General information
You may withdraw from a registered examination at any time up to 7 days before the examination date, without giving a reason. Resit examinations are excluded from this rule. Withdrawal must be made by writing to the Examinations Office or via the electronic student administration and examination system.
Notification and certificate
If, after the deadline has passed, you are unable to sit an examination or submit your examination work by the set date due to illness, or if you have to withdraw from an examination after it has begun, you must notify the Examinations Office in writing without delay (no later than the 3rd working day after the relevant examination date) and provide credible evidence of this.
For assessment tasks with a submission deadline (essays, project work, final theses, etc.), in addition to withdrawing or failing to meet the deadline, you also have the option of applying for an extension of the completion period.
To do so, the following documents must be submitted to the Examinations Office:
- Form: ‘Absence from or withdrawal from examinations/Application for an extension of the completion period on grounds of illness’ and
- Form: ‘Certificate of Inability to Sit an Examination’ (to be completed by the attending doctor)
A simple certificate of incapacity for work will not be accepted. Medical certificates that are not submitted in the prescribed form but contain all the necessary information for assessing fitness to sit an examination are also valid.
In cases of doubt – particularly regarding a final examination attempt or in the case of a Bachelor’s or Master’s thesis – the Examinations Office may, subject to the approval of the Examination Board, require you to submit a medical certificate from a public health officer confirming your inability to sit the examination.
Please note:
- A medical certificate can only be accepted if the medical examination took place no later than the day of the examination. If a candidate becomes unable to sit an examination (written exam, oral exam, etc.) whilst the examination is in progress, a medical certificate must be obtained immediately after the examination has been discontinued.
- If, during a period for which a medical certificate is valid, you sit an examination despite the certificate, the certificate will cease to be valid for future purposes.
Example: The certificate covers the period from Monday to Friday of a given week. Exams take place on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You do not sit the exam on Monday, but you do sit the exam on Wednesday. If you do not wish to sit the written exam on Friday, you would need to submit a new medical certificate for that date. - You are also entitled to withdraw from an examination on valid grounds in the event of your child’s illness, provided that the child lives in your household, no other person living in your household is able to supervise, look after or care for the child, and the child has not yet reached the age of 12.
Deadlines
- The notification and medical certificate must be submitted to the Examinations Office without undue delay, i.e. no later than the third working day following the relevant examination date.
- The application for an extension and the medical certificate must also be submitted without delay and, in any event, always before the deadline for processing expires.
- The date of receipt as stamped by the university (not the postmark) applies. Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays are not counted. Documents received late can only be accepted in exceptional circumstances. You must set out and substantiate the reasons for the late submission; in other words, you must demonstrate that it was not possible for you to submit the notification and the doctor’s certificate within the deadline.
Example: Hospitalisation following an accident. - Subsequent claims based on grounds for withdrawal or failure to sit the examination that were already known to you at the time of the examination are excluded. Withdrawal from an examination is also excluded once the examination results have been announced, unless you were unable to assert and substantiate the grounds earlier for reasons beyond your control.
- Furthermore, you are obliged to cooperate in establishing your inability to sit the examination. If you fail to provide the required evidence, or fail to do so within the specified time limit, this will be to your detriment; the examination performance will then be graded as ‘unsatisfactory’ (5.0).
Legal consequences
Provided that the notification and the medical certificate meet the requirements and are submitted within the specified time limit, the examination in question shall be deemed not to have been taken, and you shall be entitled to a further attempt at the next available examination date, usually during the examination period of the following semester. The extension to the completion deadline depends on the duration of the absence.
If the notification or application and supporting evidence (e.g. a doctor’s certificate) are not submitted, or are submitted late and not accepted, the examination in question will be marked ‘unsatisfactory’ (5.0).
In both cases, notification will be provided in writing by the Examinations Office.
