Skip to main content
For Students

Illness or valid absence from exam

If you are unable to sit your exam or other forms of assessment due to illness or other special personal circumstances, you will need to apply for valid absence from your exam.

You can apply for valid absence from an exams or assessments such as tests, assignments etc. where a independently/separate character is given. If the absence concerns something else, please read more in the section below about absence from another type of assessment.

Valid Grounds for Absence from an Exam

  • Illness: Personal illness or the illness of your child(ren).
  • Bereavement: Death within your immediate family or of another person with whom you have a close relationship.
  • Funerals: Attending a funeral or memorial service for immediate family or another person with whom you have a close relationship.
  • Public Duty: Orders from public authorities that prevent you from attending the exam (e.g., jury duty or a court summons).
  • Unforeseen Circumstances: Other events beyond your control that make it highly unreasonable to require you to complete the assessment or exam.
  • How to apply for valid absence

    To apply for valid absence please use the form below. Please log in with your Feide login.

    The application for valid absence from an exam must be submitted no later than five (5) working days after the date of the exam in question.

    Remember to submit documentation with your application, see more information under the heading Certificate issued by a professional.

    Form - application for valid absence from exams or an independently weighted assessments
  • Certificate issued by a professional

    The doctor's certificate must be submitted with the electronic form for application for valid absence.

    Alternatively, the medical certificate can be sent per post, it must then be postmarked no later than five (5) business days after the date for the exam in question and must be sent to Arkivet NMBU, Postboks 5003, 1432 Ås.

    You must document illness and other absences with a certificate from a physician/doctor or another authorized expert. The documentation must include:

    • Reasoning: A statement explaining why you are unable to take the specific exam.
    • Duration: The specific date or period during which you were ill or had another valid reason for absence.
    • Privacy: To protect your privacy, we request that the documentation contains as little sensitive information or medical detail as possible.
    • The certificate must be signed and stamped by the doctor or other medical professional

    Documentation for Death or Funerals

    In the event of a death, funeral, or memorial service, you must state the name of the deceased and your relationship to them. No further documentation is required beyond this written explanation.

    Documentation from HelseNorge etc

    If you receive digital documentation for your absence the document must confirm that it is from HelseNorge or similar. We will contact you if we have questions. In some cases, you may be asked to have a digitally sent document signed and stamped. Please contact eksamen@nmbu.no should you have any questions regarding documentation.

    Submitted certificate prior to the exam

    Please note. If you submit a certificate prior to your exam but still sit your exam, the certificate will not be valid. If you sit your exam the result from that exam overrule the certificate, no matter the mark on the exam. Even if you fail the exam, gets a low grade or submit a blank answer the certificate will not be valid.

    NB: Please note that a submitted answer cannot be withdrawn from marking even if a medical certificate or self-certification is submitted after the examination.

  • Absence from courses with a single assessment or with several assessments

    Single Assessment

    A course with a single assessment, as the name suggests, has one single evaluation that counts for 100% of the grade in the course. Examples of this could be a single written exam, a portfolio assessment, a semester paper, etc.

    If you apply for valid absence and it is approved, the grade for the course will be recorded as valid absence. This does not count as an attempt, and you can retake the course the next time it is offered. You will also be allowed to take the re-sit exam for the course if one is offered.

    Combined Assessment

    A course with two or more independent forms of evaluation (partial assessments) has a combined assessment. For example, this could include a written exam and a submission/assignment or two tests, a portfolio assessment, etc.

    Each partial assessment is graded individually and given an independent grade. Each part contributes to the final grade with a specific weight, such as 15%, 20%, 30%, or 50%. To pass the course, all partial assessments must be passed. The final grade is calculated in the administrative system Felles Studentsystem (FS). The grades are published in Studentweb.

    In a course with partial assessments (combined assessment), you apply for valid absence for each individual part. This means that you can have valid absence approved for a specific part.

    If valid absence is approved, the grade for the course will be recorded as valid absence. The part you did not pass due to valid absence can be retaken the next time the course is offered, provided the course description allows retaking individual parts. Once the missing part is passed, the final grade for the course will be released, provided the other parts are also passed. If the course requires all parts to be passed in the same semester, you will need to retake the entire course.

    Re-sit exams are not offered for courses with combined assessment.

  • Absence related to portfolio assessment or compulsory activities - not independently weighted assessment

    If you are absent from portfolio related work, tests or absent from compulsory activities etc. you must contact the course responsible directly. You should not submit the application form for valid absence. The reason for this is that if a valid absence is registered you will not receive a grade in the course.

    Please contact the course responsible or study supervisor if your absence concerns:

    • deferred submission deadline
    • work or test that is part of a portfolio assessment, i.e. that the work is not given a separate independent grade.
    • unable to attend an outing
    • compulsory attendance/work/teaching
    • other
  • Suddenly illness during your written exam at campus

    If you become suddenly ill during your written exam and have to leave before you have finished your examination answer the following applies:

    • Inform the examination guards about your illness.
    • The examination guards will ask you to fill in the form Sudden illness during exam, you must complete the form and submit it to the guards BEFORE you leave the venue.
    • Remember to check the box indicating that you want to submit a blank paper/withdraw from the exam.
    • The examination guards will submit the form to the examination office

    Submit a blank exam answer/withdraw from the exam

    When you submit a blank exam answer/withdraw from the exam:

    • you will be registered as having attended the exam with a result of fail (F) / not passed,
    • you will use one of your three attempts to pass the course,
    • you can sign up for a new exam (resit) if such an exam is offered in the course.

    You can submit a medical certificate within five (5) days, see more below.
    NB: If you leave the venue without completing the form we cannot accept a medical certificate.

    How to submit a blank exam/withdraw from the exam

    • Examination on paper – complete the white and yellow examination cover sheet. The examination guard can assist you.
    • WISEflow exam – the technical guard will help you to submit a blank exam answer/withdraw from your digital exam.

    Submit your exam answer

    • If you like to submit you exam answer for grading you may do so. The marking will be the result for that exam and you use on of three attempts to pass the exam.
    • Please note: If you submit a medical certificate after your exam, the certificate will not be valid. The result for that exam will overrule the certificate, no matter the grade. 
    • If you fail the exam you may register for re-examination (konte) if such an exam is offered for the course.

    Submit a medical certificate

    Remember! A valid medical certificate must be submitted within five (5) days of the exam in question and contain the following:

    • Date/time of your absence
    • What exam/course, with course code, the certificate applies to
    • The certificate must state that you became suddenly ill during your exam
    • The certificate must be signed and stamped by the doctor or another medical professional

    A valid medical certificate must be submitted with the application form Registration of valid absence or sent by post to Arkivet NMBU, Postboks 5003, 1432 Ås.

    If you submit a valid medical certificate you will be registered with a valid reason for absence for the exam in question, the exam will not be counted as an attempt of examination, and you may register for re-examination (konte) if such an exam is offered for the course.

    Form - application for valid absence from exams or an independently weighted assessments