Changes in your education?

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 12-1, 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. 

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.