The Universities and Colleges Act provides special rules in certain areas that are also covered by the Public Administration Act, for example rules related to appeals of exam grades. In such cases, the special provisions in the Universities and Colleges Act apply instead of the general rules in the Public Administration Act.
Individual decisions
An individual decision is a decision that applies to one or more specific individuals. Such a decision is made when, for example, applying for admission to the university, applying for recognition of prior education, or applying for leaves of absence. Usually, rejecting an application is also regarded as an individual decision.
The public administration act contains rules about how individual decisions should be designed and justified and how the decision should be communicated to the person who has submitted the application.
Right to appeal
You have the right to appeal UiO's decisions, cf. offentleglova § 32 (the Public Access to Information Act).
To whom can you appeal?
The appeal should be sent to the faculty that made the decision. The faculty will carry out any investigations the appeal gives reason for. The faculty may repeal or change the decision if it finds the appeal to be well-founded.
If the faculty does not find the appeal well-founded and therefore does not change its decision, the appeal will be forwarded to the appeals body, which is UiO’s Committee for Student Affairs.
Deadline for appeal
The deadline for appeals is three weeks from the day you receive the decision. You may request an extension of the appeal deadline. This request should be made to the faculty that made the decision.
Right to request a statement of reasons
If you believe that we have not given reasons for our decision, you may request such a statement before the deadline expires. A new appeal deadline will then be calculated from the day you receive the statement of reasons.
Contents of the appeal
You should specify:
- which decision you are appealing
- the reason(s) for your appeal
- the change(s) you are requesting
You should also mention any other information that may be relevant to the assessment of the appeal.
Right to access case documents
With certain restrictions you have the right to see the documents in the case. The rules on this are found in the Public Administration Act §§ 18 and 19. You must contact the faculty that made the decision. You will then receive further guidance on procedures, the rules for case handling, and appeal options.
Guidance from the Ombud for Students
If you need advice or guidance, you may contact the Ombud for Students. The Ombud for Students is a free legal guidance service for students. All inquiries are treated confidentially, and the Ombud for Students is bound by confidentiality.
Complaint to the Parliamentary Ombud (Sivilombudet)
If you believe our decision is incorrect, or that your case has not been handled properly, you may file a complaint to the Parliamentary Ombud (Sivilombudet). The Parliamentary Ombud cannot change the decision itself, but can review our handling of the case and determine whether any errors or omissions have been made.Appeals