Binding study advice at the UU: corona crisis is “exceptional circumstance”

That’s the UU translation of the national agreements about, among other things, the binding study advice, as announced by the minister on Thursday. It remains unclear whether this means that all students who fail to obtain the required number of credits will be able to continue their studies. DUB has inquired about the issue. In response, the UU states that next week, it will discuss whether all first-year students who fail to obtain sufficient credits - regardless of the corona crisis - will be able to continue their studies.

At the UU, receiving an adopted recommendation has always been possible – as long as the student involved has experienced ‘exceptional circumstances’. In an email sent to all students and employees on Friday, the UU says that the corona crisis will be considered ‘exceptional circumstances’. Just like in previous years, students who continue their studies without a positive study advice will have to obtain all 60 credits from their programme’s first year.

For the current second-year students with an adopted recommendation who are trying to meet that requirement, the UU will look for a custom solution. Other students who experience study delays because of the corona crisis, for instance because their internships or practical activities are cancelled, can request financial compensation from the profiling fund. This, however, won’t be possible until after the period of study delay, which means not before the 2020-2021 academic year.

The UU department head of education, Renée Filius, says there are a lot of students who wish to appeal to the profiling fund at the moment. “But we can’t do anything with those requests right now. For every request, an exam committee will have to conclude that the delay was in fact caused by the corona virus.”

In the mail, students who fear financial issues as a result of the current situation are being referred to DUO, which has relaxed its loan conditions.

The UU wants to make a decision about the education in block 4 (April 20 onward) sooner than previously announced. Students and employees will be informed no later than next Friday whether the education in the next block will also take place online.