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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
Consequences of the corona crisis regarding German Federal Training Assistance Act (BAföG) funding | FAQs of the German National Association for Student Affairs - DSW
Knowledge base: get ready for digital studying
Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences
Center for Languages and Key Competences - Zessko
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.
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.
In general, it is still required to hand in documents in a written format. We would like to point out that stamps can also be purchased electronically, so that it is not absolutely necessary to visit a post office. If you have access to special e-mail technology that meets the legal requirements of the German De-Mail-Act, you may use this method of sending documents if you attach the signed document.
If you are unable to send documents in a letter for exceptional reasons (e.g. illness, quarantine, avoidance of social contacts due to contact with infected persons, membership of a risk group), please send the signed document as an attachment in advance via regular e-mail. Please use this e-mail to explain why it is not possible for you to send the application in a letter. If these reasons are accepted as sufficient, we will inform you and ask you to send the original documents as soon as it is possible for you to do so. Requests that do not need to be implemented immediately will not be processed until the subsequent submission of the original document, but will be considered to be within the deadline. The date of receipt of the document will be the date it was received electronically.
Please note that deadlines may already have expired if your application is implemented at a later date. As an example, we would like to mention the application for enrollment in connection with the registration deadlines for courses. Processing can only take place when the required documents, which were submitted in another format within the deadline, are available in the required format. The regular deadline for registration for, enrolling in or withdrawing from courses ends on May 10. After that date it is no longer possible to register for most courses. Only for block courses, which might be offered at a later date, would registration still be possible. Since this can lead to considerable disruptions in the course of your studies, we would like to point out these consequences.
For BAföG funding during the regular funding period, no special certificate about corona-related restrictions of your studies during the summer semester 2020 is required. Separate certificates from the University of Potsdam are only required if students are not able to present the required transcript of records according to § 48 BAföG as of the summer semester 2020 or the winter semester 2020/2021 or if they have already exceeded the maximum funding period at the beginning of the semesters mentioned above and have therefore applied for funding beyond the maximum funding period and justify this with the pandemic. In this case, the BAföG office must know exactly to what extent students could not meet their study obligations, e.g. closed laboratories, postponement of courses, closed libraries, etc. The BAföG commissioners for the respective degree programs are in charge of these certificates.
You can find further information about BAföG on the website of the Association of Student Affairs.
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
Yes. You can find more details on the following website.
Updated: September 16, 2020
According to our current projections, we expect to be able to offer about a quarter of the courses on-site under the current circumstances. The faculties have developed needs-based solutions for this. Degree programs with a high proportion of courses that require face-to-face teaching in the respective semester (e.g. laboratory courses) as well as first semester courses are generally given priority for face-to-face teaching. You will find more detailed information on the organization of the courses in the course catalog from October 1.
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.
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 summer semester 2020. 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 of the summer semester 2020 for the calculation of examination deadlines according to Section 7a BAMA-O/BAMALA-O
The individual standard period of study was introduced to avoid the creation of disadvantages for students in terms of examination regulations due to the special circumstances of the summer semester 2020. For this reason, the summer semester 2020 will not be taken into account when calculating the examination deadline according to Section 7a of the BAMA-O/BAMALA-O.
This means: The examination deadline will be extended by one semester for all students who were enrolled in the summer semester 2020, regardless of when the examination deadline will come into effect.
These regulations currently apply to the following groups:
Examples to clarify:
Students who were on a leave of absence in the summer semester 2020 are the only ones who are excluded from this regulation on individual standard periods of study.
Invitations for departmental advising for students whose examination deadline ends on March 31, 2021 are expected to be sent out at the end of September or the beginning of October 2020.
2. Role of the summer semester 2020 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 students who were enrolled during the summer semester 2020 can still use their non-binding exam option as defined in the discipline-specific study and examination regulations for an examination that was taken in a regular semester of study (“Fachsemester”) following the end of the standard period of study.
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 will be informed separately.
In statistics, the summer semester 2020 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.
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: August 28, 2020
These regulations also apply to examinations that will take place in the winter semester 2020/21.
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.
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 1, 2020 (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.
Examination deadline ends on March 31, 2020
If your examination deadline was March 31, 2020 and you did not apply for an extension of the deadline beyond March 31, 2020, your examination deadline has been automatically extended until September 30, 2020.
Role of the summer semester 2020 for the calculation of examination deadlines
Due to the introduction of individual standard periods of study (see: “Consequences on your studies due to the introduction of individual standard periods of study”), the summer semester 2020 will not be counted when calculating examination deadlines.
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.
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.
The upcoming winter semester will be a hybrid semester with about a quarter of courses taking place in face-to-face formats on campus. Due to the dynamic situation, the arrival event will not take place, but we recommend that you arrive and move into the student residence on October 19, 2020 – if possible. The orientation and welcome events of the International Office will be held contactless and digitally between October 20 and 28, 2020. From October 1, 2020 on, you will find detailed information on the start of your studies on the website for program students. The instructional period begins on November 2, 2020 and ends on February 12, 2021. If you do not have to attend any compulsory courses on-site, it is also possible to remain in your home country and study digitally. Should you decide against studying at the University of Potsdam after all, it will be possible to revoke your enrollment by December 31, 2020. Since we cannot foresee how the pandemic will develop, we kindly ask for your understanding for the fact that short-term changes may have to be announced here due to the pandemic.
Teaching staff may send the examination results of program students to the International Office preferably by e-mail instead of using a paper "Schein"/certificate. Teaching staff must use their university e-mail address (@uni-potsdam.de) 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 he/she also receives the examination results. For data protection resons, please do not send the results of several students in one e-mail with students cc’d.
For travelers entering Germany after a stay of several days in a risk area for SARS-CoV-2, a 14-day quarantine is mandatory. Accordingly, persons entering Germany are obliged to "go directly to their home [...] immediately after entry". Upon arrival at the place of domestic quarantine, you are also obliged to report to the local health authority. You will find further information in the press release of the Federal Ministry of the Interior.
During the 14-day quarantine you are not allowed to leave your home, not even for a short time and not even to go shopping. You are also not allowed to receive visitors during this time.
Persons who (will) live in the Federal States of Brandenburg or Berlin can also submit a medical certificate in German or English, which confirms that there are no indications of infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, to the responsible health office. This medical certificate must not be older than 48 hours when entering Germany.
If you need to quarantine and require assistance during this time, you can contact the following offices by e-mail or, if applicable, by telephone:
You can find more information on this page.
If you have been granted accommodation in one of the residence halls of the association of student affairs (Studentenwerk Potsdam), please take note of the information regarding quarantine on the website of the Studentenwerk Potsdam.
If you have been admitted for the summer semester 2020 but cannot enroll, your admission notification will become void. If you should wish to start studying at the University of Potsdam in the winter semester 2020/2021, you will have to apply again. It is generally not possible to consider your admission for the summer semester valid for an enrollment in the winter semester.
The following exception applies: For a number of master's programs without admission restrictions, you can also use your admission from the summer semester 2020 for the winter semester 2020/2021. You can find an overview of these programs here.
Please note that a leave of absence cannot be granted for the first semester.
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.
The summer semester is mostly digital. That way, you could participate in the online courses even if you are abroad.
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.
For travelers entering Germany after a stay of several days in a risk area for SARS-CoV-2, a 14-day quarantine is mandatory. Accordingly, persons entering Germany are obliged to "go directly to their home [...] immediately after entry". Upon arrival at the place of domestic quarantine, you are also obliged to report to the local health authority. You will find further information in the press release of the Federal Ministry of the Interior.
During the 14-day quarantine you are not allowed to leave your home, not even for a short time and not even to go shopping. You are also not allowed to receive visitors during this time.
Persons who (will) live in the Federal States of Brandenburg or Berlin can also submit a medical certificate in German or English, which confirms that there are no indications of infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, to the responsible health office. This medical certificate must not be older than 48 hours when entering Germany.
If you need to quarantine and require assistance during this time, you can contact the following offices by e-mail or, if applicable, by telephone:
You can find more information on this page.
If you have been granted accommodation in one of the residence halls of the association of student affairs (Studentenwerk Potsdam), please take note of the information regarding quarantine on the website of the Studentenwerk Potsdam.
No, it is generally not possible to consider your admission for the summer semester valid for an enrollment in the winter semester.
The following exception applies: For a number of master's programs without admission restrictions, you can also use your admission from the summer semester 2020 for the winter semester 2020/2021. You can find an overview of these programs here.
We will keep you informed about current developments on this website. In due time, you will also find further information on the websites of the respective entrance examinations.
Undergraduate studies (Bachelor and First Legal Exam)
Due to the current situation, the application and enrollment process for the winter semester 2020/2021 will be subject to delays regarding the dates and deadlines for application and enrollment. You can find the current dates in the table.
The “University Admissions Portal” has opened on July 17, 2020.
Master's degree
Application
The application for a master's degree has been possible since April 1st.
A modification of the application deadline has been implemented for consecutive Master’s degree programs with admission restrictions. The new application deadline for Master's degree programs with admission restrictions for the winter semester 2020/2021 is July 15, 2020.
Information about the entire procedure can be found on the pages devoted to Master's applications.
Enrollment
Due to the current situation, the enrollment process for Master's degree programs for the winter semester 2020/2021 will be subject to delays regarding the dates and deadlines for enrollment. You can find the current dates in the table.
The “University Admissions Portal” has opened on July 17, 2020.
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 using the e-mail address dez2uni-potsdamde.
Program administration and examining board members must also report any findings they have using the e-mail address dez2uni-potsdamde.
Update: October 15, 2020
University of Potsdam
Division of Student Affairs
Am Neuen Palais 10
14469 Potsdam
Fax: +49 331 977-1065
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