Policies and procedures
Here you will find everything to do with policies and procedures. Think about reporting sickness, the rules concerning the EER (OER) and BSA, retaking exams and approval and exemption.
Regulations related to your programme
Interim Study Advice
In your first year of enrolment in a BSc programme, you will receive an Interim Study Advice (‘positive’, ‘negative’ or ‘a warning) before 31 January. This advice indicates your study progress and is not binding. In case of a negative Interim Study Advice, you will be advised to discontinue your studies.
Binding Study Advice
At the end of the first academic year, a Binding Study Advice (BSA) will be given. The norm for the Binding Study Advice for academic year 2024-2025 is 45 EC.
The BSA is issued by the programme director, based on the number of credits you have obtained in the current academic year. You can obtain 60 EC (or more) in one academic year. If you have obtained at least 45 EC at the end of your first academic year, you will receive a letter with a positive BSA.
If you achieve less than 45 EC in your first year, you will receive a negative binding study advice. In that case, you may not continue your studies for the next four years. If there are personal circumstances that affect your study progress and may influence your BSA, please report this as soon as possible to the Study Advisor.
Be aware that:
- No negative Binding Study Advice can be issued if the student has passed all the tests related to the courses in the first year of the study programme with a combined study load of 60 EC (see Education and Examination Regulations 7.4. section 12 and the appendices of the EER).
- If you request course de-enrolment before 1 February of your first study year, you will receive no negative binding study advice.
Also see article 7.4 of the Education and Examination Regulations.
Postponed BSA in 2023-2024
Students whose BSA was postponed in academic year 2023-2024 will receive a positive BSA if they obtained 45 EC at the end of academic year 2024-2025. This number excludes EC obtained in academic year 2023-2024.
Special Circumstances
If there are special circumstances that you suspect will prevent you from obtaining 45 EC in the first study year, please contact the study advisor Studieadviseur.mbls@uu.nl as soon as is reasonably possible. This is important if you want to apply for a postponed Binding Study Advice at the end of the study year.
The Examination Board of the Undergraduate School of the Faculty of Science consists of a central Board of Examiners and seven Executive Panels. These Panels implement the examination policy for the programs within the framework set by the central Board of Examiners. The chairs of the Panels form the central Board of Examiners of the School. The central Board of Examiners functions as both a framework-setting and a supervisory body. It determines the examination policy and establishes the frameworks in the form of regulations and procedures. The members of the central Board of Examiners and the Panels are experts in the field of the program(s) and are staff members involved in teaching.
Members of central Board of Examiners UGS
For the current composition of the central Board of Examiners, please go to this Organisation page .
Tasks and powers of the central Board of Examiners UGS
The tasks and powers of the central Board of Examiners are derived from the Higher Education and Scientific Research Act (WHW). The central Board of Examiners establishes rules itself regarding the further implementation of these tasks and powers. These rules are described in the Regulations Board of Examiners Undergraduate School.
The tasks and powers of the examination board include, among others:
- Ensuring correct compliance with the Education and Examination Regulations (EER);
- Safeguarding the quality of exams and assessments;
- Monitoring the quality of programs;
- Appointing examiners;
- Approving a student's examination program;
- Granting exemptions;
- Approving educational components such as electives, program adjustments, participation in education outside UU, or extra ECs (Educational Credits);
- Granting additional resits;
- Determining individual student examination results;
- Awarding the Cum Laude designation;
- Issuing certificates.
Contact Information
At some point during your studies, you may need permission from the Executive Panel. This could be for requesting an exemption, participating in a specific course or internship, or seeking permission to participate in a resit due to illness. Your first point of contact for questions and submitting requests is the Executive Panel of your program. Check the dropdown menu below for more information.
In most cases, the MBLS Executive Panel is the first to contact for requests to the Board of Examiners.
For contact information and more go to the Board of Examiners-page.
If you failed a course you will be given a once-and-only opportunity to do a resit provided that your failing grade before rounding is at least 4.00 and you fulfilled all effort and attendance requirements.
You will not qualify for a resit if you already passed the course (final grade of 6 or higher).
If you have been unable to participate in at most one assessment due to force majeure you will be given a once and only opportunity to do a resit, provided that you have complied with the rules as stated under ‘reporting illness and absence’.
See also article 5.5 and addendum E in the Education & Examination Regulations (dropdown further down this page).
Each course contains several assessments that are graded. What these are is specified in the course manual and/or the Osiris Course Catalog. You must participate in all assessments in order to complete the course and receive a final grade. For some assessments, you may have to obtain a minimum mark.
See also article 5.1 in the Education & Examination Regulations (dropdown further down this page).
Numerical marks are given on a scale of 1 to 10. You pass a course if you have a final mark of 6 or higher. Final marks are rounded as follows:
- Marks in the interval ≥4.95 and <5.50 are rounded to 5
- Marks in the interval ≥5.50 and <6.05 are rounded to 6
- Other marks are rounded to 1 decimal; upwards if the second decimal equals 5 or more, downwards if the second decimal equals 4 or less.
See also article 5.4 in the Education & Examination Regulations (dropdown further down this page).
- ND (Niet deelgenomen; not participated): you registered for a course and did not participate in any of the test modules.
- NVD (Niet Voldaan; not completed): you registered for a course and did not participate in a sufficient number of assessments to be eligible for an additional test (resit) or (in rare cases) you did participate in all assessments, but did not fulfill the minimal mark criteria and (for some other reason) are not entitled to a resit.
- AANV (Aanvullend; resit): you are eligible for a resit. You did not participate in an assessment (but did report absent in the appropriate manner), have an insufficient mark for an assessment, or an insufficient final mark, but do qualify for a resit. See item ‘Additional test (Resit)’ for the requirements.
- VR (Vrijstelling; exemption): you have been granted an exemption by the Board of Examiners for a particular course.
- V (Sufficient): You passed the course for which a non-numerical assessment is given.
- ONV (insufficient): You failed the course for which a non-numerical assessment is given.
See also article 5.4 in the Education & Examination Regulations (dropdown further down this page).
Tests and assignments that were passed will lose their validity if the course within which they were taken was not passed. The examiner may grant the student exemption or impose a substitute assignment for parts of a course other than (partial) tests. Please refer to the MBLS-specific addendum E for several exceptions.
See also article 5.10 and MBLS-specific addendum E in the Education & Examination Regulations (dropdown further down this page).
Academic policies and procedures UU
Sets out all the rights and duties of students and the University. Download the Students' charter.

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.