Tribunal for Student Affairs at UiS

Universities are required to have a tribunal for student affairs that deals with complaints regarding individual decisions and, as determined by the university board, other complaints from the students. This is stated in the Universities and Colleges Act § 5-1.Complaints regarding formal errors, rejection of admissions, and cases concerning academic misconduct are the most frequently handled cases in the tribunal.

An overview of the tribunal's meetings can be found on OpenGov.

Members of the Tribunal for Student Affairs from fall of 2023

Chair:  Mette Thorsen

Deputy Chairman: Alexander Schønemann 

Scientific representatives:

Permanent member: Dag Osmundsen
Alternate member: Atle Mjåtveit
Permanent member: Kjersti Melhus  
Alternate member: Ingrid M. Leiknes

Student representatives:

Permanent member: Thomas Kleppa Hanssen
Alternate member: Luke Ibrahim Hodali-Nieber
Permanent member:  Marie Haga
Alternate member: Malin Gudvangen

Secretary for the Tribunal for Student Affairs: Miriam Thea Josefin Svenaeus Bakken Wallenborg

Types of Cases

The tribunal for student affairs handles coplaints regarding individual descisions in the following cases:

• Admission to programs, subjects, or courses that are not subject to appeals through Samordna Opptak or the Joint Complaints Board
• Admission to practicum, laboratory courses, field courses, and similar activities
• Dispensation or exemption from exams or tests
• Refusal of registration/access to exams
• Formal errors in exam administration, conduct of grading, approval of courses or practicums that are mandatory parts of the program, as well as rejection of applications for self-chosen bachelor's degrees and other free degrees
• Loss of student status

In addition, cases are handles according to:

• the University and University Colleges act § 4-7 regarding attempts at cheating, or deliberate or grossly negligent cheating
• the University and University Colleges act § 4-8 regarding suspension and expulsion
• the University and University Colleges act § 4-9 regarding suspension due to criminal records
• the University and University Colleges act § 4-10 regarding suspension following a suitability assessment by the Tribunal for Suitability
• cases referred from the board

Case Procedure

The deadline for filing a complaint is 3 weeks from the time notification of the decision has been received by the concerned party, cf. the Public Administration Act § 29. The complaint must specify who is filing it, what the complaint is about, and what one hopes to achieve. The reasons supporting the complaint should also be stated. The complaint must be sent to the authority that made the decision (the subordinate authority).

When a complaint is submitted, the subordinate authority reviews it. If the complaint is fully or partially upheld, it does not proceed to the Tribunal for student affairs. However, if the subordinate authority supports the original decision being complained about, both the complaint and the faculty’s opinion are forwarded to the Tribunal for student affairs.

The Tribunal members evaluate the complaint and reach a decision. This decision is then communicated to both the student involved and the relevant faculty or department.”

Decisions made by the Tribunal for student affairs are generally final and cannot be appealed. However, there is an exception: if the matter pertains to sections 4-7 to 4-10 of the Universities and Colleges Act, the Ministry or the Joint Complaints Board serves as the appeals body.