Disabilities and special needs

If you have a disability or other special needs, you can apply for individual adaptation of your study everyday life. Then there are possibilities available concerning examinations, teaching, learning materials, and the teaching environment.

The purpose of the accommodation is to compensate for the disadvantages caused by your disability, while at the same time ensuring, to the greatest extent possible, that all candidates are tested equally.

How to apply for special arrangements

Submit the application form and attach documentation from a doctor/medical expert regarding your needs.

We request that the documentation, if possible, contains as little sensitive information/detail as possible. See the: Documentation - requirements .

Application form and deadlines
Application form
You can apply for several types of accommodations in the same application. Remember that you must provide documentation for your need for accommodation, and the documentation must confirm the types of accommodations you are applying for.
Application form for special arrangements
Please contact us should you have any questions regarding special arrangements or want to apply. Send an e-mail to the disability and special needs office
Deadline
- August block - as soon as possible after semester start and no later than two weeks prior to the exam date.
- 1 October - exams/tests in autumn semester, re-examination (konte) autumn and exams/tests in January block.
- 1 March - exams/tests in spring semester, re-examination (konte) autumn and exams/tests in June block.
Acute Illness or Injury
After the application deadline, accommodations for the upcoming exam period will only be granted in cases of acute illness or injury.
Known allergies are generally not considered an acute condition, and you must apply for accommodations for these within the standard semester deadline.
Do you have questions or would you like a meeting about special arrangements?
If you have any questions or would like a meeting about special arrangements, you are always welcome to send us an e-mail to tilrettelegging@nmbu.no (please do not send us any sensitive information).
Documentation - requirements
When applying for special arrangements you must present a certificate issued by a medical professional or other documentation of the need for special arrangements.
If you have not yet seen a doctor/specialist for your disabilities/special needs please contact us prior to making an appointment with a doctor/specialist and we will let you know what kind of documentation we require.
Accepted Documentation for Accommodations
- Medical certificate, specialist report, or equivalent documentation.
- Allergies: The documentation must confirm that the allergy symptoms are severe enough that extra exam time is necessary to compensate for the discomfort. It must also specify the exact months during which you require these accommodations.
- Dyslexia / Reading and Writing Difficulties: If you have previous documentation of reading and writing difficulties, a new assessment is normally not required. This documentation typically grants accommodations such as extended time and the use of a computer with spell-checking software (e.g., the program Lingdys).
We request that the documentation you submit contains as little sensitive information or detail as possible; however, it should specify which accommodations may compensate for the disadvantages caused by your disability in an exam and/or teaching setting.
Please note that the opportunities for facilitation at university level may be limited compared to at high school.
Please make sure that the documentation contains:
- Your name
- Date of birth and security number
- For how long the documentation applies (if applicable) is the requirement for special arrangements chronic or acute.
- Allergy: If the need for accommodation is due to an allergy, it must be specified which months there is a need for accommodation.
- What accommodation does the expert believe is necessary to compensate for the disadvantages caused by your disability.
- The documentation must be dated and signed by a doctor or other specialist.
Please contact us should you have any questions.

Accommodation of teaching

If you need to accommodation of the teaching, we will find a solution for this in cooperation with the faculty.

Special arrangements for examination and tests

The forms of facilitation below apply both to exams at campus, home exams, tests during the teaching period and assessment.

Forms of facilitation
Extended time
Extended time will be added to the ordinary exam time. See the list below for how much time you get depending on the duration of the exam/test.
Separate room
You will be placed in a room with few others. In some cases, the room will have separators between the individual spaces. You may be granted permission to sit alone in a room (private room) with an exam invigilator. However private rooms are only granted after further agreement with the individual student. It will not always be possible to sit with only a few others or alone during shorter tests held in the teaching period
PC facilitation
Examination on paper
For paper‑based exams, you may apply for permission to use a PC. See more under: PC – Paper exams on campus.
Digital exams
If you need a proofreading tool or text‑to‑speech (reading the text aloud), you may apply to use Lingdys. See more under: WISEflow – Digital exams on campus.
Rising and lower table or special chair
If you need to switch between standing and sitting, you can use a rising and lower table. This will usually only be available for exams or tests of longer duration.
If you need a different type of chair when you have exams or tests of longer duration, this can usually be arranged.
Other forms of facilitation
Other form of examination
You can apply for a different form of examination for example oral exam in stead of a written exam or the other way around. This often needs to be clarified for the individual exam, as not all exams can be arranged in the same way.
Breaks during exam to breast feed babies
If you need to breastfeed your child during an exam, arrangements will be made for this. The time you spend breastfeeding is added to the ordinary exam time.
Remember to notify us in well in advance to ensure that we can arrange for you to be placed for the exam in a building where there are places to sit while you breastfeed and for us to have an available exam invigilator who can be near you while you breastfeed.
- You must in advance have an agreed time for the breastfeeding break(s) with the person who will bring the child. Please inform the guard of the time(s) for the breastfeeding break(s) when you appear for the exam
- Please note that you can only breastfeed the child. Changing the child etc. must be done by the person who brings the child.
Extended time
For written exams the following extensions are usually granted:
- 15 minutes extra are granted for examinations with an examination time of up to 1.5 hours.
- 20 minutes extra are granted for examinations with an examination time of more than 1.5 hours and up to 2 hours.
- 30 minutes extra are granted for examinations with an examination time of more than 2 hours and up to 4 hours
- 1 hour extra is granted for examinations with an examination time of more than 4 hours.
For home examinations the following extensions are usually granted:
- examinations lasting 24 hours or longer: 3 extra hours
- examinations lasting 36 hours or longer: 5 extra hours
- examinations lasting 48 hours or longer: 7 extra hours.
WISEflow - digital exam on campus
- Extended time during exams is automatically added to the regular exam time in WISEflow.
- You will use your own computer during the exam unless you have been granted a loan laptop with Lingdys — see further down.
- If you experience problems with your own computer, you can contact IT.
- Exam questions: You will find the exam questions in WISEflow. If you need to get the assignment on paper, you must contact the disability and special needs office no later than 2 weeks before the exam so that we can see if it is possible to arrange. Some assignments may not be possible to get on paper, such as some types of multiple choice tasks. In such cases we will then try to find other solutions.
Lingdys
The need to use Lingdys during an exam or test must be reported before each individual test/exam. Adjustments to your exam setup are required in order for you to access Lingdys.
- If you have your own Lingdys license, you may use it. Remember to report the need in advance — and don’t forget your computer.
- If you have been granted a loan laptop with Lingdys installed, it will be handed out to you in the exam hall. Remember to report the need in advance.
- Text-to-speech: If you need Lingdys’ speech synthesis/reading aloud of the exam text, you must bring your own wired headphones.
- If you are going to use Lingdys, you cannot use Lockdown Browser at the same time on exams on campus. Therefore, you must use the program WISEflow Device Monitor instead.
PC - paper exams on campus
You may be granted the use of a computer during an on‑campus exam that is normally conducted on paper. You will be given a loan laptop when you arrive in the exam hall. Normally, you will only have access to Word. If you need to use Lingdys, a separate agreement must be made.
- If you have registered a need for Lingdys, it will be installed on the computer you are given.
- If you need Lingdys’ speech synthesis/reading aloud of the exam text, you must bring your own wired headphones.
- You will receive the exam paper in printed form. If you need the exam electronically, you must notify the accommodation office no later than 2 weeks before the exam.
- You may use Word during the exam, but you will not be able to use programs such as Excel for calculations.
Assessment at campus during the teaching period
In many courses, shorter on‑campus tests, so‑called partial assessments, are held during the teaching period.
The accommodations you normally receive for exams during the official exam period are not provided in the same way for partial assessments. You may also find that you do not have the same need for accommodations on these shorter tests as you do for a longer final exam.
The reason accommodations for partial assessments differ from those during the exam period includes:
- Fewer rooms are available, as most campus rooms are occupied for teaching. This may mean more students must sit together in one room, and auditoriums may need to be used. Sitting in a shielded or isolated space is less feasible.
- Equipment is less available, such as height‑adjustable desks or loan laptops.
- Different systems are used for partial assessments than for regular exams, which means accommodations are not applied automatically.
What to do?
If you need accommodations for a partial assessment in the form of:
- Extra time - see the section on Extra Time
- Shielded seating, a height‑adjustable desk, use of Lingdys, use of a PC (for tests conducted on paper), or other types of accommodations, you must contact the accommodation office.
It is important that you contact us as soon as you know the date of the test, so we can determine whether it is possible to arrange the accommodation. If you wait too long, you may not receive the support you need for that particular test.
Extra time
WISEflow
If the partial assessment is conducted in WISEflow, the extra time will automatically be added to the regular time in the system.
On paper or in Canvas
If the test is on paper or in Canvas, you must ensure that you receive your extra time by contacting your study advisor or the course responsible. The accommodation office can also assist you, just get in touch. Unfortunately, extra time is not added automatically.
If you need to document that you have been granted accommodations at NMBU, you can show the confirmation email you received from the accommodation office.
Home exams and digital submissions
Home exams and digital submissions are organized by the faculty, and you are responsible for ensuring that you receive the accommodations you have been granted and that you need.
If you need to document that you have been granted accommodations at NMBU, you can show the confirmation email you received from the accommodation office. You are of course always welcome to contact the accommodation office if you have questions or need assistance.
Extended time
For home exams, the only accommodation that can be granted is extended time.
WISEflow
If the exam or submission is in WISEflow, the extra time will automatically be added to the regular submission deadline in the system.
Canvas or other submission solutions
For home exams and submissions delivered in Canvas or through another system (not WISEflow), you must notify the course responsible or your study advisor at the faculty to ensure that extra time is added to your submission deadline. Remember to inform them well in advance of the start of the home exam or submission period.
Lingdys – proofreading tool and text‑to‑speech
- You will use your own computer for home exams.
- If you need Lingdys’ text‑to‑speech for reading the exam text aloud and you do not have your own Lingdys license, you can download a free Lingdys DEMO so you can use the program at home.

Useful resources

Digital resources
SiÅs offers useful digital resources and self-help
Resting lounge with daybed
If you due to health reasons need to lay down/relax during the day there is a room provided for this purpose, located in the clock building (Urbygningen). Contact the Student Information Center (SIT) to sign in if it is vacant. Durability: one hour at a time.
SIT is located on the ground floor of the clock building (Urbygningen) and is open Monday-Thursday 10:00-15:00.
Handicap (HC) parking
Do you need access to a HC-parking at campus for a shorter or longer periode?
Apply for HC-parking via the application form for special arrangements or contact the disability and special needs office. Remember to apply documentation from a doctor or specialist supporting your need for HC-parkering.
PS: HC-parkeringen gjelder kun for parkering på campus.
Remember to report:
- Your mobile number
- Car registration number
- What periode you need the HC-parkering for. Must be verified by doctors notice.
Please contact the disability and special needs office for any questions.
Talking books and braille
Do you know Tibi - The Library for Accessible Literature (former NLB) that produces and lends out talking books and braille books? All students with documented reading and writing difficulties can also borrow curriculum literature such as audio books. As a student, you must apply to become a personal user.
Lingdys
NMBU has a limited number of licenses for Lingdys (a tool for spelling support and text‑to‑speech) for use during exams, but we recommend that you obtain your own license. The software is adapted to each individual user, and the spell‑checker improves based on your personal language use.
Contact your local NAV office to find out whether you may be eligible for financial support.
Your wired headphones
Bring your own wired headphones if you plan to use the text‑to‑speech function in Lingdys. On Lingit’s website (in Norwegian), you can download a demo version to test the software.
WISEflow Device Monitor
If you are going to use Lingdys, you cannot use Lockdown Browser at the same time on exams on campus. Therefore, you must use the program WISEflow Device Monitor instead.
Grant from Lånekassen
Lånekassen offers additional grant to to students in higher education who due to reduced functional ability and are unable to work beside your studies.
If you have reduced functional ability and are unable to work beside your studies, you may be eligible for an additional grant. You might also apply for additional grant in the summer on a separate form.
In order to be entitled to the grant, you must be able to study but unable to work besides your studies, because this will have a negative impact on your academic progress. A physician or specialist must confirm this in the application.
You may not have any salaried employment at all as long as you receive the additional grant. If you are doing voluntary or unpaid work beside your studies, you can still receive the grant.
Find more information about ad ditional grant and application form at lånekassen.
Please note that the application form that must be submitted to lånekassen requires a signature from a doctor/professional. The disability and special needs office at NMBU has an agreement with the Health Center for students in Ås and they can sign the form. Remember to bring your doctor/expert documentation confirming that you have a disability.

Contact us

You are always welcome to contact us if you have any questions regarding special arrangements.
Send us an e-mail to tilrettelegging@nmbu.no (please do not send us any sensitive information).

Disabilities and special needs

How to apply for special arrangements

Application form

Deadline

Acute Illness or Injury

Do you have questions or would you like a meeting about special arrangements?

Accepted Documentation for Accommodations

Please make sure that the documentation contains:

Accommodation of teaching

Special arrangements for examination and tests

Extended time

Separate room

PC facilitation

Examination on paper

Digital exams

Rising and lower table or special chair

Other forms of facilitation

Other form of examination

Breaks during exam to breast feed babies

For written exams the following extensions are usually granted:

For home examinations the following extensions are usually granted:

Lingdys

What to do?

Extra time

WISEflow

On paper or in Canvas

Extended time

WISEflow

Canvas or other submission solutions

Lingdys – proofreading tool and text‑to‑speech

Useful resources

Your wired headphones

WISEflow Device Monitor

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