Disciplinary measures

Disciplinary measures

DTU has laid down rules on disciplinary measures. These rules are established for BSc, MSc and master's students in accordance with section 14, subsection 9 of the University Act. For BEng and diploma students, the rules are laid down in accordance with institutional conditions.

DTU's disciplinary rules apply to all students, including continuing education students, guest students and students at DTU's part time programmes and 'DTU Adgangskursus'. The rules also apply to PhD students who violate the exam rules (cheating at exam/plagiarism) in master's or PhD courses. See sections 7 and 8 below. 

Students must comply with the rules and other regulations governing students’ conduct and behaviour at DTU. Violation of the rules will have consequences ranging from a reprimand to permanent expulsion from the DTU programme, depending on the nature of the violation.

Furthermore, students must comply with general ethical norms laid down for students and staff at all universities and higher education institutions,. Deliberate acts violating such standards which will not be spelled out in the rules and regulations may have the same consequences as mentioned below.

Students should behave in a considerate and orderly fashion during their studies, to ensure the smooth running of the University’s activities. Students thus must consider the needs of other students and staff, as well as the University’s property, buildings, and belongings, when they are on the University’s premises. That means, for instance, that noisy behaviour, eating, drinking, smoking, etc., is prohibited if it causes inconvenience to others in any way. Students must observe the rules for good behaviour and safety regulations posted on signs, notice boards, etc., in laboratories, libraries, classrooms, exam rooms, conference rooms, corridors, canteens, and the surrounding areas.

Specifically, the following is prohibited at DTU: 
a) Offensive behaviour, cf. DTU Guidelines regarding harassment
b) Smoking indoors or in the immediate vicinity of the buildings at DTU
c) The use of psychedelic drugs, including other drugs which may have psychedelic effects such as nitrous oxide ('laughing gas')
d) Alcohol consumption during lectures and exams
e) Staying overnight at DTU
f) Violation of DTU's politic of alcohol during the study start. See here.

Students must follow instructions and directives from university staff, including security guards who perform tasks for DTU regarding compliance with the above rules and regulations for conduct and behaviour at DTU. Upon request from university staff and the aforementioned security guards, students are also required to identify themselves and present a valid student card.

Any violation of criminal law, the law of illegal substances, and other legislation committed by students in connection with activities at DTU is reported to the Head of Study Division (studiechef@dtu.dk), who will decide whether to report the case to the police. In addition to the police's processing, violations of legislation will also be handled as a disciplinary case and sanctioned by DTU.

Procedure in the event of violations of the disciplinary rules
If suspicion occurs regarding breaches of the disciplinary rules, it must be reported to the Office for Study Programmes and Student Affairs via AUS-Sekretariat@dtu.dk.

Cases involving a violation of the exam rules must be reported to the Office for Study Programmes and Student Affairs via www.eksamenssnyd.dtu.dk. Find more information at DTU Inside on ‘Study rules'/Exam'/'Cheating at exams and other forms of assessment’.

The Office will obtain a statement from the student and maybe other parties on the matter and then decide on the case. 

Complaint guidance
The student can submit a complaint about the disciplinary decision to the Danish Agency for Science and Higher Education if the complaint concerns legal issues. Legal issues can include, for example, non-compliance with the education regulations applicable to the programme and whether other legislation (such as the Administrative Act) and general administrative law principles have been followed. The agency does not handle academic issues, as universities have academic autonomy. The complaint must be filed within two weeks of the announcement of the decision. The complaint must be sent, cf. the complaint instructions given in the decision, to AUS-Sekretariat@dtu.dk.

When DTU receives a complaint about a decision, a reassessment of the decision is carried out based on the information the student has provided in the complaint. In this connection, DTU may decide to reopen the case if the complaint contains information of significant importance to the case or if significant case handling errors occurred in the original processing of the case. 

If DTU chooses to uphold the original decision, DTU will prepare a statement about the decision and the complaint. The statement will be sent to the student, who will be given the opportunity to comment on it. Finally, the entire case will be sent to the agency for consideration. The agency's case processing time is approximately six months from the time DTU sends the complaint to the agency. 

A complaint to the agency does not usually have a suspensive effect on the sanction the student has received. Therefore, a possible expulsion will still apply.

Cases involving a minor violation 
Cases involving a minor violation of the disciplinary measures (except cases of violation of exam rules) are generally handled by the manager/lecturer responsible for the relevant room or activity, i.e. the lecturer in connection with teaching-related problems, the departmental management in connection with problems with department rooms, or a supervisor in connection with special activities, for example in data bars and workshops.

The manager/lecturer may invite students to an interview to discuss the case and issue an oral warning against repeating the violation. The manager/lecturer does not have the authority to sanction the students in other ways than the two options mentioned above. The manager/lecturer must ensure that the provisions set out in the Danish Public Administration Act are observed, including that students are given the opportunity to make a statement before an oral warning is given.

If the manager/lecturer deems that the violation justifies more severe sanctions than an oral warning, or if the student fails to change the behaviour that leads to the oral warning, the case will be reported to the Office for Study Programmes and Student Affairs through aus-sekretariat@dtu.dk.

If the violation concerns exam cheating, the rules relating to 'Cheating at exams and other forms of assessment' should be followed.

Disciplinary measures
The following sanctions may be imposed if DTU’s rules are violated:

  1. Reprimand
  2. Issuing an oral or a written warning against repeated violation of the rules
  3. Expulsion from courses, workshops, etc. for a maximum of one semester
  4. Expulsion from exam
  5. Temporary or permanent expulsion from the University.

The above sanctions may be combined. The sanction depends on the severity of the breach, prior violations, the risk of reoccurrence, the need to ensure the smooth running of the University’s activities and to maintain respect for the work done at the University and whether the University’s interests can be sufficiently safeguarded if a less serious sanction is imposed. In milder cases, the sanction is most often a reprimand or a written warning, and in more severe cases or in the event of repeated violations of the disciplinary rules, the student will also be expelled temporarily or permanently.

1. A reprimand is the mildest reaction in a disciplinary case, and it is not considered an actual sanction but an underlining of applicable rules. In cases of violation of the examination rules, a reprimand can be regarded as a pedagogical reprimand. The reprimand can also instruct the student on how they should act in a similar situation in the future. In the event of a subsequent disciplinary case, it may be emphasized that the person in question has previously been made separately aware of the rules and the importance of compliance with them. 

2. A warning is a tightening of the rules that apply in the area and a recommendation to the student not to repeat the violation. A warning means that a subsequent violation of the rules will be treated as a repeated violation. Repetition is an aggravating circumstance that can lead to more severe consequences/sanctions for the student. 

3. Expulsion from a course, workshop, etc., for a semester is a sanction that is merely relevant for the Office for Study Programmes and Student Affairs to consider if the student previously has been given one or several oral or written warnings because of the student's behaviour in the relevant course/workshop. The lecturer/manager also has the authority to decide on an immediate expulsion from a course/workshop. Read more on ‘Academic prerequisites for course participation’. The lecturer can also immediately expel a student due to his or her behaviour or disruptive behaviour according to the disciplinary rules.

4. Expulsion from an exam can be used both before, during, and after the exam, and the sanction is only used in cases regarding violation of the exam rules (cheating). Expulsion from an exam means the student will have used an exam attempt, and their exam performance will be cancelled. If the exam performance has already been assessed, the assessment will be cancelled. The sanction includes the relevant course in its entirety, including all part exams in the course. Under exceptional circumstances, only a part exam in a course may be cancelled. If the sanction only includes one of the part exams, it is up to the manager/lecturer to decide if the student is to be allowed to do the part exam in the same course period and, therefore, allow the student to continue on the course. The student can resit the course/project according to the general rules for re-exams (see ‘Re-exams’ under ‘Exam’). The student will lose the right to a quick re-exam according to the rules regarding re-exam in the same exam period or in immediate continuation thereof when students lack only one course to finish their programme.

5. Expulsion from the University may be exercised in the event of gross or repeated violation of the rules and norms above and if the University deems it necessary to impose this serious sanction to ensure the smooth running of the University or to ensure continued confidence on the part of the outside world in the University.
Expulsion from the DTU means that the student is withdrawn from the study programme and is excluded from all participation in courses and exams. Expelled students are not entitled to have any tuition fees reimbursed for the period of expulsion. Students expelled for a limited period are automatically readmitted at the end of the expulsion period. 

If a PhD student is expelled, the expulsion will always be permanent, and enrollment at DTU will cease. Employment will automatically cease if the PhD student is employed at DTU.