As a student at KEA, you have the right to complain about an exam or a test. You can also complain about other matters where KEA has made a decision, e.g. on admission, disenrolment, readmission, leave, dispensation, credit or expulsion.
Complaints
As a student at KEA, you have the right to complain about an exam or a test, e.g. if you believe that there were errors in the exam process or that the assessment was incorrect. For example, you may believe that you were not examined in accordance with the programme curriculum.
You can also complain about other matters where KEA has made a decision, e.g. on admission, disenrolment, readmission, leave, dispensation, credit or expulsion.
Before you choose to file a complaint, it's a good idea to consider what exactly you want to complain about.
Here you can read about considerations to make before complaining and how to complain. You will also find an overview of the steps in a case process and an estimate of the time it takes to process a complaint.
If you have any questions, you can contact the complaints team at klage@kea.dk.
Before you complain
Before filing a complaint, it may be a good idea to discuss issues you are considering to complain about with your teacher or your study counsellor.
This could help set problems right or remove misunderstandings.
How to send your complaint
Send your complaint by email to klage@kea.dk or by Digital Post.
If you have a KEA-mail, we will send our response to your KEA-mail.
If you don’t have a KEA-mail if, for instance, you’re not enrolled as a student at KEA, we will write to you through Digital Post and you can write to us securely via Digital Post.
How to send Digital Post
This is how to send digital mail through borger.dk:
- Log on to Digital Post with your MitID.
- Click 'New message'.
- Find the authority you want to write to by clicking 'Choose authority' and select Københavns Erhvervsakademi.
- Once you’ve chosen the authority, you can select a category. It doesn't matter which category you choose.
- Once, you’ve selected the recipient, you can fill out the subject field and write your message.
a. In “Subject” write ATTN THE COMPLAINTS TEAM, KEA QUALITY.
b. You have the option to attach files to your message. - When you’re done writing your message, click 'Send'. Your message will then be sent to the selected recipient as Digital Post.
Guidance on complaints
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Time limits for complaints
Exam complaints
Other complaints
According to The Ministerial Order on Admission and Enrolment (Adgangsbekendtgørelsen), the deadline for filing a complaint about admission, disenrolment, leave or readmission, etc., is 2 weeks (14 calendar days) from the date when the decision was notified.
Dispensation regarding the complaint deadline
KEA may dispense with the complaint deadline in exceptional circumstances.
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What should you include in your complaint?
Your complaint must be individual, written and preferably reasoned.
Any complaint filed jointly by several students will be rejected.
Content of the complaint
- Your full name
- Programme and semester
- The reasons for your complaint
If your complaint includes two or more issues at the same time, e.g. process and assessment, please separate these issues in your complaint so that it is clear which arguments you base each issue on. This will greatly ease the case handling and ensure that it is clear what you are complaining about.
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The complaints proces
Once you have filed your complaint, you will receive confirmation from KEA that we have received your complaint.
The complaints team in KEA Quality & Analysis handles all complaints cases.
It may take approximately 6-8 weeks for KEA to make a decision in your complaints case. The duration of the process is typically longer during holidays and peak periods. You will be informed of the expected processing time when you file your complaint.
The handling of a complaint depends on what you have complained about. The case processing will be carried out in accordance with the relevant legal basis.
NOTE! Your course of study will continue during KEA's handling of your complaint.
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Result of complaint
Your complaint will lead to a decision, basically with two possible outcomes:
- You succeed and get e.g. an offer of a new exam/assessment
- Your complaint is rejected
The decision will be sent to your KEA-mail. If you do not have a KEA-mail, the decision will be sent to you via Digital Post.
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Withdrawal of a exam complaint
You have the option to withdraw your complaint before a decision has been made on your complaint.
You withdraw a complaint by writing to klage@kea.dk.
It can make sense to withdraw your complaint e.g. if:
- the reasons for your grade have been explained and you find that the grade is correct.
- you have passed a re-exam in the same exam.
- you have reconsidered the issues of your complaint.
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Appeal options
If your appeal is rejected or partially successful, the decision will include guidance on how to appeal and on the appeal deadline. You will typically have 2 weeks to appeal after your receipt of the decision. As a rule, you can appeal the decision on grounds of legal defects or academic issues.
In case of legal defects, you can appeal to the Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science (Uddannelses- og Forskningsstyrelsen). In practice, the appeal should typically be addressed to the Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science, but sent to KEA on klage@kea.dk within a time limit of 2 weeks from the date of your receipt of the decision. KEA will prepare a statement to the complaint, which you will be allowed to comment on before it is sent to the Agency for their final decision.
In case of academic issues, you can appeal the decision to an appeal board set up by KEA. Your appeal must be written and reasoned. Send your appeal to klage@kea.dk no later than 2 weeks after your receipt of the decision.
In case of questions concerning appeal, you can contact klage@kea.dk.
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Legal basis
A complaint will always be handled in accordance with the relevant legislation and the applicable curriculum.
Complaints about exams or assessment will be handled in accordance with the rules in the Ministerial Order on Examinations.
Complaints about admission will be handled in accordance with the rules in the Ministerial Order on Admission.
Complaints about credit will be handled in accordance with the rules laid down in the Ministerial Order on Technical and Business Academy Profession Programmes and Professional Bachelor's Degree Programmes (Bekendtgørelse om tekniske og merkantile erhvervsakademiuddannelser og professionsbacheloruddannelser).
Complaints about any other matters will be handled in accordance with the rules of the relevant legislation, e.g. the Act on Business Academy Profession Programmes and Professional Bachelor's Degree Programmes (LEP-loven).
Particularly about complaints concerning an exam
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What can you complain about?
You can complain about:
- Legal issues
- Academic issues
The issues may concern the assessment (the grade), the exam basis (test questions, assignments and the like) or the exam process (compliance with the set duration of the exam, access to permitted aids and the like). The complaint may also relate to noncompliance with the programme curriculum at your exam.
Legal issues
- Is the internal or external examiner incompetent?
- Has KEA forgotten about consultation of parties involved?
- Were formal requirements made that do not appear from the curriculum?
- Have rules been applied incorrectly?
Academic issues
- Is the assessment correct based on a professional assessment of your performance?
- Were you examined according to the right learning objectives?
- Were there parts of the assignment that the internal or external examiner did not assess or misunderstood?
- Did the conditions during your exam suffer from flaws?
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Before you complain
Before filing a complaint, read the learning objectives stated in the curriculum
If you want to complain about a grade, read the learning objectives for the subject before complaining. Having read the learning objectives can improve the basis of your complaint if you can justify why your exam was incorrectly assessed. In addition, it will enable you to assess whether your performance at the exam met the learning objectives and thereby whether you have a basis for complaining.
Get an explanation from your examiner(s)
The grade given after an oral examination, will normally be accompanied by a short oral explanation. If you are unsure about the content of the explanation or wish to have it clarified, you may contact your examiner (usually your teacher) a few days after you have received the grade.
However, note that you are not entitled to a justification of the grade nor is the examiner obliged to further explain the given grade.
Even if you are waiting for clarification from your examiner(s), you must still meet the deadline of 2 weeks to file a complaint.
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Time limits for exam complaints
The deadline for filing a complaint over an exam is 2 weeks (14 calendar days) from the date on which the grade was given. For oral exams or exams with an oral defence, the deadline is calculated from the date of the exam.
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What should you include in your complaint?
- Your full name
- Programme and semester
- The reasons for your complaint
- The subject you were examined in.
- The grade you were given.
- When you received the grade.
- The form of exam (written or oral)
Remember to read the general information about complaints as well.
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The complaints proces
- Your complaint will be presented to the assessors (internal and external examiner), who will each give their statement. They have 2 weeks to deliver their statements. However, the month of July is not included in the calculation of the 2 weeks.
- The assessors' statements will be sent to you, and you will have the opportunity to comment. You have 1 week to comment on the statements.
- KEA will assess the case and make a decision based on the statements and any comments you may have made to the statements.
Your filing of a complaint will not lead to any postponement of a possible re-exam and you will therefore use an exam attempt if you do not attend the re-exam.
If you pass a re-exam on the same exam while KEA is processing your case, the case will be brought to an end; you cannot accept a positive outcome of the complaint case, since an exam passed cannot be retaken.
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Result of complaint
If you are offered a re-exam or a reassessment and you wish to accept the offer, you must do so within 2 weeks. You accept the offer by sending your acceptance to your study administration with a copy to klage@kea.dk. The offer will lapse if you do not accept it within 2 weeks.
If you are offered a new assessment or a new exam, it must take place as soon as possible. KEA will set the time for the new assessment or exam.
Note that a new assessment or exam may result in a lower grade, which will then be the valid grade. There will be new examiners for a new exam.
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Withdrawal of a exam complaint
You have the option to withdraw your complaint before a decision has been made on your complaint.
You withdraw a complaint by writing to klage@kea.dk.
It can make sense to withdraw your complaint e.g. if:
- the reasons for your grade have been explained and you find that the grade is correct.
- you have passed a re-exam in the same exam.
- you have reconsidered the issues of your complaint.