Academic Regulations
During the semester, the relationship between the student and DIS is the same as that which exists between the student and his/her home university, unless special regulations have been agreed upon between DIS and the home university. Communication from DIS to students is mostly by e-mail, therefore students are responsible for reading their e-mail on a regular basis.
1. Course Enrollment
Students are enrolled in courses based on primary and alternative choices indicated on the Course Registration Form, which is submitted to DIS prior to the start of the program. All changes in course enrollment must be arranged through the Office of Teaching and Learning and not through individual instructors, and are not valid unless a Course Change Form is submitted by the student and approved.
2. Adding and Dropping Courses
DIS will accept course additions during the first days of the semester (see semester schedule for drop/add deadlines) under the following conditions: (a) the class the student wants to enroll in is not full, (b) the student has an academic reason for wanting to make the change, (c) the student’s final course load does not exceed 17 semester hours of credit. Students may drop courses until the middle of the semester, as long as they continue to meet the requirements of their own university for full-time study. DIS requires a minimum of 12 semester hours of credit made up from 3- or 6-credit courses. (Note that several home universities demand a higher course load). Different rules pertain to the summer programs.
3. Grades
The grades used by DIS are the following:
| A= | Excellent | =4 |
| B= | Well above average | =3 |
| C= | Average | =2 |
| D= | Below average | =1 |
| F= | Failure | =0 |
| P= | Pass (C- or better required) |
Plus (+) and minus (–) are used for exams and home assignments as well as for final grades. For purposes of calculating grade points and averages, the ‘+’ is equal to plus .3 and the ‘–’ is equal to minus .3.
4. Pass/Fail Option
Students are only allowed to take one course per semester on a Pass/Fail basis if this option is part of the DIS agreement with the home school. Students who wish to take a course Pass/Fail must confirm this with the DIS Director of Teaching and Learning prior to the deadline given in the semester schedule. In order to receive a Pass (P) in a course, a C- or better is required.
5. Grade Appeal
The DIS grade appeal procedure is available to students both during and after their stay in Denmark, with a six-month statute of limitation after the final course grade has been issued. The student is required to file, in written form, his/her complaint with the DIS Director of Teaching & Learning. The student must provide written evidence indicating a mistake, fraud, or bad faith on the part of an instructor.
6. Attendance and Participation Policy
Attendance at all scheduled classes is required, and each student is individually responsible for all material covered or assigned in class. Likewise, attendance at field study sessions and study tours is required.
Participation in the full orientation program in Copenhagen is also mandatory for all students. Full attendance is a formal requirement for continued enrollment in the DIS program. Non-adherence to this requirement may, after warning, result in dismissal from individual courses or from the program. It is to be specifically noted that individual travel cannot take place during the semester on days scheduled for class instruction, field study sessions or study tours. Such travel must be limited to the announced optional travel weeks, or the time before or after the semester. Please note: Students should not arrange to leave Copenhagen before the final exam.
Active participation is included in the computation of final grades. Participation extends to all class sessions, field study sessions and course-related study tours, as well as participation in class discussions, group work and general contribution to the progress of the class.
7. Academic Honesty
DIS expects students to abide by the highest standards of intellectual honesty in all academic work. DIS assumes that all students do their own work and credit all work or ideas taken from others.
It is the responsibility of each student to make sure that he/she understands what constitutes academic honesty in every assignment submitted at DIS. Students should familiarize themselves with DIS’ Exam Regulations and the document ‘Writing Papers at DIS’ available upon arrival in Copenhagen.
Examples of academic dishonesty/plagiarism:
- Consultation of unauthorized materials during an examination.
- Copying from another student’s exam or paper.
- Submitting material or similar material for more than one course without the prior permission of the instructors.
- Submitting material or similar material previously submitted by oneself or by another student at one’s home university.
- Presenting in writing as one’s own the words, works or the opinions of someone else.
Academic dishonesty will result in a final course grade of ‘F’ and can result in dismissal from the DIs program. The student’s home university will be notified. DIS reserves the right to request that written student assignments be turned in in electronic form with a view of submitting them to plagiarism detection software.
8. Completion of Required Course Work and Examinations/Tests
All work for a course must be submitted for a student to be eligible for a passing grade. Students are responsible for handing in all course work on time. Assignments handed in after a deadline will be awarded the grade of F or downgraded according to the instructor's own guidelines. No course work will be accepted after the last day of the final exams. Students are responsible for seeing that they arrive on-time for all examinations and written or oral tests. Exams or tests can take place on any scheduled class or exam day during the published dates of the semester. Faculty reserve the right to change dates of tests with notice, as long as alternative times fall within the regular course schedule. Failure to take a test or exam at the indicated time and place will result in the grade of F. No exceptions to this policy will be made except in cases of documented illness or family emergency, both reported before the exam or test.
9. Final Exam Results
DIS instructors turn in the original copy of student exams that constitute the major evaluation basis for course grades. If students have questions concerning their final grades after having returned to their home countries, they should write to the DIS Director of Teaching & Learning as soon as possible.
10. Final Grade Reports
After the end of the semester, when all grades are turned in by the instructors, DIS issues a Final Grade Report which is the transcript of the students’ participation in the program courses listing course titles, number of credits and final grade for the course. This Final Grade Report is prepared in three copies:
- The original is sent immediately to the partner university from where it will be forwarded to the home institution where applicable.
- A copy will be sent to the student at his/her permanent mailing address.
- A copy is kept on file at DIS so that we can send certified copies to other universities upon receiving the student’s written request. Students are entitled to 10 free copies of the DIS Final Grade Report. See Transcript Request.
Final grades will be withheld if a student owes money to DIS or other institutions, has not returned library books, or has caused damage to housing or DIS facilities.
11. Maintaining Good Standing at DIS
During the semester: Students must adhere to the overall DIS Student Code of Responsibility, meet requirements as detailed in DIS Academic and Non-academic policies, and maintain a satisfactory academic standard in their performance. Failure to meet these expectations will result in a notice of warning being issued to the student, with a copy going to their home institution. Continued inability to meet these requirements will lead to dismissal from the program with no refund or academic credit being issued.
Full-year students: Students who will be staying at DIS for multiple semesters must achieve a minimum of a 2.5 GPA and maintain good standing in their first semester in order to continue at DIS.
