Examination Appeals Board
Every university has an Examination Appeals Board to which students can appeal. This Board is an independent appeals board established in accordance with the Higher Education and Research Act [Wet op het Hoger Onderwijs en Wetenschappelijk onderzoek]. The chair is external and judge by profession. The other deputy chairs also meet the requirements for eligibility to judicial officer. Two of them working at the Utrecht University School of Law. The members are academic staff members from various different faculties. Students also serve on the Examination Appeals Board.
What kind of appeals can be lodged with the Examination Appeals Board?
All decisions made by Boards of Examiners and examiners, including:
- Assessments (grades)
- Rejection of an extra resit
- Denial of an exemption
And decisions about certain subjects like admission to a Master’s degree programme or the negative binding recommendation concerning the continuation of studies.
‘Decisions’ also includes situations in which no decision was made within the statutory period applicable. If no period is prescribed by law, this means within a “reasonable period”, which generally does not exceed one or two months.
Who can appeal?
Anyone whose interests are directly affected by a decision, for example made by a Board of Examiners or examiner. This means that you can only appeal if you have directly experienced the consequences of a decision or the failure to make a decision.
On what grounds can you appeal?
- You need to describe thoroughly why you disagree with the decision;
- In case of a grade, you need to explain why you feel that the assessment of the examiner was incorrect that is reason to give you more points. In case of an exam you should explain why your answer to a question should have been awarded more, refering to the explaination of the examiner.
- If you feel that the rules (EER or course guide) were not followed, describe which rule you mean and what was wrong about the decision.
- If you feel that the decision was unreasonable in your case, explain why you feel this way.
- Write down what your interests are in this decision.
What is the deadline for appeals?
You must submit your notice of appeal within six weeks of the day on which the decision was announced (if it concerns a grade this is the mutation date in Osiris, the day that the grade was published). If you submit your notice of appeal late, it can only be processed if you have proper grounds for late submission. Being on holiday does not constitute proper grounds.
The date for a review or discussion with your examiner does not extend the period of six weeks.
It is also possible to submit a provisional notice of appeal, for example if the deadline for appeals has almost passed, or if you invoke an internal procedure. In a provisional notice of appeal, you indicate that you would like to appeal and include details of the decision you are appealing against, but you do not yet state the grounds for your appeal. This is a good way of making sure that you do not miss the appeals deadline. The Examination Appeals Board then gives you a deadline for submitting the grounds for your appeal.
What does the procedure cost?
The procedure is free of charge.
Archive of previous decisions
When the Examination Appeals Board has decided, an anonymous version of the decision will be publiced on the UU website in this archive.
The procedure
How to submit an appeal?
You can submit an appeal using a digital form. This form will be sent to the Examination Appeals Board automatically.
If you want to submit an appeal to the Examination Appeals Board now, click here for details of the procedure.
What are the contact details?
College van Beroep voor de Examens Universiteit Utrecht
Postbus 80125
3508 TC Utrecht
Heidelberglaan 8
3584 CS Utrecht
Secretariaat: room 1.55
T: 030 253 3075
E: cbe.jz@uu.nl
Help with preparing an appeal
If you need some help with writing your appeal, the following organisations might be able to assist you:
Het Landelijk Studenten Rechtsbureau
Bemuurde Weerd OZ 1
3514 AN Utrecht
T: (030) 2231644
E: info@lsr.nl
W: https://www.lsr.nl/
VIDIUS Rechtshulp van VIDIUS studentenunie
Achter Sint Pieter 25
3512 HR Utrecht
T: (030) 253 22 53
E: : rechtshulp@vidius.nl
W: https://vidius.nl/
You may want to contact a lawyer.
How much time does the appeal procedure take?
The Board decides within 16 weeks, counted from the date of the announcement of the decision you contest. Sometimes there might be an urgent need for a decision in a shorter period. You may then request a provisional judgement. In that case you need to explain the urgent need. A decision about this special request, is not the substantive decision about your appeal. Sometimes a temporary solution is possible, that buys more time for the appeal procedure. An accelerated procedure is also possible. In that case, the usual terms are shorter and the hearing is planned in an earlier stage. This way the final decision will be made sooner. On the day of the scheduled hearing, in most cases the outcome of the hearing will be made known (founded/unfounded).
How does the procedure work?
The explanation can be found in this document about the procedure.
Is it possible to file an appeal against the decision of the Examination Appeals Board?
You can appeal a decision of the Examinations Appeals Board to the Administrative Law Division of the Council of State.
Postal address:
PO Box 20019
2500 EA The Hague
More information and contact details can be found on the Council of State website: https://www.raadvanstate.nl/studentenzaken/
This page also contains a sample notice of appeal. The appeal period is 6 weeks. There are costs associated with this procedure: the court fee is €50