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On this website, we will continuously update the information on the consequences of the corona crisis on studies and teaching at the University of Potsdam. The provisions detailed on this website will be modified depending on the situation. Please check this website regularly.
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
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.
Information on the federal bridging aid for students in financial emergency situations
On-site teaching is the norm. It is supplemented by digital or hybrid elements. Lecture halls and seminar rooms can be used at up to 50% capacity (chessboard pattern). Large-scale courses will usually be offered in fully digital formats. Overall, we will still see a mix of different teaching formats in practice. That is because the diverse scenarios that have been established with regard to blended learning are to be continued alongside on-site teaching formats. Purely synchronous online teaching formats will be avoided. The combination of on-site and digital formats must be organized in a way that is realistic for students.
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.
All lecture and seminar halls as well as our libraries are now equipped with QR codes. All attendees (teaching staff, students, and other participants) must check in when they enter a room. The following steps are required to check in:
Detailed documentation is available on the UP websites on QRoniton. You can find further usage scenarios there (e.g. check-in without smartphone) as well as information on data processing.
Yes, the university is still open for students and thus for doing individual work. Rooms can be booked via the room allocation service.
The University Library is gradually re-establishing its services for students and researchers of the University of Potsdam. 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 winter semester 2021/2022
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 October 30, 2021:
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. As a result, no invitations will be issued for departmental advising in 2021 when students reach the examination deadline. Even with extension decisions that have already been made and for which the deadline is March 31, 2021, September 30, 2021, or March 31, 2022, 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, 2022 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 2022 at the earliest for anyone whose examination deadline is September 30, 2022.
2. Role of the summer semester 2020, winter semester 2020/2021 and summer semester 2021 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 and summer semester 2021 will be informed separately at a given time.
In statistics, the summer semester 2020, winter semester 2020/2021 and summer semester 2021 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. Rooms can be booked via the room allocation service.
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: 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.
The following exceptional rule applies for all theses that had already been registered. It is not necessary to confirm this with the Examining Board. The deadline extension will be granted by the Examination Office and, once it has been processed, will be visible in your academic transcript on the PULS platform:
Individual extensions of the deadline for final theses registered after the above-mentioned dates will be subject to approval by the respective Examining Board following the submission of the application described above.
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.
No, for final theses that are handed in from October 01, 2021 (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 €5.11 has been credited to the university account, 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 €5.11 has been credited to the university account, 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 6, 2021. From September 1, 2021 on, you will find detailed information on the start of your studies on the website for program students.
The instructional period begins on October 25, 2021 and ends on February 18, 2022. If you do not have to attend any compulsory courses on-site, it is also possible to study remotely from your home country. 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-incominguni-potsdamde
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-studiumuni-potsdamde | corona-studierendeuni-potsdamde
Please make sure to provide your student registration number and use your university e-mail account.
If you have been verifiably diagnosed with the coronavirus, please follow the instructions of the doctors and authorities and also report your infection to the Student Affairs Division. Please send the completed form (PDF) to dez2uni-potsdamde.
Program administration and examining board members must also report any findings they have using the e-mail address dez2uni-potsdamde. Please inform your students about the notification procedure mentioned above.
Update: October 18, 2021
University of Potsdam
Division of Student Affairs
Am Neuen Palais 10
14469 Potsdam
Fax: +49 331 977-1065
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