Withdrawing Without Academic Penalty

Withdrawal Without Academic Penalty (WWAP) allows you to apply for withdrawal from subjects without academic and financial penalties due to extenuating circumstances.

Request Types include.

  • Withdrawal Without Academic Penalty (Grade Review Only): Assessed solely for grade review.
  • Withdrawal Without Academic Penalty (Grade and Fee Remission): Assessed for both grade review and remission of tuition fees.

You may be eligible for WWAP if:

  • You have experienced extenuating circumstances,
  • These circumstances began or worsened on or after the Census date for the term, and
  • They prevented you from continuing with your subject(s).

To qualify, you must meet the application requirements as outlined by the university’s guidelines and policies.

Application Requirements

To apply for a Withdrawal Without Academic Penalty (WWAP), you must meet the following criteria:

  • Submit your application within 12 months of the end of the official results release for the term in which your subject(s) fall under.
  • Provide valid independent supporting documentation that verifies your extenuating circumstances.
  • Ensure you meet all the eligibility criteria listed below before submitting your application.

Please refer to the below table for the timing of request and the recommended action

Timing of requestStudent Action
Prior to Census date

Applications for WWAP cannot be submitted before the census date. Any request during this time will be rejected.

  • You must discontinue your subject(s) via MySR instead.
On or After the Census Date (up to 12 Months After the Official Results Release)
  • If you are still enrolled in the subject(s):
  • Discontinue your subject(s) via MySR.
  • Complete the WWAP application through the provided link.
  • Submit valid, independent supporting documentation verifying your extenuating circumstances.
  • Ensure you meet all eligibility criteria before submitting your application.
  • If you choose to withdraw from registered subjects after the census date of the teaching term, you will automatically receive an E grade on your student record, (an E grade is regarded as a fail) and be financially liable for the fees associated.
After 12 Months from the Official Results Release
  • Complete the WWAP application through the provided link.
  • Submit valid, independent supporting documentation verifying your extenuating circumstances.
  • Ensure you meet all eligibility criteria, including additional requirements for a late WWAP application, which must be supported by further evidence proving:
    • The University failed to inform you at the time of withdrawal about the opportunity to apply for a “W” grade.
    • The University made an administrative error in processing your withdrawal request; or
    • You intended to submit your application within the required timeframe, but circumstances beyond your control (e.g., hospitalisation) prevented you from doing so. Such claims must be substantiated with independent documentation. A personal statement alone is insufficient.

Eligibility Criteria

Under Western Sydney University Enrolments Policy, you can apply for a WWAP if you have experienced Extenuating Circumstances, which commenced or deteriorated on or after the Census date for that term, that made you unable to continue with the subject(s).

Extenuating circumstances are unusual or abnormal events or circumstances that are beyond your control. Your actions must not have contributed, directly or indirectly, to these circumstances.

These events or circumstances must not fully impact you until on or after the census date. This means the situation must have occurred either:

  • after the census date or
  • before the census date, but worsened after the census date or
  • before the census date, but the full effect did not become apparent until on or after the census date

As a result of these events or circumstances, it must have been impractical/impossible for you to complete the program requirements, that is, you were unable to do any of the following:

  • Undertake the necessary private study required
  • Attend sufficient lectures, tutorials or meet other attendance requirements to meet your compulsory requirements
  • Complete other program requirements because of your inability to meet the above

You will need to be able to prove your claim for extenuating circumstances by providing appropriate supporting documentation.

Note that WWAP will not be granted for:

  • Insufficient supporting documentation for example, a personal statement or/and a statutory declaration completed by yourself or a family is not acceptable
  • The shared document is neither in PDF format nor in English (translated).
  • An illness/condition where you were absent from your studies for under 5 days
  • A change of mind regarding the program and/or subjects you registered into (including going to a new institution)
  • Severity of condition not meeting the extenuating circumstances guidelines
  • Pass grade or higher for a subject
  • Pending grade or/and academic misconduct attached to the subject or is under investigation for misconduct.

Supporting Documentation

All applications must be accompanied by supporting documentation to substantiate the circumstances that are impacting on your studies. Applications without supporting documentation may not be considered.

Examples of the type of supporting documentation are set out in the table below. Supporting documentation must be uploaded and attached with your application when applying for a WWAP.

ReasonExamples of Supporting Documentation
Medical grounds

Medical certificate from a registered medical practitioner or other appropriately qualified professional, such as a psychiatrist, physiotherapist, registered psychologist, social worker, or counsellor.

You must obtain a medical certificate on an official letterhead or have a Western Sydney University Medical Certificate

Your medical certificate must clearly state the dates of your illness, which must span more than 5 days in total.

Note: If you are submitting hospital documentation for surgery or treatment on the day, a hospital stay of less than five days is not sufficient as a supporting documentation. You must provide additional independent documentation to confirm the need for aftercare, ongoing treatment, or recovery beyond five days.

Death/bereavementYou must provide a death certificate or a funeral notice (if the date of death is included) along with evidence of your relationship to the deceased. Alternatively, a statement of support from the Welfare Department can be submitted. If the deceased was a close friend, you may provide evidence of your relationship through a statutory declaration from their family
Significant personal problemsYou must provide one of the following: a statement from a registered counsellor, psychiatrist, or psychologist detailing the impact on your ability to attend the exam or studies, including specific dates; a statement of support from a welfare department; or/and additional documents such as, court documents, police report etc.
Serious illness of a family member or close relativeYou must provide a statement from a registered medical practitioner confirming the patient’s medical status, their relationship to you, and relevant dates, or a statement of support from the Welfare Department.

WWAP Application Form

You must complete a Withdrawal without academic penalty/financial penalty (W grade) form and lodge it along with supporting documentation that provides evidence of your extenuating circumstances through WesternNow.

You must have an electronic copy of your supporting documents and submit them as part of the online process. Hard copy documents will not be accepted. Your supporting documents must be in PDF (.pdf) format and translated into English (if needed) and you must submit all your supporting documentation at the same time when you submit your application.

For auditing purposes, you must keep either the original or certified copy of all supporting documentation you attach for at least one year. The University conducts audits to validate the information students provide in their applications. You may be contacted anytime within one year of submitting your application and be required to produce either the original or a certified copy of all supporting documentation.

Fraudulent Documents

Please be cautious of individuals or organisations that falsely claim to provide legitimate supporting documents for your application. The University may verify the authenticity of documents with the issuing doctors or agencies.

Any misconduct involving fraudulent conduct, such as the falsification or fabrication of documents submitted under declaration to the University, may result in penalties in accordance with the Student Misconduct Rule.

Privacy & Confidentiality

Any personal or sensitive information provided as part of your WWAP application will be handled with care and managed in accordance with the University’s privacy policy.

Application Outcome - Approved/Rejected

Once your application is assessed, you will receive an email with the outcome sent to your student email account.

Application Approved

If your application is approved, the following steps will be taken:

  • For a Grade Review Only request, your student record will be updated with a ‘W’ grade for the approved subject(s), which may also affect your GPA.
  • For a Grade and Fee Remission request, your student record will be updated with a ‘W’ grade for the approved subject(s), which may also impact your GPA. Additionally, the fees for the approved subject(s) will be credited to your next teaching session.

Fee Remission 

If your student contributions or tuition fees were deferred through HELP to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), you do not need to take any further action. Your HELP balance, where applicable, will be re-credited. Please allow up to 3 months for your HELP balance to be updated with the ATO.

If you have paid upfront, any payment credits will automatically be applied to your future tuition fees. If you wish to be refunded, please refer to the Student Fees Policy on the eligibility criteria.

Please note the Student Services Amenities Fee (SSAF) is non-refundable under any circumstances.

Conditional Enrolments/Exclusion

If your academic standing outcome is ‘Conditional Enrolment’ or ‘Exclusion,’ and your application is approved, you must submit a WesternNow ticket to request a review of your status.

Application Rejected

If your application is rejected, you will be notified via your student email. The email will include the outcome, information about your right to appeal, and instructions on how to proceed. Please note that students are allowed only one WWAP request per subject attempt.

  • If your application is rejected due to insufficient evidence, you may obtain new, relevant evidence and submit this new evidence when you submit the appeal.
  • If your application is rejected because your circumstances do not meet the criteria, you will need to appeal the decision with new or additional documentation.

Appeals

You may appeal the decision within 28 days from the date of the rejection outcome sent. Appeals submitted after this period cannot be accepted due to government legislation.

To appeal:

If your appeal is unsuccessful, the notification will include information about your right to further appeal to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT).

Application Processing Time

While we strive to process applications sooner, please note that it may take up to five weeks to receive an outcome. We request that you await this period before seeking an update regarding the status of your application.

At Risk

At Risk/Conditional Enrolments/Exclusion

If your academic standing outcome is 'At Risk', ‘Conditional Enrolment’ or ‘Exclusion,’ and your application is approved, you must submit a WesternNow ticket to request a review of your status.

More information and help

If you need more information, help or advice please submit an enquiry through WesternNow.

Related links

Read about withdrawing without academic penalty in the Enrolment Policy