Exemptions

For the Board of studies to be able to process your application for exemption, you must submit the application via mystudies.au.dk. You can find the application module under "Apply to your Board of studies" and then "Apply for exemption". Please note that the application cannot be submitted until you have entered all relevant information and that you do not receive a receipt email. Therefore, remember to save your application.

Use the following rules of thumb when you write an application for exemption:

1. Your basic information: Fill in the relevant contact information (student registration number, name, address, AU email and mobile number) so that the Board of studies knows how to contact you.
2. What do you apply for?: Write briefly and specifically what you are applying for and which rules you apply for an exemption from. You can learn more about the exemption options on these pages, or you can contact your student counsellor or Study Service for further guidance.

3. What is your reason for the application?: Here, you must clearly state the reason why you are applying for exemption from one or more rules. Please note that according to the academic regulation (and the current ministerial order), 'exceptional circumstances' must be present for an exemption application to provide a sufficient basis for an exemption. As a general rule, exceptional circumstances must be documented. You can find examples of exceptional circumstances on this page.

4. Attach documentation: Attach documentation of the conditions you have accounted for. This may, for example, be a doctor's certificate or other written documentation. There must be a correlation between the conditions you are applying for, your reasons and the documentation that you attach.

All exemption applications are normally processed within 6-8 weeks (July excepted). However, it may take longer if documentation or similar is missing. Please note that enquiries from the Board of studies will take place via your AU email address.

In special situations, you may be summoned to an interview in order to clarify your application.

Documentation requirements for exemptions in connection with COVID-19

Exceptional circumstances:

• will typically be something external and unpredictable, something that is independent of your will, and something you have not been able to plan yourself out of or adapt to.
• is something that affects the individual, and which is not frequently or habitually occurring among students.
• must, as a general rule, be of a scope and timing that prevents you from complying with a given rule.
• must be documented.

When you apply for an exemption, you must explain that the reason why you were unable to follow the given rule is exceptional circumstances. You must describe the circumstances surrounding the exceptional circumstances fully, and you must enclose relevant documentation that supports your account.

Conditions that lie within your control, or which you have the opportunity to plan for, cannot be described as unusual.

Examples of conditions that cannot be considered exceptional:

• delay due to public transport
• that it took longer to upload an assignment in the Digital exam system than you had expected
• that you want to go to holiday
• that you have been offered a job or a work placement.

Conditions which are frequently or regularly found among students will not normally be considered exceptional.

• Elite sport athletes
• Pregnancy/maternity/paternity leave
• Impairment
• Documented illness in yourself or your immediate family
• Death in the immediate family
• Civic duties as adjudication or jury

If you apply for a leave of absence during pregnancy/maternity/paternity, you are not entitled to SU, and you cannot take classes and exams. In order to continue to be entitled to this, you must instead apply for an exemption to postpone the maximum duration of study (you must specify how much you want to postpone your maximum duration of study. In most cases, it will be a year, as it corresponds to a normal maternity/paternity leave).

You must also remember to make sure that your submission deadline for your Master's thesis is postponed when you are on leave.

Read more about exemption applications for illness in connection with exams in the menu under 'Examination' > 'Illness in connection with exams'.

You need a doctor's certificate if you fall ill in connection with an exam and in connection with some exemption applications.

You can read more about what you need to be aware of regarding a doctor's certificate here.