Coronavirus: Effects on examinations

• Students showing symptoms that could indicate a Covid-19 infection (e.g. respiratory symptoms such as a sore throat, cough or shortness of breath; unspecific general symptoms such as fever, headache or aching limbs or a loss of taste or smell) or students who have tested positive for Covid-19 are not permitted to take examinations.
• Asymptomatic students who have had contact to an individual diagnosed with Covid-19 are also not permitted to take examinations if the date of contact and the date of the examination are less than 14 days apart.  This does not apply to students who are working (part-time) in healthcare.
• Contact restrictions end automatically (if no symptoms have developed) after 14 days or once the student submits a negative PCR test result. A PCR test only makes sense at the earliest 7 days after contact to the infected person (provided no symptoms have developed in the meantime). Students with a negative test result are permitted to take the examination from this point onwards.

If you belong to an at-risk group, you must provide a medical certificate proving that this is the case. The medical certificate is only required to confirm that you belong to an at-risk group. It does not need to include a diagnosis and/or description of symptoms. The medical certificate must be shown but not submitted to the examiner.

Please inform the examiner well in advance if the fact that you belong to an at-risk group means that you have special requirements for the examination (e.g. a particular place in the examination room) in order to ensure that the necessary measures can be put in place. Special examination conditions cannot be guaranteed if the examiner is not informed in good time.

Further information for students who are pregnant is available on our website.

If you cannot travel from abroad or are generally unable to travel, you do not have to attend the examination. You must only provide sufficient proof of this justified reason and after consulting the examiner responsible, you can make use of the rule in Section 4 (4) of the Coronavirus Regulations. Alternatively, you can postpone the examination entirely to one of the subsequent semesters by withdrawing from the examination in accordance with Section 5 (2)(1) of the Coronavirus Regulations. You do not have to fear any legal consequences in terms of the progress of your degree due to such postponements.

The regulations concerning the coronavirus and BAföG are available on the website of Student Services in Erlangen and Nuremberg (www.werkswelt.de/bafoeg). This website includes answers to frequently asked questions including how to apply for an extension to the deadline for submitting proof of having obtained all necessary achievements pursuant to Section 48 BAföG).

For contact tracing to be effective, everyone has to cooperate, irrespective of whether you are an examination candidate or an examiner. To record your contact details automatically, scan the QR code for the contact tracing system ‘darfichrein’ when you arrive at your seat. In the event of a confirmed infection, this allows the local health authorities to trace all possible contacts.

If you haven’t used darfichrein.de before, we recommend saving your contact details on ‘darfichrein.de’ before the examination using this QR code which helps to ensure that checking in for examinations runs smoothly.

If you have already saved your contact details with darfichrein.de, you only need to scan the QR code once you are at your seat. Students or staff who do not have a smartphone have to fill in a form by hand. Students who do not want to enter their details online also have to use the handwritten form.

Examiners are obliged to ensure that contact details are recorded correctly, and should plan sufficient time for this before the examination starts. They must also make sure that enough forms are made available for this for those who do not want to enter their details online to be able to enter their details by hand.

If I am acting as an invigilator, how can I check that the examination candidates have signed in correctly to ‘darfichrein.de’?

Ask students to hold up their phones and show you the green check-in screen from ‘darfichrein.de’ before they put them back in their bags for the actual examination.

Keeping handwritten forms

The handwritten forms used during an examination should be kept in a sealed envelope. After the session, the envelope will be marked with the date, time, place and room number of the relevant session. Examiners are responsible for keeping the envelope safe. The envelope must be destroyed after 4 weeks.

Information on data protection at ‘darfichrein.de’ is available on our website.

Any examination candidates/students who refuse to record their contact details for tracing purposes are automatically excluded from sitting the examination!

Students diagnosed with Covid-19 within 14 days of taking an examination must notify the examination officer or Occupational Safety immediately via e-mail (zuv-sgas-covid-nachverfolgung@fau.de). They will then inform the Examinations Office.

No. FAU has drawn up a procedure with the health authorities for tracing any potential cases of infection. A digital system for recording contact details has been set up for all examination rooms. All candidates must record their attendance and seating position via darfichrein.de. It is also possible to record contact details by hand. If a candidate tests positive for the coronavirus after the examination, anyone sitting within a three metre radius of the candidate will be informed by FAU. These people will be prohibited from taking part in any further examinations for the next 14 days.

Study deadlines

until the end of winter semester 2020/2021

Study deadlines, i.e. deadlines for completing the GOP or Bachelor’s/Master’s degree programmes, will not be checked before the end of winter semester 2021, meaning that there will be no consequences for exceeding the originally stipulated deadlines, no matter how many semesters have already been studied in the subject. There is no need to file a specific request for an extension. Please note that other rules may apply to State Examination degree programmes!

As of summer semester 2022

The Examinations Office will check study deadlines again from summer semester 2022. When checking these deadlines, summer semester 2020, winter semester 2021/2021, summer semester 2021 and winter semester 2021/2022 are not counted as subject semesters for the purpose of determining deadlines. The deadlines by which the GOP or the Bachelor’s or Master’s degree programme must finally be completed are therefore extended accordingly for all students who are enrolled in this period.

Examples:

• Student X is in the 4th study semester of a Master’s degree programme lasting four semesters. The applicable examination regulations state that this deadline can be exceeded by one semester without having to state reasons. At the same time, summer semester 2020, winter semester 2020/2021, summer semester 2021 and winter semester 2021/2022 do not count when calculating the expiry date of the deadline. As a result, student X now has a total of nine (instead of five) semesters in which to complete the Master’s degree.
• In summer semester 2020, student Y is in the second semester of a Bachelor’s degree programme lasting six semesters. The GOP has to be completed after two semesters. This deadline may be exceeded by one semester. The Bachelor’s degree must be completed after six semesters. This deadline may be exceeded by two semesters.As summer semester 2020 and winter semester 2020/2021, summer semester 2021 and winter semester 2021/2022 do not count when calculating the number of semesters studied, the GOP now has to be completed by the end of the seventh (instead of the third) semester. The deadline for completing the Bachelor’s degree programme is also extended by four semesters, meaning that this now must be completed at the latest after the twelfth (instead of the eighth) semester.
• Student Z started his four semester Master’s degree programme in summer semester 2020. According to the examination regulations, he can exceed this deadline by one semester without giving reasons, which gives him a total of five semesters in which to complete his degree. He should therefore finish his degree by the end of summer semester 2022. However, as summer semester 2020, winter semester 2020/2021, summer semester 2021 and winter semester 2021/2022 do not count towards calculating study deadlines on account of the coronavirus pandemic, he now has a total of nine semesters for completing his Master’s degree.

The standard durations of study themselves do not change in the cases detailed above, and the relevant certificates (such as the certificate of enrolment) are not changed. In all cases, students are also able to apply to their Examinations Committee for a further individual extension if they have legitimate reasons.

Further information and regulations concerning study deadlines

• The Federal Ministry of Education and Research has promised that there will be no disadvantages for BAföG recipients.
• Students who have already de-registered with effect from the end of the winter semester 2019/2020, but whose examination will now take place during summer semester 2020 due to the postponements, will not have to re-enrol to take the examination. They can sit the examination and their result will count.
• In order to let them access the teaching materials they need to prepare for the examination which are available in the library and on StudOn, as well as all administrative functions in mein campus, these students will be allowed to continue using student services until 30 June 2020. All services affected are listed in the overview of services available in their IdM account.

Extension of deadlines for examination achievements for admission to a Master’s degree programme

• Deadlines for examination achievements that must otherwise be completed for admission to a Master’s degree programme by 30 September 2021 (enrolment for winter semester 2020/21) or 31 March 2022 (enrolment for summer semester 2021) may be extended by one semester if the admissions committee for the Master’s degree programme confirms that the requirements could not be met due to the coronavirus pandemic. Due to the application requirement set out in BayHSchG, the deadline for fulfilling the admission requirements cannot be extended automatically.
• Students must apply to the Student Records Office directly (studentenkanzlei@fau.de) to request an individual extension and submit confirmation from the admissions committee supporting this request.
• Master’s students who have already been granted an extension of one semester for meeting admission requirements will not be granted a further extension.

Trial studies

The extension stipulated in the Coronavirus Regulations also applies to students to whom Section 10 of the Admissions Regulations at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg for subject-specific university admission for qualified professionals and graduates of the Meisterprüfung and persons treated as such applies.

The current rules apply to all university examinations for summer semester 2021 that are being held in October, in particular:

• A minimum distance of 1.5 metres between participants must continue to be ensured
• Masks must be worn (surgical or FFP2 masks).
• Compliance with the 3G rule will not be checked

The rules for examinations also apply to inspections of examination papers.

Information for teaching staff:

• Checklist for holding examinations for teaching staff (Only accessible by examiners)
• Suggested e-mail for students about taking examinations (Only accessible by examiners)
• Examination concept (handout) (Only accessible by examiners)
• Information for students about registering with darfichrein (Access for examiners only – this information can be passed on to candidates before the examination so they can enter their details on darfichrein.de before the examination to speed up the examination check-in process)

Students will be informed in good time by the module coordinators or examiners about the examination process. The following rules must be observed if examinations are being held on campus.

• The 3G rule does not apply to examinations.
• All examination rooms will be checked for suitability by Occupational Safety and included on the list of approved rooms and signs with the specific requirements to be fulfilled will be put up in these rooms.
• All examination candidates must give their contact details.
• When conducting examinations on campus, a minimum distance of 1.5 metres must be kept between all examination candidates.
• There is no obligation for examination candidates to wear a mask once they are sitting at their desks if the minimum distance of 1.5 metres has been ensured between each seat.
• The minimum distance between examination candidates need not be kept in exceptional cases if the pedagogical or organisational nature of the examination is such that it is not feasible to keep a minimum distance between candidates (e.g. sports examinations). Examination candidates must, however, all wear a mask in these cases.
• Examination candidates must plan to arrive at the examination room with plenty of time in hand to allow for additional checks in line with the latest safety and hygiene guidelines.
• Candidates must keep to the signposted paths and entrances to the examination room and follow all instructions and maps for entry points and waiting areas.
• A minimum distance of 1.5 metres to other persons must also be kept on the way from the mode of transport used to the examination room, no groups may be formed and masks must be worn.
• Examination candidates must enter and leave the examination room in an orderly manner while following the instructions of the examination officer.
• Examination candidates must behave responsibly even after the examination has finished and comply with the safety and hygiene regulations stipulated in the hygiene guidance (no groups, keeping distance and wearing masks).
• Infected individuals, in particular those with symptoms of respiratory illnesses, must not take part in examinations.
• All examination candidates must observe coughing and sneezing etiquette and use the hand washing and disinfecting facilities available.

Remote electronic examinations are governed by EFernPO (FAU regulations on remote examinations). Please refer to our information sheet for more details about data collection for participation in remote electronic examinations.

The current Coronavirus Regulations state that it is no longer possible to withdraw from an examination once it has started. If you feel that your performance will be impaired or to avoid failing the examination, your only option is to not attend the examination. You can withdraw up until the examination starts – simply not attending is enough. Nevertheless, we request that you withdraw from examinations in mein campus in good time for reasons of efficiency and to improve the planning of examinations.

The provisions in the relevant examination regulations apply as regards withdrawing from examinations. Students may require a medical certificate from an official medical examiner to withdraw from an examination if this is stipulated in the examination regulations.

The following applies to all university examinations in summer semester 2020, winter semester 2020/2021, summer semester 2021 and winter semester 2021/2022:

• Students can withdraw from an examination by not attending.
• A failure to attend will generally be counted as excused.
• Sitting the examination again as an attempt to improve grades is not permitted.

Please note that different regulations apply to university examinations officially scheduled for summer semester 2020 and those scheduled for winter semester 2020/2021: In the case of examinations scheduled for summer semester 2020 (all examinations officially scheduled for summer semester 2020, even if they are not actually taken until after 1 October 2020), the results of an examination will be annulled if the student fails. It is therefore not classed as a failed attempt. This no longer applies to examinations scheduled for winter semester 2020/2021 and afterwards! In this case, a failed examination will not be annulled. The examination will be counted as a failed attempt. In certain cases, students can apply to the relevant Examinations Committee for a failed attempt to be nullified.

The special regulations apply to all examinations irrespective of whether the individual candidates are sitting the examination for the first time or whether they are repeating it.

If you did not take part in an examination on the original date and a resit date (Wiederholungstermin) is offered for your degree programme in the same semester, you may take the examination on the resit date. You will be registered to take the examination on the resit date automatically by the Examinations Office. Failure to attend the examination on this resit date does not have any consequences. Please note, however, that this may mean you are only able to attend the examination on the regular date during the semester after next in some cases.

At the current time, students are not required to submit a doctor’s certificate (‘Attest’ in German) if they fail to attend university examinations which they have registered for. They will be considered to have been excused from the examination even without submitting a doctor’s certificate. The failure to attend will not be recorded as a failed attempt.  

Please note: Withdrawal during an examination in winter semester 2020/2021, summer semester 2021, and winter semester 2021/2022 is only possible in those cases where this is permitted in the relevant examination regulations.

If the relevant examination regulations specify that students must be enrolled in the relevant degree programme in order to complete their final examination achievements, this requirement shall come into force again for students completing their final examination achievements from winter semester 2021/2022 onwards.

Room reservations must be clarified well in advance with the relevant room coordinator, irrespective of whether ‘darfichrein’ is used to record contact details, and the procedure in place before the coronavirus pandemic is to be followed:

During the normal office hours for the building during the lecture period:

• Teaching staff or the relevant department are again responsible for classes and other types of sessions. This also includes organising access (keys etc.) to the rooms being used.
• An application for room use must be sent to G5 – Commercial Facility Management for any special events. The application can be sent by e-mail to zuv-g5-raumverwaltung@fau.de.

Outside the normal opening times of the building during the lecture period as well as in general outside the lecture period:

• An application for room use must be sent to G5 – Commercial Facility Management for all events or classes. The application can be sent by e-mail to zuv-g5-raumverwaltung@fau.de.

Examinations

Please refer to the website of the examinations office in the Ministry of Education for the latest updates.

Written assignment

An extension to deadlines for written assignments (Zulassungsarbeiten) in teaching degree programmes may be arranged in consultation with supervisors. Please note: The assessment (evaluation) must be submitted to the Examinations Office by the supervisor at least two working days before the student sits their first individual examination, as otherwise the student cannot be admitted to the State Examination. Please make sure that supervisors are aware of this when setting new deadlines in order to ensure that they have still enough time to correct the assignment and send the evaluation after the assignment has been submitted and before the examination is held.

Placements

The decision to close all schools in Bavaria from Monday 16 March 2020 also affects students completing their general or subject-related teaching placements at Grundschulen (primary schools) and Mittelschulen (lower secondary schools). The teachers supervising the students during their placement will keep them up to date with how to proceed.

At present, the examinations for the State Examination are expected to go ahead as planned.

Please note the information in the e-mail from the Executive Board sent on 12 January 2021:

the Coronavirus Regulations published by Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg concerning Deviations from Degree Programme and Examination Regulations and the Doctoral Degree and Habilitation Regulations only apply to university examinations, they do not apply to examinations for State Examinations. The results of the examinations for the State Examinations are assessed in accordance with the valid Licensing Regulations for Physicians (Approbationsordnung), any failed examinations will not be nullified. You can only withdraw from the examination after receiving the invitation for an important reason. If you fail to attend an examination, you must inform the Examinations Office immediately of an important reason (for example by submitting a doctor’s certificate), otherwise you will be considered to have failed the examination. As a rule, fear of running the risk of infection is considered an important reason for withdrawing from an examination pursuant to Sections 18 and 19 ÄAppO provided the country is still considered to be in the throes of a national epidemic as determined by the Federal government. Written notification of this must be submitted to the Examinations Office in good time before the examination.

At present, all examinations for State Examinations are expected to go ahead as planned.

Please note the information in the e-mail from the Executive Board sent on 12 January 2021:

the Coronavirus Regulations published by Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg concerning Deviations from Degree Programme and Examination Regulations and the Doctoral Degree and Habilitation Regulations only apply to university examinations, they do not apply to examinations for State Examinations. The results of the examinations for the State Examinations are assessed in accordance with the valid Licensing Regulations for Physicians (Approbationsordnung), any failed examinations will not be nullified. You can only withdraw from the examination after receiving the invitation for an important reason. If you fail to attend an examination, you must inform the Examinations Office immediately of an important reason (for example by submitting a doctor’s certificate), otherwise you will be considered to have failed the examination. As a rule, fear of running the risk of infection is considered an important reason for withdrawing from an examination, provided the country is still considered to be in the throes of a national epidemic as determined by the Federal government. Written notification of this must be submitted to the Examinations Office in good time before the examination.

Please note the information on the website of the Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy.

With respect to the seminar papers which law students have to submit as part of their degree: all students are allowed to choose whether to return the topic they have been given or to complete the paper within the set deadline.

For conducting the JUP (Mündliche Juristische Universitätsprüfung – university part of the oral State Examination in Law), the chairperson of the Examinations Committee has announced that in accordance with Section 6 (6) of the Examination Regulations for JUP, candidates can no longer withdraw after they have been admitted to the oral examination. Failure to attend without a valid excuse will lead to the examination being recorded as ‘ungenügend’ (0 points), see Section 5 (1) (5) JAPO (examination regulations). Candidates can withdraw from the oral examination without any consequences before being admitted to the examination. Candidates who have registered for the JUP, but do not feel they are able to take the oral JUP examination, should withdraw from the examination before they receive notification of admission to the examination.

A minimum distance of 1.5 metres must be kept between each person present at the examination and the FAU hygiene guidelines must be observed. More detailed information about how the examination will be held will be announced before the examination.