Requests for rectification concerning study credits, accreditation of studies taken elsewhere, and student admission

• The teacher or another assessor assesses the credits or the decision about accreditation will be made.
• A student who is dissatisfied with the assessment of his or her study attainment may address a spoken or written request for rectification to the instructor (teacher) who made the assessment, another assessor or the one who made the decision about the accreditation. Rectifications concerning doctoral thesis, licentiate thesis or an equivalent thesis or attainment or a research paper submitted as a part of advanced studies or an equivalent study attainment may address a request to the Board of Examiners.
• Rectification must be requested within 14 days of the student being in a position to be informed of the results of the assessment and the application of assessment criteria in his or her special case. Rectifications concerning accreditation must be requested within 14 days of having been informed of the decision.
• The instructor (teacher) who made the assessment, another assessor or the one who made the decision about the accreditation gives a written decision to the rectification.
• A student who is dissatisfied with the decision of the teacher concerning the rectification may appeal to the Board of Examiners within 14 days of having been informed of the decision.
• The Board of Examiners ask for a statement from the teacher who made the assessment or the one who made the decision about the accreditation. If required, The Board of Examiners can ask for an external statement and/or ask the student to make his or her own statement.
• The Board of Examiners treats the case and makes a decision whether the request for rectification is justified or unjustified within a reasonable timescale.
• The parties will be informed and the decision will come into effect immediately. The Board of Examiners delivers the record to inform: the student who made the request of rectification
  - the teacher who made the original assessment or the one who made the decision about the accreditation
  - programme director
  - dean of education of the faculty
  - service point of educational affairs for the registration of the credits, if required

Decisions of the Examination Board are final and cannot be appealed.

Assessment of licentiate thesis or an equivalent thesis or attainment or a research paper submitted as a part of advanced studies or an equivalent study attainment

Rectifications concerning licentiate thesis or an equivalent thesis or attainment or a research paper submitted as a part of advanced studies or an equivalent study attainment may address a request to the Board of Examiners. The Board of Examiners asks for an answer to the request for rectification from the body who made the assessment. The body who made the assessment asks for a statement from the examiner or examiners of the thesis and makes a proposal to the Board of Examiners whether the request for rectification is justified or unjustified.

The purpose of the written rectification request procedure is to allow applicants to appeal against University’s student admission decisions on the grounds of a possible error in the decision-making, and thereby have an erroneous decision corrected.

An admission decision may only be rectified if University of Oulu has made an error in the admission procedure and the error in question entitles the applicant to have the admission decision rectified.

The procedure is not intended to be used as a tool for requesting feedback or additional information on the admissions results.

You cannot submit any new documents to support your rectification request.

1. An applicant sends a request of rectification to the Examination board via University Registry Office, unless there are other instructions in the selection instructions.
2. The Faculty asks for answers from the assessor of the entrance examinations.
3. The answers are processed at the faculty (entrance committee or another body). The Entrance Committee of the Faculty processes the answers and makes a proposal to the Board of Examiners whether the request for rectification is justified or unjustified.
4. The Board of Examiners processes the answers and makes the decision whether the request for rectification is justified or unjustified within a reasonable timescale.
5. After the decision, the parties will be informed. That includes the student, the Faculty (the Dean of Education and Lead Specialist, Academic Affairs) and the assessor of the entrance examinations.
6. Appeals against rectification decisions shall be addressed to the Administrative Court of Northern Finland within 30 days of having been informed of the decision.

The process of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is always iniated by the student. More on Recognition of the Prior Learning (RPL).

Decisions of the Examination Board are final and cannot be appealed. (Universities Act section 84; University of Oulu Education Regulations § 27).

1. If the student is dissatisfied with the decision, they may submit an informal written request for rectification to the Faculty’s Lead Specialist, Academic Affairs, who forwards it to the RPL Assessor. This request must be made within 14 days of receiving the decision.
2. Without undue delay, the RPL Assessor provides a written response to the request and sends it to the Lead Specialist, Academic Affairs. Also the student is notified of the response.
3. If the student is dissatisfied with this decision or response, they may present a written request for rectification to the university’s Examination Board within 14 days.
4. Failure to appeal for rectification within the stated time period means that the decision will remain effective, and the RPL credits the student may have been granted will be recorded accordingly.
5. Rectification requests to the Examination Board must be submitted using the RPL Request for Rectification Form. This form CANNOT be submitted to the Faculty Study Affairs; together with all necessary support documents, it must be sent to the following address:
   

   The Board of Examiners/ Registry Office of the University of Oulu
   P.O.Box 8000
   FI-90014 University of Oulu
   Finland
   

6. The Examination Board will consider the request and render a decision in writing without undue delay. A statement may be requested from the RPL Assessor
7. All parties involved will be notified of the decision, which will be effective immediately. RPL credits that the student may have been granted will be entered accordingly into the study register. Notification of this decision will be communicated to the following:
   • student who submitted the rectification request
   • RPL Assessor who made the original assessment
   • head of the degree programme
   • Faculty Study Affairs for registration of credits

Decisions of the Examination Board are final and cannot be appealed. (Universities Act section 84; University of Oulu Education Regulations § 27).

• The study right has begun prior to 1.8.2005 (passive register)
  Rectification: it is not possible to appeal for a rectification to this decision, because the decision does not cause losing of the study right (Administrative Judical Procedure Act (808/2019) 3 § and Universities Act (558/2009) 84 §).
  
• The study right has begun on 1.8.2005 or after
  Rectification: it is possible to file a written request for rectification to the Board of Examiners within 14 days of having been notified of the decision (YOL 558/2009 82.2§).