Procedure: special student entrepreneur status – Ghent University (UGent).

Details

• URL: https://www.ugent.be/student/en/study/in-study-programme/flexible-study/special-status/entrepreneurship.htm
• Topic: special status based on student entrepreneurship (UGent)
• Validity: 1 academic year (from the decision date)

Requirements (3 conditions)

You must meet all 3 conditions:

1. Have earned credits for at least 60 ECTS in an academic programme or be running an existing business.
2. Have obtained credits for at least half of the enrolled ECTS in the academic year preceding the year for which the status is requested, unless it is a first enrolment in higher education.
3. Submit a description of the existing entrepreneurial activity or a plan stating the intention to offer a valorisable product or service within 12 months. This must show a clear growth perspective.

Application procedure (3 steps)

1. Submit a motivated request to the Director of Education via oasis.ugent.be.
2. Deadline: no later than 5 November (unless there are exceptional circumstances).
3. Attach supporting documents and certificates to your request.

Facilities (what can you request?)

You can request facilities provided that teaching or assessment activities are in direct conflict with the reason for the special status. Possible facilities include:

• Exemption/change of compulsory attendance activities (with a possible replacement assignment or another time within the same academic year).
• Taking the resit exam as an alternative assessment moment.
• An alternative assessment moment within the same academic year.
• Agreeing on an alternative time for feedback.

Choosing facilities per course (via Oasis) — deadlines

Via oasis.ugent.be, choose which approved facilities you want to use for each course by:

• 23 April 2026 (second-semester exam period 2025–2026)
• 6 August 2026 (resit exam period 2025–2026)
• 2 December 2026 (first-semester exam period 2026–2027)
• 22 April 2027 (second-semester exam period 2026–2027)
• 16 July 2027 (resit exam period 2026–2027)

If the status is granted after these dates, do this as soon as possible after the decision.

Are facilities a right or a favour?

Short answer: for the special status student entrepreneur, the facilities are a favour / conditional facility, not an unconditional right.

According to the UGent Education and Examination Regulations 2026–2027 (Article 25, §§7 and 9), a student entrepreneur may request facilities such as an alternative assessment moment or taking the resit exam, but the responsible lecturer may refuse a facility with a reasoned justification. This can happen if the facility affects essential programme competences or if granting it is not practically feasible.

This differs from certain other special statuses. For the special status based on a disability and for the 25% extra time facility due to language, the EER explicitly states that certain facilities can never be refused. For student entrepreneurship, that exclusion clause is not included.

Literal basis from the EER 2026–2027

Article 25, §7 — Special status based on student entrepreneurship, facilities:

“The student with a special status based on student entrepreneurship may, in accordance with the provisions in §9 and provided that the relevant teaching or assessment activities are in direct conflict with the reason for the special status, request the following facilities:

− exemption/change of teaching activities for which the student’s presence is required. A replacement assignment may be imposed or the teaching activity may be organised for the student at another time within the same academic year;

− taking the resit exam as an alternative assessment moment;

− providing an alternative assessment moment within the same academic year;

− agreeing on an alternative time for feedback.”

Article 25, §9 — decision and refusal:

“The responsible lecturer may – in consultation with the faculty Director of Education or the chair of the programme committee – refuse a facility with a reasoned justification when it affects essential programme competences or when granting it is not practically feasible.

Refusable facilities that have not been handled in time by the responsible lecturer(s) are automatically approved at the start of the relevant exam period.

The faculty and/or institutional ombudspersons mediate if desired and where necessary. For the special status based on a disability (§2), the support team may award automatically approved facilities based on the student’s individual file. For the special status based on language proficiency §8, the facility ‘25% more time for a written assessment’ is an automatically approved facility. These facilities can in no case be refused to the student.”

What does this mean in practice?

• If a facility is refused without justification, or if it is not handled in time, it will be automatically approved at the start of the relevant exam period. This is an important safeguard for the student.
• If a facility is refused with justification, the student can request mediation via the faculty or institutional ombudsperson. If it concerns not applying an awarded facility, an appeal may be possible via the Institutional Appeals Committee (Article 81 EER).
• Advice: submit your request on time via oasis.ugent.be and build a well-reasoned dossier with a concrete conflict between the entrepreneurial activity and the teaching/assessment activity. This increases the likelihood that the facility is granted, or that a refusal does not stand in mediation or appeal.

Source: UGent Education and Examination Regulations 2026–2027, Article 25, §§7 and 9 (provided PDF, pp. 49–50/116).

Key agreements & follow-up

• The granting of facilities is agreed in mutual consultation with the lecturer.
• A lecturer may (in consultation with the faculty Director of Education or the chair of the programme committee) refuse a facility with a reasoned justification when it affects essential programme competences or is not practically feasible.
• Refusable facilities that are not handled in time are automatically approved at the start of the relevant exam period.
• If issues arise, you can request mediation via the faculty/institutional ombudspersons. If facilities are not applied, an appeal may be possible via the Institutional Appeals Committee (see the education and examination regulations).