Disciplinary cases

• Completed form for reporting the case, in Swedish or English (if the student does not speak Swedish).
• Copy of the written information that has been given to the student regarding plagiarism and rules of conduct. If the student has been given information orally about this, describe in the report how and when this information was given.
• Official notes from conversations and/or e-mail correspondence with the student regarding the suspected offence (if applicable).
• Copy of the instructions for the assignment and the answers for the assignment (the latter if relevant). If the same questions have been used for the assignment previously, please specify this in the report.
• Report from Ouriginal (previously “Urkund”) if the system has been used.
• Copy of the assignment handed in by the student. Please highlight the plagiarized sections. A manual comparison between the sources is needed as more similarities often can be found, compared to what Ouriginal has shown.
• Copy of the text or texts that you suspect the student has copied from, including highlighting of the plagiarized sections.
• If necessary, descriptions of other similarities than just the wordings.

• Completed form for reporting the case, in Swedishor English (if the student does not speak Swedish).
• Copy of the written information that has been given to the student regarding plagiarism and rules of conduct. If the student has been given information orally about this, describe in the report how and when this information was given.
• Copy of the students examination, essay, lab report or equivalent.
• Written, signed reports from the hosts of the examination (incident report) and any other potential witnesses.
• Questions for the examination and answers (the latter if relevant).
• Official notes from conversations and/or e-mail correspondence with the student regarding the suspected offence (if applicable).
• Copies of the inadmissible aids the student has used (if applicable).
• Toilet list from the examination (if relevant).
• Attendance list from the examination (if relevant).
• Placing list at the examination (if relevant).

• Completed form for reporting the case, in Swedishor English (if the student does not speak Swedish).
• Copy of the written information that has been given to the student regarding rules of conduct. If the student has been given information orally about this, describe in the report how and when this information was given.
• Official notes from conversations and/or e-mail correspondence with the student regarding the suspected offence (if applicable).
• Copy of the instructions for the assignment and the answers for the assignment (the latter if relevant). If the same questions have been used for the assignment previously, please specify this in the report.
• Report from Ouriginal (previously “Urkund”) if the system has been used.
• Copy of the assignments handed in by the students. Please highlight the plagiarized sections. A manual comparison between the sources is needed as more similarities often can be found, compared to what Ouriginal has shown.

• Completed form for reporting the case, in Swedishor English (if the student does not speak Swedish). Please state clearly in the report how the suspicions of the disruptive behavior or harassment arose. Please note that the term “harassment” in this context is specified in Chapter 10 Section 4 of the Discrimination Act (2008:567).
• Copy of the written information that has been given to the student regarding rules of conduct. If the student has been given information orally about this, describe in the report how and when this information was given.
• Official notes from conversations and/or e-mail correspondence with the student regarding the suspected offence (if applicable).
• Written, signed reports from other staff, hosts of an examination (incident report) and any other potential witnesses.

The decision concerning the grade of the examination and the decision made regarding the disciplinary case are two separate decisions. This means that the Disciplinary Board cannot decide to fail the student on any examination. However, if the Disciplinary Board finds that the student is guilty in a disciplinary case, this may influence the decision for the examination.

Linnaeus University’s Local rules for first-cycle and second-cycle courses and examination specifies that an examination should be assessed and a grade shall be given within 15 working days, unless there are special reasons for delaying the decision. One such special reason may be that the student has been reported to the Disciplinary Board in connection to the examination. Thus, the examiner is advised to decide on the grade after the case has been processed by the Disciplinary Board. If the examiner decides to postpone the decision, he/she shall inform the student that the grade will be given later and the reason for the delay.

In some cases it may be more reasonable to give a decision about a grade even though the case has not yet been handled by the Disciplinary Board. For example, if the examiner concludes that the student would have failed the examen, regardless of whether he/she had attempted to deceive the examiner, the student should be notified of the grade. This ensures that the student can take part in any reexaminations that are offered while the disciplinary case is being processed.

If a student has been notified of a passing grade, and thereafter is suspected of an attempt to deceive, it is possible to change a passing grade if the student is found guilty by the Disciplinary Board. The change of the grade can be made according to Section 37 of the Administrative Procedure Act (förvaltningslagen 2017:900). It is specified that an authority may change its decision it if the authority considers that the decision is incorrect because the party in the case had given incorrect or misleading information.

The student is allowed to take part in any teaching and reexaminations while the disciplinary case is being processed.

According to Section 1 of Chapter 10 of the Higher Education Ordinance disciplinary measures may be invoked against students who:

1. use prohibited aids or other methods to attempt to deceive during examinations or other forms of assessment of study performance,
2. disrupt or obstruct teaching, tests or other activities within the framework of courses and study programmes at the higher education institution,
3. disrupt activities in the library of the higher education institution or other separate establishments at the institution, or
4. subject another student or member of the staff of the higher education institution to harassment or sexual harassment of the kind laid down in Section 4 of Chapter 1 of the Discrimination Act (2008:567).

No other offences than the ones listed above can thus be handled by the Disciplinary Board. If there is a well-founded suspicion of an offence it should be reported to the vice-chancellor promptly (see, Section 9 of Chapter 10, Higher Education Ordinance). The responsible head of department should also be informed about the suspected offence before the report is submitted. The reporting teacher is not required to inform the student that a report will be made, but the student can be informed, if it is deemed appropriate.

Please note that persons attending a qualifying education (behörighetsgivande utbildning) are not legally considered as students. As the Disciplinary Board only can handle cases concerning students at Linnaeus University, any suspicions regarding persons taking these courses cannot be reported to the Disciplinary Board.

Expulsion of a student

According to Section 6 of Chapter 4 of the Swedish Higher Education Act (1992:1434) a student can be expelled from all higher education in Sweden, if the student:

1. suffers from a mental disorder,
2. abuses alcohol or drugs, or
3. has been found guilty of a serious crime.

There also needs to be a palpable risk that the student can harm another person or damage valuable property during her or his studies.

If a student should be expelled from his/her education, this should be reported to the Vice-Chancellor, who forwards the case to the Higher Education Expulsions Board. This means that Linnaeus University cannot expel a student, this decision is made by the Higher Education Expulsions Board.

More information about expulsions can be found at the Higher Education Expulsions Board’s website: https://www.han.se/higher-education-expulsions-board

The possible disciplinary measures are regulated in Section 2 of Chapter 10 of the Higher Education Ordinance and is warning and suspension. A decision to suspend a student can comprise of one or more periods of suspension, but the total time of the suspension cannot be more than six months.

At Linnaeus University a suspension is normally 6-8 weeks, however the length of the suspension varies depending on the circumstances of that specific case. For example, some mitigating circumstances may be that the examination was for a small part of a course (0-3 credits) or that the offence was committed during the students first term of university studies. On the other hand, aggravating circumstances may be that the student has previously attempted to deceive, that the examination concerned a large course (15 or more credits) or that the case concerns a second cycle course. The private circumstances of the student (for example illness, mental health, or stress) are normally not taken into consideration when deciding on the period for the suspension.

A suspension can only take place during the ordinary semesters. This means that a student who is suspended at the end of a semester can be given both a period of suspension during the spring and the fall term. The student may still take part in summer courses given at Linnaeus University. The suspension should not lead to unreasonably large consequences for the student. This means that the period for the suspension may be delayed if the student is on exchange studies or work placement (VFU).

If the student has been approved leave from studies or has notified Linnaeus University about a non-completion of studies, the suspension will begin when the student resumes their studies. Disciplinary measures cannot be taken more than two years after the offence was committed, which means that if the student has not resumed their studies within two years the suspension expires and cannot be enforced.

A warning is a given when a student is found guilty by the Disciplinary Board, but the offence is so small that a suspension would be unreasonable. If the student is reported for another offence, the warning is an aggravating circumstance.

What are the consequences of a suspension for the student?

A student who is suspended cannot take part in any classes, exams, or other activities within the education at Linnaeus University. This means that the student cannot take part in any lectures, tests, labs, home exams, assignments, supervision, seminars, mandatory moments of a course, study visits, etc. The student is not allowed to be in contact with any teacher at Linnaeus University during the suspension. The student will not have access their student e-mail or MyMoodle.

Furthermore, the student cannot hand in any assignment or be graded in any group assignment they have taken part in. If a group assignment is to be handed in during the student’s suspension, all the other students should be given their grades. If the examination is taking place after the suspension, the student can study by themselves or with their group.

Assignments that have been handed in before the suspension entered into force shall be treated as usual and a grade shall be given even if the student is suspended.

The student is allowed to study by themselves and can register for exams that take place after their suspension has ended. The student can also be in contact with study counsellors and the student welfare office. The student is allowed to visit the university library and other open areas of the university.

The student is only suspended from studies at Linnaeus University and can thus continue studying at any other Swedish university, while they are suspended from Linnaeus University. When the suspension is over, they can continue their studies as usual.

Who is notified that a student has been suspended?

• The reporting teacher
• The concerned head of department
• The concerned study counsellor
• International Office, if the student is an exchange student or a free mover
• The Office for Teacher Education, if the student is studying at a teacher education programme
• Coordinator for students with disabilities
• The hosts of an exam, if they have participated during the Disciplinary Board meeting
• Safety office, to cancel the student’s swipe card
• CSN

The case officers of the Disciplinary Board register the suspension in Ladok, which also turns off the student account, MyMoodle and student e-mail. Please note that all protocols from the Disciplinary Board meetings are official documents, and that they can be handed out to anyone who requests it.

The decisions of the Disciplinary Board can be appealed to the Administrative Court. An appeal needs to be submitted within three weeks from when the student was notified of the decision. When an appeal is submitted, Linnaeus University makes sure that it has arrived in time. The members of the Disciplinary Board also decides if the appealed decision should be changed in light of the new documentation. If the Disciplinary Board decides to change the decision, this enters into force directly, for example a suspension is removed. The appeal is forwarded to the Administrative Court.

The Administrative Court reject or grant the appeal, partly or in its entirety. If the student would like to cancel their appeal, the appeal case can be cancelled by the court.

The ruling of the Administrative Court can be appealed to the Administrative Court of Appeal, both by the student or Linnaeus University (depending on who the court has ruled against). A review permit needs to be granted before the case is tried by the Administrative Court of Appeal. In addition to this, the ruling of the Administrative Court of Appeal can be appealed to the Supreme Administrative Court, where a review permit also is needed.