The key objectives of SORA legislation are to:
- improve safety in education and in working life after graduation
- give universities the ability to intervene when a student is unsuitable for their field of study
- safeguard students’ legal rights in problem situations related to their studies
- clarify regulation so that procedures are based on legislation
SORA legislation makes it possible to revoke a student’s study right in fields that involve requirements concerning the safety of minors, patients or clients. Your study right may be revoked if you have proven clearly unsuitable for the duties in your field, if you do not meet the health or functional capacity requirements, or if you have concealed information that would have affected the student admissions decision.
This page explains what SORA legislation means for you as a student or applicant.
Which fields do the SORA regulations apply to?
The SORA regulations apply to the following fields:
- pharmacy
- dentistry and medicine
- logopedics
- teacher education
- psychology / psychotherapy
- social work
If you study or are applying to one of these fields, it is important to know how SORA legislation may affect your admission, study right and practical training.
Requirements for admission
In SORA fields, your health and functional capacity must be sufficient for the practical tasks and practical training included in your studies.
A limitation related to your health or functional capacity does not prevent admission if its effects can be removed through reasonable measures, such as individual study arrangements. These limitations are only applied in cases of particularly serious illnesses
or impairments of functional capacity.
The purpose of the regulations is not to create unnecessary barriers to education for people with disabilities or other physical or mental limitations.
Revocation of study right
The university may revoke your study right if:
- you have repeatedly or seriously endangered another person’s health or safety during your studies, thereby proving clearly unsuitable for the practical tasks or practical training included in your studies;
- it is evident that you do not meet the health or functional capacity requirements for admission; or
- during the application process, you concealed a prior decision to revoke your study right that could have prevented your admission.
If your studies or the practical training included in them essentially involve working with minors, the university may revoke your study right to protect minors if you have been sentenced for a crime referred to in the Universities Act.
Extract from the criminal records
If your studies include practical training or practical tasks involving minors, you will be asked to provide an extract from the criminal records before the training begins. This applies to students admitted in 2012 or later.
The extract from the criminal records is checked to verify that you have no entries for certain serious offences:
- sexual offences
- murder, manslaughter or killing
- aggravated assault
- aggravated robbery
- serious narcotics offences
Drug testing
The university may require you to present a drug test certificate if there is justified reason to suspect that you are under the influence of drugs during practical tasks or practical training included in your studies, or that you have a drug dependency.
Grounds for testing may include behaviour that deviates from the norm as well as a recent conviction for a narcotics offence on your criminal record extract.