration is just one of them.
First, speak to your teachers or other school support staff (like your careers advisor). Ask them what your school can do to help you, or what support services they can recommend.
Research your study options and when you’ve narrowed down your preferences, contact the university or admissions centre directly and see what they recommend.
Remember, you’ll need to gather all your supporting evidence and make sure you complete any necessary paperwork and applications before any deadlines.
Most importantly, don’t give up.
Find out more
You can read more about university pathways, study options, and more on our website here.