Court leaves Lauri Törhönen dissertation rejection in force

The Supreme Administrative Court has declined to consider Lauri Törhönen’s application for leave to appeal the rejection of his doctoral dissertation, leaving the decision by the University of Lapland in force. The court also declined to consider his request to reopen final decisions, Yle reported.

The University of Lapland rejected Törhönen’s dissertation in December 2023 and later dismissed his requests for corrections.

The court cited the Universities Act, which allows appeals against dissertation assessments to be made to a university’s own bodies. However, decisions made through the correction procedure cannot be appealed to a court. The court said the restriction is consistent with universities’ autonomy.

It also noted that a failed examination or other study assignment can be retaken. Lapin Kansa first reported the court’s decision.