Education planning and administration handbook - Chapter 1

Introduction

1.1 Purpose of the handbook, target group and scope
1.2 Content and outline
1.3 Abbreviations and recurring concepts
1.4 Changes since the previous version version

Shortcuts to other parts of the handbook

1.1 Purpose of the handbook, target group and scope

The general purpose of the handbook is to clarify the rights and obligations of students, teachers and other staff at SLU.

The handbook covers most issues concerning first-cycle and second-cycle education at SLU. Certain parts of SLU education are governed elsewhere, but described here. In other parts, the handbook acts as the governing document for SLU.

In addition, the handbook provides the reader with instructions and references.

However, please remember that the handbook does not apply to:

• contract education or contract education students
• doctoral or research education.

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1.2 Content and outline

The chapters correspond to various aspects of SLU education, and each chapter’s subsections generally include a number of recurring subheadings: 

Important concepts
Terms and concepts which may need to be defined and explained.

Policy
SLU’s intention and ambition. Sometimes, other documents describing SLU objectives and strategies are referenced.

National regulations
Regulations that govern SLU operations and which apply to both students and employees. Statutes decided by the Riksdag and government (e.g. acts) take precedence over SLU’s internal rules. Therefore, these statutes are frequently referenced, both through direct quotes and comprehensive explanations of the legislative texts. If a statute is changed, it applies even if SLU’s internal documents have not been updated. If necessary, go to the source to check the latest version.

SLU rules
The handbook constitutes a governing document with internal rules for first-cycle and second-cycle education at SLU. In some cases, these rules were adopted in another document, which will then be referenced. If necessary, go to the source to check the latest version. At SLU, the term guidelines means the same as rules.

Who is responsible for what?
Division of responsibility for the work described in the section. SLU’s delegations of authority take precedence over the handbook in regard to delegated powers and division of responsibility between various bodies and functionaries. If a delegation of authority is changed, it applies even if the handbook has not been updated. If necessary, go to the source to check the latest version. In addition to the university- and faculty-wide delegations of authority, the departments normally have internal divisions of responsibility for issues related to education.

Instructions
Information on how to carry out a task, step or measure. SLU normally follows recommendations from SUHF (the Association of Swedish Higher Education Institutions). However, these recommendations do not govern our operations; they must be part adopted through an SLU decision in order to apply.

Links
Where applicable, we recommend additional information and in-depth reading in the form of links. These links often go to the SLU web pages.

The subheadings above cannot be found in every section, which may also include other headings specific to a certain section. But this is the general structure.

Exceptions

The information in the handbook normally applies, but exceptions may be allowed if necessary. The body that adopted the original regulation decides on any exceptions; this can also be done by other bodies, in particular if there are circumstances beyond SLU’s control.

Links

Laws and other statutes (only in Swedish)
Rules for doctoral education
Rules for contract education (only in Swedish)

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1.3 Abbreviations and recurring concepts

Abbreviations and concepts that occur in the handbook and in other contexts related to education at SLU:

Annual cycle – SLU applies joint time frames for planning and deciding on the course and programme offering. See Annex 2: Annual cycle for course and programme planning.

Board of Education (UN) – part of SLU's organisation for education.

Canvas* – SLU's teaching and learning platform.

Conditions – a decision made with certain conditions only applies if the listed conditions are met.

Dean – the head of an SLU faculty.

Delegation of authority – see Section 2.3 Organisational aspects.

Department – education, research and environmental monitoring and assessment are carried out at a number of departments (or equivalent). The head of department is responsible for operations. A department belongs to at least one faculty.

ISR – Swedish for institutionsstudierektor, department director of studies

Director of studies – the handbook uses the term department director of studies (or equivalent), see Section 2.3 Organisational aspects, to avoid confusion with programme director of studies, see Section 13.7 Programme director of studies.

Division of Educational Affairs – part of the university administration at SLU which supports and provides service for students and teachers, see the division's web pages.

Division of Learning and Digitalisation – part of SLU’s university administration, the division offers support in teaching in higher education, learning technology, media and education systems, see the division's web pages.

Entry requirements – prior knowledge and other requirements necessary for a student to be eligible for a certain programme or course.

Equivalence assessment – a person who does not meet the formal entry requirements may have other qualifications deemed to correspond to the formal requirements.

Evald* – SLU’s system for electronic course evaluations at first-cycle and second-cycle level.

EVL – Swedish for elitidrottsvänligt lärosäte, elite-sports-friendly university. 

Exchange student – student who takes part in an exchange programme. An incoming exchange student comes to SLU to carry out their exchange studies (at first- or second-cycle level) and counts as a programme student. Incoming students have access to programme courses during their exchange period. An outgoing exchange student is an SLU student who travels abroad to do their exchange studies in another country.

Exemption – individual exceptions to rules that generally apply.

Faculty – an organisational units led by a faculty board/dean. The faculties are responsible for the departments.

Faculty office – part of the university administration at SLU which supports and provides service for the faculties.

Faculty board – the highest decision-making body within a faculty.

Head of department – head of an SLU department. The vice-chancellor and faculty board/dean both assign tasks and powers to the head of department.

Non-programme student – student who is not studying a programme.

Ladok* – a national system for student records that includes registration, exam results and other compulsory information. As of 1 June 2022, Ladok also replaces Slukurs as SLU's course and programme database.

Moveon* – used for agreements, applications and administration concerning student exchange (at first- and second-cycle level) and teacher mobility.

NyA* – a national admissions system used for course and programme admissions at both first- and second-cycle level.

Ouriginal – a plagiarism checker available to SLU teachers, where all kinds of exam papers and assignments can be checked against several sources to discover possible plagiarism.

Programme board (PN) – part of SLU’s educational organisation. See Section 2.3 Organisational aspects and the SLU web pages on educational organisation.

Programme director of studies (PSR) – part of SLU’s educational organisation. See Section 13.7 Programme director of studies and the SLU web page on programme directors of studies.

Programme student – student admitted to or who has begun studying a degree programme.

Slukurs* – replaced by Ladok as of 1 June 2022.

Slunik and course pages* – database all first- and second-cycle courses have their own section. Slunik information is displayed on the course page on the student web and the external web. 

Student web* – SLU's web pages for students, with information and support regarding their studies.

SUHF – the Association of Swedish Higher Education Institutions.

TimeEdit* - system for booking rooms such as lecture halls, computer rooms and group rooms.

UHR – the Swedish Council for Higher Education is a public authority nationally tasked with promoting higher education. Among other things, UHR is responsible for admission and study information, including universityadmissions.se for course and programme applications.

UKÄ – the Swedish Higher Education Authority is a public authority which, among other things, reviews the quality of higher education and research and monitors higher education institutions regarding compliance with laws and regulations.

*Authorisation is required to use SLU's educational support systems. Authorisation is given by the Division of Learning and Digitalisation.

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1.4 Changes since the previous version

The first version of the handbook was approved by the chair of the Board of Education on 18 June 2018 (SLU ID: SLU.ua.2018.1.1.1-2343) for the academic year 2018/19. The decision to approve states the previous decisions and governing documents that were repealed and the changes made when the handbook entered into force.

The following changes have been made to the 2025 edition of the Education Planning and Administration Handbook:

• In Section 2.4 Academic year and semester dates, subheading SLU rules, additional days when no teaching should be scheduled have been added.
• Section 3.3 Equal opportunities has been partially rewritten to better align with the JLV organisation.
• Section 3.4 Study and career guidance has been updated for more relevant and up-to-date content.
• Section 3.5 Studying with a disability has been updated for more relevant and up-to-date content.
• Section 3.7 Student insurance has been shortened by moving the information in the Instructions section to a separate web page. The section has been updated with new links.
• In Sections 3.9 Tuition fees and 3.10 Tuition fee refunds, changes have been made to reflect new procedures for handling tuition fees. Some clarifications have also been made.
• In Section 3.13 Approved leave from studies and non-completion, subheading SLU rules, a statement on approved leave from studies has been removed as it was misleading.
• In Section 3.14 Student influence, the Instructions section, the text has been adapted to align with the vice-chancellor’s decision of 4 October 2022.
• Section 4.2 Educational development has been updated for more relevant and up-to-date content.
• Section 4.3 Distinguished university teacher has been updated according to the current rules on who is eligible to be appointed ‘distinguished university teacher’.
• Section 4.8 Teacher copyright has been updated and some clarifications have been made. The intellectual property rights policy of 28 September 2017 still applies (see link in the section).
• Section 4.9 Staff liability issues has been updated for more relevant and up-to-date content.
• In Section 7.1 Early course information, subheading Overall schedule, a change has been made to make the overall schedule available via Canvas rather than via the course page, as was previously the case (see also the decision from the Division of Learning and Digitilisation on the discontinuation of Slunik, SLU.ua.2025.1.1-2033).
• In Section 8.2 Assessments and grading, subheading SLU rules, a new paragraph has been added with the heading xxProcedure for changing grades.
• In Section 8.3 Exam procedures, previously misleading wordings have been changed.
• In Section 8.8 Alternative examn session, subheading SLU rules, the bullet list has been expanded to include 'On-campus e-exams where the exam has been interrupted due to technical problems’.
• In Section 9.2 Course syllabuses, subheading SLU rules, the decision of the Board of Education from 10 October 2024 on exemptions from eligibility requirements for the main field of study bioeconomy management has been added.
• In Section 9.3 Work plan, subheading SLU rules - Project description, in the bullet list, 'information about whether the project processes personal data and if so, the relevant measures taken in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation' has been added.
• In Section 9.4 Implementing independent/degree project courses, subheading SLU rules, the paragraph on supervision hours has been amended by the Board of Education's decision of 22 May 2025, Section 48/25 (SLU.ua.2025.1.1-2149). The number of hours for supervision has been removed, as this was seen as micromanaging. Under the subheading Changing supervisor, a reference to Section 3.15 Complaints procedure has been added.
• In Section 9.4 Implementing independent/degree project courses, subheading Who is responsible for what?, information has been added regarding the handling of personal data in order to clarify the responsibilities of both the student and the supervisor.
• In Section 9.4 Implementing independent/degree project courses, subheading Instructions, a new paragraph has been added on the submission of independent projects. The paragraph clarifies the legal framework for those working with students' independent projects.
• In Section 10.1 Cheating and plagiarism, subheading What is cheating?, in the bullet list, the unauthorised use of AI (artificial intelligence) has been added.
• In Section 10.1 Cheating and plagiarism, subheading Who is responsible for what?, the text on the UN's responsiblity to design measures to combat cheating and plagiarism has been removed. The reason is that this is not something the Board has been tasked with. For the Board of Education’s responsibilities, see the SLU Board’s delegation of authority.
• In Chapter 14, subheading National rules, a correction has been made following an amendment to the Higher Education Ordinance.
• Annex 3a: First- and second-cycle subjects at SLU has been reworked in accordance with the Board of Education's decision of 9 April 2025, Section 32/25. The annex clarifies the link between main field groups and main fields and subject groups and subjects. In the appendix, technology has been added as a main subject at first and second cycle level in accordance with the Board of Education's decision of 22 May 2025, Section 46/25.
• Annex 3b: Main fields of study with subject descriptions. Teknik (translation tbd) has been added as a main field of study at first and second cycle level according to the Board of Education's decision of 22 May 2025 Section 46/25.
• Annex 7: Joint programme evaluation questions (Evald). The questions were reworked.

The following changes have been made to the 2024 edition of the Education Planning and Administration Handbook:

• In sections 2.5, 3.4 and 3.9, it has been clarified that each subject/main field of study is linked to a subject group/group of main fields of study (as per SUN, the Swedish classification system for education). When proposing a new subject, a subject group must also be proposed. When proposing a new main field of study, a main field of study group/national main field of study must also be proposed.
• In Section 3.4 Study and career guidance, sub-section General study counsellors at the Division of Educational Affairs has been deleted. As this is not a regulation, the information will instead be published on the web pages of the Division of Educational Affairs, making it easier to update it.
• In Section 3.7 Student insurance, the information on the Medical Insurance Card (MIC) has been deleted as this card is no longer issued by the Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency or by SLU.
• In Section 5.2 Course evaluations, text has been added under SLU rules explaining that reimbursements to student representatives are taxable.
• In section 6.6 Course modules, a paragraph under Important concepts has been deleted as the description of the relation between course modules and result notes is a procedure rather than a rule.
• Section 6.8 External work experience courses and placements is new.
• In Section 7.2 Applying for a course instance, the wording under Late application has been changed to clarify that a course can be open for application after the application deadline if there are still places available. Under the subheading Who is responsible for what?, information has been added clarifying that those submitting a late application can only be admitted to and registered on a course if there are places left.
• In Section 7.3 Admission to a course instance, text has been deleted under Conditional admission and replaced with ‘To be registered on a course, the student must fulfil the entry requirements’. Under Who is responsible for what?, a correction has been made to reflect the admission regulations currently in force. If needed, the department/equivalent must check, at the start of the course, that the student fulfils the requirements.
• In Section 7.4 Start of a course, information has been added under Important concepts explaining that a course can start on a different date than the course instance.
• In Section 7.5 Registering on a course instance, a clarification has been added under Policy, explaining that self-registration is the practice except for courses on the first semester of a programme. There are some additional courses where the department, exceptionally, is responsible for registration.
• In Section 8.1 Starting points, under Moderated written exams, the words ‘on campus’ have been deleted as some students have understood this as their home campus, while the intention is that exams can also be offered at the campus of another higher education institution.
• In Section 8.3 Exam procedures, adjustments have been made to align the text with Section 3.5 Studying with a disability.
• In Section 8.9 Resit opportunities, text has been added under SLU rules explaining that when resits are offered, students from previous course instances must also be allowed to take part. Under the subheading Policy, the word ‘offers’ has been replaced by ‘arranges’ to clarify that SLU arranges three exam sessions per course instance and year, not per student.
• In Section 9.2 Course syllabuses, the third list item under Who is responsible for what? has been corrected to align with the correct information under the subheading Entry requirements earlier in that section.
• In Section 9.4 Implementing independent/degreee project courses, subheading Instructions, the word ‘usually’ has been added to the sentence about late applications for independent project course instances. Under the subheading Publishing, the word 'student' has been changed to 'author' in the sentences on approving publication.
• In Section 11.1.5 Programme content and design, the UN decision (11 October 2023, Section 87/23) on level A1F in Master's programmes has been added. Having at least one course at the A1F level is no longer a requirement, only a recommendation.
• All of Section 11.5 Joint programmes and double/joint degrees at first-cycle and second-cycle level (previous title Joint programmes and degrees) has been rewritten to clarify the content and improve readability. All instructions have been moved to other web pages to facilitate updating. It has been clarified that the SLU policy for joint programmes and international cooperation on education is that they should lead to a double degree rather than a joint degree.
• In Section 11.6 Phasing out a degree programme, the word ‘(discontinue)’ has been deleted.
• In Section 12.4 Withdrawing a programme syllabus, subheading Policy, the wording on decisions to withdraw a previous version of a programme syllabus has been changed. A syllabus has to be withdrawn within a year of the last student admission to the programme. Under SLU rules, information has been added stating that transitional provisions should reflect the programme length unless there are special reasons why they should apply for a shorter or longer period.
• According to the delegation of authority for the SLU Board (SLU.ua.2023.1.1.1-4240), it is the vice-chancellor, not the SLU Board, that decides on the programme offering. Consequently, ‘the SLU Board’ has been changed to ‘the vice-chancellor’.

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