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We receive many inquiries from students about studying under current COVID conditions: While some students are able to benefit from the advantages of online teaching, others tell us of problems and challenges caused or exacerbated by the pandemic, such as financial worries, social isolation, feeling unfamiliar with the degree program, listlessness, and pressure. Online courses often do not meet the initial expectations, and social contact with fellow students and faculty is more difficult. Many students report that they currently cannot imagine achieving the academic requirements at all or meeting their own standards.
We are moved by these reports. We listen to you, encourage you, and offer compassion. We would like you to enjoy your studies and to experience yourself as competent. We are aware that this is very difficult for many students in the current situation. However, you are not alone in this. Many people are suffering from the effects of the pandemic and are feeling insecure – including your fellow students and teaching staff members. We are sure that there will be better times – our campuses will be full of life again and we will meet again in the lecture halls, in full trains, on the way to classes, in the cafeteria, or in the queue at the dining hall.
Until that time comes, please feel free to take advantage of our advisory services and read the information on the effects of the coronavirus crisis on studying and teaching, which we continuously update here. This often takes away needless pressure and helps you find alternatives. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the university services listed on this website.
General information from the University of Potsdam
Hygiene/Safety Regulations for University Operations
Consequences of the corona crisis regarding German Federal Training Assistance Act (BAföG) funding | FAQs of the German National Association for Student Affairs - DSW
Information from the Potsdam Association of Student Affairs (dining halls and cafeterias)
Knowledge base: get ready for digital studying
Information about the corona vaccination
Information about testing options at the University of Potsdam
Center for Languages and Key Competences - Zessko
The pandemic is putting a strain on many people with respect to work, studies, and everyday life. These burdens may prevent you from pursuing your studies as usual or lead to an imbalance in your psychological well-being. The University of Potsdam and the Potsdam Association of Student Affairs (Studentenwerk Potsdam) will not leave you on your own devices in dealing with your worries and problems. Several counseling services are available to help you cope with the effects of the pandemic:
There are no personal office hours at the Student Affairs Division at the moment. Please refer to the website of the respective services for phone hours and advising via Zoom. We kindly ask you to send your questions via e-mail. All questions and requests will continue to be answered by us as quickly as possible. Please make sure to include your student ID number and use your university e-mail account!
You can find lots of information on digital learning in our knowledge base. You can also find contact persons on these pages, who can help you with any further questions.
You can currently find information on the consequences of the regulations of Brandenburg's Pandemic Ordinance for Higher Education including the introduction of the individual standard periods of study on the websites of the Studentenwerk (Association for Student Affairs).
The regulations of Brandenburg's Pandemic Ordinance for Higher Education will generally be applied. For Bafög funding within the regular funding period, no specific certificate about COVID-19-related restrictions on studies is required. You will only need additional documentation from the University of Potsdam if you have exceeded the maximum funding period and have therefore applied for funding beyond the maximum funding period and have justified this as being due to the pandemic. In this case, the Bafög Office needs to know the exact extent to which you were unable to fulfill your study obligations, e.g. closed labs, postponement of courses, closed libraries, etc. The Bafög Coordinators for the respective degree programs are in charge of providing these certificates.
All in-person office hours at the Studentenwerk Potsdam are currently cancelled. However, you can reach the departments by e-mail and telephone if you have questions.
Please contact the social counseling service of the Studentenwerk Potsdam directly.
On-site teaching is the norm. It is supplemented by digital or hybrid elements.
Below, you will find a number of central aspects that need to be taken into account for courses requiring on-site attendance. Depending on the development of COVID-19 infections or the changes in the legal requirements, adjustments will have to be made. Information about such changes will be provided in e-mails from the Vice President for Teaching and Studies or will be published here. The “Hygiene and Safety Regulations for University Operations” must also be observed.
The following measures must be observed for on-site classes:
We will inform you of any changes to these provisions here.
It is possible to get a rapid test done at all three locations. You can find detailed information about the procedure and the dates on the website of the Occupational Safety Unit.
Unfortunately, we can no longer maintain our offer of booking rooms for study groups, as the rooms are now needed for face-to-face teaching again. However, we are very happy to remind you of the Mobile.UP app. In the category “Free rooms” (“Freie Räume”) you will find a room for the period you are looking for at the location in question, if available. Please follow the rules regarding hygiene, distance, masks, and airing of the rooms.
Please find current information on the services offered directly on the pages of the University Library. The computer labs at the University of Potsdam are open.
In principle, you will still have to comply with the written form of the standard procedure, insofar as it is required. We would like to point out that you can also purchase stamps electronically, so that it is not absolutely necessary to visit a post office.
The following exceptions to this rule apply in the Division of Student Affairs:
Stipulations for the digital submission of applications/documents in the application period summer semester 2022
For the following application procedures, as an alternative to the standard procedure, you can also send the application form, all required documents and records scanned and in electronic form (PDF format) by e-mail to the relevant office:
This provision is applicable to the following applications with a submission deadline on April 30, 2022:
Stipulations for the digital submission of applications/documents in the application period winter semester 2021/2022
This provision is applicable to the following applications/documents if received by the Division of Student Affairs by March 31, 2022:
In case of submission by conventional mail, signatures can also be placed on the document in the form of a scan. This provision is applicable to the following applications/documents if received by the Division of Student Affairs by March 31, 2022.
Case-by-case decisions on digital submission of applications/documents
In particularly justified individual cases – if you do not have the possibility to submit by conventional mail or fax (e.g. in case of illness, quarantine, stay in countries with restricted postal traffic) – the above mentioned regulations can be extended to certain other application procedures after examination of the proven reasons. Before submitting an application please contact the relevant department directly. An exception is not possible if documents are to be submitted that must be verified in terms of authenticity (e.g. certified copies of certificates).
Questions and documents submitted via e-mail by students of the University of Potsdam will only be processed if they are sent to us using an e-mail address of the University of Potsdam.
Please make use of the letterbox of the Division to submit all documents. It will be emptied several times a day. In everyone’s interest, please refrain from making any unnecessary personal inquiries.
With its Pandemic Ordinance for Higher Education (Hochschulpandemieverordnung) the state of Brandenburg has introduced an individual standard period of study for students who were enrolled during the
According to this and deviating from Section 18 (2) of the Brandenburg Higher Education Act, there shall be an individual standard period of study which has been extended by one semester.
This has an impact on deadlines which are linked to the length of the standard period of study.
In particular, this applies to examination deadlines according to Section 7a BAMA-O and regulations for the discipline-specific non-binding exams according to Section 13.
1. Role for the calculation of examination deadlines according to Section 7a BAMA-O/BAMALA-O
Due to the special burdens caused by the pandemic, the provisions on examination deadlines in Section 7a BAMA-O/BAMALA-O will not be applied in 2021 and 2022. As a result, no invitations will be issued for departmental advising in 2021 and 2022 when students reach the examination deadline. Even with extension decisions that have already been made and for which the deadline is
there will be no consequences for your studies. Nevertheless, we would like to motivate you to focus on the completion of your degree and make plans for the further course of your studies leading toward graduation. A number of existing advisory options by the Central Student Advisory Service can be helpful in guiding you toward the goal of successfully completing your degree.
Once the provisions of Section 7a BAMA-O or BAMALA-O are reinstated, all affected students will be invited to departmental advising, regardless of whether an invitation had already been issued, and whether an individual extension had been granted, if applicable.
This means that there will be a blanket extension to September 30, 2023 of the examination deadline under Section 7a BAMA-O/BAMALA-O for ALL students (regardless of when they reach the individual examination deadline). As things stand now, invitations will be issued in January 2023 at the earliest for anyone whose examination deadline is September 30, 2023.
2. Role of the summer semester 2020, winter semester 2020/2021, summer semester 2021 and winter semester 2021/2022 with regard to non-binding exams according to Section 13 (3) BAMA-O/BAMALA-O
If the relevant study and examination regulations for the degree program or subject provide for a non-binding exam in case of a failing grade and/or to improve a grade, this only refers to examinations that were taken within the standard period of study.
The extended individual standard period of study will therefore lead to the following application of Section 13 (3) of BAMA-O/BAMALA-O: All semesters of study within the period of validity of this Pandemic Ordinance for Higher Education will not be taken into account with regard to the application of the regulations for non-binding exams.
Example to clarify:
A student has been studying in a Bachelor’s program for the standard period of study of six semesters as of the summer semester 2020. Contrary to the provisions in Section 13 (3) BAMA-O/BAMALA-O, the student can still use their non-binding exam option in the winter semester despite having reached their seventh semester of study by following the usual procedure.
Students who had already surpassed their standard period of study by one semester in the summer semester 2020, winter semester 2020/2021, summer semester 2021 and winter semester 2021/2022 will be informed separately at a given time.
In statistics, the
will be registered as usual and counted in accordance with the applicable regulations as a semester of study (“Fachsemester”) and also count towards your total number of semesters in higher education (“Hochschulsemester”). Consequences regarding matters on which the University cannot make decisions, such as BAföG regulations, renting agreements in apartments of the Studentenwerk, matters of student’s health insurance or child allowance payments, will be handled by the competent authorities. Please refer to the information provided by the respective authorities.
The following information only applies to students whose examination administration is linked to the Examination Office of the Student Affairs Division. Students at the Digital Engineering Faculty and the Law Faculty as well as students in a continuing education Master’s program are asked to refer to the relevant bodies.
At the University of Potsdam, examinations requiring attendance are carried out both on site in compliance with the applicable hygiene and distance regulations and in online formats. The respective teaching staff member will inform you about the format of such examinations at the beginning of the instructional period. Should new developments in relation to the corona pandemic require adjustments, these will be communicated by the teaching staff as early as possible.
The University of Potsdam aims to use digital formats for as many examinations as possible. You can find important information on how to plan, prepare, and conduct examinations on the website “Prüfen in Corona-Zeiten”.
Yes, the university is still open for students and thus for doing individual work. We would like to remind you of the Mobile.UP app. In the category “Free rooms” (“Freie Räume”) you will find a room for the period you are looking for at the location in question, if available. Please be sure to book in through QRoniton and follow the rules regarding hygiene, distance, masks, and airing of the rooms.
No, we urgently ask you to refrain from participating in an on-site examination under these circumstances. We also urge you to refrain from taking part in the examination if you have symptoms that could indicate an infection with the coronavirus and have not been medically assessed, or if you have been in contact with other contact persons or corona patients.
The following applies for examinations for the winter semester 2019/2020 that took place after March 16, 2020 and for every examination that will take place in the summer semester 2020: Non-attendance will be considered a withdrawal from the examination. No documents (e.g. doctor’s note) need to be handed in as proof (simplified withdrawal). The student will not receive a 5.0 grade for the examination. Please don't be alarmed: once your non-attendance has been registered, you will first see a 5.0 grade or “failed” in your transcript of records. However, this grade will disappear when the cancellation has been processed by the Examination Office. Please understand that this may require a few days' processing time.
Updated: Febraury 22, 2022
From April 1, 2022, the regulations of BAMA-O/BAMALA-O will once again apply to all examinations!
Updated: September 29, 2021
These regulations also apply to examinations that will take place in the winter semester 2021/22.
Updated: March 09, 2021
These regulations also apply to examinations that will take place in the summer semester 2021.
Updated: August 28, 2020
These regulations also apply to examinations that will take place in the winter semester 2020/21.
If you wish to take the exam at a later point in time, you will consequently need to re-register for the new examination date.
Examinations requiring attendance are generally examinations scheduled for a certain point in time such as written and oral exams, which require short-term attendance and are usually conducted under supervision. Online examinations are also considered to be examinations requiring attendance.
Yes. Despite the suspension or limitation of teaching operations and the possible cancelation of examinations requiring attendance you are still required to complete tasks for which you have registered, for which an individual submission deadline has been determined and for which attendance at a certain point in time is not required. Such examination formats do not fall within the scope of the provisions for simplified withdrawals mentioned above. If the paper is not submitted on time, it will receive the usual 5.0 grade. For module term papers, the faculty member who determined the deadline for the paper must be informed of any delays and the reasons behind them. An appropriate extension of the deadline, which takes the circumstances into consideration (closure or limited services of libraries, no available childcare options, quarantine), is to be granted. The same applies to delays regarding the completion of final theses. In this case, please send an application for an extension of the deadline to the competent Examining Board. The board can grant an appropriate extension, usually one month.
Should you wish to register for your final thesis despite the current situation and restrictions, you can do so by following the regular procedures. The usual submission deadlines apply in this case. The respective examining board will decide upon request if a possible extension of the submission deadline will be granted due to corona-related restrictions for a final thesis that was registered in the summer semester 2020. An extension of up to two months could be granted on a case-by-case basis for theses registered in the summer semester 2020.
Updated: December 02, 2021
Final theses with a deadline up to and including March 31, 2022 (postmark) can be sent as a PDF file via e-mail to pruefungsamtuuni-potsdampde instead of handing in three bound copies. It is also possible to give the Examination Office access to the file via Box.UP. The PDF file will be forwarded to your referees exclusively by the Examination Office. If it is not possible to send the file via e-mail, please check the attachment size and try to reduce it if possible. You will receive an automatic reply from the ticket system with a ticket number confirming that your e-mail has been received. If you do not receive this confirmation, please submit the document again or contact the Examination Office clerk immediately at pruefungsamtuuni-potsdampde to report the problem (without attaching the file).
As soon as it becomes possible again, you will have to hand in a printed copy in order to ensure that the five-year obligation to preserve records can be complied with. If you do not do so on your own initiative, you will receive a request from the Examination Office to hand in a bound copy of your thesis once the situation has gone back to normal. Apart from your thesis, please also send in the required declaration of originality in a digital format. In case of a digital submission, a wet signature of the document will not be necessary for the time being. However, a wet signature with reference to the date of the digital submission must be added when you hand in the printed copy of your thesis, which must correspond to the digital version.
For final theses that are handed in from April 1, 2022 (postmark) onwards, regulations of the BAMA-O/BAMALA-O (General Provisions for Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree Programs) will apply again. That means that three printed/bound copies will have to be handed in.
Due to the introduction of individual standard periods of study, there are pandemic-related deviations from the standard procedure for the calculation of examination deadlines. For more details, see “Consequences on your studies due to the introduction of individual standard periods of study”.
No. The degree programs must be completed by the end of the 2022 summer semester (September 30, 2022). The deadline is fixed by law (§ 18 (4) BbgLeBiG) and cannot be extended by the University of Potsdam. An extension on the basis of hardship cases or the like is also not possible. The teaching-related (expiring) master's degree program for the education of teachers for “Gymnasium” secondary schools (LG) can be taken up for the last time in the winter semester 2020/2021 and for teaching degrees for education at secondary level I and primary level at general education schools (LSIP, also with focus on primary level) for the last time in the summer semester 2021, in order to guarantee the 4 or 3 semesters considered the standard period of study. Further information on this and on the possibilities of changing from the expiring degree programs to the new ones can be found here.
No. Cancelled degree programs must be completed by the respective specified end date. An extension due to cases of hardship or the like is also not possible in these special cases. You can find an overview of the affected degree programs and the end dates here.
No. If you are studying in accordance with study and examination regulations whose validity is expiring, you must complete your studies by the specified end of the respective deadline. Once this deadline expires, you will be transferred over to the new study and examination regulations. An extension due to cases of hardship or the like is also not possible in these special cases. Affected students will receive further information in individual letters.
If you lose your PUCK or it has been stolen, you can request a replacement chip card via regular mail. To do this, send the completed issue request form for a replacement chip card ("Antrag auf Ersatzausfertigung einer Chipkarte"), a current passport photo and a copy of your official photo ID to the Department of Student Affairs, PUCK Service Point, Am Neuen Palais 10, 14469 Potsdam. As soon as we have received all these documents, we will send you the bank account details for the transfer of the fee for the replacement card and further information by e-mail. After the €10.00 has been credited to the university account (new fee applies from receipt of the application on January 15th, 2022), we will create a new PUCK and send it through the post. Requests will be processed starting on May 04, 2020.
Please send your PUCK, the completed request form for a replacement chip card ("Antrag auf Ersatzausfertigung einer Chipkarte"), a current passport photo and a copy of your official photo ID to the Department of Student Affairs, PUCK Service Point, Am Neuen Palais 10, 14469 Potsdam. As soon as we have received all these documents, your PUCK will be examined. If you caused the damage yourself, we will send you the bank account details for the transfer of the fee for the replacement card and further information by e-mail. After the amount of €10.00 has been credited to the university account (new fee applies from receipt of the application on January 15th, 2022), we will create a new PUCK and send it through the post. If the damage was caused by a third party, we will send the PUCK immediately and you will not have to pay for it.
Due to the dynamic development of the pandemic, we will not be able to have a central arrival event. If possible, we recommend that you arrive between mid-September and early October. Please note the applicable quarantine regulations (see below).
The orientation and welcome events of the International Office will be contactless and digital and take place between October 4 and 11, 2022. From September 1, 2022 on, you will find detailed information on the start of your studies on the website for program students.
The instructional period begins on October 17, 2022 and ends on February 10, 2023. Since we cannot predict how the pandemic will develop, we would like to ask for your understanding for the fact that pandemic-related short-term changes may have to be announced here.
Teaching staff may preferably send the examination results of program students to the International Office by e-mail instead of using a "Schein"/certificate on paper. Teaching staff must use their university e-mail address (@uni-potsdam.de) for this process and the e-mail should contain the following information:
Send to: transcript-incominguuni-potsdampde
Subject: name of the student
The respective student may be cc’d, so that they also receive the examination results. For data protection reasons, please do not send the results of several students in one e-mail with students cc’d.
In this case, please contact the German embassy and explain the situation to them. The embassy can discuss your case with the respective foreign national’s office and issue an entry visa for you.
Please refer to the team of the International Office exclusively with any questions. Please refrain from contacting any other e-mail accounts than the ones indicated on the International Office website. Your questions will be forwarded by them if necessary.
In case there are any deviations from the standard application or enrollment procedure for the upcoming semesters, we will inform you about this here.
For any questions pertaining to the consequences of the corona crisis, please use one of the following e-mail addresses. We coordinate the answering of all questions internally:
E-Mail: corona-studiumuuni-potsdampde | corona-studierendeuuni-potsdampde
Please make sure to provide your student registration number and use your university e-mail account.
If you have been verifiably infected with the coronavirus, please follow the instructions of doctors and authorities. Students must also report their infection to the Student Affairs Division. To do so, please send the completed form (PDF) to dez2uuni-potsdampde. Teaching staff members must also report their infection to the Division of Human Resources. The relevant health authority will be informed of a positive test result. They will then contact you and decide whether your contacts were such that contact tracing is required.
Although quarantine may only be ordered by the competent health authorities, we would still like to ask you to inform the participants of the respective course in case of a positive test result, so that they have the opportunity to get tested immediately. Furthermore, we would like to encourage the use of the Corona-Warn-App in order to be fully informed about possible risks as early as possible.
Please inform your students about the notification procedure mentioned above.
Update: March 24, 2022
University of Potsdam
Division of Student Affairs
Am Neuen Palais 10
14469 Potsdam
Fax: +49 331 977-1065
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