Academic policies and procedures
On this page, you will find the conditions under which you qualify for a resit. You will also find information here on how to notify us in case of illness or unforeseen circumstances if you need to cancel a test.
You can retake an exam (referred to as 'repair' in official documents) in the following cases:
- Failing grade(s)
- If you have scored between 4 and 5.5 for a mandatory partial exam (i.e., an exam for which you are required to achieve a minimum grade - see the course manual for any additional requirements)
- If you have scored between 4 and 5.5 for the course and have fulfilled the effort obligation. You may retake the failing final grade once (the course coordinator determines the format, content, and date and informs you)
- Missing a mandatory partial or final exam due to illness or force majeure
- You can take the (regular) retake exam as your first opportunity, provided you have timely notified via Osiris Case (see below)
- If you receive a failing final grade between 4 and 5.5 after taking this – your first – opportunity, you are allowed to retake this grade once.
If you miss the retake, you are not entitled to another chance.
| Missed a (partial) exam due to force majeure |
> You are eligible for an additional retake opportunity (last chance for resit). |
|---|---|
| Took the (partial) exam, and your final grade for the course is between 4.0 – 5.4 |
> You are not eligible for an additional retake opportunity (resit). |
| Missed a partial or final exam due to force majeure, or took it and received a final grade for the course of 4.0 or lower |
> You are not eligible for an additional retake (resit). Please contact your study advisor to discuss your situation. |
Are you unwell or facing unforeseen circumstances? Please pre-register your absence for an examination using the steps below. Following your notification, you will receive an invitation for the resit exam. Please note: if you also miss lectures, kindly contact your lecturer.
Are you a Humanities student?
Please deregister via Osiris Case. Navigate to Osiris > Cases > My cases > Start case > Curriculum Matters > HUM: Deregistration test.
If you are not a Humanities student
If you study at a different faculty, another university, or are a contract student, please deregister using the examination deregistration form.
Additional exam opportunity after the resit exam
You are eligible for an additional supplementary or replacement exam to repair your final grade if you meet the following criteria:
- You were unable to participate in the regular exam due to illness or unforeseen circumstances.
- You deregistered in a timely manner for that exam.
- You participated in the regular resit exam (as the first opportunity).
- Your final grade for the course falls between 4.0 and 5.5.
- You fulfilled all course requirements during the semester.
Submit a request to a Humanities study advisor during their phone consultation hours. The study advisor may request proof of illness or unforeseen circumstances during the missed exam opportunity.
Missed the resit exam?
If you miss a regular resit exam, you will need to retake the course in the following academic year.
Is your request for an additional exam opportunity rejected?
And do you believe you are entitled to it? You may appeal your request to the examination board.
Missing class due to illness
Notify your lecturer and inquire if a fellow student can share their notes with you afterwards.
Prolonged absence from education due to illness
The course manual outlines the requirements for each course. In principle, you should attend 80% of all lectures. If you are absent for an extended period, please contact your lecturer and the academic advisor.
Absence from an examination
Always follow the steps outlined above to report your absence.
Some important facts about grading at Urecht University:
- Utrecht University uses a 10-point scale: 1 being the lowest grade and 10 the highest grade.
- A 5 (or lower) counts as Fail; a 6 (or higher) as Pass.
- You will need a passing grade for all courses that are part of your degree programme in order to be able to graduate.
- Only passing grades are recorded on the International Diploma Supplement (addendum to your diploma).
- Did you fail a course with a score of 4 or more? In that case, you can take 1 additional or substitute test in order to pass, if you have fulfilled all obligations during the course. If you fail this test as well, you must retake the course.
- You cannot take an additional or substitute test if you have been awarded a pass.
- Final course grades are rounded off according to this table:
Final course grades
| From 5 to 5.5 | Round off to 5 |
|---|---|
| From 5.5 to 6.25 | Round off to 6 |
| From 6.25 to 6.75 | Round off to 6.5 |
| From 6.75 to 7.25 | Round off to 7 |
| From 7.25 to 7.75 | Round off to 7.5 |
| From 7.75 to 8.25 | Round off to 8 |
| From 8.25 to 8.75 | Round off to 8.5 |
| From 8.75 to 9.25 | Round off to 9 |
| From 9.25 to 9.75 | Round off to 9.5 |
| From 9.75 to 10 | Round off to 10 |
Your UU grades abroad: Grading Tables
To help foreign universities interpret the value of our grades, we publish Grading Tables that show which percentage of all passing grades in the past 3 years were a 6.0, a 6.5, a 7.5, etc. The tables are published on your International Diploma Supplement.
More information
An alphanumeric grade is assigned in the following cases:
- NP (Not Participated): You are registered for a course, but have not participated in any of the tests.
- NC (Not Completed): You are registered for a course, but have not completed one or more of the tests, or you have not passed a test with a required minimum grade.
- P (Pass) or F (Fail): You have taken part in a course for which no numerical grades are given.
- EX (EXemption): You have received an exemption for a course.
For each course, Osiris states the following information:
- which tests determine your final course grade
- how the result of each test factures in (weighing)
- whether or not you have to pass a minimum grade for a test
All test results can be entered in decimals. The final course result is rounded off.
Together with your diploma, you will receive an International Diploma Supplement (IDS). The IDS contains the following information:
- information about the name and level of your studies
- formal accreditation of your programme
- a list of your courses and grades (only passing grades are recorded on the IDS)
- a weighted average grade on the 10-point scale
At Utrecht University a weighted average grade is calculated by multiplying all numerical grades on the IDS with the credits obtained for that course, and by dividing this by the sum of credits. The average is built up gradually, and only the final average will be recorded on the International Diploma Supplement. Utrecht University includes grades obtained in the first year of studies in the calculation of the weighted average. - information on the grading system at Utrecht University including grading tables
At Utrecht University, we expect a certain standard of both students and staff. Please read our Code of Conduct. Students at Utrecht University…
Behave honestly and respectfully towards each other and towards members of staff
Perform to the best of their abilities by actively participating in teaching and extracurricular activities
Respect each other’s possessions and are careful when making use of university facilities
Enable lecturers and students to teach and learn under optimal condition
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 Examination Committee may implement sanctions on the offender. The most serious sanction that the Examination Committee 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 Personal Data Protection Act (Wet Bescherming Persoonsgegevens) the university is responsible for ensuring that personal data is processed properly. Also see the Privacy Statement on the Utrecht University website.