Long-term study fees

Thuringian universities and colleges began charging long-term study fees in the winter semester 2004/05. There are, however, many cases in which students are exempt from these fees.

For more information, please contact our staff at the Student Office (Coudraystr. 7, Rm. 408) during regular consultation hours.

Tuesdays, 9 am – 11:30 am and 12:30 pm – 5 pm
Thursdays, 9 am – 11:30 am and 12:30 pm to 5 pm

The Student Office offers a special consultation meeting on long-term study fees every Tuesday from 12:30 pm – 5 pm (Coudraystr. 7, Rm. 402/403). You can also send us your questions by e-mail to: gebuehren@uni-weimar.de.

 

 

1. Who can help me with questions about long-term study fees?

Our staff at the Student Office (Coudraystr. 7, Rm. 408) is available to answer your questions. You can also attend a special consultation meeting on long-term study fees every Tuesday from 12:30 pm – 5 pm (Coudraystr. 7, Rm. 402/03.

2. How high are long-term study fees?

Students who exceed the regular study duration must pay € 500.00 per semester until they are removed from the register. However, students can file a petition to have the fee postponed, or partially or totally waived.

3. I am enrolled at two universities – do I have to pay long-term study fees for both?

No, you only have to pay the fee once, namely at the university where you are enrolled as a full-time student, regardless of where you study as a guest student or non-enrolled student.

4. What happens if I receive notification that long-term study fees are due, but the university has made a mistake calculating the number of semesters I have studied? Do I still have to pay?

An administrative process begins when you receive notification of long-term study fees. This process continues regardless of whether the notification was sent to you in error or not. If you suspect that an error has occurred, you should:a) Pay the fee before the deadline printed on the notificationb) Write a formal letter of appeal within one month of receipt of notification. We advise you to include all the documents you have which prove that the data was false. In this way, we can correct the mistake quickly and reimburse you.

 

5. I’ve received notification that I have to pay long-term study fees but I don’t have the 500 euro at the moment. Does this mean I can’t continue studying?

Please contact the Student Office immediately. The staff will personally review your case, speak to you about the prior course of your studies, and advise you on the possibility of having the fee partially or totally waived. Be prepared to provide extensive details about your financial situation, supported by the corresponding documentation.
Depending on when long-term study fees are due, how far along you are in your studies and what your personal situation is, you might think about applying for a leave of absence for one semester. Students who take a leave of absence for a semester are automatically exempt from paying long-term study fees. However, leaves of absence cannot be granted retroactively and are not permitted in all cases. Furthermore, while on a leave of absence, you are not allowed to continue your studies or work on completing any examination requirements, such as a Bachelor’s or Master’s thesis.

6. After receiving notification, I paid my long-term study fees. The period during which I could appeal for a waiver has passed. Am I still eligible for a waiver based on my involvement in Student Council?

Generally every student has the right to appeal for a postponement, or partial or total waiver of long-term study fees at any time. If you can provide the necessary proof (confirmation of your participation and the number of hours you work per semester week (min. of 2 hours) signed by the dean of the corresponding faculty) and if this meets the conditions of Par. 5, Sect. 4 of the Thuringian University Fees and Charges Regulation, you will be exempt from the long-term study fees for one semester and reimbursed accordingly.

 

7. What is a “consecutive” course of study?

Consecutive courses of study refer to Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes that, in terms of content, are designed to be completed in succession. These combined degree programmes have a prescribed period of study of nine or ten semesters - six for the Bachelor’s degree and three or four for the Master’s degree. The combination of a Bachelor’s degree and diploma is not recognized as a consecutive course of study.

 

8. Is my course of study still “consecutive” if I took a break between my Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree programmes?

Yes, an interruption is permitted.

 

9. I’ve received my Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from a different university and now I’d like to pursue my Master’s degree in Civil Engineering at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. Is this considered a consecutive course of study?

Yes. Civil Engineering is accredited as a consecutive course of study and all our Civil Engineering students are integrated into the consecutive model regardless of where they have received their Bachelor’s degree. However, an examining board must review the content of your previous degree programme before you are allowed to enrol into the Master’s degree programme.

 

10. After studying Architecture for 3 semesters, I changed to Visual Communication in my fourth semester. How many semesters are counted in terms of my obligation to pay long-term study fees?

Unfortunately, all of them! If you had changed majors before the end of your second semester, your first two semesters wouldn’t have counted in the calculation of your semester total.

 

11. I’ve applied for a partial waiver of long-term study fees due to unreasonable or undue hardship (according to Par. 6). How long is my petition valid?

Unlike the notification of long-term study fees, your petition is only valid for one semester. If your situation does not change, you will have to re-apply for the following semester. You can hand your application in to the Student Office at Coudraystr. 7, Rm. 408, or send it by mail to: Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Dezernat Studium und Lehre, 99421 Weimar.

 

12. I spent my fifth semester studying in Italy but didn’t formally apply for a leave of absence. Will the semester abroad be counted toward my obligation to pay long-term study fees?

We do not take any semesters during which you have studied abroad into account when calculating long-term study fees. It wouldn’t be fair to penalize students who voluntarily take the often arduous path of studying in a foreign country. However, this rule does not apply to courses of study and academic programmes in which a study-abroad programme is counted as part of the regular study requirements.

 

13. A total or partial waiver of long-term study fees is possible if one is in a “dire financial situation immediately preceding the last phase of final examinations.” What does this exactly mean?

This means that you have already registered for the final examination (which would be, e.g., diploma, Bachelor’s thesis, Master’s thesis or First State Examination) and have begun writing the thesis. In some cases, we also accept confirmation from a faculty chair regarding the expected commencement of a thesis paper. The extent of one’s financial plight is evaluated on a case-to-case basis. Students who apply for such a waiver are expected to provide the necessary documentation regarding their current income and assets.

 

14. Do doctoral students have to pay long-term study fees?

No. Paragraph 5 of the Thuringian University Fees and Charges Regulation exempts doctoral students from long-term study fees.

 

15. I’ve received notification that long-term study fees are due next semester, but I have no intention of re-registering. Do I still have to pay?

No. You do not have to pay these fees if you are not planning on returning to the university the following semester. You do, however, have to notify the Student Office to have your name removed from the register, as de-registration is an administrative act.