Your show cause letter

Your show cause notification will include information on what you need to provide in your letter, how to submit it through Sydney Student and the deadline for when you need to make your submission. The main purpose of your show cause letter is to:

• provide evidence demonstrating that your academic progress has been impacted by circumstances beyond your control  
• show you have developed a plan for how  you will improve your academic progress, including the steps you will take to address any circumstances that have negatively impacted your study performance.

How to prepare your show cause submission

Your student representative organisation can provide advice and support when preparing a show cause submission.

• If you are an undergraduate student, contact the Caseworker Help service by the Students' Representative Council (SRC).
• If you are a postgraduate student, contact the Postgraduate Advocacy Service by the Sydney University Postgraduate Representative Association (SUPRA).

Step 1: Explain the circumstances that have negatively affected your study performance

• Describe the circumstances that have impacted you and how they were out of your control.
• Describe how the circumstances affected your studies.
• Explain how these impacts were out of your control.

Step 2: Demonstrate that you will be able to meet progression requirements

• Describe what steps you’ve taken to resolve these issues so that your performance can improve next semester.
• What will you do in the future to address the circumstances affecting you.
• Explain your plans for your unit enrolments for your next semester and any changes you’re making to help you meet your requirements, such as reducing your study load.
• Think about the services available that may help you achieve this.

If you have been asked to show cause previously, you will also need to: 

• Explain whether previously identified factors affecting your study performance have recurred
• Provide reasons why previous strategies to address those factors have been ineffective.

Step 3: Provide supporting documents

You may want to submit documents with your show good cause letter to show how your circumstances have impacted on your academic progression.

These might include:

• a Professional Practitioner Certificate (pdf, 313KB) outlining medical issues you experience
• a statutory declaration
• police reports and/or court summons
• academic transcripts
• other documents showing your misadventure/health-related problems or circumstances beyond your reasonable control
• evidence that you’ve met with an academic adviser.

Receiving an outcome

Formal decisions on show cause are often not made until after the start of the next semester, due to the tight timelines surrounding results and holidays. It is important to keep checking your student email account for your show cause decision and any actions you may need to take.

If the Associate Dean decides you have shown good cause they will:

• allow you to re-enrol without restrictions.

If they decide you have not shown good cause, then they have two options. They can:

• allow you to re-enrol with conditions (for example passing a unit of study or limiting the number of credit points you can enrol in within a set time period)

• exclude you from your award course for two years.

If you are allowed to re-enrol, and you do not meet the academic progression requirements in the next semester, you may be asked to show good cause again.

Related question

What exclusion means

Unfortunately, if we do not accept the reasons and plan put forward at the show cause stage, then you will be excluded from re-enrolling in your course. We will email you to notify you of this decision.

To be excluded means that you will not be permitted to re-enrol in your course for at least four consecutive semesters (two calendar years).

If you are in international student this is likely to affect your student visa status, and we are obliged to inform the appropriate government department about any exclusion. For any questions about your visa requirements, you can email the International Compliance team.

Appealing the decision

If you’re excluded from your course or don't believe the conditions imposed on your re-enrolment are reasonable, you can submit an appeal to your faculty.

The email you receive with your decision will include information on how to appeal.

If you’re appealing against an exclusion decision, you should continue to attend any classes you’re enrolled in while your appeal decision is pending. Even if we make the decision to exclude, we do not immediately cancel your enrolment because of your right to appeal.

Applying for readmission after being excluded

After two years, you can apply to return to the same award course, as long as it is still offered by the University. Readmission is not automatic and is at the discretion of the Associate Dean of the faculty or school.

In your application you will need to show that during your period of exclusion you have taken steps to support your future academic progression. This could include steps you have taken to strengthen your skills, such as studying or work experience, or steps you’ve taken to address any personal circumstances that previously prevented you from meeting progression requirements.

If you're in one of the following faculties/schools you can fill out the form for re-admission after exclusion:

• Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
• Faculty of Engineering
• Faculty of Medicine and Health
• Faculty of Science
• School of Architecture, Design and Planning
• University of Sydney Business School

If you're in another faculty or school you will need to contact an academic progression adviser.