Policies and procedures

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:

1. 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).
2. 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.

You may not be able to attend an exam, lecture or working group due to illness or other unforeseen circumstances beyond your control (force majeure). It is also possible that you cannot, for example, hand in a paper on time.

• In case you are not able to attend a compulsory course component or fail a deadline due to force majeure you must inform the course coordinator as soon as can be expected.
• If you are not able to attend a test due to force majeure you have to inform the course coordinator by email and cc the student desk (science.mbls.ba@uu.nl) and study advisor (studieadviseur.mbls@uu.nl) as soon as can be expected mentioning your name, student number, name of the course, date of the test, and the reason of absence.
• In case you are not able to continue your studies for a longer period of time please inform your Study Advisor.

Consequences

• If you have missed mandatory course components, you may no longer meet the attendance or effort requirements (article 4.4, Education & Examination Regulations).
• If you have not been able to take or complete a test due to force majeure, and have not reported this in the proper manner, you lose the right to take a resit (article 5.5, Education & Examination Regulations).

See also articles 4.4, 4.5, 5.5, and addendum E in the Education & Examination Regulations (dropdown further down this 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).

Go to the page about the Education and Examination Regulations (EER) of MBLS.

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.

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).