Student complaints procedure
For students at the Joint Faculties of Humanities and Theology
If you have a complaint concerning your studies at first or second cycle level you should follow the procedure described on this page.
Check the rules that apply
Before you proceed with a complaint, you need to be aware of what rules apply in different situations. Student rights and obligations at Lund University are described in the List of student rights. For example, the list includes what applies in relation to the following:
• the study environment
• course syllabi and timetables
• exams and assessment
• degree projects
• course evaluation
Student rights and responsibilities - lu.se
Another important document that governs education is the relevant course syllabus. There are also local Policy documents for undergraduate studies.
You can contact the study advisor at your department for information. You can always turn to the student ombudsman and student union for support and help.
Bring up the issue at a local level
Always start by getting in touch with the relevant lecturer/course director or the programme director. In many cases the problem can be solved at the source, at a local and informal level.
If the matter cannot be resolved by contacting the course/programme director, the complaint will be passed on to the director of studies and thereafter to the head of department.
Take the issue further
If the matter cannot be resolved at the department level, the next step is to send written documentation to the dean responsible for first- and second-cycle education.
If the student is not satisfied that the matter has been adequately addressed despite the procedure at department and faculty level, the student can turn to the Vice-chancellor with the complaint.
All student complaints that are handled as formal cases are registered at Lund University and become official documents.
Matters that are not covered by this procedure
Please note that the procedure described above does not cover the following matters:
- Cases relating to discrimination or harassment, according to the Discrimination Act and the Work Environment Act. Here is information on where to turn in the event of discrimination and harassment at Lund University. The HT faculties have produced a Guide on discrimination, harassment and offensive differential treatment for students, which you can download here (pdf). Here you can read more about what constitutes discrimination and harassment and where you can turn to for advice, support or help in reporting a case.
- Cases that concern Chapter 12 of the Higher Education Ordinance: assessment of qualifications and admission, approved leave from studies, deferred entry, credit transfer of previous studies, requests for exemption from study components and applications for degree certificates. If a decision goes against the applicant, he or she can apply to the Higher Education Appeals Board. Information on how to do this is attached to the decision.
- Disciplinary matters such as cheating and disruption. These are processed by the vice-chancellor/disciplinary board. Read more about disciplinary matters here.
- Changes to grading decisions. A decision to correct a grade is made by the examiner.
Student ombudsman and the student union
At Lund University there is a student ombudsman that you can turn to for support and help. The student ombudsman is not part of the University administration, but constitutes an independent party whose role it is to support and guide the studentunions and the students in cases that arise.
The student ombudsman's website
You can also obtain support and advice from The Student Union for Humanities and Theology.
Support from the student ombudsman or the student union does not require membership in the student union.