Appeals Committee

The Appeals Committee is a multidisciplinary body for the university, which decides individual cases for students.

The Appeals Committee consists of external chair with competence as judge, two permanent employees in scientific positions and two students. The first three are appointed by the university board, the last two are appointed by the student court.

Guidelines for NMBU's Appeals Committee

Who can appeal? – what can be appealed?

• Students, including doctoral candidates, can appeal:

  • Formal errors in examinations,
  • The physical learning environment (but not WEC cases)
  • Individual administrative decisions, i.e. decisions that apply the rights or duties of one or more specific individuals.

• The University, can lodge cases regarding:

  • Cheating or other censorious behaviour (disciplinary cases),
  • Assessment of suitability for teacher education,
  • Forced termination of PhD study.

• Applicants

  Can appeal denial of admittance.

• Employees

  Can appeal elections to university bodies.

• The case administration rules

  The Appeals Committee are based on the different principles for student appeals and disciplinary cases:

  • Student appeals are based on the rules of administrative law – the chair has a casting vote and normal public disclosure of cases.
  • Disciplinary cases are based on the rules of criminal law – particularly with respect to voting procedures and disclosure rules.

  Student appeals are normally sent to the body that was the first instance to make an administrative decision. Any appeals sent to the committee secretary will be forwarded to the first instance for re-administration, before the case is lodged with the Appeals Committee.

  The appeal must be in writing, however there are no other format requirements to the appeal.

  It is important that the complaint makes a concrete account of the errors it is complaining about and what decision the complainant wants to achieve. 

  The Secretary of the Appeals Committee can provide guidance on setup and proceedings if necessary. The secretary's office is at Cirkus, Campus Ås.

• Hearings

  The students involved are usually summoned to the Appeals Committee's hearings, where they will be given an opportunity to testify about the case.

  The academic director represents NMBU in most cases before the Appeals Committee.

  Representatives of faculties involved are often summoned to assist in clearing up cases.

• The question of guilt

  It is the duty of the Appeals Committee to decide the question of guilt in disciplinary cases - also in instances of a dispute.   

  If the Appeals Committee finds that a student has cheated, the student's completion of the subject can be annulled, and the student can also be excluded from NMBU or all Norwegian universities for up to one year.

• Legal aid

  Everyone has the right to assist with a lawyer or other proxy in matters before the Appeals Committee, regardless of the type of case, but at their own expense.

  Students who risk exclusion from studying in disciplinary cases are entitled to legal assistance by an attorney, which is covered by the university.

Annual report

The Appeals Committee's annual report is forwarded to the board of the university, however it is written in such a way that it does not need to be exempted from public disclosure. 

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