If you are in a situation where you cannot follow the rules and regulations, that apply for your education, you can apply for an exemption. Exemptions are approved deviations from rules stipulated in ministerial legislation, IT University rules or rules in the curriculum.
The rules to deviate from
Below you can find examples of the rules that students are most likely to apply for an exemption from. The list is not exhaustive, and each application is handled based on its specific situation.
From Monday of the third week in a semester, registrations for study activities are binding and the student must complete the course and sit for the examination.
If you due to special circumstances cannot complete a course, you will need to apply for an exemption from the rule.
Very important
You always have to complete your mandatory courses.
If you have used exam attempts in a course, an exemption from the rule is very unlikely, since you must document that extraordinary circumstances apply to your situation.
All bachelor students must pass exams corresponding to 45 ECTS no later than by the end of their first year of studies. If you due to special circumstances cannot meet the requirement, you can apply for an exemption from the rule.
If you have credits transferred from previous studies to your ITU programme, these credits will not count as part of the fulfilment of the first-year exam.
However, if you have credits transferred, and ITU is not able to offer a coherent study plan with 30 ECTS each semester, you will be exempted from the progression requirement.
More information about the first-year exam.
The Bachelor of Science (BSc) programme must be completed within four years for students enrolled autumn 2015 or later.
Students enrolled autumn 2014 or earlier have five years to complete their education.
The Master of Science (MSc) programme must be completed within three years for students enrolled in autumn 2015 or later.
Students enrolled spring 2015 or earlier must have completed their education within five years, though no longer than until august 2018.
The requirements for progression is a rule outlining how many ECTS you must pass every year in order to obtain your enrollment and be considered as an active student.
You must pass a minimum of 45 ECTS each year.
If you due to special circumstances cannot meet the requirements of progression, you can apply for an exemption from the rule.
For more information, see here.
You have three attempts to pass your exam. If you do not pass your exam using the three attempts, you can apply for a fourth exam attempt.
When is an exemption a possibility?
The university can grant you an exemption if you can document that special circumstances apply to your situation.
The special circumstances must relate to you as a student and must be externally imposed and something that you could not anticipate or plan for. This could for instance be illness affecting yourself or illness in your immediate family - or other personal special circumstances.
Look here more information about How to apply for an exemption.
What is special circumstances?
Examples of what can qualify as special circumstances:
- Documented illness or an accident affecting yourself
- Documented illness in your immediate family (a spouse/partner, a sibling, a parent or a child)
- Death in your immediate family (see below)
- Childbirth
- Pregnancy-related complications
- A worsening of a chronic illness
- Or other special circumstances related to you individually which you could not anticipate or plan for
Examples of what cannot qualify as special circumstances:
- Vacation
- Challenges or problems with attending classes and/or exams because of work
- Exams or courses scheduled at the same time or close to each other
- Academic challenges
- Lack of knowledge of rules and deadlines
- The fact that you will be delayed in completing your studies is not in itself a special circumstance
- The fact that you plan to start a master’s programme as a direct extension of your bachelor programme is not a special circumstance.
There can also be other circumstances, which are not special, but can provide a basis for an exemption:
- Civic duties as a lay judge or member of a jury
- Athlete of elite sports
- Entrepreneurship of a certain scale
Please note that the special circumstance, you describe in your application, must have taken place at a time and been of a duration that corresponds with the exemption you are applying for.
Death in the immediate family
Death in the immediate family includes a spouse/partner, a parent, a sibling or a child. You can document this special circumstance with a copy of a death certificate.
If you lose someone who is not your immediate family (see above) but someone you are very close to, you can apply for an exemption, if the death affects your ability to study. You must submit medical documentation which describes the close relationship with the person as well as how the death affects you and your ability to study.
This page was last updated August 2024