Binding study advice
Nominal is Normal: Getting Off to a Good Start at Erasmus University Rotterdam
At Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR), you are encouraged to complete your programme within the stipulated time. In the 2011-2012 academic year, four bachelor programmes started using a new examination system: Nominal isNormal. The expectation is that all bachelor programmes – with the exception of Medicine – will transition to this system in the 2012-2013 academic year. The current binding study advice (BSA) system will no longer be used. Make sure you visit the site for the latest updates. We expect to publish more information in the spring of 2012.
For more information: Nominal is Normal.
Binding study advice
To make sure that your programme gets off to a good start and runs smoothly, EUR uses the same binding study advice (BSA) system for all bachelor programmes with the exception of Medicine, which operates different BSA conditions.
If you are a full-time student, you are expected to have obtained at least 40 credits (ECTS) from the first-year programme by the end of your first year of enrolment and to have passed all subjects in that programme (i.e. you must have obtained 60 ECTS) by the end of the second year.
You will receive a negative BSA if you do not meet these standards. Exceptions can be made because of personal circumstances. The Examining Board will decide whether an exception applies. If you receive a negative BSA, you will not be permitted to enrol for the programme for which you received the negative BSA for a period of three years.
- What is the basis for the binding study advice?
- Who does the binding study advice apply to?
- Personal circumstances
- Filing an objection
What is the basis for the binding study advice?
During the first year, your department will regularly inform you about your study results. If your results are not up to standard, you will receive a warning and an invitation to meet with a study adviser or student counsellor to discuss your results, your study habits and any other circumstances that are affecting your ability to study. The possibility that you might have chosen the wrong study programme may also be discussed: it may be advisable for you to stop now and consider an alternative programme. Your total number of credits and whether you satisfy the standard will be determined in August: 40 ECTS by the end of the first year and all 60 ECTS by the end of the second year.
If you do not meet the standard and if there are no mitigating personal circumstances, you will receive a negative BSA. In that case, you will not be permitted to enrol for that programme at EUR for a period of three years.
Please note:
- If your poor study results are the result of personal circumstances, be sure to notify the study adviser or student counsellor in good time so that the Examining Board issuing the BSA can take your circumstances into account.
- If you withdraw from your programme after receiving a negative provisional BSA and you terminate your enrolment before 1 February of the first year, you will not receive a binding study advice.
- If this is also your first year of student financial assistance for higher education and you discontinue
your financial assistance before 1 February, your performance-linked student grant will be converted into a gift on condition that you do not reapply for student financial assistance during the same academic year. - Information about circumstances affecting your ability to study and what you can do about those circumstances can be found on the pages about advice and counselling.
Who does the binding study advice apply to?
The BSA applies only to first-year students of bachelor programmes. If you have enrolled for a second study programme, remember that you may receive a binding study advice for each programme. Exceptions are possible, as is the case for the 'mr. drs.' (combined LL.M. and MSc) programme. Ask your department for more information.
The specific groups of students that are exempt from the BSA vary from one programme to another (e.g. part-time students and students who have completed a higher professional education (HBO) programme). Ask your department for more information.
Personal circumstances
The BSA is based on study results. However, EUR is asked to take into account the personal circumstances specified in law when they are the cause of disappointing progress in your studies.
These personal circumstances are:
- Illness;
- Physical, sensory or other functional disability (handicap);
- Pregnancy;
- Exceptional family circumstances;
- Membership of certain university bodies;
- Membership of the board of certain student organisations.
If one of these personal circumstances applies to you, notify your study advisor or student counsellor in good time because this is the only way that the Examining Board will be able to take these circumstances into account when issuing your study advice. The rules about submitting this notification vary from one department to another, so it is important to ensure that you are well informed.
Filing an objection
If you have received a negative BSA and you disagree with the decision, you can file an appeal with the Examination Appeals Board.
