Changing subjects or university

To change subject or university, you must first clarify everything in detail with the university you wish to change to. The best time to do this is in June for the following winter semester and December for the following summer semester. You should clarify the following points:

  • Which courses are offered when, structure of the semester
  • Admission restrictions, enrollment
  • University entrance qualification
  • Transferring credits
  • Study costs, accommodation

Since the degree program structure and contents of Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programs differ from university to university, it is very difficult to change university during a Bachelor’s degree.

An ideal time to transfer to another university is after you have passed your Bachelor’s examinations and would like to study for a Master’s degree.

If you would like to change university during the course of your degree program, you must check if the university you would like to transfer to only allows enrollment at the beginning of the academic year for the subject you wish to study. In such cases, you can only transfer if the number of your subject semesters and the relevant level is the same as that offered at the university you would like to transfer to after your achievements have been accredited.

At FAU, the rule applies that we cannot accept any students who wish to transfer if the standard duration of study has been exceeded by more than two semesters.

If there are no admission restrictions, changing to another university usually “only” involves de-registration at the current university and subsequent enrollment at the new university. An explanation of what needs to be done and by when is provided on the website for subjects without admission restrictions. The section called Entry requirements provides information on whether the subject you wish to study has admission restrictions or not. For subjects with admissions restrictions in the higher semesters, you must apply before the final deadlines have passed.

At FAU, the application deadlines are July 15 for the winter semester and January 15 for the summer semester. If places become available in higher semesters, the university allocates these places according to the following order, whereby the chances of admission within the three groups are determined by chance:

  1. Applicants who were enrolled in the relevant degree program at FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg and interrupted their studies because of completing a period of service and who would like to resume their studies,
  2. Applicants who are already enrolled in the relevant degree program at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg who would like to change to a higher semester,
  3. Applicants who are already enrolled in another degree program at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg,
  4. All other applicants.

Since both the number of free places and the number of applicants vary greatly from semester to semester, you can only find out your chances of admission to a higher semester by applying.

Spread your applications across the board. Your chances depend on where you want to study. You must therefore apply to as many universities as possible at the same time.

Special case: “Final year (clinical rotation)” for students of Medicine

Applications for spaces at hospitals for the final year (clinical rotation) are made separately. Detailed information is available on theFaculty of Medicine’s website.

This group includes the Bachelor of Arts at the Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Theology or teaching degree programs (Lehramt). Students wishing to change from a university outside Bavaria to FAU should check whether their previous subject combination exists at FAU.

In addition, proof of language proficiency is required for some subjects. Details are available in the relevant degree program and examination regulations. Above all, Latin could become a major hurdle in such a case. Details about possible combinations for students of teaching degree programs (Lehramt) and the Bachelor of Arts (Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Theology) are available in the individual subjects in our degree program catalog.

Not every university entrance qualification allows you to study at every university. This means you cannot study at FAU with the university of applied sciences entrance qualification (Fachhochschulreife FOS/BOS 12) only. However, there is also the option of studying as a graduate of the “Meisterprüfung” or as a qualified professional without an “Abitur” school leaving qualification.

If you gained your qualifications abroad, they must be checked before enrollment to ensure they are equivalent to German general university entrance qualification. For most countries, an initial assessment can be made by using the publicly accessible “Anabin” database under “Schulabschlüsse mit Hochschulzugang”.

You can probably de-register from your previous university by post. It’s often quicker if you de-register in person or send someone with power of attorney to your old university. In each case, you should indicate that you wish to de-register at the end of the current semester (September 30 in the summer semester or March 31 in the winter semester) because you are changing university.

Before changing universities, you must check whether your previous achievements will be accredited. You can get an idea of whether your achievements will be accredited by looking at the other university’s study plan.

Compare the information it contains with your degree program, which will allow you to determine how much you have already completed successfully. Initial informal information about the equivalence and accreditation of your previous course achievements is provided by the teaching staff at your new university who provide subject-related advice in your degree program.

At FAU, information about subject advisors is available in the degree program catalog. The Examinations Offices of the subjects you want to change to are responsible for accrediting course achievements. These Examinations Offices are either based in the administration department of the university in question or in a state ministry as a state examination office. Contact the Student Advice and Career Service of the relevant degree program for further information about credits.