Guide disciplinary procedure for complaints (submitted) as of 13 September 2025 (Disciplinary Regulations of 12 January 2024)

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A disciplinary procedure is an internal sanctioning procedure in which it is investigated and decided whether a staff member or a student has committed a serious misconduct. If the facts are proven, a disciplinary measure will be imposed. The sole purpose and outcome of a disciplinary procedure is therefore to impose a sanction on a staff member or student who has committed a serious misconduct.

Through the FAQ below, we will guide you through the process of a disciplinary procedure at Ghent University. If you can't find an answer to your question or if you wish to discuss a particular case that concerns you, please contact legal@UGent.be.

What are disciplinary offences?

Disciplinary offenses are serious shortcomings in the official or professional duties for staff or serious misconduct in the context of activities and actions as a student. Those who encourage others to commit disciplinary offences or cooperate in them may also be subject to a disciplinary procedure. Disciplinary offences are not listed restrictively. Some examples: transgressive behavior, discrimination, racism, violence, stalking, theft, vandalism, falsification, fraud, violation of the regulations of Ghent University, etc.

Serious offences committed in a private context may also give rise to a disciplinary procedure if the following conditions are cumulatively met: a) the act constitues a criminally punishable act and b) the incident has a negative impact on the staff member's functioning or on the functioning of the service, or it has a serious adverse effect on the well-being of, or cooperation with other staff members or students (for example, in relation to teaching activities, internships, life in a student housing).

Only facts that occured within the past five years may give rise to a disciplinary procedure, unless they concern criminal offences that are not yet criminally time-barred.

What disciplinary measures may be imposed?

The following disciplinary measures may

be imposed on staff members:

1° a written warning

2° full or partial suspension (max. 6 months) (potentially withholding of the salary/scholarship up to max. 1/5th of the monthly net salary/monthly scholarship allowance)

3° a demotion

4° dismissal / termination of the scholarship agreement

5° expulsion (i.e. dismissal with loss of civil servant’s pension)

Doctoral students and other employees outside of the staff formation may be denied certain services, teaching/research support or other facilities of Ghent University as well as access to Ghent University sites and buildings.

The enforcement of the pronounced disciplinary sanction may be postponed in whole or in part for a period of one year and a maximum of five years on the condition that the staff member complies with the following conditions:

No new disciplinary acts are committed where the staff member was caught in the act or confessed or where the disciplinary acts were proven in a final disciplinary decision;
Individualized conditions or behavioral remedies imposed by the Disciplinary Chamber/ Disciplinary Appeals Chamber for a specified period of time.

The rector enforces these conditions and reports to the Disciplinary Chamber/ Disciplinary Appeals Chamber.

In case of non-compliance, after hearing the staff member concerned, the postponement may be revoked by the Disciplinary Chamber/ Disciplinary Appeals Chamber.

The postponement shall not be granted if the following disciplinary sanction was imposed: dismissal, resignation, dismissal with notice or termination of the scholarship agreement.

The following disciplinary measures can be imposed on students:

1° a written warning

2° the temporary prohibition from using certain services or educational and research support facilities (maximum of 2 academic years)

3° temporary prohibition from participating in certain educational and research activities (maximum of 2 academic years)

4° temporary prohibition from accessing certain shared areas in the student housing where the student concerned resides (for example, all or certain shared spaces) and/or the transfer to another room in a student housing

5° temporary suspension of the lease in the student hostel

6° normal disciplinary suspension (maximum of 2 academic years)

7° disciplinary suspension including suspension from the examinations (maximum of 2 academic years)

8° expulsion from Ghent University (maximum of 10 academic years)

In combination with one of the abovementioned disciplinary measures, the disciplinary body may impose an individual behavioral remedy measure (for example, attending a course, following therapy,…), the non-compliance of which may, where applicable, may result in a more severe disciplinary measure than the one initially imposed.

What are the bodies in disciplinary procedure?

The competent actors in the preliminary investigation involve the rector and the council chamber. The disciplinary procedure is conducted before the Disciplinary Chamber or the Disciplinary Appeals Chamber.

The disciplinary bodies handle both student and staff cases. The Council Chamber, the Disciplinary Chamber and the Disciplinary Appeals Chamber have an independent and autonomous position vis-à-vis the university administration and judge in complete impartiality. The majority of the members of the disciplinary bodies are external members. This means that the member is not connected to Ghent University under any statute or contractual relationship.

Who can file a complaint, and how to do so?

Students can file a complaint for acts committed by a staff member or a student.

Staff members can file a complaint for acts committed by a staff member or a student.

Persons outside Ghent University may also file a complaint for acts committed by a staff member or a student.

You can submit a complaint with the rector. There are no formal requirements. You may send an e-mail to legal@UGent.be or a letter to Legal Affairs, campus Ufo, Sint - Pietersnieuwstraat 25, 9000 Ghent. Please identify the staff member or student against whom you are submitting your complaint and describe the facts and alleged offences as concretely as possible, preferably supported by documents (for example, e-mails, written testimonies...) that you attach to your complaint.

What happens to my complaint?

You will receive a confirmation of receipt within 7 calendar days from the day after the date of receipt at the latest. The rector will conduct a preliminary investigation which will take a maximum of 6 months, depending on the information and documents that may still be missing and persons who need to be heard first. As part of the preliminary investigation, the rector may hear the staff member or student alleged to have committed the disciplinary offence, as well as the complainant and witnesses, but this is not an obligation.

The 6 months period may be suspended in the event of a criminal investigation concering the facts and this until the result of the criminal investigation is known. The staff member/student concerned will be notified of the suspension.

The rector is assisted and legally advised during the preliminary investigation.

The rector has two options:

The rector decides to refer the matter directly to the Disciplinary Chamber within a maximum period of 6 months, unless there is a suspension due to an ongoing criminal investigation. The staff member/student concerned will be informed of both the decision to suspend the preliminary investigation and the decision to refer the case to the Disciplinary Chamber.
In case of doubt or in case no referral is made, the rector must obtain the advice from the Council Chamber. The six-month period is then suspended, from the date the Council Chamber receives the Rector's request until the rector receives the Council Chamber's advice. The Council Chamber, from the moment it is composed, has 1 month to provide its advice to the rector. This period is also suspended when the Council Chamber asks additional questions.

The rector may deviate from the advice of the Council Chamber only on a duly justified basis.

If no referral is made, the disciplinary procedure ends. However, behavioral measures or other actions can be proposed by the Council Chamber. If a referral is made, the Disciplinary Chamber will examine the merits of the case and take a disciplinary decision, either finding the disciplinary offence to be proven or not and imposing a disciplinary measure, where approriate.

You will be informed of every significant step in the procedure by the case manager (see also the answer to the question: "Will I be informed of the disciplinary procedure and disciplinary decision?").

Can a disciplinary procedure be initiated without a complaint?

The rector can also initiate a disciplinary investigation on their own initiative, without a complaint being submitted, and decide to refer the case to the Disciplinary Chamber. This may occur, for example, when serious facts against a staff member or student have been objectively established by central or faculty services of Ghent University and reported to the rector, or have been made public in the press. The procedure is completely similar, except that there will be no complainant in the procedure.

How does the disciplinary procedure for the Disciplinary Chamber proceed?

The Disciplinary Chamber will compile a disciplinary file. One or more hearings will be held during which the person concerned, any complainant and witnesses may be heard.

You may therefore also be summoned as a complainant or as a witness to be heard. You are not obliged to respond (for example, if you have already provided a full written statement or testimony and do not wish to be questioned orally). in principle, hearings take place in person, but in very exceptional circumstances the chairman of the disciplinary body may decide to allow an online hearing.

In principle, the complainant or witness will be heard in the absence of the staff member/student concerned and his/her representation (the lawyer, union representative or counselor of his/her choice), unless there is no objection. An audiovisual recording shall be made of each hearing, and added to the disciplinary case file, to which the staff member/student concerned and her representation shall have access. In exceptional cases the disciplinary body may decide that a witness or complainant be heard in the presence of the staff member/student concerned and her representation. In that case, the hearing of the complainant/witness is then simultaneously but remotely followed by the staff member/student concerned and her representation. Questioning shall be conducted through the chairman of the Disciplinary Chamber.

A summary report is will be made of each hearing.

The audiovisual recording will be transmitted by e-mail to the staff member/student concerned within 7 calendar days.

The staff member/student concerned then has 7 calendar days to submit written comments on the audiovisual recording and the summary report to the chairman of the Disciplinary Chamber.

At the final hearing (if several hearings are held), the case is taken into consideration and within a maximum period of four months, the Disciplinary Chamber will issue a motivated disciplinary decision. The disciplinary decision can be implemented once the appeal period has expired without an appeal being lodged (see also the answer to the question "Can I appeal against the disciplinary decision?").

Can I remain anonymous in the disciplinary procedure?

Anonymity in disciplinary procedures is a complex matter. We will guide you and provide as much information as possible, but if you feel uncertain about this, please contact legal@UGent.be.

As a complainant or witness, you must always identify yourself to the rector. You cannot submit an anonymous complaint or testimony. However, you can ask to remain anonymous towards the staff member or student concerned against whom you wish to file a complaint or provde testimony.

However, you cannot ask to be heard anonymously by a Disciplinary Chamber nor can you ask that your written testimony be anonymized before the Disciplinary Chamber (that is, where the Disciplinary Chamber knows your identity, but you ask not to disclose your identity to the staff member or student concerned). After all, the disciplinary decision taken by the Disciplinary Chamber is based on a disciplinary file which must be identical to the one accessible to the staff member or student concerned, who must be able to exercise their legal right of defense. However, the rector may be asked to provide documents, such as testimony, anonymously to the Disciplinary Chamber.

Anonymity may affect the evidential value of the information provided. Anonymous statements will often serve only as additional evidence, in cases where other documents already point to the alleged facts. You should also take into account that the staff member or student concerned always has access to the disciplinary file, including any anonymous statements added to it. Based on the description of the facts, anonymity cannot be guaranteed, as the person concerned may be able to deduce or suspect who made the statement. Take this into account if you wish to remain anonymous before refferal to the Disciplinary Chamber.

If it is not possible to remain anonymous (towards the person concerned) by submitting the evidence/statement, while you wish to remain anonymous, the document cannot be included in the file.

Will I be informed of the disciplinary procedure and the disciplinary decision?

Both the complainant and the staff member or student concerned will be informed by the case manager of all procedural steps and the final disciplinary decision. Other persons may also be informed on a "need to know" basis, for example, immediate superior / head of department, promotor.

Witnesses are not informed by the case manager.

Only the staff member or student concerned has access to the disciplinary file. The complainant and witnesses do not.

If you have questions about the status of your complaint or a disciplinary procedure that concerns you, please contact legal@UGent.be. Formal notifications (for example, notice of hearing, notification of the disciplinary decision) are issued by the Disciplinary Chamber/Disciplinary Appeals Chamber.

What time limits apply to the disciplinary procedure?

Only offences that occurred within the past 5 years may be subject to a disciplinary procedure, unless they concern criminal offenses that have not yet become criminally time-barred.

The preliminary investigation by the rector is conducted within a maximum period of 6 months.

If the Council Chamber is consulted by the rector for an advice, it has a period of 1 month to issue its advise. This period is suspended if the Council Chamber asks additional questions to the rector.

Once the case has been referred, there is no fixed time limit for completing the disciplinary proceedings. However, the principe of reasonable time apply. The duration will depend, among other things, on the number of cases pending before the Disciplinary Chamber and, above all, the complexity of the case.

Disciplinary procedures may be suspended because of an ongoing criminal investigation. This is not always the case for criminal offenses, and is not permitted when the staff member or student concerned has confessed to the facts or when there is clear evidence (for example, falsification of a diploma). Suspension will occur when the criminal investigation is necessary to determine whether the facts took place and whether the person concerned is found guilty.

Once the case has been taken into consideration, the Disciplinary Chamber will issue its disciplinary decision within a maximum period of 4 months.

Can I appeal against the disciplinary decision?

The staff member or the student concerned on whom a disciplinary measure has been imposed may lodge an appeal with the Disciplinary Appeals Chamber. This must be done within 30 calendar days of receipt of the disciplinary decision. The disciplinary appeals body will re-examine the case and issue a decision replacing the first instance decision. The disciplinary decision on appeal will be made within a maximum period of 4 months after the case is taken into deliberation. A more severe disciplinary measure may also be imposed on appeal. The disciplinary decision on appeal is immediately enforceable.

How are the Council Chamber, Disciplinary Chamber and Disciplinary Appeals Chamber composed?

A pool of members shall be appointed for both the Council Chamber and Disciplinary Chamber/ Disciplinary Appeals Chamber, with a minimum of 2 or 3 members per seat respectively taking into account the composition of the disciplinary body. The appointment is made by the Executive Board for a renewable term of 4 years. When a disciplinary case is initiated, the disciplinary body will be composed by the secretary and a chairman appointed from the pool of chairmen.

The majority of members of disciplinary bodies will always be external.

The Council Chamber consists of 3 members:

1) The chairman is an external member and is a (retired) magistrate. A pool of magistrate members is appointed from among the candidates nominated by the Federal Public Service Justice (FOD Justitie) or the Council of State (Raad van State).

2) An external member, nominated by a selection committee appointed by the Executive Board, posesses specific expertise or experience in one or more of the following areas: transgressive behavior, anti-discrimination, discipline law, deontology or elevant social experience.

3) An internal member belonging to the Independent Academic Staff (ZAP), holding at least the rank of professor. These internal members are jointly nominated by ZAP, OAP, ATP and student representatives to the Board of Governors.

The Council Chamber can only validly deliberate when fully constituted.

The Disciplinary Chamber/ Disciplinary Appeals Chamber consists of 7 members each:

2) 3 external members, nominated by a selection committee appointed by the Executive Board, possess specific expertise or experience in one of the following areas: transgressive behavior, anti-discrimination, discipline law, deontology or relevant social experience.

3) 3 internal members composed as follows:

a. 1 internal member belongs to the same category as the staff member/student concerned

b. 2 other internal members do not belong to the category of the staff member/student concerned. These two internal members will come from different categories.

The pool of internal members is nominated by the respective representatives in the Board of Governors, striving for representation from the different faculties or directorates.

The Disciplinary Chamber/Disciplinary Appeals Chamber can only validly deliberate and decide if at least 5 members can participate in the deliberation, including the chairman.

What are measures to ensure orderly conduct and preventive suspension in the interest of the service?

The rector may impose measures to ensure orderly conduct on a member of staff or a student if certain facts or the behavior of that person cause unrest, disrupts the proper functioning of the department or university community, or endanger safety or the (psychosocial) well-being of staff or students or the person concerned. Measures to ensure orderly conduct can also be imposed without initiating a disciplinary procedure.

Measures to ensure orderly conduct are temporarily and may be imposed for a maximum of three months. They may be extended by the rector for the same maximum duration, with appropriate justification.

Examples: prohibition of access to (parts of) Ghent University sites and buildings; prohibition of contact with (certain) staff members or students; closure of the user account.

With regard to staff members, the rector may also decide on a preventive suspension in the interest of the service. However, this measure is linked to a disciplinary procedure and may be imposed in case of serious disciplinary offenses, if the interest of the service so requires. The preventive suspension is imposed for a maximum of six months and may be extended once for the same maximum duration with justification. During this period, the staff member may not perform any professional activities as a staff member of Ghent University, is denied access to Ghent University sites and buildings, must refrain from contact with staff members and students, and loses access to their university account.

Where can I find the applicable regulations?

The regulations of Ghent University can be found in the Codex of Ghent University. Third parties do not have access to the Codex of Ghent University. They can request a copy of the applicable regulations at legal@UGent.be.

All staff members of Ghent University in the broadest sense are subject to the disciplinary regulations for staff.

All students are subject to the disciplinary regulations for students.

Note: all doctoral students fall within the scope of the disciplinary regulations for staff as far as the procedure is concerned. However, when determing the sanction, the Disciplinary Board can apply either disciplinary sanctions provided for in the disciplinary regulations for staff or those provided for in the disciplinary regulations for students to doctoral students.

More information about transgressive behavior and discrimination:

Students
Staff members: see intranet