What is the absence limit in subjects?
If you have more than 10 percent undocumented absence in a subject, you will, as a general rule, not be entitled to receive semester assessments with grades or final grades in the subject. All absence from instruction, regardless of reason, should in principle count when assessing whether you are within or have exceeded the absence limit.
Absence not covered by the absence limit
If you are absent from instruction due to rights you have under the Education Act, the absence should not count towards the absence limit. Such absence may include:
- Counseling at school
- Assessment conducted by the Educational and Psychological Counseling Service and Statped
- Organized study work agreed with the subject teacher in advance
- Student council work, school administrative work, and participation in student assemblies organized by the Student Organization, etc., approved by the school
- Scheduled meetings with the principal or other staff
- Interviews for apprenticeships
- Special, new, and postponed exams
Home or institutional instruction due to long-term illness or similar is part of regular instruction and is therefore not counted as absence.
Absence that can be exempted from the absence limit
Furthermore, absence due to one of the reasons listed below will not count when assessing whether you are within or have exceeded the absence limit. This means that you can still receive semester assessments with grades and final grades when your total absence in the subject exceeds 10 percent, as long as the undocumented absence does not exceed 10 percent.The following absences can be documented and exempted from the absence limit:
- Health and welfare reasons
- Work as an elected representative
- Political work
- Humanitarian work
- Mandatory attendance
- Representation in national or international events, for example in sports or culture
- Religious holidays outside the Church of Norway (max 2 days)
- The following parts of mandatory driver training for driver's license class B: safety course on track and the second and third parts of the safety course on road
If such absence should not count, you must document it. For example, absence due to health reasons must be documented by a doctor or other expert. Absence for welfare reasons, such as attending a funeral, can normally be documented with a statement from guardians.
How to document absence
All absence should be reported to the school.
- You should report the absence in VIS before the class starts. Guidance for recording absence in Visma In School.
- You should state the reason for the absence.
If possible, you should submit documentation for absence from instruction in advance. When it is not possible to submit documentation in advance, it is good practice to submit documentation within two weeks after the absence.You will receive a conduct mark if you:
- Arrive late for class
- Do not report the absence on the same day you are unable to attend
- Do not submit documentation for the absence within two weeks
Requirements for certificates and statements as documentation for absence:
- The certificate/statement should contain the date(s) the student is/has been absent from school
- A certificate for health-related absence must describe that the student's absence is due to health reasons and possibly indicate the expected duration of absence
- The certificate/statement must be signed by the person who wrote the certificate/statement
What kind of absence can I request to be removed from my diploma or competence certificate?
If you have documented absence due to health and welfare reasons, work as an elected representative, political work, humanitarian work, mandatory attendance, representation in national or international events, or religious holidays outside the Church of Norway, you can request that up to 10 days be removed from your diploma or competence certificate. You must apply for such deduction yourself.
What if you have more than 10 percent undocumented absence?
If you have more than 10 percent undocumented absence, you will not receive semester assessments with grades or final grades in the subject. However, you still have the right to participate in the instruction and the right to receive ongoing assessment in the subject. This may mean that you have to retake the subject to be able to start at the next level.
You will receive a warning when you approach the absence limit
When you approach the absence limit of 10 percent in a subject and there is a risk that you will not receive a grade in the subject, you will receive a written advance notice from the school. If you are under 18, your guardians will also be notified. The notice should be sent in good time so that you have the opportunity to receive a grade in the subject, or possibly submit valid documentation for the absence. The school will inform you about what you can do to avoid losing your grade in the subject.
You can read more about the absence rules on the Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training's pages:
Absence limit (Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training)
For students - questions and answers about the absence limit
To apply for deletion of absence, you must use the form available in Visma In School.