Examinations

Examination regulations allow for achievements gained in other institutions to be credited towards a degree. Achievements are only accredited after an application has been submitted. The relevant application forms are available at “Notes and forms” on the websites of the Examinations Offices for the various faculties, the links to which are located on the tabs below.

Without an approved application for accreditation, students are automatically enrolled in the first semester. This is subsequently adjusted accordingly if any semesters are accredited.

Registering for and taking examinations, withdrawal, and illness

General rules for taking university examinations (updated: November 05, 2024)

Students must register correctly via campo in order to take examinations.

Please note that you must withdraw from an examination properly if you do not intend to attend the examination after registering for it. If you are unable to sit an examination due to illness, you require a medical certificate from a doctor. Further details are stipulated in the degree program and examination regulations for your degree program.

Instructions, videos and FAQ on the campo portal are available here.

Registration periods for university examinations (updated: January 31, 2025)

Registration periods for module examinations:

• Summer semester 2025:
  • Regular registration period for all examinations that are offered once a semester or for the first date for examinations that are offered twice in the same semester:  June 2 (00:01) until June 22, 2025 (23:59)
  • Special registration period at WiSo for seminars and similar classes and events that have been announced by the Chairs (list): Monday, May 12, 2025 (0:01) and Tuesday, May 13, 2025 (23:59)
  • Registration period for resit examinations offered in the same semester (second examination date at Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Theology, Faculty of Sciences or Faculty of Medicine):
    From the Monday after the end of the current semester until March 20 (in the winter semester) or September 20 (in the summer semester)
    Second examination dates at the Faculty of Sciences:
    From the Monday four weeks before the lecture period begins in the following semester until the lecture period begins in the following semester. For the degree programs Pharmacy and Food Chemistry, the deadlines for registering for the second examination date are January 1 until April 15 for the winter semester and July 1 to October 15 for the summer semester.
    Second examination dates at the Faculty of Medicine:
    Students of Medicine/Dentistry should contact the secretaries’ offices of the relevant departments. Students studying Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at the Faculty of Medicine should contact the relevant degree program coordinator.
• From winter semester 2025/2026:
  • Regular registration period for all examinations that are offered once a semester or for the first date for examinations that are offered twice in the same semester:  November 17 (00:01) to December 7, 2025 (23:59)
  • Special registration period at WiSo for seminars and similar classes and events that have been announced by the Chairs (list): Monday, October 27 (0:01) and Tuesday, October 28, 2025 (23:59)
  • Registration period for resit examinations offered in the same semester (second examination date at Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Theology, Faculty of Sciences or Faculty of Medicine):
    From the Monday after the end of the current semester until March 20 (in the winter semester) or September 20 (in the summer semester)
    Second examination dates at the Faculty of Sciences:
    From the Monday four weeks before the lecture period begins in the following semester until the lecture period begins in the following semester. For the degree programs Pharmacy and Food Chemistry, the deadlines for registering for the second examination date are January 1 until April 15 for the winter semester and July 1 to October 15 for the summer semester.
    Second examination dates at the Faculty of Medicine:
    Students of Medicine/Dentistry should contact the secretaries’ offices of the relevant departments. Students studying Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at the Faculty of Medicine should contact the relevant degree program coordinator.

• Summer semester 2026:
  • Regular registration period for all examinations that are offered once a semester or for the first date for examinations that are offered twice in the same semester:  (provisionally) May 18 (00:01) to June 7, 2026 (23:59)

Showing symptoms of illness on the day of the examination (updated: February 28, 2024)

We would urge you to only take part in examinations if you are not showing any symptoms of illness. We would ask anyone with symptoms associated with Covid-19 (acute, unspecific general symptoms, a loss of taste and/or smell, respiratory symptoms irrespective of severity) to get tested before attending the examination.

You will be required to submit a doctor’s certificate if you have symptoms of illness. Further information about the requirement for a doctor’s certificate is available on the relevant websites of the Examinations Office for the relevant degree program (Degree programs of the Faculty of Engineering / Degree programs of the Faculty of Medicine / Degree programs of the Faculty of Sciences / Degree programs of the Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Theology / Degree programs of the Faculty of Business, Economics, and Law without Law / Law / Teaching degree programs GS/MS/Teaching degree programs RS/GY/BS).

Please note:

• Doctor’s certificates issued via tele/online medical services (e.g. after a video consultation) are  not  valid for withdrawing correctly from an examination. We can only accept certificates issued by a doctor who has carried out an examination of the student in their medical practice in person.
• Doctor’s certificates must be submitted in the original (in paper form).

In the event of a coronavirus infection on the examination day, a rapid test taken at an official test center on the day of the examination replaces the need to submit a doctor’s certificate. If a coronavirus infection has been confirmed via a PCR test before the examination day, this positive PCR test replaces the need to submit a doctor’s certificate. A positive PCR test is valid as proof of an infection for 10 days.

Withdrawing from a university examination you have registered for or terminating an examination (updated: November 15, 2024)

The rules for withdrawing from an examination are stipulated in the examination regulations. You can withdraw from an examination via campo within the deadline stipulated in the examination regulations. It is not possible to withdraw after the examination has begun.

The provisions governing terminating an examination after the examination has begun are stipulated in the relevant examination regulations. Students may require a medical certificate from an official medical examiner to terminate an examination if this is stipulated in the examination regulations.

Conducting examinations for State Examinations (updated: July 8, 2022)

Rules governing examinations for State Examinations are stipulated in the relevant examination regulations and announcements from the examination authorities.

Compensation for disadvantages during examinations

Compensation for disadvantages during university examinations (updated: July 9, 2022)

If, due to a disability or chronic illness, you require adjustments to examination arrangements, such as extra time or an extension of examination deadlines, please contact the  FAU Liaison Officer for Students with Disabilities. They will give you advice on your options and give you a recommendation that you should submit to the Examinations Office responsible as soon as possible.

The decision on granting compensation for disadvantages is taken by the Examinations Committee responsible. In order for a timely decision to be taken, it is imperative that you take steps to organize adjustments to examination arrangements in good time, as otherwise we cannot guarantee that you will be given compensation for any disadvantages during your examinations.

Compensation for disadvantages during State Examinations (updated: July 8, 2022)

Please contact the relevant Examinations Office as soon as possible if you require special arrangements for sitting an examination as part of the State Examination.

Please note, that if you use “mobile postage stamps (#Porto)“, it is not possible to track and trace when a letter was sent by post. This means that if a letter arrives late at the Examinations Office, it is not possible to find out if it was sent in good time. The sender assumes any risk for transit when using mobile postage stamps to send documents. Please note the information provided by Deutsche Post.

Extensive changes for how university examinations are held were introduced in winter semester 2024/25.

Compulsory registration for resit examinations:

If the degree program and examination regulations stipulate compulsory registration for resit examinations in a specific semester, this rule will no longer apply in future. Students can thus decide for themselves when to resit a failed examination. They must register for the resit themselves on campo.

Increase in the number of attempts:

The number of attempts permitted for university examinations where two attempts were previously permitted have now been increased to three attempts in future. However, this does not affect examinations that are part of the orientation program (Grundlagen- und Orientierungsprüfung) and final theses (Bachelor’s/Master’s theses), which still may only be repeated once.

Please note:

Exceptions may apply for field seminars, field trips and practical classes (compulsory registration and/or no increase in the number of attempts). All that is relevant to your degree program are the provisions stipulated in the valid degree program and examination regulations that came into force in winter semester 2024/25.

• Who will be affected by the new rules?
  • The rules apply to all university examinations conducted from winter semester 2024/25 onwards (irrespective of when students started their degrees). They do not apply to State Examinations.
• Which degree programs do the new rules apply to?
  • The new rules apply to all Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programs at FAU as well as to university examinations in teaching degree programs (Lehramt) at FAU. In future, it will also be possible to withdraw from resit examinations for university examinations in the Law degree program. The regulations for the respective degree programs are stipulated in the relevant degree program and examination regulations, that are available on our website from October at the latest.
• What is important to bear in mind for examinations that are offered twice in one semester?
  • Especially at the Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Theology and the Faculty of Sciences, a number of examinations are offered on two different dates in the same semester. The first date is scheduled at the end of the lecture period, and a second date is offered before lectures start again. All students who are either attempting the examination for the first time or who are resitting the examination are able to take the examination on the first date. The second date is only open to students who have already taken and failed the examination on a previous date.
• How can I register for a resit examination?
  • For examinations that are only offered once in the semester, you should register during the regular examination registration period, announced on the Examination Office’s website. For examinations which are offered twice in the same semester (predominantly in degree programs at the Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Theology and the Faculty of Sciences), you should register for the first date during the regular examination registration period. Registration for the second date then takes place during a separate registration period that is announced on the Examination Office’s website.
  • Please note: You can only register for a resit examination once the examination results of the previous (failed) examination have been entered.
• Which examinations do the new rules apply to?
  • They apply for all examinations for which students can register from winter semester 2024/25 as a first attempt, second attempt or third attempt. The rules do not apply to examinations taken in summer semester 2024 as a third attempt and not passed.
• What are the rules for resit examinations from summer semester 2024?
  • The new rules do not apply to examinations that are taken again in summer semester 2024. A typical case is an examination that is offered at the end of July or beginning of August, for which the resit examination is already offered at the end of September or the beginning of October. Compulsory registration still applies for this resit examination. The specific date of the resit examination is irrelevant. Even if it is not held until October, it still counts as summer semester 2024.
• What if I have a third attempt in summer semester 2024?
  • The new rules only apply as of examinations in winter semester 24/25. If you fail a third attempt in summer semester 2024, you lose your entitlement to sit examinations in this degree program in summer semester 2024 already and you are not allowed to continue your studies. In this case, you are not entitled to a fourth attempt.
• Do I have to be enrolled in order to take a resit examination?
  • Students must be enrolled in the relevant degree program in order to take any university examinations.
• I want to de-register from an examination procedure and continue my degree program at a later date.
  • This is possible. When students re-enroll, they can restart their degree program at the point at which they de-registered. Any failed attempts up to that point remain in place.
• How long are repeat examinations offered for?
  • Examinations are offered for as long as they are included in the regular degree program structure. However, if students postpone the resit examination for a longer period of time, there is a risk that the original examination will no longer be offered and that they will have to sit a replacement examination instead.
• Can examinations be subject to participation restrictions?
  • As a rule, examiners may choose to restrict participation in examinations for which no lectures were offered in the current semester to students who are required to resit the examination. If this is the case, it is not possible for students taking the examination for the first time to register for the examination.

The following applies for the use of artificial intelligence during examinations (and above all for written assignments):

• If the use of artificial intelligence is not expressly authorized, it is considered an aid that is not permitted. This means that the examination is deemed to have been failed due to fraud. This has already been set out in examination regulations, please refer to Section 16 (2) sentences 1 and 2 ABMStPO/Phil: 2) In case of an attempt to commit fraud or to influence the result of an examination through the use of unauthorized materials, the examination in question shall be graded “nicht ausreichend” (unsatisfactory, 5.0). ²The possession of unauthorized materials during or after the handing out of examination papers shall constitute an attempt to commit fraud within the meaning of sentence 1.
• Checks are currently underway at FAU as to whether to include additional clarification in the degree program and examination regulations about the use of artificial intelligence. However, this is not absolutely necessary in order to already grade an examination as “failed” due to the unauthorized use of artificial intelligence.
• Staff responsible should ensure that the declaration of originality that students must submit as part of written assignments also contains confirmation that artificial intelligence was not used to complete the assignment.

A sample text for the declaration of originality for examinations (such as written assignments and final theses) is available. This sample text can/must be amended for cases where the use of ChatGPT and other forms of AI are expressly permitted. The English version of the sample text is available here.

Before you can be issued an apostille, you require what is known as prior certification (Vorbeglaubigung) from the University. At FAU, this is issued by Office L1.

Detailed information and the application for applying for an apostille is available on the website under “Applying for an apostille”.

• Degree programs at the Faculty of Engineering
• Doctoral degrees