Studying with a disability

Individual adaptation is relevant for students with a disability and special needs. The disability may be of a physical, psychological or cognitive nature. Where there are no defined requirements related to the permanence or degree of disability, this does not apply to reduced functional ability of a temporary nature.

The disabilities may be divided into the following categories:

• Impaired vision
• Impaired hearing
• Impaired mobility
• Specific learning disabilities including dyslexia
• Chronic illnesses (asthma, allergies, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, epilepsy etc.)
• Mental disorders
• Cognitive disabilities
• Social problems

The purpose of individual adaptation is to compensate the disadvantages the disability/the special needs causes the student while maintaining the academic requirements for the course.

Good individual adaptations rely on good collaboration between the faculty and you as a student. You have a shared responsibility to propose appropriate measures, and you should have an active dialogue with your faculty to clarify your needs and possible measures. It is important to contact your faculty as early as possible because it can take time to put the adaptation measures in place.

No complete list detailing relevant adaptation measures exists, as any such measures must be assessed on a case by case basis. 

 If you need adaptation to work requirements/tests, please contact your studyadministration /teacher etc. in good time before implementation.

UiT The Arctic University of Norway is responsible for granting some of the adaptation measures, while in other cases the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Organisation (NAV) and/or your municipal council is responsible. Please clarify your needs with your contact person.

The Arctic Student Welfare Organisation can assist if you need adapted housing or a professional to talk with. For more information, please visit: Norway's Arctic Student Welfare Organisation. 

The University Library has some adapted reading places. Read more about the offer here.

Students who suffer from visual impairment, ADHD, dyslexia and other reading disorders can borrow adapted subject literature from The Norwegian Library of Talking Books and Braille (NLB). NLB is funded by the Ministry of Culture and this provision is free of charge for users. Click here to sign up.

Students with a Specific Language Disorder (e.g. dyslexia) may apply for financial support for reading and writing tool from the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV). Click here to apply to NAV 

Information from Lingit about how to apply for financial support from NAV (in Norwegian only) 

When you have sent your application for a personal licence to NAV, Lingit will provide a free temporary licence so you can start using the program while you await a decision from NAV. Click here ((in Norwegian only) to read more about the process.

Students studying at a higher education institution who are unable to get part-time work because of reduced functional ability can apply for an additional grant from the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund.

Students with language difficulties can apply for assessment/ special education at The Adult Education Centre in Tromsø. If you do not have an address in Tromsø, your contact can help you find out if your local PP-service.
Pedagogisk-psykologisk tjeneste (PPT) Hammerfest
Pedagogisk-psykologisk tjeneste (PPT) Alta 
Voksenopplæringa i Tromsø 
Pedagogisk-psykologisk tjeneste (PPT) Harstad
Voksenopplæring - Nordtromsportalen

You can get reading and secretarial help if you are blind or partially sighted, and when the help is necessary for you to be able to carry out your work, complete education or participate in work training that is relevant to you. Read more here (in Norwegian only).

For details about the deadlines for applying for adaptation of daily student life, please contact your contact person.

You must be able to document that you have a disability that results in a need for adaptation. It is important that such documentation outlines the disadvantages your disability creates in your daily student life.

The quality and content of the documentation from the expert body is important for UiT to be able to make good assessments when processing applications. To ensure that the practicing of individual adaptation of daily student life is as fair and reasonable as possible, we kindly ask that the expert body describes what is challenging and the consequences this has for the student.

The purpose of individual adaptations during exams is to compensate for disadvantages caused by a disability or illness in an examination setting, while ensuring that all candidates are assessed on equal terms and that no candidate is given an unfair advantage. Applications for adaptations are assessed on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the application, medical documentation, regulations, and academic assessment.

Application deadline for individual adaptation is 15. February for the spring semester and 15. September for the autumn semester.

For rescheduled and re-sit examinations, the deadlines are 15. January and 15. August. For examinations scheduled early in the semester, applications must be submitted at least four weeks before the examination date.

No complete list detailing relevant adaptation measures exists, as any such measures must be assessed on a case by case basis. Examples of previously granted adaptation measures include:

Additional examination time may be granted for candidates who need this. You will receive an additional 20 minutes for supervised written examinations of up to three hours’ duration, 30 minutes for examinations of three to five hours’ duration and one hour for examinations lasting five hours or more.

The application must state the form of examination, while the need for additional time must be documented.

If the form of examination is not specified, the application will be processed as adaptation for a written examination.

If you need to rest during an examination, additional time may be granted for this purpose. The need for additional time must be documented. You will receive an additional 20 minutes for supervised written examinations of up to three hours’ duration, 30 minutes for examinations of three to five hours’ duration and one hour for examinations lasting five hours or more.

You must contact an invigilator each time you wish to rest so he/she can note how much of the additional time you have used. If you do not do this, you will not be credited any time to rest. It is important to note that the resting time may not be used for examination work. There is a rest room at the campus for students who require this.

o Should you need to breastfeed during written school exams, you may apply for extra time for this purpose. Make sure you alert the invigilator each time you need time to breastfeed, so they can note down the time you leave and the time you return to the examination room. If you fail to do this, you will not be credited with extra time. Please note that extra time allocated to breastfeeding, may not be used as exam time.

If you have documented dyslexia or other forms of learning disabilities, you can apply for permission to use the software tool Lingdys during written examinations.

Lingdys is a reading and writing tool designed to help people with dyslexia or other forms of learning disabilities. It contains dictionaries in Norwegian Bokmal, Norwegian Nynorsk and English as well as speech synthesis to read out written text. Speech synthesis is software that decodes digital text and read it out loud. Lingdys4 also contains Lingright (English dictionary).

Students who are granted permission to use Lingdys during written examinations will be provided with a computer with the Lingdys program installed. Contact an invigilator when you arrive at the examination venue.

Applications concerning adaptation for learning disabilities (dyslexia) must be supported by documentation in the form of a certificate from a speech therapist/the educational and psychological counselling service (PPT). Such documentation cannot be older than from lower secondary school.

Students who need to use a computer during examinations may apply for this. UiT The Arctic University of Norway is arranging increasing more written examinations as digital examinations. If examinations are arranged as digital examination, you take your own laptop computer. However, if the examination is not digital, we will ensure that you are provided a laptop computer on the day of the examination.

Candidates who have Norwegian as a foreign language may be granted additional examination time of 20 minutes for written examinations of up to three hours’ duration, 30 minutes for examinations of three to five hours’ duration and one hour for examinations lasting five hours or more. 

This arrangement applies during the first year the student is registered at UiT The Arctic University of Tromsø.

This arrangement does not apply for students who sit the examination in English or for students who had Norwegian as their second language at upper secondary school. Furthermore, this arrangement does not apply to candidates taking courses in Nordic languages. 

This arrangement applies for students who have followed the curriculum in basic Norwegian, minorities who have other languages as their mother tongue (on the competency certificate appears as “short period of residence” in Norway – “kort botid” – which means they have lived in Norway less than six years).

Candidates who have Norwegian as a foreign language may, upon application, use a dictionary during the examination.

After your application to use a dictionary as an examination support material has been approved, the dictionary must be controlled by your programme administration.

You must print the form below, and bring it together with your approved application for examination support material to your programme administration.

You can find the application form here.

As a starting point, allergies and/or asthma do not provide the basis for individual adaptations during examinations. The Norwegian universities jointly obtained a medical assessment about whether there is a requirement for individual adaptation for asthma/allergy sufferers during examinations. The conclusion was that current medications do not create any significant sedative effect that would impair one’s performance during an examination. 

In serious/special circumstances, a brief amount of additional time may be granted to rest and/or take necessary medication during a written examination.

If a candidate is suffering from an allergy or asthma to the extent that he/she is unable to sit/complete the examination, he/she can submit a medical certificate documenting illness on the day of the examination and be granted access to register for a re-scheduled examination.

Pregnant candidates are granted rest time of 20 minutes for supervised written examinations of up to three hours’ duration, 30 minutes for examinations of three to five hours’ duration and one hour for examinations lasting five hours or more if the examination is held in the eighth or ninth month of pregnancy. A medical certificate stating the baby’s anticipated due date must be submitted.

Students who require adaptation of the examination venue may apply for this. For instance, students can sit the examination in a smaller room with few other students or, in special circumstances, in a separate room. A medical certificate or specialist’s report, etc. documenting the special needs must be submitted.

Examples of adaptations of equipment include: 

- using a suitable chair

- using a height-adjustable desk

Students who cannot sit an examination with the ordinary form of assessment may apply for a change of the form of examination. An application must be submitted for each individual course. In such cases, the Joint Examination Service, which processes applications for adaptation of examinations, will ask the academic environment to provide an academic assessment of the application. 

o Information on accessibility in Wiseflow can be found here.

As part of the adaptation, the examiners can be informed of the reason that the student has been granted adaptation of the examination. Examples of this may be students who want the sensors to know that they have dyslexia, or in cases where the student has a writing assistant during the examination. If you have been granted adaptation measures and you would like the examiners to be informed of this, please contact us (you will find us under “Contact details” above). 

 If you need adaptation to work requirements/tests, please contact your studyadministration /teacher etc. in good time before implementation.

Students who have been granted permanent special arrangements and have registered for a type of exam they previously have not been granted special arrangements for, can be granted the same special arrangements for this despite missing the application deadline. Please contact us via the Self-service portal TOPdesk or via e-mail as soon as possible.

Students who apply for and are granted extra time for home examinations receive additional time as follows:
Examination with duration of 2 days: 3 hours extra time
Examination with a duration of 3 days: Next day submission at 0900hrs
Examination with duration of 4-13 days: 1 day (24 hrs) extra time
Examination with a duration of 14 days or more: 2 days(48 hours) extra time

If your exams last over 2 weeks and you need extra time, please contact us via the user portal Self-service portal TOPdesk or via e-mail. 

Our support phone is not serviced on Saturdays. If your submission day is on a Saturday and you have problems with the submission, it is important that you submit your examination answer to exam@hjelp.uit.no within the deadline. There are no submissions on public holidays.

Students who apply for and are granted extra time for project assignments, bachelor theses and master's theses, are normally given the following additional time:
Project assignments, bachelor theses and master's theses with credits between 10-19:
3 days extra

Project assignments, bachelor theses and master's theses with credits between 20-39:
1 week extra

Project assignments, bachelor theses and master's theses with credits between 40-60:
Two weeks extra

You will find the application form here. The applicant fills in part 1 and a doctor or other expert body fills in part 2. If you already have a medical certificate, you can ignore part 2.

NB: If you are applying for adaptation of a re-sit or re-scheduled examination, choose the tab “Apply for adaptation for a re-sit or re-scheduled examination” above. 

1. Fill in the application form: Application for individual adaption during an examination
2. Go to eDialog and log in via the ID gateway
3. Fill in the required information on the form.
4. In the space for the title under “What are you sending?”, please enter “Application for adaptation of examination” and the name your faculty. 
5. Upload your application and documentation from your doctor or specialist (if you are waiting for documentation, please mark in your application that you will provide this later, within three weeks. You can also forward the documentation from your doctor or specialist via eDialog). 
6. Send your application.

 If you do not have access to the ID gateway, you can submit your application here. 

We would prefer that you use our application form, but you may also submit your application as a separate document in PDF format. If you do not use the form, please ensure we receive the information we need to process your application (full name, Norwegian national identity number, which adaptation measures you are applying for and for how long you are applying for adaptation). You must also attach a statement from your doctor/psychologist/speech therapist. 

A response to your application will be sent via:

• your digital mailbox if you have one, or
• ordinary post if you do not have a digital mailbox. Please remember to provide your address in the application form.

You will receive a quicker response if you have a digital mailbox.

If you have any questions, please contact us via the Self-service portal TOPdesk. Please note that you cannot enter sensitive information in TOPdesk.

If you want to talk about adaptation of an examination, you can sign up here. We will contact you. 

Tromsø:
Line Gaare-Hansen 
Vera Nyrud 
Ann Guro Mikkelsen-Strimp
Sverre Nordøy Ryan
Tove Olsen

Alta:
Wenche-Lise Kristiansen
Ida-Kristine Andreassen (tilbake høsten 2026)
Emil Hagerupsen Bergmo

Hammerfest:
Irene Hægdahl 

Harstad:
Charles Hansen

Narvik:
Lena C. Romsloe Johnsen

The quality and content of the documentation from the expert body is important for UiT to be able to make good assessments when processing applications. To achieve the best possible and fairest practice of the arrangements involving adapted examinations, we kindly ask that the expert body takes the following points into account:

• The documentation must confirm the candidate’s state of health in the given examination situation. The documentation must explicitly specify the consequences the condition has for the implementation of the examination, including a description of the effects/side effects medications or other circumstances that may be of significance in the examination situation. 
• The documentation must have been issued recently (unless it applies to physical disabilities of a permanent/lasting nature and obvious chronic disorders). 
• The documentation must clearly state whether the condition is of a permanent/lasting or temporary nature. 

• Documented asthma and allergies do not constitute an automatic right to adaptation during examinations. However, in serious or special circumstances, additional time may be granted to rest and/or take medication during the examination.
• Learning disabilities: The documentation cannot be older than from lower secondary school.

• The documentation/certificate must be printed on original paper and be stamped and signed by the doctor. 
• If the documentation states the doctor/expert body’s assessment of the measures required, decisive weight will not be attached to this assessment. It is the university’s responsibility to determine which measures are required/appropriate within the scope of the university’s regulatory provisions, academic considerations and the resources at the university’s disposal.

The application deadline for individual adaptation during an examination is 15 February in the spring semester and 15 September in the autumn semester for ordinary examinations.

The application deadline is 15 January and 15 August for re-scheduled and re-sit examinations. 

Dispensation from these deadlines is only granted in completely unique cases, and is regulated by § 16 of the regulations for studies and examinations at UiT. An application for a dispensation is submitted at the same place as an application for facilitation is submitted. 

If you apply after the deadline, we can not guarantee that you will get adaption on your exams this semester.

Candidates who are unable to sit an examination owing to an acute illness/suffering just before the examination are entitled to a re-scheduled examination. However, if it is probable that the candidate could sit/complete the examination if simple and not particularly resource demanding measures are implemented, such minor adaptation will be granted. The candidate must document that the need for such adaptation has arisen after the deadline for applying for adaptation has passed. The application form can be found under the tab Acute illness / unforeseen problems.

Extra time is added to Wiseflow one week before the exam.

Extra time for home exams of several days, bachelor theses and master's theses are added to the flow no later than 1 week before the submission deadline.

If a student becomes acutely ill or that unforeseen problems have arisen, it is possible to apply for accommodation for the examination even if the deadline for applying has expired. The medical certificate must confirm that the illness has arisen after the application deadline has expired, or that there has been a worsening of a chronic illness.

If you become acutely ill during the home exam, you can be given extra time. This is regulated by Section 25 of the regulations for studies and examinations at UiT.

For home examinations, additional examination days may be granted in special circumstances if the student documents unforeseen problems of a medical nature, bereavement in the immediate family or other similar misfortunate circumstances that have occurred during the examination period. When the stipulated examination time is more than two weeks, the submission deadline can normally be extended by up to two days. If the stipulated examination time in of a shorter duration, the submission deadline can normally be extended by one day. Students who still do not manage to complete the examination despite the extra time have the right to a re-scheduled examination.

You can apply here. 

If you have questions about adaptation of an examination, you will find contact information here. If you want talk about adaptation of an examination, you can sign up here. We will contact you. 

For any enquiries concerning adaptation of conditions affecting everyday study, please contact the contact person at your faculty.

The Arctic University Museum of Norway and Academy of Fine Arts

• The Study Administration at the Academy of Arts

• Tor-Anton Sørensen (Musikkonservatoriet)

Faculty of Health Sciences

• Monica Karlsen
• Alf Magne Jacobsen

Please contact us tilrettelegging@helsefak.uit.no

Faculty of Law

• Mathilde Ryeng Strand
• Henning Bjørnstad
• Karin Bersvendsen Bjørvig        

Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education

• Slaven Krehic
• Olav Skare

Faculty of Science and Technology

• Camilla Andreassen

Please contact us at studie-nt@hjelp.uit.no

Faculty of Bioscience, Fisheries and Economics

• Merete Tveit

Faculty of Engineering Science and Technology

• Ingrid Båtnes Storeng

Research, Education and Communication Division

• Line Gaare-Hansen

RESULT

• Please contact RESULT by phone at +47 77 64 65 58

Student Counselling Centre

• Tone Toft

Supported education

• Vigdis Mariann Skogmo

Student Welfare Organisation / Student Housing Office

• Ingvild Bratterud

Department of Property Management

• Larissa Acharya

The University Library

• Please contact the University Library at post@ub.uit.no  

Student Parliament

• Please contact by phone on +47 92652333 / 77644589 or e-mail at au@sp.uit.no

Department of Information Technology

• Jan Vidar Arnesen

• Norway's Arctic Student Welfare Organisation
• Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills
• The Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs'
• The Equality and Anti-Discrimination Ombud
• European agency for development in special needs education
• The Norwegian Library of Talking Books and Braille (Tibi)
• Supported education (in Norwegian only) 
• NAV - hjelpemidler (in Norwegian only) 
• NAV - hjelpemiddelsentralen i Troms og Finnmark (in Norwegian only) 

Organizations:

• Norwegian Forum of Disabled Peoples’ Organizations SAFO
• The Norwegian Association of Youth with Disabilities (in Norwegian only) 
• Dysleksiforbundet (in Norwegian only) 
• Hørselshemmedes Landsforbund (in Norwegian only) 
• Blindeforbundet (in Norwegian only) 
• Synshemmede Akademikeres Forening (in Norwegian only) 
• The Norwegian Federation of Organisations of Disabled People (FFO)

UiT’s Action plan for adaptation and accessibility 2017-2020 contains defined goals and actions for adaptation. 

The Learning Environment Committee is responsible for monitoring the university’s follow-up of the action plan.

There has been a change in the submission time for students who have been granted additional examination time for home exam with a duration of 3 days: The submission deadline is set at 9 am the day after ordinary submission.