Academic policies and procedures
In the Education and Examination Regulations (EER) you will find the essentials of the education and examination. Each study programme has its own section in the education and examination regulations where the standard curriculum is defined and on which level you have to achieve your parts of the study programme to complete your study. The rules in the education and examination regulations are binding.
Bachelor
- EER 2024-2025 (Dutch, pdf) - Errata 2024-2025 (Dutch, pdf)
- EER 2023-2024 (Dutch, pdf) - Errata 2023-2024 (Dutch, pdf)
- EER 2022-2023 (Dutch, pdf) - Errata 2022-2023 (Dutch, pdf)
- EER 2022-2023 (English, pdf) - Errata 2022-2023 (English, pdf)
Note: If the information in the English version differs from the Dutch version, the Dutch version prevails.
One-year Master
- EER 2024-2025 (English, pdf)
- EER 2023-2024 (English, pdf)
- EER 2022-2023 (English, pdf) - Addendum 2022-2023 (English, pdf)
- EER 2022-2023 (Dutch, pdf)
Two-year Master
Each academic year, you will have a maximum of two opportunities to take a (midterm) test:
- one regular test
- one additional test
If circumstances have prevented you from participating in one of the tests, you can submit a request for an extra test.
Participation in the regular and additional tests
To be allowed to participate in the regular test, you must comply with the conditions stated in the course handbook on Blackboard.
If you have fulfilled all obligations to perform to the best of your ability during the course, and if you are nonetheless awarded a failing mark of at least 4.0 (without rounding up), you will be given a once-only possibility to sit an additional test. You will be automatically enrolled for this. You don’t qualify for an additional test if you have been awarded a pass.
In the case of a “failed” final score after the regular test and the additional test, you will have to retake the entire course the following academic year. Grades obtained for midterm tests expire at the end of the academic year, on 31 August.
Deregistration and participation in the extra test
If an illness or an other circumstance prevent you from participating in the regular test or additional test, you can deregister from the test and submit a request for an extra test. This extra test will then replace the regular or additional test.
The faculty has rules that apply to deregistering from a test. For example, each academic year, a student can only deregister from a test due to illness once. Please carefully read the rules below before deregistering from a test.
Please note: you deregister at the programme offering the course. Please take this into account when completing the form. If you have any questions about deregistering, please contact this programme. Other rules and procedures may apply to courses provided outside the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences; for more information, please visit the relevant programme website.
Procedure at Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences:
- You should deregister at the programme offering the course before the test is administered, with the deregistration form. You should also state the reason for deregistration in the form.
- The programme will inform you within ten working days after the test whether your request for an extra test is in line with the rules and regulations and will be granted. If your request is granted, you will be registered for the extra test.
- You are given a maximum of two opportunities to take a test. If you have used up both these opportunities, you will not be able to take this test again for the rest of the academic year.
Below is a list of the reasons for which you can deregister and the rules that apply in this regard. You can state your reason in the deregistration form.* The rules apply to all scheduled tests, including sub-tests.
- Illness Each academic year, you can only deregister from a test due to illness once. A second request made in the same academic year will be refused. Please note: if you report ill twice within five working days this is seen as a single illness.
- Funeral Attending a funeral service at the time of the test can be a valid reason to be excused.
- Period of mourning A mourning period can have such an impact that you will be eligible for an extra test. Indicate the circumstances when submitting your request. The department can insist on a meeting with your tutor. It may also be advisable to call in the services of a study advisor..
- Chronic illness or disability If you have a chronic illness, functional impairment or disability, you should state this in your request. Your request will only be granted if the circumstances are already known to the programme and have been discussed with the study adviser. The programme assumes that a realistic schedule has been put together for you. In the event of repeated deregistration, the programme may refuse your request and advise you to draw up a schedule that is better suited to your circumstances.
- Professional sport If you combine your studies with a career as a professional athlete, you should report this the programme beforehand and prepare a realistic schedule in consultation with the study adviserIn the event of repeated deregistration, the programme may refuse your request and advise you to draw up a schedule that is better suited to your circumstances.
- Overlap with other courses If you are following two courses in the same time slot, you should check your exam timetable well in advance. If the overlapping exams are for courses that are both mandatory parts of your curriculum, you can request to be provided with an alternative enabling you to take both these exams. As a rule, the programme schedules the time slots for mandatory courses in such a way that exams do not overlap. If you take one or two elective courses, your decision to choose the overlapping course(s) was taken at your own risk and we will not offer you any alternative opportunity.
- Work We assume that you will always ensure that your work activities do not overlap with your studies. Being prevented from taking a test due to work duties will not entitle you to an extra test.
NB: Each request will be assessed individually. It is not possible to provide fixed frameworks for this assessment in advance.
*If you would rather not share the reason for the request in the form, you can instead discuss the circumstances with a study adviser. You will use the deregistration form, but state that the study adviser is aware of the circumstances. The programme will then contact the study adviser.
If you are not granted permission to extra test and you disagree with this decision, please contact the programme first. The programme will then explain the decision. If you still disagree with the decision, you can submit a motivated request to the programme director via request form (practical information > academic policies and procedures). There is no point in emailing the director or course coordinator about this directly. The programme director will assess whether the reasons stated in your request merit an extra test. Please note: any such request must be submitted within three working days after the initial rejection.
If your request is also refused by the programme director, you can submit an appeal to the Student Disputes Advisory Committee (Geschillenadviescommissie studentenbezwaren). For more information, go to: students.uu.nl/en > Practical information > Policies and procedures > Complaints, objections and appeals.
The date for the extra test is set by the programme. Unfortunately, this date cannot be adjusted to a student’s individual preferences. If you are unable to take an extra test at the set date, it will be impossible to arrange an alternative date.
Please note: If the extra test was your first test opportunity for the course and your final mark for the course after taking the extra test is at least 4 and at most 5.5, you can request to take an additional test. You will not be automatically registered for this additional test, so please submit this request in OSRIS using this form no later than ten working days after the registration of the test result.
The Regulations of the Board of Examiners (pdf, in Dutch) are established by the Board of Examiners of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences. The regulations include rules about test result evaluations, quality standards, testing procedures and exemptions.
Your UU-grades abroad
To help foreign universities to interpret the value of our grades, UU publishes Grading Tables:
- a table for Bachelor’s courses and
- a table for Master’s courses.
The Grading Tables provide statistical distributions of grades awarded at Utrecht University. They show which percentage of all passing grades that were awarded in the three most recent academic years were (rounded-off) a 6.0, a 6.5, a 7.5, etc. The tables will be published on the International Diploma Supplement of all students who graduate after September 1st 2017.
In addition to the Grading Tables, UU also publishes a weighted average grade on the ten point scale on your International Diploma Supplement.
What do Grading Tables not show?
Grading Tables do not show whether you belong to the 10% (or any other percentage) of your class. The tables do not contain information about the average either, nor are they just about your fellow students.
The most recent Grading Tables (September 2021 – August 2024)
| Grade | Frequency |
|---|---|
| 6.0 | 18.58% |
| 6.5 | 17.38% |
| 7.0 | 20.21% |
| 7.5 | 19.17% |
| 8.0 | 13.72% |
| 8.5 | 7.10% |
| 9.0 | 2.81% |
| 9.5 | 0.81% |
| 10.0 | 0.22% |
| Grade | Frequency |
|---|---|
| 6.0 | 8.83% |
| 6.5 | 10.02% |
| 7.0 | 17.07% |
| 7.5 | 22.21% |
| 8.0 | 22.20% |
| 8.5 | 12.49% |
| 9.0 | 5.50% |
| 9.5 | 1.28% |
| 10.0 | 0.40% |
Grade Point Average substituted by Grading Tables
Until 1 September 2017, Utrecht University published a Grade Point Average (GPA) to provide help institutions abroad to interpret UU-grades. Many Anglo-Saxon universities use this four point scale to express their weighted average grade. The GPA always needs clarification. The standards according to which the GPA is calculated differ between (international) universities.
Utrecht University considers any form of academic dishonesty to be a very serious offense. Utrecht University expects each student to be familiar with and to observe the norms and values that ensure academic integrity.The most serious forms of deception that can impair this integrity are fraud and plagiarism. Plagiarism is a form of fraud and is defined as the wrongful appropriation of another author’s work without proper citation. See the further elaboration on what may be considered fraud or plagiarism.
If the university discovers a case of fraud or plagiarism, then the study programme’s Board of Examiners may implement sanctions on the offender. The most serious sanction that the Board of Examiners may implement is the submission of a request for expulsion to the Executive Board.
If you feel you have not been treated properly by someone employed by Utrecht University, or if you disagree with a decision that affects you personally, you can respond in a number of ways. You can submit a complaint, an objection or an appeal.
For the full details about the various procedures and which procedure is applicable for your situation, visit Complaints, objections and appeals.
Utrecht University processes a substantial volume of personal data. In accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) the university is responsible for ensuring that personal data is processed properly. Also see the Privacy Statement on the Utrecht University website.