For prospects

Special status for approved top-level sports activities

Requirements

Meet one of the following requirements:

  • You can prove that you received the special status as a student athlete at another institution of the Ghent University Association;
  • You are recognized as a top athlete by the Belgian Olympic and Interfederal Committee (BOIC) or the Flemish sports agency (Sport Vlaanderen);
  • You are considered as a top athlete or as a promising young athlete by your own sport federation;
  • You meet the standards held out for taking part in the Universiade or the University World Championships.

Moreover, you have to complete at least 5 training or competition sessions on a weekly basis.

There are additional minimum requirements for each individual sports discipline.

Application procedure

Submit a substantiated request with the chair of the Study Group Top Sports and Studies

  • Via oasis.ugent.be
  • No later than November 5 (unless impossible due to exceptional circumstances)
  • Add required documentation and official certificates

The special status is granted for one academic year and starting from the decision date.

Facilities

You may request following facilities on condition that the education and examination activities do directly conflict with the grounds for this special status:

  • Being exempted from/modification of educational activities requiring student attendance. In this case, a task may be imposed instead or the educational activity may be organised at a different time within the same academic year;
  • Having one or several evaluations rescheduled to a different time in the same academic year and, if necessary, with a different evaluation method. An examiner cannot be obliged to provide more than 1 alternative time per student;
  • Being given an alternative time for feedback.

You need to inform the lecturer(s) in charge via oasis.ugent.be which of the awarded education and/or examination facilities you wish to invoke for the course unit at hand, no later than

Academic year 2023-2024:

  • 26 April 2024 for the second semester examination period
  • 2 August 2024 for the resit examination period

Academic year 2024-2025:

  • 5 December 2024 for the first semester examination period
  • 24 April 2025 for the second semester examination period
  • 7 August 2025 for the resit examination period

If the special status is awarded later than the above-mentioned deadline you need to inform the lecturer(s) as soon as possible.

Facilities are always granted in joint consultation with the lecturer in charge. In dialogue with the faculty director of studies or the chair of the study programme committee, the lecturer in charge may refuse a facility if duly justified. S/he may do so if the essential programme competences are impaired as a result of the facility or if it is practically not feasible to grant the facility.
Rejectable facilities that have not been addressed in a timely manner by the relevant responsible lecturer(s) will be automatically approved at the start of the respective examination period.
The faculty and/or institutional ombudspersons may mediate in this procedure if necessary.

Special status students who are denied any education or examination facilities may appeal against this decision with the Institutional Appeals Committee, as stipulated in the Education and Examination Code.
Students with special status in whom the facilities granted in terms of education or examination facilities are not applied may appeal to the Institutional Appeals Committee, as stipulated in the Education and Examination Code.

Step-by-step

On Special Status (Information sheet students) you will find a practical step-by-step plan on the application procedure and the allocation and management of facilities.

More information and Contact

Topsport en Studies combineren (information in Dutch)