Changes in your education?

Have you studied something at a different educational institution and wish to apply for this to be approved and recognised as part of your studies at UiS? Or do you need to apply for a leave of absence, change in individual education plan or extension of your entitlement to study because of sickness or another factor?

Published Updated on
Contact a student advisor

Student advisors are responsible for issues relating to their respective study programmes.

Press here to get an overview of the student advisors at UiS.

Maintenance of personal information

Have you received a new residential address, telephone number or e-mail address?

Please remember to update the information in StudentWeb. You are responsible for ensuring that your personal information is correct at all times.

If you have studied something at a different educational institution, and wish to apply for this to be approved and recognised as part of your studies at UiS, you will have to submit an application.

If you find that you are under too much pressure with your studies and are not sure whether you will manage to continue your studies as planned, there are a number of alternatives. These include applying for a leave of absence, extension of your entitlement to study, or transfer to part-time studies on courses that allow this. You can also contact the study adviser for your study programme for an evaluation of whether it is possible to change your individual education plan and allow you to continue your studies.

If you are not sure whether you have chosen the right programme and want to discuss this with someone, you can contact the Student Advisory Service at UiS. In some cases, it is also possible to apply to change your study programme without reapplying for admission.

Recognition of courses in your individual education plan

Once you have been admitted to a programme of study at the University of Stavanger, you can apply to have previous qualifications, or qualifications that you are planning to take, recognised as part of your education.

Academic recognition of higher education is regulated by chapter 3 of the Norwegian Act relating to Universities and University Colleges (Universities and University Colleges Act).You can apply for recognition on various grounds: 

  • Academic recognition of foreign higher education, cf. the Universities and University Colleges Act, section 3-5 
  • Academic recognition of education from other higher education institutions in Norway, cf. the Universities and University Colleges Act, section 3-5e 
  • Academic recognition based on prior learning and work experience, cf. the Universities and University Colleges Act, section 3-5f 

Before applying for recognition, it may be wise to give some consideration to the fact that the courses in the programme you are taking tend to build on each other and that the programme is designed to provide you with a specific learning outcome. 

You will find a number of different application forms that can be used to apply for recognition in Digital student service desk: 

Application to change individual education plan at the UiS
– use this form if you want to take courses at the University of Stavanger that are not automatically offered as part of your education.  

Application for recognition of courses/qualifications
– use this form if you have previously taken courses in Norway or abroad, or believe that you have relevant prior learning and work experience, that you want recognised as part of your education 

Application for preliminary approval of courses taken from other education institutions in Norway
– use this form if you want to take courses at other Norwegian higher education institutions and need to know in advance whether or not these can be recognised as part of your education at the University of Stavanger 

Application for preliminary approval of parts of programmes taken abroad 
– use this form if you want to go on an exchange programme or study abroad under your own auspices in order to ensure that the courses you take abroad will be recognised as part of your education at the University of Stavanger 

Application for final approval of courses 
– use this form when you return from a student exchange and want to document that you have taken the courses for which you received preliminary approval 

There are different ways of documenting your education and qualifications depending on the type of application you submit:   

  • Transcript 
  • Course description/descriptor/other information about the academic content 
  • Self-reporting of content and learning outcome 
  • Description of education and grade system in the relevant country  

The University of Stavanger can obtain your exam results from most Norwegian higher education institutions. Read more about exchanging results between education institutions in Norway.

Verification of documentation and forged documents 

The University of Stavanger may require you to submit original documents. The University of Stavanger may also request verification of your documents directly from the institution that issued them. 

You are responsible for ensuring that your documents are correct. The use of forged documents is regulated by the Universities and University Colleges Act, section 3-7(6)-(8), and will be reported to the police.  

Applications for recognition are processed on an ongoing basis. If your application has not been fully processed within 1 month, you will receive a preliminary answer.  

Always approve your individual education plan in StudentWeb before the deadline for semester registration. If you are granted preliminary approval for courses, once you have passed the courses you should submit an application for recognition of the courses together with a transcript. After being granted full or partial recognition, your individual education plan in StudentWeb will be updated.  

You will be sent the decision concerning your application by letter once it has been processed. If your application is fully or partially rejected, you can appeal the rejection in accordance with the rules of the Public Administration Act, sections 28-29. The decision letter will contain more information about the right to appeal. 

You have a right of access to documents relating to your application for recognition at all stages of the administrative procedure pursuant to the Public Administration Act, sections 18-20. 

The University of Stavanger complies with UNESCO’s international framework (the Lisbon Convention and the Global Convention) for the recognition of education for all types of recognition applications.  

The Lisbon Convention’s core principle is that education should be approved unless ‘substantial differences' can be shown to exist.   

At the University of Stavanger we use the Global Convention’s definition of ‘substantial differences’: differences that “... would most likely prevent the applicant from succeeding in a desired activity, such as, but not limited to, further study, research activities, or employment opportunities.” 

Applications for recognition are assessed on the basis of five elements: 

Quality: Has the education been accredited and officially recognised? 
Level: Is the education at bachelor’s degree or master’s degree level?
Workload: Calculation of the scope of education in terms of credits or other units of measurement.
Profile: Does the academic programme concur with the general purpose of the education you are taking?  
Learning outcome: What are you expected to be able to do/know after completing your education.  

If you have participated in learning activities under the auspices of ECIU University, it may be useful to know that a mutual recognition agreement for qualifications from learning units offered via ECIU University has been agreed between the participating universities.  

Such offers are therefore accredited and already satisfy the Quality element in the assessment of ‘substantial differences’.  

Information for students being supported by the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund:

If you get previous qualifications recognised, it may be a good idea to inform the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund that you will produce fewer credits than normal. The university automatically reports the number of credits you take per semester to the Educational Loan Fund. Alternatively, you can talk to a student adviser about whether there are other courses you can take instead such that you nevertheless achieve full conversion. 

+

Leave of absence from your studies

Are you pregnant, or is your health affecting your ability to continue your studies as planned? If so, applying for a leave of absence from your studies may be an alternative.

The entitlement to leave of absence for pregnant women is regulated in the Act relating to universities and university colleges section 4–5:

A student who gives birth to a child during her course shall be granted the right to leave from the course during pregnancy and for care of the child. The student shall continue to have the status of student at the institution during the period of leave, and is entitled to resume her studies at a level corresponding to that attained prior to the leave.

The entitlement to leave of absence for other reasons is regulated in the Regulations relating to examinations at UiS. Students may be granted up to one year's leave of absence. If leave is granted, this means that the time assigned for the studies must be extended accordingly. The Dean may stipulate other rules and conditions regarding the granting of leave of absence from studies.

The various faculties have different rules and conditions regarding the granting of leave of absence. Please contact your study programme's student advisor for more information about the conditions of leave of absence.

To apply for leave of absence please use the form "Application regarding leave of absence from studies at UiS"  in our digital service desk and attach the necessary documentation.

You may apply for leave of absence at any time during the year.

You must be an active student in order to apply for leave of absence. If you are a new student and are not able to start your studies during the semester for which you have been admitted, you will have to apply for a place to be reserved for you the following year. This application should be sent to the admissions office at UiS. Read more about reserving a place.

Only students who have been admitted to a study programme may apply for leave of absence. Students who have been admitted to individual courses will not be granted leave of absence.

You should not apply for leave of absence from a period of study abroad, if this is an integrated part of your study programme.

Students who have been granted leave of absence still have the right to study and the right to sit for the exam. Please note that by the registration deadline, you must have fulfilled student payment, registered for the semester on StudentWeb and signed up if you wish to take the exam during the leave period. Remember that the conditions for taking the exam must be met. If you do not wish to take the exam during the leave period, you must register and sign up when your leave is over.

If you have been granted leave of absence, this may result in changes to your individual education plan. You will therefore need to check whether there have been any changes to your individual education plan. After the leave of absence has ended, it is the university's aim to ensure that as far as practically possible, students are able to resume their studies as quickly as possible. However, this means that you will not necessarily be entitled to resume your studies immediately after your leave of absence has ended. Please contact the student advisor for your study programme for more information and about how to register with your updated individual education plan.

+

Illness

Do you have a functional impairment or are you suffering from an illness that is affecting your studies? If so, you should consider applying for special adjustments or leave of absence.

Many students need special adjustments during their studies – whether this is for short periods or for the entire programme. This is something that you can apply for if you have a functional impairment or health problems that make it difficult for you to sit exams. See more information regarding special examination arrangements.

To apply, find the form "Application for special arrangements during exams" in our digital service desk.

If your functional impairment or health problems result in absence from your studies, you may consider applying for leave of absence. See information above.

+

Changing your individual education plan or changing to part-time studies

If it is not possible for you to complete your studies in the normal time allowed, an alternative might be for you to apply to change your individual education plan or become a part-time student instead. Some study programmes at UiS are available as part-time studies.

When you are admitted to a study programme at UiS, you are normally allocated one year's extra entitlement to study, in addition to the normal time.  In some cases, students want or need to apply to change their individual education plan. For example, a student may wish to spread a three-year bachelor's degree programme over four years. If you would like to do this, it is important to read the descriptions of your study programme description and course carefully, to ensure that you fulfill the progression requirements of your study programme. Progression requirements or prerequisite knowledge requirements will state that you must have passed the exam in one or more courses before you can be admitted to the next course in the study programme.

Contact the study advisor for your study programme for more information, or find the application form in our digital service desk.

If it is possible to apply for a transfer directly from full-time to part-time study, without reapplying for admission, you will have to contact the student advisor for your study programme for more information.

+

Extensions to entitlement to study

If it is not possible for you to complete your studies within the allocated time, one alternative may be to apply for an extension to your entitlement to study.

When you are admitted to a study programme at UiS, you are normally allocated one year's extra entitlement to study, in addition to the normal time.  In some cases, students need to apply for an extension to their entitlement to study. In accordance with the Regulations relating to examinations at UiS, the Dean may grant an extension of the entitlement to study for up to one year, in special circumstances or if the study is nearing completion.

You can apply for an extension to your entitlement to study in the digital service desk.

Contact the student advisor for your study programme for more information.

+

Changing course

Have you been granted admission to a course at an external educational institution and would like to take that course instead? Or do you want to change an elective course within your study programme?

Changing elective courses

You can change elective courses in StudentWeb, but be aware that some study programmes do not have many courses from which to choose. Contact the student advisor for your study programme if you are unsure about which subjects can be approved as elective courses on your study programme. Any course changes must be made by the semester registration deadline of 1 September for the autumn semester, and 1 February for the spring semester.

Adding courses to your individual education plan

For some study programmes, you have to add elective courses to your individual education plan yourself. You can find a list of the elective courses applicable for your individual education plan on StudentWeb, or via the programme description for your study programme.

If you have been granted admission to courses at an external educational institution and want to take a replacement course at UiS instead, it is sometimes possible to add this to your individual education plan. Otherwise, you will have to apply for admission to the course you want via single course admission, before the deadlines of 1 August for the autumn semester and 1 December for the spring semester.

Please note that UiS cannot guarantee that the examination dates for different courses will not clash, if you decide to sit an exam in a subject outside the study programme to which you have been granted admission.

+

Withdrawing from your studies

Are you unsure about whether you have chosen the right programme, or find that you are under too much pressure with your studies? If so, please contact a student advisor to talk about different alternatives that may help you continue with your studies. If you have decided to withdraw from your studies before completing the full programme, you should also notify the university of this.

Advice

Do you feel under too much pressure with your studies and are not sure whether you will manage to continue your studies as planned? If so, please contact the study adviser for your study programme for an evaluation of whether it will be possible to change your individual education plan and allow you to continue your studies. If you are not sure whether you have chosen the right programme and want to discuss this with someone before you withdraw from your programme, please contact the Student Advisory Service at UiS or the student advisor for your study programme.

Withdrawal registration

We can terminate your entitlement to study if you wish to withdraw from your study programme. This would mean that you would not receive reminders for unpaid semester fees or other fees later in the semester. Please note that if you withdraw from your study programme, you will have to re-apply if you want to re-join that programme.

If you want to withdraw from you studies, please hand in your withdrawal form in the digital service desk.

Grade transcript

If you need documentation for courses that you have already completed, you can order a grade transcript via StudentWeb.

+

You may also be interested in