Appeals and complaints

Appeals against grades and the right to be given an explanation

As a student you have the right to be given an explanation of your grades pursuant to the Act relating to Universities and Colleges section 5-3 (1).

Requests for explanation have to be made within three weeks after the announcement of the grade. Note that requests for explanation of grades on oral and practical exams must be made immediately after the result has been announced. It is for the examiner to decide whether the explanation should be given orally or in writing.

As a student you have the right to appeal in writing against your grade pursuant to the Act relating to Universities and Colleges, section 5-3 (4). The deadline is three weeks after the result has been announced. If you request an explanation of the grade or complain about formal errors (see below) the deadline is three weeks from the moment you get the explanation or a decision has been made about the complaint. You have no right to appeal against oral or practical exams that cannot be rechecked

A form for appealing against grades can be found on the Exam Office’s web pages

Appeals against individual decisions

As a student you have the right to appeal against individual decisions made by the University, see the Public Administration Act, section 28. However, not all decisions made by the University can be classified as individual decisions. According to the Public Administrations Act (2b), an individual decision is an administrative decision relating to the rights or duties of one or more specific persons. This means that it is not possible to appeal against administrative decisions like for instance the time and place of the exam.

Appeals against individual decisions are decided by the UiA Appeals Committee, and there can be no further appeal against the committee’s decision.

Complaints about formal errors in connection with exams

If you as a student believe that formal errors have been made in connection with your test or exams you are entitled, pursuant to the Act Relating to Universities and Colleges 5-2, to complain about formal examination errors, for instance in the examination papers, in the way the examination is conducted or in the grading process. The deadline is three weeks after you know or should know the alleged errors upon which the complaint is based. If you request an explanation of the assessment or appeal against the grade the deadline is three weeks from you receive the explanation or the decision about the appeal.

In cases where errors have been made that may have influenced your exam performance or the assessment of the exam, the grade awarded shall be annulled. In cases where the error may be rectified by a new assessment, such assessment should be made. If not, a new examination should be arranged.

Complaints about formal examination errors are decided by the UiA Appeals Committee. There can be no appeals against the committee’s decisions.

Learning environment

The UiA Learning Environment Committee is responsible for matters pertaining to

- the physical workplace environmentpsycho-social conditionsteaching and learning conditionswelfare and students’ social conditions

If you as a student find that the quality of one or more of the above conditions is less than satisfactory, you may report this in connection with a students’ evaluation or bring the matter to the attention of STA (the students’ organization in Agder). The STA or the Head of the current Department will refer your complaint to the Learning Environment Committee or to another responsible organizational unit.

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