Complaints & disputes

If you disagree with a decision of the Examination Board, you can lodge an appeal with the external Appeals Committee for Examinations within two weeks using this form . This committee will issue a ruling within four to six weeks after holding a hearing. You can find the Committee's regulations here (pdf). For English click here.

Students receive a binding study advice halfway through their first academic year. If you do not agree with your binding study advice, you can appeal to the external Appeals Committee for Examinations within 2 weeks using this form . This Committee will issue a ruling within four to six weeks after holding a hearing. You can find the Committee's regulations here (pdf).

Summa frequently makes decisions regarding individual (prospective) students. For example, the decision to enroll or not enroll a student in a study program, or to expel a student from the program following serious misconduct. If you disagree with such a personal decision concerning you, you can contact the Disputes Advisory Committee via the complaint form . You can do so within 6 weeks of the date of the decision. More information about this committee can be found in the Regulations of the Disputes Advisory Committee (pdf).

You can contact your school's confidential counsellor regarding reports of social safety, (sexual) harassment, discrimination, aggression, and violence. They can assist you further and refer you to the appropriate resources if necessary.

An important part of every MBO institution is completing an internship (called vocational practical training (bpv) in MBO) at a recognized training company. Unfortunately, national research has shown that some students encounter discrimination both during the admission process and during their internship. Internship discrimination is treating, disadvantaging, or excluding (a) student(s) differently based on (personal) characteristics. Discrimination on the following grounds is not permitted by law: religion, belief, political affiliation, race, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, marital status, disability or chronic illness, and/or age. To reduce discrimination and assist students in cases of internship discrimination, Summa has established a separate policy . If a student experiences internship discrimination, this can be reported within Summa to their own mentor or bpv supervisor. This can be done directly or via the complaint form . Students can also report outside Summa at discrimination.nl.

Another issue relevant to internships is the improper use of interns. Improper use occurs when students are employed as full-fledged employees, causing their duties to shift from an internship to an (active) contribution to the realization of the company's primary objective. If you encounter this as a student, you can report it to your mentor or work placement supervisor. This can be done directly or via the complaint form.

Through the so-called whistleblowing scheme, you can safely report a suspicion of misconduct within Summa.

The scheme applies to societal situations in which the environment, safety, or health of individuals and/or organizations are at risk. You can also report a criminal offense, violation of the law, or unethical behavior through this scheme. You can read how to report a suspected wrongdoing and the subsequent procedure in the whistleblower scheme.

We believe it is important that you first speak with the person within Summa who is directly involved in the situation in question. If you are unable to resolve the matter together, you can submit the report via this complaint form to your school director, who will handle it within 10 school days.

If you are still not satisfied with the handling of your report, you can submit a formal complaint to the Complaints Committee using the form on the left side of this page. The Complaints Committee will handle the complaint within 14 weeks. You can find the regulations of the Complaints Committee here (pdf). For English click here.