I received a BSR in 2015. Now it seems this isn’t valid. What can I do?

You can no longer appeal that BSR (that must be done within six weeks). However, you may ask if you can return. Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences has a rule stating that students can return to the institute’s board of directors after a one-year waiting period and submit a request to resume their study programme. This rule will remain valid. Jan Roelof, member of the Executive Board, does not expect students, who have previously been turned away, to return on a large scale to the university. “They have probably chosen to take up another study programme or a job maybe. The students who do return will be given a fair chance. That is a decision to be made by the institute’s directorate.” A fair chance, but not an automatic guarantee of admission, will be given to these students.

I’m a second-year student but due to extenuating circumstances, I didn’t earn 48 credits in my first year. What happens now?

Second-year students who didn’t earn 48 credits during their first year, but who were permitted to continue, will have to earn the credits this year. You must have earned your 48 first-year credits before the end of your second year. The credits for second-year subjects do not apply towards these 48 credits. Are you still dealing with extenuating circumstances in your second year? Please make an appointment with a student counsellor and inform your study programme. There may be a way to get another extension on the 48-credit requirement.

I de-registered last year before 1 February and started again a half year later, in September. Am I considered a first-year or second-year student?

Some students de-registered last year before 1 February in order to avoid getting a negative BSR. This enabled them to register again for the same study programme in September (2015). This school year counts as their second year. Therefore, in the “old” system, they would have had to achieve their “P” (first-year stage) before the end of this school year. Now, in the current situation, they are “only” required to earn the regular BSR requirement of 48 credits.

I recently de-registered because I was no longer able to earn enough credits for my “P” (first-year stage). Can I come back now?

Until last week, the smartest decision financially was to de-register as a second-year student if it was impossible to earn your “P.” However, this is no longer the case since last week. Students will be able to proceed to the next study year, even without their “P” (first-year stage). You will be able to register again.

Can I still get my “P” (first-year stage) in my fourth year?

Yes. You can re-take and/or re-sit classes from the first-year stage during every study year. However, if you are still taking these classes during your fourth year, then you have incurred quite a delay in your programme. Not only are you missing first-year stage classes, without your “P” you also cannot graduate and often you are not even permitted to do internships. Most institutions require you to have earned your first-year stage (“P”) before they allow you to begin your third-year internship. Now that students without their first-year stage cannot be dismissed, the university says it is up to study career coaches to motivate students to finish their first-year stage subjects.

Can study programmes retain the first-year stage requirement for internships?

The Rotterdam University of applied sciences says, “Yes. Requirements for internships can always be made.” These requirements exist and will continue to exist. Second-year students are now able to proceed with their study programme without their first-year stage, but this may lead to other problems later in their programme.

Doesn’t this ruling cause the diploma to decrease in value?

Some students have suggested that the many chances to re-sit the first-year stage could decrease the value of the diploma. Of course the possibility exists that someone could “per chance” pass a difficult subject if they receive enough opportunities to do re-sits. But this is also true regarding subjects from the second, third, and fourth year. Now a few subjects have been added to this list (no more than 12 credits in total, due to the BSR requirement of 48 first-year credits that will remain valid). The Executive Board does not expect the value of diplomas to decrease because “the competencies needed to graduate have not changed. We will make no concessions regarding the quality of the diplomas.” After the summer, the Executive Board intends to begin discussions with management and representative boards about raising the BSR norms for first-year students. “There is concrete evidence that study programmes which require 52 credits, like the Industrial Product Design programme, show improved study progress.

I’m a first year student. I don’t have to get my “P” (first-year stage) in my second year. What requirements do I have to meet?

You have to earn the number of credits established by your study programme as BSR requirements. It has not yet been determined whether other requirements will be implemented. This, among other things, is currently being discussed with the representative board.

What will happen to Summer School?

Second-year students who were missing their first-year stage by one subject have always been permitted to request the Exam Board for one extra chance to take an exam. They would get that chance during the summer in order to finish their first-year stage before the start of their second year. The urgent need for these extra chances will no longer be applicable; students will be able to get their “P” (first-year stage) even in their third or fourth study year. However, the practical reasons for this opportunity remain due to certain pre-requisites, such as the third-year internship requirements. If a student needs to begin an internship per 1 September, it would be helpful to be able to finish the first-year stage during the summer holiday.

Do the new BSR regulations apply to Associate Degrees as well?

Yes, AD’s will receive a Binding Study Recommendation at the end of their first year. These students will also be required to meet the BSR norms in order to proceed with their study programme. There will be the possibility for deferment to the second year in cases of extenuating circumstances.

The Central Representative Board still has to vote. Can the new BSR regulations still be reversed?

The CRB expects to vote 20 June. For the current second-year students, there is not much room for a solution other than the one chosen by the CRB. “The rule has already been abolished and that would be difficult to reverse,” said Fons van Maldeghem, Chairman of the CRB, earlier this week. The board also says, in response to the question of whether they have researched other solutions, that there was not really any other solution. Jan Roelof has said, “The other solution we discussed was to keep things the same and to maintain the old BSR regulations. That was not an option because we wanted to prevent Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences from instituting BSRs that conflicted with the new interpretations of the Higher Education and Research Act. This was also the reason we implemented the new regulations immediately.” Second-year students who have already met the 48-credit requirement are definitely free from having to do anything else regarding their “P” (first-year stage).

Olmo Linthorst, translation: Ellen Oude Griep (Vertaalbureau Perfect)