Aegrotat (ungraded) pass

You can apply for an aegrotat if you were likely to pass a course, but couldn’t complete your final assessment(s) due to special personal circumstances.

An aegrotat pass is a last-resort option if unexpected circumstances occur in the final three teaching weeks of the course through to the exam period.

Unexpected circumstances could include: illness, injury, bereavement, hardship, or other significant personal circumstances, prevented you from completing a final assessment when you were otherwise on track to pass the course.

You may be eligible if:

  • you were otherwise on track to pass a course, and
  • due to special personal circumstances—such as illness, injury, sudden hardship, bereavement, or other trauma—you are unable to either:
    1. take or prepare for a final test or exam, or
    2. complete a piece of assessment due in the last three weeks of teaching or during the final exam/assessment period.

If possible, sit your exams or tests or submit your assessment. Apply for an aegrotat if impaired performance is likely to cause you to fail a course you were otherwise expected to pass.

On this page:

Before you apply

Before submitting an application:

  • Discuss your circumstances with your course coordinator and explore whether an alternative assessment is available.
  • Consider whether a late withdrawal may be appropriate.
  • Contact your Student Success Adviser if you're unsure of your options.

An aegrotat application is normally appropriate only when:

  • You were on track to pass the course before your circumstances occurred.
  • Alternative assessment arrangements are not available or suitable.
  • Reweighting of previous assessments is not possible under University regulations.

If you have completed little of the course or were unlikely to pass, your application is unlikely to succeed.

Eligible assessments

You can apply for an aegrotat pass when special personal circumstances affect an assessment due:

  • during the final three weeks of teaching, or
  • during the final examination or assessment period.

Assessments due earlier in the trimester are not eligible.

Teacher education exception

Teacher education students cannot apply for an aegrotat pass for any course that is part of a teacher education programme. There is an alternative process available—contact the School of Education office for further information.

How to apply

To apply for an aegrotat, you need to:

  • Submit an application through Pūaha, the University's student portal, and select the course(s) for which you are seeking aegrotat consideration.
  • Provide details about the circumstances that affected your ability to complete or perform in the assessment.
  • Upload supporting evidence, such as a medical certificate or other relevant documentation.
  • Track your application and view the updated in My Requests through the My Applications tab in Pūaha.

One application can cover multiple courses.

Evidence of impairment

You'll need to provide appropriate evidence of the impairment that has affected your ability to complete the assessment.

If your special personal circumstances involve illness, a medical certificate from a registered health professional would be appropriate.

You can either make an appointment at Mauri Ora—Student Health and Student Counselling, or choose a relevant external health professional, such as a general practitioner (GP), other doctor, nurse, physiotherapist, or midwife. If you choose an external health professional, you'll need to ask them to fill in the Aegrotat Certificate of Impairment form and email it to you.

Application assessment

The University must be satisfied that you were likely to pass the course and had largely met the course learning outcomes before your circumstances occurred.

We consider:

  • Work completed before the affected assessment.
  • Your academic performance relative to similar students in the course.
  • Evidence supporting your application.

An Associate Dean makes the final decision after receiving advice from the course coordinator.

Decisions are usually made within four weeks of final grades being released.

Aegrotats passes, grades, and GPA

An approved aegrotat pass appears as a G (ungraded pass) on your transcript. It counts as a pass and can be used to meet prerequisite requirements.

Aegrotat passes are generally excluded from GPA calculations, so they do not usually disadvantage students when applying for programmes with GPA requirements.

You may feel that the passing grade does not reflect your ability in the course. In that case, you have the option of changing your passing grade to an ungraded pass (G), provided your aegrotat application included documented evidence that your illness or special personal circumstances warranted an aegrotat review.

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