Upon application, students with good reasons can be exempted from the commitments of a traditional degree programme (academic leave). The total duration of leave should not exceed two semesters.

Semesters of leave will be recorded as semesters of leave in our records. They count as university semesters, but not as subject-related semesters.

Students on leave

• do not participate in the self-administration of the University
• are not eligible to vote (neither actively nor passively)
• are not authorised to attend any lectures or use any university facilities, apart from the library facilities (except students that take care of family members)
• are not authorised to take exams during their leave (except students that take care of family members); this rule does not apply for bachelor and master theses. Bachelor and master theses can be prepared during semesters of leave.

An application for academic leave must be submitted before semester commencement. If the cause for leave occurs later in the semester, the application should be submitted without delay.

It is not possible to apply for academic leave for previous semesters.

An application for academic leave for the current semester must be submitted, at the very latest, by the time lectures have finished (end of the Vorlesungszeit).

In the first semester of bachelor programmes, academic leave will only be granted for the existence of a cause for leave from numbers 4 to 8 (see paragraph "Reasons for academic leave" below). In the first semester of master programmes academic leave may be granted in case of all possible reasons (numbers 1 to 8).

PhD students, part-time students and foreign exchange students can only be granted academic leave if denial would result in unreasonable, severe hardship.

Please use the form below to apply for academic leave. The Studiensekretariat will make a decision based on the application. 

Academic leave is only possible with the existence of a good reason. The following situations constitute a good reason: if a student

• spends one or two semesters at a foreign university, usually as an exchange student

• receives a scholarship which is based on conditions preventing the student from attending lectures

• takes on some sort of practical activity which is to benefit his/her degree. This is only valid for practical activities which are not part of examination regulations

• cannot attend lectures due to illness, and his/her ability to complete the expected class and examination work is impeded by the illness

• is doing a so called "Freiwilligendienst", usually civil service

• is taking care of family members according to § 24 paragraph 4 of the Framework for examination regulations (Allgemeine Bestimmungen zu Studien- und Prüfungsordnungen für das Bachelor- und Masterstudium an der Universität Ulm).

• cannot attend lectures due to the approaching birth of a child and the subsequent care required

• is serving a prison term

Academic leave can only be granted if sufficient proof of the reason for academic leave is submitted along with the application form.

During a semester of academic leave it is generally not possible to take any exams.

The exceptions to this rule are:

• retaking an exam that a student has failed during previous semesters without attending the lecture or course during the semester of academic leave,
• completing exams that were started in a previous semester without attending the lecture or course during the semester of academic leave,
• taking exams in a semester of academic leave; the cause of the academic leave being studies at a university abroad (non-integrated studies abroad, e.g. ERASMUS),
• taking exams in a semester of academic leave; the cause of the academic leave being the raising and education of a child/children and/or caring for a family member,
• registering for, completing and submitting final theses like bachelor or master theses.

Yes, students with children can take up to six semesters of academic leave. This is due to the German laws "Mutterschutzgesetz" and "Bundeselterngeld- und Elternzeitgesetzes".

Students that take semesters of academic leave because they raise and care for their children are allowed to attend lectures or use university facilities. They are also allowed to take exams during their semesters of academic leave.

The usual fees are payable during a semester of leave.
Exemptions are not possible. You can find more information on all fees during your studies here.

A semester of acacemic leave can be granted if the practical placement lasts longer than the practical placement defined by the examination regulations. This applies for practical placements in Germany and abroad. Academic leave can not be granted for a practical placement that lasts only for the duration according to the examination regulations. The application for academic leave has to be signed by the chairman/chairwoman of the examination board.

For technical reasons, it is absolutely essential that the reference is entered properly filling in the transfer form. Prompt re-registration cannot be guaranteed otherwise.

The first two digits of the reference define the year of the semester, the third digit defines the summer(=1) or winter(=2) semester. Those three digits are followed by a "minus", the matriculation number, the surname and the first name of the student.

Here is an example for the reference used to re-register for the summer semester 2022: 221-0123456 Test Anne

Students can find their personal referecen in the Hochschulportal by clicking on "My Functions" --> "Administration of study" --> "Certificates in German" --> "Gebührenaufstellung"

The deadlines for re-registration end

• for a summer semester 10 February,
• for a winter semester 10 August.

The fees are to be transferred during this period even if the 10.02. or 10.08. is a Saturday or Sunday. You will find the total amount of payable fees here.

You will find a list of the payable fees per semester here.

Late payments will be assessed a late fee in the amount of 20.00 Euro if payment is made after 10 February for a summer semester and after 10 August for a winter semester.

Please print the certificates of enrolment by logging on to the "Hochschulportal". Ulm University will not send any certificates of enrolment by post.

How to print your certificate

When taking an exam students have to be enrolled in a study program. Enrolment is not necessary when taking an exam between the beginning of a semester (1 April or 1 October) and one month after the beginning of the lecture period (usually mid May/mid November).

Re-registration is not possible, when a student

• is only admitted until the end of the previous semester (e.g. as an exchange student),
• has already taken his last exam and received his final certificates unless he is studying at a university abroad,
• has lost the entitlemenat to take exams.

Please contact the responsible official in the Studiensekretariat if you have any questions concerning your re-registration.

Students that finisch their bachelor studies and wish to start their master studies in the next semester, can choose between the following options of re-registration:

You pay the fees for the next semester in time (10 August/10 February) and re-register for the next semester. You will be re-registered as a bachelor student for the time being. After having passed your final exams of your bachelor studies and applying for enrolment in the master programme the responsible official in the Studiensekretariat will enrol you in the master programme. Please note that this is only possible before the exam period in February/July starts.

You do not re-register in time and will be withdrawn from Ulm University at the end of the semester. After having passed your final exams of your bachelor studies you will transfer the payable fees (no late fee!) and apply for re-enrolment in the master programme. Enrolment certificates for the next semester can only be issued after re-enrolment.

No matter which possibility you choose, please note:
In master programmes with prior admission you need to apply for admission first and after receiving the admission letter you need to apply for enrolment in the master programme within the deadlines that are stated in your admission  letter. If you do not, enrolment in the master programme might not be possible.

In master programmes without prior admission you do not need to apply for admission. The prerequisites for enrolment will be checked by the responsible official in the Studiensekretariat.

Usually re-registration is not possible for students that have finished their studies at Ulm University.

Re-registration is possible however if students will be enrolled at a foreign university after their graduation at Ulm University.

Please contact the Studiensekretariat for more information.

If you would like to change your study programme and your new study programme is a bachelor programme that does not require prior admission, please contact the responsible official of the Studiensekretariat. Please fill in the form located on the right side of this website. Usually you do not have to hand in any other documents. Please make sure that your visa and/or your university entrance qualification allow you to enrol in the new study programme.

The deadlines for applications are:
winter semester: 30 November
summer semester: 31 May

If you would like to change your study programme and your new study programme is a master programme that does not require prior admission, please contact the responsible official of the Studiensekretariat. Please fill in the form located on the right side of our homepage. Usually you do not have to hand in any other documents. Please make sure that your visa and/or your university entrance qualification allow you to enrol in the new study programme.

If the new programme is a master programme you need to fulfill the prerequisites that are stated in the admission regulations. You will find all prerequisites on the website of the Admissions Office.

Applications for change of study for master programmes need to be handed in before the exams of the current semester take place, usually the beginning of February in a winter semester and the beginning of July in a summer semester.

If you would like to change your study programme and your new study programme is one that does require prior admission, please contact the responsible official of the Admissions Office. The responsible official will give you information concerning prerequisites for the study programmes and necessary documents.

If you would like to change your study programme and you are already in an advanced semester or wish to change to an advanced semester, some special rules apply:

If you wish to change your study programme and an advanced semester, you need to contact the chairman/chairwoman of the examination board. He or she will define which subject-related semester of the new study programme you need to be enrolled in. To enable him or her to do that please hand in all Transcripts of Records of your previous studies.

If you are enrolled in the third or a higher subject-related semester and you wish to abandon your studies and change your study programme you need to proof that you have seen your academic counsellor before applying for a change of study programme.

Official university withdrawal generally takes place at the end of the semester. However, students can also file for withdrawal with immediate effect. The student ID must also be submitted with the withdrawal application form.

Students will be officially withdrawn if

• if they receive their final certificate, unless they apply for further enrolment and either are accepted to another degree programme, are going to study abroad or are going to re-take an exam to improve its results,

• they have lost their right to be examined,

• they have not paid fees and charges related to their studies, despite warnings and threats of university withdrawal once the deadline set for the payment has lapsed.