NMBU's Board of Student Affairs

The Board of Student Affairs (former Appeals Committee) is a multidisciplinary body for the university, which decides individual cases for students.

The Board of Student Affairs consists of external chair with competence as judge, two permanent employees in scientific positions and two students. The first three are appointed by the university board, the last two are appointed by the student court.

Guidelines for NMBU's Board of Student Affairs

Who can appeal and what can be appealed?

• Students, including doctoral candidates

  Students, including doctoral candidates, can appeal:

  • Formal errors in examinations.
  • The physical learning environment (but not WEC cases).
  • Individual administrative decisions, i.e. decisions that apply the rights or duties of one or more specific individuals.
• The University

  The University, can lodge cases regarding:

  • Cheating or other censorious behavior (disciplinary cases).
  • Assessment of suitability for teacher education.
  • Forced termination of PhD study.
• Applicants for NMBU

  Applicants for NMBU can appeal:

  • denial of admittance to NMBU.
• Employees

  Employees at NMBU can appeal:

  • elections to university bodies.

• The case administration rules for the Board of Student Affairs

  The Board of Student Affairs are based on the different principles for student appeals and disciplinary cases:

  • Student appeals are based on the rules of administrative law – the chair has a casting vote and normal public disclosure of cases.
  • Disciplinary cases are based on the rules of criminal law – particularly with respect to voting procedures and disclosure rules.

  Student appeals are normally sent to the body that was the first instance to make an administrative decision. Any appeals sent to the committee secretary will be forwarded to the first instance for re-administration, before the case is lodged with the Board of Student Affairs.

  The appeal must be in writing, however there are no other format requirements to the appeal.

  It is important that the complaint makes a concrete account of the errors it is complaining about and what decision the complainant wants to achieve. 

  The Secretary of the Board of Student Affairs can provide guidance on setup and proceedings if necessary. The secretary's office is at Campus Ås.

• Hearings

  The students involved are usually summoned to the Board of Student Affairs 's hearings, where they will be given an opportunity to testify about the case.

  The Director of Academic Affairs represents NMBU in most cases before the Board of Student Affairs.

  Representatives of faculties involved are often summoned to assist in clearify up cases.

• The question of guilt

  It is the duty of the Board of Student Affairs to decide the question of guilt in disciplinary cases - also in instances of a dispute.   

  If the Board of Student Affairs finds that a student has cheated, the student's completion of the course can be annulled, and the student can also be excluded from NMBU or all Norwegian universities for up to one year.

• Legal aid

  Everyone has the right to be assisted by a lawyer or other proxy in matters before the Board of Student Affairs, regardless of the type of case, but at the student's own expense.

  Students who risk exclusion from studying in disciplinary cases are entitled to legal assistance by an attorney, which is covered by the university.

Annual report

The Board of Student Affairs's annual report is forwarded to the board of the university, however it is written in such a way that it does not need to be exempted from public disclosure. 

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