20.12.2021 • Thu
Things you might not know yet about universities in Germany (Part 1)
1. Bachelor’s degree in Germany isn’t always lasting for 4 years
When studying in a university in Vietnam, university programs were always fixed to 4 years, and up to 7 – 8 years in some special field such as medicine. In Germany, however, the duration of a regular bachelor’s degree can vary from 3 to 4 years (equivalent to 6 – 8 semesters).
After graduating, we will get a certain amount of credit points (ECTS – The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System) for our degree. If you plan to attend a master’s program afterward, knowing how many accumulated ECTS you get after your graduation is crucial. Take an example. If you have 240 credit points from your previous degree, then you can complete this master’s program in 2 semesters. Otherwise, it will take you 3 semesters to complete it when your previous degree only has 210 ECTS, and a full 4 semesters for 180 ECTS.
2. German grading system
When I had told my mother that I got 1.0 for an exam in Germany, she blew a fuse and told me how gloomy my future would be with this bad educational background until I explained to her 1.0 is the highest and excellent score in the German grading system. Wait! What? Yes, you did not misread that. The German grading system is a bit odd to me when the lower grade you get, the better. The measurement of scores ranges from 1.0 to 6.0 with one being the highest and six being the lowest. We are considered to have failed when our result is lower than 4.0.
3. There are three attempts in total for the exams
For each module, we have three chances to pass the exam. If we are failed more than three times, we will be ex-matriculated from the program. The consequence may be more severe than you would have thought. I have been told that in this case I would not able to take the same program in any other public university in Germany.
We are considered failed when we either receive a failed result or do not show up for the exam. However, here is the trick. You don’t have to take the exam right away if you don’t want to. If you are uncertain if you can pass the exam, you can often choose not to take the exam in the next semester (by not registering for this module during the exam period or by withdrawing before the exam takes place). At my university, we can delay the exam for a maximum of 2 semesters for a bachelor’s. However, this depends on the examination regulations of your university. You may ask your study coordinator about this.
More about Thu
Comments
Write comment
More posts by Thu
In line with this topic
I want to apply for dental assistant
Hi Selma, first of all: Medicine and dentistry in Germany are taught under the German „State Examination“ and takes six years. There are no postgraduate courses for medicine or dentistry in Germany because these subjects are not split into a bachelor’s and a master’s degree. Also, there are no courses offered in English, so you will need a very high German proficiency to complete the programme and pass the examinations. Also, you may have a look at this website, where you can find helpful comments on medicine in Germany. The website is designed to help doctors and other interested users learn about „Health system in Germany“. It also provides the addresses of university hospitals in Germany 👉 https://www.medknowledge.de/site-map/articles/269-germany/2869-medicine-in-germany-overview.html. You can find more information on our website 👉 https://www.study-in-germany.com/en/plan-your-studies/study-options/higher-education-system/medical-studies-and-specialist-training/. Your questions are very specific. The best way to reach us is by email via our contact form 👉 https://www.study-in-germany.com/en/get-in-touch/contact/. That way, we can look into your individual case in much more detail and give you the answers you need. The most informative and helpful approach would certainly be to contact the university directly. To get started, take a look at the My GUIDE page: https://www.myguide.de/en/ – there you will find a lot of information on various subjects that you can study in Germany. Also, you can use filtered and personalised searches to get in direct contact with the higher education institutions that are right for you. Good luck and best wishes! Your Study in Germany-Team 👋🇩🇪
What if a person not xomplete a bachlors in maximum period of time i.e 10 semester?in bavaria
Hi Khalil, Thank you for your enquiry. Unfortunately, we are unable to answer this question. You will need to contact your higher education institution for the relevant information, as only they can provide legally binding details. If you have some more specific questions, you can contact us by email using our contact form 👉 https://www.study-in-germany.com/en/get-in-touch/contact/. We can address your specific case in much more detail via email. Good luck and best wishes! Your Study in Germany-Team 👋🇩🇪
Good morning, You said that an exam can be delayed up to 2 semesters so you don't have to take it right away. What if one were to become an international exchange student in a different country? Say, I am student in Germany and decided to not take the exam because I wasn't prepare to pass it, and decide to study abroad in England.
Hi, Unfortunately, we cannot give a general answer to this question. Every higher education institution has its own examination regulations that regulate these things. If this actually applies to you, you would have to clarify this directly at your educational institution or at your future educational institution. Sorry, we cannot give any binding statements on this. If you have some more specific questions, you can contact us by email using our contact form 👉 https://www.study-in-germany.com/en/get-in-touch/contact/. We can address your specific case in much more detail via email. Good luck and best wishes! Your Study in Germany-Team 👋🇩🇪
Hi. I’m from BREMEN. If we fail 2 attempts can we retake third exam attempt with students from future batches by simply paying 500€ for extension of semester every year for as long as possible?
Hi Rashmi, thanks for your inquiry. Unfortunately, we cannot give you a general and legally valid answer to this question. In Germany, each higher education institution determines these regulations for itself. You will find the relevant information in the examination regulations, which can be viewed by all students, e.g. in the examination office. Of course, you can also get information directly from your higher education institution, e.g. from the International Office or from the respective faculty. Good luck and best wishes Your Study in Germany Team 👋🇩🇪