Guidelines on Attendance Requirements

If the examination regulations stipulate that there may be a mandatory regular attendance in a course, that course is subject to an attendance requirement. This obligation will also be communicated through BASIS. Attendance requirements cannot be replaced by any study achievements.

The examination regulations also define that regular attendance is maintained with a maximum absence of up to 30%, including absences due to illness and, if applicable, documented with a medical certificate. This means that students may miss up to 30% of the specific time of a course, and still have the course recorded as successfully completed with respect to the attendance requirement. The maximum absence must be precisely calculated per semester and per course (based on the lecture weeks, semester hours, and any holidays falling within the lecture period), and must be announced by the instructors through BASIS at the beginning of the semester.

• Calculation of the maximum absence using the example of the summer semester 2023

To calculate the maximum absence of no more than 30%, one must examine each semester and each course closely. In the summer semester of 2023, for example, there were 15 lecture weeks. For a course with 2 semester hours per week, there would be a total of 30 hours. Absences of up to 9 hours (30% of 30 hours) are allowed. However, if the two-hour event falls on a Monday, the three public holidays that fall on a Monday in the summer semester of 2023 must also be considered. In this case, the course does not take place over 15 weeks with 30 hours, but only over 12 weeks with a total of 24 hours. The maximum absence is then only 7.2 hours (30% of 24 hours, rounded to 7 hours). It is advisable to inquire about the maximum absence at the beginning of the semester for courses with attendance requirements. As a student, please consult BASIS or, if in doubt, ask the instructors.

• Mandatory Attendance for Childcare / Care of Close Relatives

For students who are demonstrably responsible for the care and upbringing of children within the meaning of § 25 paragraph 5 of the Federal Training Assistance Act (BAföG), or the care and support of spouses, registered life partners, direct line relatives, second-degree or first-degree relatives by marriage, a regulation for compensatory measures (corresponding to § 15 sentence 5) applies. Children within the meaning of this provision are individuals under the age of 14 who live in the student's own household. This includes not only one's own children but also foster children, children of the spouse or life partner taken into the household, and grandchildren taken into the household. Therefore, compensatory measures are to be permitted to the extent that they provide equivalent competencies and abilities. Students who wish to be granted these measures should contact the examination office. Proof of caregiving responsibilities and the age of the children must be provided, along with a declaration of whether the children live in the student's household.