Withdrawal from Exams

Whether and until when you can withdraw from an exam without it being counted as a failed attempt depends, in particular, on the form of the exam:

Written and Oral Exams

Without reasons up to a week before the exam:

Withdrawal from written and oral exams (so-called "scheduled exams") is possible without stating reasons, either in writing or online via the electronic study portal BASIS, up to one week before the respective exam date. Please note that withdrawal via BASIS is only possible within the registration phase for written and oral exams due to technical reasons. After that, withdrawal requests can only be submitted to the Examination Office via the contact form¹ up until the deadline (so up to one week before the exam).

Withdrawal requests must include the following information: matriculation number, module, form of exam, date (day & time), and the examiner(s).

With valid reasons within a week before the exam:

Withdrawal requests received after the deadline can only be accepted with valid reasons. Otherwise, it will be considered a failed attempt. “Valid reasons” may include illness-related inability to take the exam, which must be proven by a medical certificate. Please note that to confirm the inability to take the exam due to illness, a doctor must be consulted on the day of the written or oral exam itself if you want to withdraw after having started the exam. The withdrawal must be reported to the Examination Office within three days via the special form for withdrawal from exams². However, we strongly recommend to notify the Examination Office on the day of the exam itself. In case of an illness-related inability to take the exam, this inability must be certified by a medical professional on the second page of the form. A separate medical certificate (sick note) is no longer required. If the Examination Board accepts the evidence for the withdrawal due to illness or other “valid reasons,” the exam attempt is considered not taken.

Essays and Course-related Exam Formats

Withdrawal from essays and course-related exam formats (project work, presentations, reports, internships, or portfolios) is not possible without stating reasons after registration and topic assignment. In these cases, you can only withdraw subsequently for “valid reasons,” especially due to illness-related inability to take the exam. The withdrawal must be reported to the Examination Office within three days via the form for withdrawal from exams²². In case of an illness-induced inability to take the exam, this inability must be certified by a medical professional on the second page of the form. A separate medical certificate (sick note) is no longer required. If the Examination Board accepts the evidence for withdrawal due to illness or other "valid reasons," the exam attempt is considered not taken. Please note that when withdrawing from a term paper, you must choose a new topic if you register for a new attempt.

Bachelor's or Master's Thesis

Within a month or two months without stating reasons:

Withdrawal from a registered Bachelor's or Master's thesis is possible as follows: The topic of the thesis can only be returned once and only within the first month (Bachelor) or the first two months (Master) after it has been issued without stating reasons for doing so. This does not count as a failed attempt. The topic subsequently issued when re-registering for the thesis must differ substantially in content from the original one.

After a month or two months with valid reasons:

After one month (BA) or the first two months (MA) after issuance, withdrawal is only permitted for valid reasons. Otherwise, the attempt will be considered a failed attempt. "Valid reasons" may include, for example, an extended illness-related inability to take the exam, which must be substantiated by a medical certificate. If the illness-related inability to take the exam lasts up to six weeks, it is generally possible to request an extension of the writing period of up to six weeks instead. For further details, refer to the information about the writing period in the handouts for the bachelor’s thesis³ or master’s thesis⁴.

The withdrawal must be reported to the Examination Office immediately, within three days of the occurrence of the valid reasons, using the designated withdrawal form². To provide evidence of illness-related inability to take the exam, the medical certificate included on the second page of the withdrawal form must be completed by the physician. In the future, please refrain from submitting a medical certificate in the form of a standard sick note (Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigung, AU). If the examination committee accepts the evidence for the illness-related withdrawal or other valid reasons, the examination attempt will be considered as not undertaken. When registering again for the final thesis at a later date, the newly issued topic must differ significantly from the original one in terms of content.