Failed exam
Good advice and important knowledge if you have failed an exam.
If you have failed an exam or not completed an exam, you may get one of the following results:
- Failed (-3, 00 or Failed)
- EM (Not met)
- SYG (ill)
- IG (Not approved)
- AB (Awaiting decision - Passed)
- AI (Awaiting decision – Failed)
If it is a mistake, i.e. the grade is different from what your lecturer told you, you must contact the lecturer in question as soon as possible.
See your results: Grades and Study Confirmation
If you have not passed a course, there may be some special rules that are important for you to know when you have to take a re-examination, for example, about which assignments can be reused, etc.
If you have failed a course, you must be aware that the course is now binding on your study plan and you must pass the course to complete your programme.
Read more about binding courses
Can I apply for exemption?
You can apply for an exemption to have the exam registration cancelled if:
- you have not participated in the exam and received the registration IG or EM, and
- and it is the first exam attempt in the course, and
- you do not wish to retake the course.
You can NOT apply for an exemption to cancel the exam registration if:
- You have taken the exam and received an assessment (grades or passed/failed)
- It is the second time you fail the exam.
In all courses and final projects, you have three exam attempts.
If you have exhausted all three attempts, you must apply for an exemption for a fourth exam attempt.
If you do not apply for an exemption or your exemption is not granted, you will be disenrolled from your programme.
The same applies if you have used more than three exam attempts; you will have to apply for a new exemption for an additional exam attempt.
If you have failed a course in May and need to apply for an extra exam attempt for use in the re-examination in August, there may be special deadlines.
The exemption committee will endeavour to process your application and send you a decision before the re-examination in August if you apply for an exemption before the deadline they have set.
If you have failed a course, it is up to you to decide whether:
- you want to follow the course again and take the re-exam at the same time as the other students take the exam in the course.
- you do not want to follow the course again and only go for the re-examination.
If you wish to follow the course again, you must register for the course again via the Study Planner.
If you only want to take the re-examination, you must register for the re-examination yourself via tilmelding.dtu.dk.
Remember to consult the rules for re-exams if you don't wish to follow the teaching but only want to take the re-exam. Special rules may apply for being approved for the exam in later exam periods.
Each year, the Study Guidance holds a number of webinars to provide information about the exemption process.
Keep an eye on your student email. You will receive a link to the webinars directly if you have failed an exam.
Rules in my study programme
Go to 'My Programme Specification' to see which study rules apply to your study programme.
