Study Prognosis for Extension of the Study Residence Permit
In order to check that your studies are progressing properly, the Immigration Office may ask you to provide a so-called study prognosis (Studienprognose) after a certain period of time. The study prognosis contains information about completed coursework, any individual reasons for possible interruptions or irregularities, and details on the planned progression of your studies with regards to your individual situation.
1. If the requesting authority, usually the Immigration Office responsible for your place of residence, provides you with a form to be completed, please first send this form to the Student Administration Center/Examination Office (pruefungsamtuuni-potsdampde).
In special cases, the responsible authority does not provide a form, but still requires a study prognosis to be submitted. In these cases, the Student Administration Center/Examination Office can also help you. Please write an e-mail to pruefungsamtuuni-potsdampde stating which Immigration Office is responsible for you.
2. Once you have received the study prognosis back from the Student Administration Center/Examination Office, it must be completed by the Departmental Advising or by the Representative for Study und Examination Matters (Beauftragte für Studien- und Prüfungsangelegenheiten) of your subject. Please send the confirmation of your examination results to your departmental advising in advance or bring it with you to the appointment. You can print out these examination results in PULS or apply for them at the Examination Office.
Please note that the study prognosis is only valid for 8 weeks from the date it is issued!
If the Immigration Office becomes aware during the duration of your residence permit that your academic progress is not sufficient to fulfill the above mentioned conditions, it is possible that they may revoke your residence permit.
Please ensure you retain all relevant documentation in the event that your studies take longer to prove you were unable to study faster (eg: certificate of illness, doctors attest) and take them with you to your appointment.
You can obtain advice on the duration of your studies in accordance with the Aliens Act from the International Office. If there is a risk that you will exceed the "Proper course of study" (Ordnungsgemäßes Studium), we strongly recommend that you contact the International Office for advice on extending your residence permit.
"Proper course of study" (Ordnungsgemäßes Studium)
means that you do not exceed the average length of study in your field of study by more than three semesters (= bonus semesters for international students). If you are completing a Bachelor's degree program and then immediately afterwards a Master's degree program, you are only entitled to the three bonus semesters only once for the entire duration of your studies. You may apply those three bonus semesters as you wish.
It is important to note that the average length of study is not the same as the standard time for completing courses. It is the average number of semesters that is necessary for completing the course of study in the respective discipline at a given university. You can get information on the average length of study in your field from the Student Administration Center/Examination Office (pruefungsamtuuni-potsdampde).
Information regarding the study residence permit:
1. If you were unable to arrive in Germany on time or unable to attend courses in the first semester due to a delay in obtaining your visa, we highly recommend that you keep track of all documents related to this. It might be important at a later stage for the extension of your residence permit. This applies to flight tickets or appointments at the embassy as an example.
2. If you were enrolled at the University of Potsdam during the COVID pandemic: We recommend that you submit the PULS-Studienverlaufsbescheinigung ("Confirmation of periods of study"- this is a different document than your certificate of enrollment for the current semester) whilst applying for the extension of your stay. There, it is stated that certain semesters were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. You can download the Studienverlaufsbescheinigung via PULS.