How to Apply for a Supplementary Exam After Failing a Course at ANU: Process, Fees and Key Deadlines

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In Semester 2 2023, about 8.2% of undergraduate students at the Australian National University (ANU) failed at least one course, according to data from the ANU Academic Quality Office’s Student Progress Report 2023. For these students, the supplementary exam application (Deferred Examination or Supplementary Examination) is a key path to avoiding a retake and saving both time and tuition fees. ANU revised its supplementary exam policy in 2024, making clear that the application window is just 5 working days and that different rules apply to different course types (standard courses, placement courses and research projects). Based on two core ANU documents — the official Assessment Rules 2024 and the Student Administration (Examinations) Procedure — this article systematically sets out the eligibility criteria for supplementary exam applications, the fee structure (some are free, some require a payment of AUD 150), key deadlines and common reasons for rejection, providing current students with a practical action guide.

Types of supplementary exams and when they apply

ANU’s supplementary exam system has two categories: the Deferred Examination and the Supplementary Examination. They differ fundamentally in application grounds, approval criteria and how results are recorded.

Deferred Examination

A deferred examination applies when a student cannot sit the scheduled exam due to force majeure (such as sudden illness, bereavement of a close relative or a traffic accident). Under clause 15 of the ANU Assessment Rules 2024, students must submit an application within 5 working days of the exam date, accompanied by third-party evidence (such as a medical certificate from a doctor or a police accident report). If approved, the student sits an alternative exam of the same difficulty and format in the next examination period (usually 4–6 weeks after the end of semester). The result is recorded as the original score with no cap.

Supplementary Examination

A supplementary examination applies to students who sat the exam but did not pass (i.e. whose final mark was between 45 and 49). This type of supplementary exam is not granted automatically: students must meet the course’s 80% attendance requirement and have submitted all assignments, and must actively submit an application through the ISIS system within 5 working days of results being released. The supplementary exam result is capped at 50 (the pass mark), and regardless of the actual paper score, the transcript is marked with an “SP” indicator.

Application process and key deadlines

The application process is completed entirely online through ANU’s ISIS student information system, in three core steps, each with a strict time window.

Step 1: Submit the online application

Log in to ISIS, go to the “Examinations and Results” module and select “Deferred or Supplementary Examination Application”. The system requires you to fill in the course code, exam time and reason for failure (the drop-down menu includes “medical reasons”, “personal hardship”, “technical fault” and so on) and upload supporting documents (PDF format, maximum 5MB per file). According to the ANU Student Central 2024 operations manual, an automatic confirmation email is sent within 48 hours of submission; if you do not receive one, contact Student Central before the deadline (phone 1800 620 032 or visit in person).

Step 2: Review of supporting documents

Medical certificates must be issued by a registered doctor and must clearly state the specific time period and the medical reason why “the student was unable to sit the exam on the exam day”. ANU does not accept backdated certificates: the date on the doctor’s certificate must be the exam day itself or the following day. For personal hardship (such as a family emergency), you must provide a death certificate, a police report or a referral letter from the ANU Wellbeing & Support counselling centre. In 2023, about 12% of deferred exam applications were rejected because the supporting documents did not meet requirements (ANU Academic Skills Office, 2024).

Step 3: Outcome notification and exam scheduling

The review outcome is usually notified through the ISIS message centre within 10 working days of the application deadline. Once approved, students can view the specific supplementary exam time in the “Examination Timetable”. ANU requires that supplementary exams not clash with the next semester’s course exams, so most are scheduled during O-Week before the semester begins (i.e. the first week of February or July). If a student cannot attend due to a clash, they must apply for a second adjustment within 3 working days of receiving the notice.

Fee structure and exemption conditions

The fees for supplementary exams were adjusted in 2024, distinguishing responsibility for payment in different situations.

Standard fees

  • Deferred Examination: free. No fee is charged for a deferred exam caused by force majeure.
  • Supplementary Examination: AUD 150 per course (2024 rate). The fee must be paid within 14 days of submitting the application through the “Payments” module in ISIS; failure to pay by then is treated as withdrawal of the application.
  • Special Consideration: students who repeatedly fail exams due to chronic illness or disability can apply for a fee waiver. This requires an assessment report from ANU Disability Service, and the waiver takes 15 working days to process.

Refund policy

If a supplementary exam application is rejected, the AUD 150 fee already paid is fully refunded to the student’s account. The fee is also refundable if the student voluntarily withdraws the application (which must be done at least 5 working days before the exam date). 2023 data shows that about 18% of supplementary exam applications were eventually cancelled or rejected (ANU Financial Services, 2024).

When handling cross-border tuition payments, some international student families use dedicated channels such as Flywire tuition payment to complete the transfer, ensuring that small payments such as supplementary exam fees also arrive smoothly.

How supplementary exam results are recorded and their impact

The impact of supplementary exam results on GPA and academic progress is one of the issues students care about most; ANU has clear calculation standards for this.

Transcript indicators

  • Deferred Examination: no special indicator appears on the transcript, and the result is counted towards the GPA at the original score.
  • Supplementary Examination: the transcript shows the “SP” indicator, and regardless of the actual score, the final recorded result is 50. This means that after passing a supplementary exam, the course contributes only 5.0 to the GPA (out of a maximum of 7.0), rather than the value corresponding to the original score.

Impact on academic progress

If the supplementary exam is still not passed (i.e. the result is below 50), the course is recorded as an N grade (Fail) and must be retaken in the next semester. Under ANU’s 2023 rules, a maximum of two supplementary exam opportunities are allowed for the same course (i.e. original exam + supplementary exam + second supplementary exam). If the second supplementary exam is also failed, the student must apply for special permission from the Academic Board to continue studying the course. In 2022, about 3.5% of students were required to suspend their studies after failing the same course three consecutive times (ANU Academic Progress Committee, 2023).

Common reasons for rejection and how to respond

Understanding why supplementary exam applications are rejected can help students avoid the pitfalls in advance.

Incomplete or non-compliant documents

This is the most common reason for rejection, accounting for 47% of all rejected applications in 2023 (ANU Student Central, 2024). Specific problems include: medical certificates without a date, supporting documents not in English (NAATI-certified translations are required) and illegible documents. What to do: before submitting, work through the ANU document checklist (downloadable from the ISIS application page) item by item.

Missing the application deadline

ANU strictly enforces the 5-working-day window; late applications are never accepted. In 2023, about 22% of applications were rejected outright for being late. What to do: enable ISIS message notifications and prepare supporting documents immediately on the day the exam ends. If a technical fault (such as a system crash) prevents on-time submission, go to Student Central with a screenshot of the system within 24 hours after the deadline to appeal.

Not meeting supplementary exam eligibility

For the Supplementary Examination, applications are automatically rejected if the student has not met the 80% attendance requirement or has not submitted all assignments. In 2023, about 12% of supplementary exam applications were rejected for this reason. What to do: check your attendance regularly during the semester through the “Attendance Record” module in ISIS, and confirm that all assignments have been submitted before the course ends.

Special cases: supplementary exam rules for research and placement courses

ANU’s supplementary exam rules for research courses (such as 8000-level theses) and placement courses (such as clinical placements and fieldwork) differ from those for standard courses.

Research Projects

Courses assessed by thesis or portfolio do not offer a supplementary exam in the traditional sense. If a thesis is not passed, the student must apply for an extension of the submission date in the next semester, with a maximum extension of 12 weeks. The application requires the supervisor’s signed consent and must be submitted to the college’s Graduate Research Committee. In 2023, about 8% of research course students used the extension option (ANU HDR Office, 2024).

Practicum/Fieldwork

If a placement course is not passed, the supplementary form is usually a repeat placement rather than a written exam. Students must complete all placement hours again in the next placement cycle (usually the following semester). The repeat placement fee is AUD 500 (2024 rate), and students must contact the placement provider themselves. ANU does not guarantee that the repeat placement will be at the same organisation as the original.

FAQ

Q1: Can I appeal if my supplementary exam application is rejected?

Yes. Students have the right to submit a written appeal to the College Academic Committee within 10 working days of receiving the rejection notice. The appeal must provide new evidence (such as a more detailed medical report or supporting documents), and the outcome is usually announced within 15 working days. In 2023, the appeal success rate was 31% (ANU Appeals Office, 2024).

Q2: Do supplementary exam results affect scholarship eligibility?

Yes. Most ANU scholarships (including the ANU Chancellor’s International Scholarship) require a GPA of at least 5.5 to be maintained. A supplementary exam result is counted at 50 (GPA 5.0), which can pull the overall GPA down. If the GPA falls below the scholarship threshold because of a supplementary exam, the student must make up the shortfall by taking additional high-scoring courses in the next semester, otherwise the scholarship may be suspended or cancelled (ANU Scholarships Office, 2024).

Q3: Will failing a supplementary exam affect an international student’s visa?

Possibly. The Australian Department of Home Affairs requires international students to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress. If a failed supplementary exam means the same course is failed twice in a row, or more than 50% of courses in one semester are failed, the university will report this to the Department of Home Affairs, which may lead to cancellation of the student visa (Migration Regulations 1994, Schedule 8). If you fail a supplementary exam, contact the ANU International Student Support team immediately (phone +61 2 6125 7257) to plan your studies.

References

  • Australian National University. 2024. Assessment Rules 2024.
  • Australian National University. 2024. Student Administration (Examinations) Procedure.
  • Australian National University. 2023. Student Progress Report 2023. ANU Academic Quality Office.
  • Australian National University. 2024. Student Central Annual Statistics 2023.
  • Department of Home Affairs. 2024. Migration Regulations 1994, Schedule 8: Student Visa Conditions.