Student Charter

The Student Charter provides an overview of the rights and obligations of both students and the University. It is based on national legislation, particularly the Higher Education and Research Act (WHW, hereinafter also referred to as ‘the Act’), supplemented by regulations that are specific to the University of Groningen. The University-specific regulations are set out in the appendices to the Student Charter. Thus the Student Charter is not a law-creating document but purely a description of the legal position of both students and the University. In the event that the Student Charter contains information that deviates from legislation or regulations referred to, the legislation or regulations in question will prevail over the Student Charter text.

The Act stipulates that the Student Charter must comprise two sections: a University-wide section and a programme-specific section.

The University-wide section describes the rights and obligations that apply to the University as a whole, such as registration and protection of rights.
The programme-specific sections describe the rights and obligations that apply to specific degree programmes. These sections include the Teaching and Examination Regulations (OER), Rules and Regulations for examinations and final assessments, and other regulations and provisions set by the various degree programmes. You can consult your programme-specific section at the Faculty Education Offices and in the Faculty student handbooks.

The University-wide section of the Student Charter does not literally quote the articles from acts and regulations but describes them as clearly as possible. The various topics are accompanied by links to the relevant articles of the act or regulations in question.

The regulations in the appendices to the Student Charter and your degree programme’s Teaching and Examination Regulations will provide you with the most accurate information about your rights and obligations.

Publication

At the start of the academic year, all students will be sent an e-mail by the Board of the University drawing their attention to the Student Charter, where it can be found on the website, and where they can view a hard copy.

Validity

The Student Charter applies to academic year 2023-2024. The University-wide section of the Student Charter is decreed annually by the Board of the University upon the approval of the University Council. In the event that the Charter challenges or contradicts any statutory regulations, the statutory regulations will take precedence.

Download the Student Charter 2023-2024 (pdf)