In September of last year, the RUG suddenly decided to scrap the p-in-2 measure after six years. After a letter by minister Bussemaker clearly informing universities that the measure was illegal, students were no longer forced to pass their propaedeutic phase in two years. The law office wants to sue for compensation for those students they say have been unjustly kicked out by the university.
The Appeals Tribunal for Higher Education (CBHO) had previously clarified that universities are only allowed to give a negative study advice once. And that means that following the binding study advice in the first year, universities are not allowed to demand that students finish their propaedeutic phase by the end of the second year.
The RUG, just like other universities, had been doing that. The university assumes that the rule has been applied correctly in the past. ‘So far, no RUG student has lodged an appeal with the Appeals Tribunal for Higher Education against the bsa decision’, spokesperson Riepko Buikema previously stated.
The LSR has called on duped students to come forward. Already, 200 students have approached the law offices, including 15 RUG students.
‘We’re now working on collecting information concerning the p-in-2 rule’, says Ardine Siepman of the LSR. The organisation is trying to use appeals to the Government Information Act to gain insight into how the p-in-2 measure has been applied at the various universities.
‘We will be filing a case, although we’re not yet clear on which institution the case will be against: that depends on the information we get from the Information Act requests. It’s going to be a long process’, according to Siepman.