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Special Arrangements for Examinations

As a student, you can apply for special arrangements for the assessment if, due to illness, injury or disability, you have difficulty completing an assessment in the ordinary manner.

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The special arrangements are meant to compensate for disadvantages such as illness, injury or disability, enabling candidates to be tested as equally as possible.

Who can Apply

You can apply for special arrangements for examinations if you have 

  • a disability 
  • an illness
  • other special needs

that leads to significant disadvantages at examinations compared to other students.

You may also apply for special arrangements if you have suffered an acute injury or illness.

What You Can Apply for - for school examinations

You can apply for the following types of special arrangements:

  • Extended time in the form of extra time to complete the examination. 30 minutes are added for examinations lasting up to 4 hours and 1 hour is added for examinations longer than 4 hours.
  • Extended time in the form of time to rest or move about during the examination and/or time to breastfeed
  • Writing assistance
  • Desktop computer with MS Word proofing tools
  • Desktop computer with Textpilot software
  • Adjustable chair
  • Adjustable desk
  • Daybed access
  • Separate exam room (or room with few others)
  • Other arrangements such as sign language interpreter (you must provide your own interpreter) or using your own equipment (cabled, not wireless)
  • Under special circumstances, you can apply for an alternative form of examination. For example having oral examination instead of a written examination. The academic communities, i.e. the departments, determine whether it is possible to grant an alternative form of examination. It must be academically appropriate and equivalent to an ordinary examination. Please note that oral examinations are rarely seen as equivalent to written examinations.

The Examination Regulations (Section 6.13) provide you with more information about these types of special arrangements.

Exceptions

The use of desktop computers will not be granted for subjects that use digital examination. NB! The exception from this rule are students who apply to use a desktop computer due to diagnosed reading and writing difficulties (dyslexia).

Note that some subjects have examinations that are not compatible with desktop computers. Some assignments or examination content may also not be compatible with dictaphone use. Contact your department/person with course responsibility to make sure you have the relevant information about what may best meet your needs and what can be offered for any particular examination. The Division of Student Affairs cannot grant special arrangements that are not academically justifiable. 

Digital examination

Many students with writing and/or reading difficulties prefer using correctional writing software during digital examinations, and are therefore recommended to apply for a desktop computer. If you have already been granted use of a desktop computer but would rather take the exam using Inspera with your own laptop please notify tilrettelegging@uib.no no later than two weeks before the examination.

What You Can Apply for - for other assessements

  • Extra time
  • Breastfeeding time
  • Writing assistance
  • Other arrangements
  • Alternative form of assessement

How to Apply

Apply for special arrangements

Apply for special arrangements for school examinations
You apply for special arrangements for all the examinations you are signed up for by completing the above form.

Permanent arrangements

Permanent arrangements can be granted for students with chronic conditions. This only applies to written school examinations. Information about this will be provided in your reply letter. If you have been granted permanent arrangements you do not need to re-apply for this arrangement or provide new documentation as long as you are a student at UiB.

Please note that the arrangement will not be automatically registered when you register for a course. It will be registered manually approximately two weeks after the semester registration deadline (1 September and 1 February). You are responsible for checking that this has been correctly registered at least two weeks before every school examination. If any information is missing or incorrect, contact tilrettelegging@uib.no.

Applying for special arrangements for other forms of assessments

If you need special arrangements at oral examinations, home examinations, submission of exam answers and similar, you can apply for special arrangements to the relevant faculty or department. See contact details in the Contact tab.

Documentation

Which documentation must be included?

You must submit documentation from a doctor, psychologist or another professional, and must include details about the actual and specific effect your illness, condition and/or medication have during school examinations. This information is necessary to assess the need for special arrangements at school examinations.

You submit the documentation by uploading it together with your application. Alternatively, you can submit the documentation later, by using the link "Document submission form" in your email confirmation called "Forvaltningsmelding", sendt to your student email. The documentation must be submitted no later than 2 weeks before your first school exam.

The doctor’s signature and stamp needs to be clear and readable.

If desired, your doctor may fill out this form instead of an ordinary doctor’s note. 

Applications and documentation will be treated confidentially.

Reading and writing difficulties (dyslexia)

UiB normally requires students to undergo a new assessment for reading and writing difficulties (dyslexia) when they start studying at UiB. Until new documentation is provided, the application for special arrangements will be assessed using documentation from primary school and up to high school/upper secondary school. This means that the first time you apply for special arrangements at UiB, you can include documentation from earlier assessments.

Students who need new documentation (this is assessed by Division of Student Affairs) or who have not been assessed prior to the application, can contact the Division of Student Affairs using tilrettelegging@uib.no for a new assessment.

Pollen allergies during the spring semester

Allergies do not ordinarily provide grounds for claiming that the student has an unreasonable disadvantage at examinations. 

However, in case of serious problems, the student may apply for additional time to rest during the examination. In this case the doctor's note must include:

  • specific disadvantages experienced due to allergies,
  • what kind of pollen the student is allergic to,
  • specific weeks or months the allergies affect the student,
  • a statement as to how serious the allergies are.

When to Apply

Application deadline

Autumn semester: 1st of September

Spring semester: 1 st of February

We encourage you to apply as early as possible. Documentation can be provided after the application deadline, but no later than two weeks before the examination.

Emergencies

UiB can assess applications submitted after the deadline if you become acutely ill or it is warranted for other special reasons. You must provide information in your documentation as to why the need for special arrangements occured after the application deadline.

Reply to Applications

After the application deadline all applications will be assessed according to the date of the first school examination. This means that candidates with examinations early in the semester will get their reply first. We strive to reply to all candidates two weeks before the date of the first examination. As long as you have received e-mail confirmation that your application has been received, you can be assured that it will be processed.

Digital mailbox

We recommend all our students who are able to, to use the digital mailbox. With the digital mailbox you will receive our reply letter as soon as it is ready. If the reply letter must be sent by ordinary post it is important that your name is clearly marked on your mailbox. We do not send reply letters via e-mail.

Contact

Written school examinations
If you have any questions about special arrangements you can send an e-mail to: tilrettelegging@uib.no or contact Edvard Kvalvik at the Division of Student Affairs.

Other forms of assessments
If you have questions about special arrangements for other types of assesment (oral examination, home examination, essays etc.), please contact the relevant department or faculty: