Objections procedure

If you haven’t yet received a decision, then you must first submit a request to the body concerned.

To submit a request to the faculty dean, contact your degree programme.

You can submit a request to the CSA (about enrolment or a tuition fees refund, for example) via this website. Use this form. This request will be sent directly to the CSA, which will process it. If you have any questions about the processing of your request, you can contact the CSA by calling 020 – 595 1401. The BBK Office will not provide any information about the processing of requests.

The objection form:

The form for submitting an objection will take you through a number of questions. At a minimum, your notice of objection must include the following information:

• The name and address of the person submitting the objection. If you have an AUAS ID, your details will be filled in automatically, based on the information stored in SIS. Check that your details are correct, particularly your email address.
• Where applicable: your student ID number and the name of the degree programme to which the objection relates.
• A copy of the decision to which you are objecting. It is important to make sure that the date of the decision is visible.
• Your comprehensive reasons / the grounds for the objection.
• If you have arranged for a representative to handle your case on your behalf: the name, address and email address of the representative.

In the notice of objection, you must state the reasons why you disagree with the decision to which you are objecting. Attach any documents that support your position.

If you carefully complete the form and upload the requested documents, your objection should meet the set requirements. Carefully check your details and click ‘Submit’. You will receive an automatic reply to confirm that your objection has been received by the BBK Office. This email will also contain the assigned case number. Make a note of this number.

Interim order

Submitting an objection does not suspend the effect of the decision. This means that if you have submitted an objection to a decision, the implementation of the decision will not be put ‘on hold’. If you want the effect of a decision to be suspended until a decision is made on your objection, indicate this in your notice of objection.

I have submitted an objection. What happens now?

1. Amicable resolution

Once you have submitted the objection form, the system will automatically send you a confirmation of receipt with a reference number. The BBK Office will check that your notice of objection is complete. If it is, it will be sent to the person or body who made the decision with a request to check, within three weeks, whether the objection can be resolved amicably. The body (the respondent) will invite you for an in-person meeting or telephone conversation. If this is not appropriate, the dispute will be forwarded to the GAC for assessment.

2. Response and hearing

If no resolution is reached, the GAC will ask the other party to submit a statement of response. In the statement of response, the other party will argue why the decision you are contesting was correct.

In most cases, the GAC will hold a hearing to consider your notice of objection. Both you and the other party will receive emails inviting you to attend the hearing. At the hearing, you will have an opportunity to explain your notice of objection, and the other party will explain its statement of defence. If you wish to call experts or witnesses, you must notify the GAC and the other party in writing at least five days before the hearing. You can do this by replying to the email you received inviting you to the hearing. 

You are not required to have a lawyer or other representative for GAC proceedings, but you can if you wish. The costs involved in obtaining legal assistance with GAC proceedings are at your own expense.

3. Advice from the GAC and decision by the Executive Board

The GAC can advise the Executive Board to declare the notice of objection inadmissible, or to uphold or reject the objection. The Executive Board is not required to follow this advice. If it decides not to follow the advice, it must explain in its decision why it chose not to do so.

If you disagree with the Executive Board’s decision on your objection, you can appeal to the Council of State.

Costs of the proceedings:
Proceedings conducted by the GAC are free of charge. You are not required to have a lawyer or other representative for GAC proceedings, but you can if you wish. The costs involved in obtaining legal assistance with GAC proceedings are at your own expense.

Who or what is the GAC?
Your appeal will be handled by the Disputes Advisory Committee (GAC). The GAC is appointed by the Executive Board. In every hearing, the GAC comprises three members: a chair, a lecturer member/AUAS employee and a student member. The chair is not an AUAS employee. The Legal Affairs Department/BBK Office acts as the secretariat for the GAC. The processes and procedures of the GAC are set out in the Students’ Charter.