Submit an appeal

You can submit an appeal to the Examination Appeals Board free of charge, if you disagree with a written decision by/on behalf of an examination board or examiner or an admission decision to a master's programme. You can appeal within a period of 6 weeks.

If you do not agree with a different type of decision, please check here whom to contact.

Can I lodge an appeal?

You can appeal against a written decision that directly affects your interest. You cannot appeal against a general regulation.

Please note: appealing to the Examination Appeals Board is different from filing an appeal with the court. Appeal to the Examination Appeals Board is the first step and takes place within UU. If you disagree with the Examination Appeals Boards decision (or a decision on an objection), you can appeal to the court.

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. 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 is the Examination Appeals Board?

The Examination Appeals 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.

Procedure

Help with preparing an appeal

If you need some help with writing your appeal, the following organisations might be able to assist you:

Contact details Examination Appeals Board