Apply for exemption

As a general rule, DTU's Exemption Committees will only grant you an exemption if you can prove that exceptional circumstances have made it necessary for you to apply for an exemption. This means that something unexpected and something you could not have planned for has happened in your life. 

The following circumstances may justify an application for exemption:

• Personal illness
• Serious illness or death of an immediate family member (parents, siblings, children, spouse/partner)
• Disabilities where any special educational support does not sufficiently compensate for the disability
• Civic duties, such as serving as a juror or lay judge
• Military service
• Sports at elite level
• Entrepreneurship
• Duty as chairperson in a voluntary organization under the Danish Youth Council (DUF), a board member of the Polyteknisk Forening (PF), or similar organizations.

As a general rule, the Exemption Committee does not consider the following circumstances as grounds for exemption:

• Time spent on employment or voluntary work
• Participation in committee and council work, such as departmental study boards, CUU, and DUU
• Housing problems or financial difficulties are not in themselves grounds for exemption
• Lack of knowledge of the programme's regulations
• Poor organization and planning
• Undocumented technical issues (e.g., when applying for an additional exam attempt)
• Transport difficulties (e.g., when applying for an additional exam attempt)

The Exemption Committee's decision is always based on a specific, individual assessment of the information provided in your exemption application, together with the overall circumstances of the case. This means that you may be able to obtain an exemption for reasons that do not exactly match the circumstances described here.

You are welcome to contact the Study Guidance Office if you have any questions or need advice about applying for an exemption.

The specific content and documentation requirements depend on the type of exemption you are applying for. Read the description of each type of exemption to find out which requirements apply to you.

A typical exemption application should contain:

A motivated application

• Start by stating what you want to be exempted from.
• Describe briefly and clearly the reason(s) why you have come into conflict with DTU's study rules and how this justifies an exemption. 
• Your application for exemption must not exceed one A4 page, using font size 12, normal margins and 1.5 line spacing.

A forward plan

• Describe what you plan to do differently in order to avoid falling foul of the study rules.
• If you are applying for an exemption for requirements and deadlines, you should include a study plan, showing how and when you plan to complete the courses and activities you still need to pass for your programme.

Documentation

Your application for an exemption must be justified. You must always attach relevant documentation - for example, a medical certificate must be attached to an application for a medical exemption. As a student, you are responsible for the cost of obtaining a medical certificate. 

Possibly a head of study statement

In some cases you may need include a statement from your head of study. This is the case if:

• You are applying to start your final project before you are meeting the requirements
• You are applying to extend the submission deadline for your final project
• Your study plan includes one or more semesters in which you plan to study for more than 30 ECTS points.
• You are applying for a exemption in relations to your study programme.

All documents, including your application and relevant attachments, must be uploaded in PDF format or they will not be viewable by the Exceptions Committee.

If you are in conflict with several rules at the same time, you should only create one exemption case. Therefore, you must upload a single comprehensive exemption application with a combined explanation of why you are in conflict with DTU's study rules.

At the top of your exemption application, you must specify which study rule(s) you are requesting an exemption from.

Within the exemption system, you must specify which type(s) of exemption/study rule(s) you are applying for.

If you have been asked to apply for an exemption because you are in conflict with one or more study regulations at DTU, you must submit your application by the deadline specified in the letter you received from DTU in your e-Boks.

If you have not been asked to apply for an exemption, but you know that you are or will be in conflict with a study regulation at DTU, or you wish to apply for permission to deviate from a study regulation at DTU, it is generally recommended that you apply as soon as possible.

Please note that the Exemptions Committees meet once a month. This is where applications for exemptions submitted by the deadline are processed.

Exemption Committee meeting dates and application deadlines

You can expect a decision 8-10 weeks after the Exemption Committee has considered your application. The Exemption Committees meet once a month and consider applications submitted by the deadline for that meeting.

Check the application deadline for each committee meeting

The processing time may be extended if your application is missing documentation or if the Exemption Committee requests additional information.

 

You can continue with your studies while your application is being processed.

Keep an eye on your DTU student email. That's where you'll receive the answer to your application.

Find more information about the appeal process for exemption decisions