General information on examinations, recognition, classification & hardship applications

You can find the examination dates here on this page.

Studying with disabilities: Compensation for disadvantages can generally be applied for at FB08 up to 4 weeks before the registration phase for written examinations. However, it is strongly recommended to submit the application for compensation for disadvantages as early as possible, at the latest 6 weeks before the registration phase, in order to have enough time to answer any questions you may have or to provide appropriate proofs and certificates. You can find preliminary information here. Then submit the informal application by email to the responsible Chairman of the Examination Board and enclose suitable proofs and certificates with the application. After approval of the compensation for disadvantages, inform the person responsible for the respective module independently and at the latest 10 working days BEFORE the written examination about your compensation for disadvantages so that it can be taken into account organisationally.

You can ONLY take part in an examination if you have registered and been admitted.
The obligation to register for participation in all examinations is independent of the form of examination and applies to written examinations, assignments, presentations, project work and other forms of examination.
Registration takes place online via HIS QIS within the registration phases communicated in advance by notice and/or electronically.
This online examination portal is used to manage examination achievements.
Among other things, you can create transcripts of records, register and deregister for examinations.
If you would like to register for an examination, you will need the access data for your FH Aachen university account. If you have problems registering via HIS QIS, please contact the Examinations Office by email (stating your student ID number and module number).

If you want or need to replace an examination scheduled in your examination plan with another examination, you must first register for the intended examination achievements. You then use the form (Application for substitution) to apply for a substitution. You must submit this form to the Examinations Office by the end of the official examination registration period at the latest. Please note that, for organisational reasons, this will not change your QIS registration. You will also receive the examination result under the examination number you originally registered for.

It is possible to withdraw from examinations in due time up to seven days before the respective examination date.
You can usually withdraw online via QIS. If there are any problems, please send an email with your matriculation number, module number and module name to the Examinations Office.

If you do not withdraw from the examination in time (e.g. due to illness), the Examination Board must be notified immediately in writing of the withdrawal and the reasons (e.g. medical certificate). Proofs and certificates of the reasons that led to the cancellation of the examination (e.g. proof of inability to take the examination) must be sent in advance by email (on the day of illness) and then submitted in original in paper form. In the case of postal delivery, the deadline is deemed to have been met if proof of posting or a postmark is provided to show that it was sent on time. See also: Illness or other inability to take examinations.

Below you will find a summary of the most important points regarding withdrawal from examinations and inability to take examinations (this summary does NOT replace the regulations in the RPO and the HG, but is intended to provide you with an overview, assistance and supplementation or concretisation):

• RPO §22(1) regulates what inability to take an examination means. A reason for inability to take an examination can be, for example, an acute serious illness. You are either fit to take an examination or not. If you are registered as unfit to take examinations, you cannot take any further examinations during the certified period. If the doctor writes you off sick for several days and you have registered for several examinations during this period, we will automatically deregister you for all examinations that fall within the period of sick leave.
• If you are or will be unable to take an examination at the time of the written examination and the deadline for cancelling the written examination has passed (see Withdrawal from examinations), you must withdraw from the examination immediately in writing and provide proofs and certificates of your inability to take the examination without delay.
• According to general rules, "immediately" means that you must declare your withdrawal by email to pruefungsamt.maschbau(at)fh-aachen.de no later than 24 hours after the start of the examination and submit an original paper copy of a medical certificate of incapacity to take the examination or other proof of incapacity to take the examination in accordance with Section 22(1) RPO no later than three working days after the examination.
• If you are unable to submit the original certificate/proof within the deadline, please submit the certificate/proof by email to pruefungsamt.maschbau(at)fh-aachen.de within the deadline and then submit the original certificate within 7 working days of the examination.
• To submit proofs and certificates in connection with inability to take examinations, please preferably send them by post (the date of the postmark is decisive for meeting the deadline) or hand them in personally. It is also possible to drop them in the Examination Office's letterbox. You are responsible for ensuring that it is received on time. If the Examination Office is not staffed for a longer period of time, you should always send it by post.
• In the event of illness (also in the event of illness of a child in your care), the medical examination must have taken place in direct temporal connection with the examination, i.e. on the same day as the examination or before.
• If you take an examination, you confirm your ability to take the examination by taking it. If you cancel an examination due to illness, the invigilator must be explicitly informed of the cancellation during the examination.A credible statement of inability to take the examination in the event of cancellation due to illness must be made on the same day. In other cases, the Examination Board will generally not recognise the reasons and the written examination will be deemed to have been written.

Please note: Section 63 (7) sentence 1 HG NRW regulates how you must provide proof of incapacity to take an examination due to illness. In particular, a certificate of incapacity for work is NOT sufficient proof of incapacity for the examination. In principle, a certificate of incapacity for examination must be submitted, i.e. a certificate clearly stating that you are or were unable to take an examination . You can use the form available at https://www.fh-aachen.de/downloads/suchbereich/studierende/k and have it completed by your doctor.

See also: RPO (Framework Examination Regulations) §22(1) and (2) and § 63 Para. 7 S. 1 HG NRW (Law on the Universities of North Rhine-Westphalia).

The place and time of inspection of the examination documents relating to a module examination shall be communicated to the examinee as part of the announcement of the assessment. [...].

In FB 8, we generally dispense with a formal registration procedure for inspection. As soon as a student appears on a scheduled inspection date, he/she implicitly submits a request for inspection, which is then granted immediately. You will be informed of the inspection date by the results email from QIS, by the results notice (e.g. in ILIAS) and/or on the examiner's website.

See also: The basis for the examination inspection is §35 (2) and (3) of the Framework Examination Regulations (RPO).

In the Bachelor's degree programmes in Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics, the General Competencies module must be completed (6 ECTS in the Mechanical Engineering degree programme and 3 ECTS in Mechatronics). Generally, you will find a list of the options for acquiring general competences in the respective enclosure of the Examination Regulations.

Furthermore, FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences also offers teaching modules that can be successfully completed beyond the curriculum and primarily impart extracurricular competences. Suitable modules are (the Examination Board decides on the suitability of modules not listed):

• 8631320 Interdisciplinary prototype development (6 ECTS)
• 8630818 Entrepreneurship seminar (6 ECTS)
• 8574222 Conversation Class (5 ECTS)*
• 8561920 Technical French (3 ECTS)*
• 85741 English Refresher Class (5 ECTS)*
• All foreign language courses with recognised ECTS

* = one/two additional ECTS = 30 SWS must be acquired for recognition in MBB)

In addition, the following will be recognised for the attainment of general competences:

1. Free support for students with special support needs over the duration of one semester with at least four semester hours per week of attendance time. A report of at least four pages must be written on the extracurricular competences gained.
2. Activity as a first semester tutor with a scope corresponding to that mentioned in the previous point (see 1.).
3. Industry-related activity parallel to part-time study. The Examination Board decides on recognition.
4. Studying (semester abroad) at a foreign partner university. Please refer to the Examination Regulations applicable to you for exact details (e.g. how many credits you will receive for the organisational effort of the semester abroad).

The Examination Regulations contain rules designed to structure the degree programme in such a way as to maximise the prospects of a successful degree. The most frequently applied are:

• "Fourth semester block": the Bachelor's examination regulations stipulate that examinations from the 4th semester onwards can only be taken once the examinations from the first two semesters have been successfully completed. The aim here is to ensure that no basic subjects are "dragged along" and that the knowledge required to understand the subjects of higher semesters is available.
• Requirements for registering the practical project and Bachelor's/Master's thesis: The Bachelor's/Master's thesis and the colloquium must be the final examination achievements. Otherwise, it could be the case that you leave the programme with a completed Bachelor's thesis without a degree due to a final failed examination. Experience shows that it is impossible to concentrate on the final thesis and on passing a demanding subject at the same time.

Both rules are therefore not "harassment", but are intended to help you. However, there may be situations in which this supposed help is counterproductive. Exceptions are therefore possible.

The prerequisite for a hardship application is that you can prove that you are not responsible for the "non-existence of the admission requirements" (e.g. because you were ill or in quarantine at the time of the examination) and that the non-admission represents a particular hardship.

The hardship clauses of the Examination Regulations serve this purpose. However, every exception to the Examination Regulations is a case-by-case decision and may have to be justified before an administrative court. You must therefore formally submit a hardship application. The Examination Board will decide how to proceed in each individual case.
Hardship applications for an upcoming examination phase will be considered up to two weeks before the start of the registration phase. Applications received later can only be considered for the next but one enrolment phase.

It is important that the application is supported as well as possible with written proofs and certificates.

Hardship applications can only be submitted online. To do this, send an email without enclosures with the subject"Hardship application [matrnr]_[your surname]" (without square brackets, replace these with your details) to haertefall.maschbaufh-aachen.de. Do not include any information or enclosures in your email. You will then receive a Sciebo link (typically within a week, during the lecture-free period or when the university is closed, you can expect more waiting time) to which you can upload the application and other documents. Applications that you attempt to submit by other means will not be processed.

It usually takes between three and four weeks to process a hardship application once all open questions have been clarified; during the lecture-free period it can take up to six weeks. Hardship applications must therefore be submitted in good time.

See also: §15(8) RPO

On 7 April 2022, the Faculty Council decided on the following exception to the rules on the"fourth semester block":

Students on full-time degree programmes who are only missing one module from the second semester at the time of examination registration may take examinations in the fourth semester.

Procedure for special case 1:
Register normally via QIS. Once you have registered, you will see a prerequisite error in QIS. This error is normal and you can still take the written examination (this is not related to any practical training as a prerequisite for the written examination! The module coordinator will check this himself).

• Please note that this rule only applies to examinations in the fourth semester. For examinations from the fifth semester onwards, the fourth semester ban applies in full.
• The rule can be suspended at any time by resolution of the Faculty Council with reasonable advance notice. When planning your studies, please do not assume that this will continue to be the case in the future.

Der Prüfungsausschuss des FB 8 hat in seiner Sitzung vom 24.04.2024 beschlossen: Es bedarf keines formellen Härtefallantrags bei der Anmeldung des Praxisprojekts, wenn zum Zeitpunkt der Anmeldung noch bis zu 3 Klausuren aus dem 4ten oder höheren Semester schon geschrieben, aber noch nicht korrigiert sind und keine weiteren Klausuren aus den ersten fünf Semestern fehlen. In diesen Fällen können sich Studierende zu Praxisprojekt [via Prüfungssekretariat] anmelden, ohne vorher den formalen Weg des Härtefallantrags zu gehen. Diese Regelung wird zunächst erprobt und kann ggf. [jederzeit] erneut zur Abstimmung gebracht werden, sollten sich in der Praxis daraus ergebende Probleme zeigen.
 

Explanations on the procedure:

A distinction is made between "classification" and "recognition".

If you change university or degree programme, you must have a " classification " carried out so that you can be classified in a higher subject-specific semester. The classification checks which modules from your previous degree programme can be recognised in your new degree programme. Once you have completed the classification process, you will be notified of the semester in which you have been classified. However, this does not automatically mean that the subjects will be recognised (i.e. recorded as passed examinations in the examination administration system of the new degree programme). This happens in a separate step, which must be initiated separately.

After you have changed degree programme, you must have all subjects that are positively considered in the classification recognised.

If you have changed degree programme and wish to have subjects recognised that have not yet been taken into account in the classification or can now provide proof of additional qualifications, you must initiate a further procedure.

Academic achievements completed before the start of your studies in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics can be recognised (except for conditional subjects in the Master's degree programme) "provided that there is no significant difference in terms of the skills acquired compared to the achievements that are being replaced".

If you would like to have examination achievements recognised or be classified in a higher subject-specific semester, please send an email with the following standard text:

'I hereby request authorisation for the classification and recognition procedure.

[Please delete incorrect sentences; only ONE sentence can be correct:]

A. I request activation of the classification procedure BEFORE changing university or degree programme.
B. I request recognition of the modules positively assessed as eligible for recognition in the assessment procedure.
C. I would like the procedure to be activated for the purpose of recognising additional subjects, e.g. those that were not taken into account/assessed as eligible for recognition in the placement procedure.
D. I request the recognition of all modules with identical module numbers after changing degree programmes within Faculty 8.

Last name:
First name:
Matr.Nr.:
Date of birth:
Previous university:
Previous degree programme:
and the subject"Recognition request [MatrNr]" to anerkennung.maschbaufh-aachen.de.

Enter your student ID number or "nb" for [MatrNr] if you are not yet registered at FH Aachen. (In this case, you can apply for provisional recognition for classification in a subject-specific semester.) Do not attach any enclosures!

If possible, please use your official university email address (of the current university) for this process. If you use the email address of another (commercial or free-to-use) provider, you may not receive the reply email with the cloud link sent by our file server.

If you have selected A, C, D from the above sentences: After a short preliminary check, you will receive an email with a cloud link to an application folder, where you will find detailed instructions(README.stud.pdf) on how to proceed. You will also need the form for module recognition [here]. You should also choose case C if the application for recognition is not related to the transfer to another university.

If you have selected B from the above sentences, you will not receive a link, but the recognised credits will be entered in QIS within 6 weeks. You will receive letters of rejection for unrecognised achievements that could not be taken into account in your classification.

We will not make any enquiries. An incomplete application will result in a rejection. You can of course resubmit the same application once it has been completed.
Your applications for recognition will generally be processed within 6 weeks if all documents are submitted correctly. This deadline begins with the complete submission of all required documents.
Please refrain from direct enquiries and queries to module examiners. If there is a need for further information, they will get in touch with you. Module examiners recommend recognition or rejection on the basis of the comparison of competences, possibly with conditions. However, the decision is made by the Examination Board.
Once a module has been recognised, you can no longer attempt to improve it. If you have attempted an examination in a module, you can no longer apply for recognition.

If you require classification in a higher subject-specific semester as part of your transfer to another degree programme or university, the same procedure must be followed. The same processing times apply. Therefore, please submit your application in good time.

See also: §63a Higher Education Act of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and §10 of the Framework Examination Regulations of FH Aachen.

Please note that after classification in a higher subject-specific semester and registration at our faculty, the process must be restarted by you. So that the recognised modules can be booked in the QIS system. Please do this immediately after registration.

Except in the case of transfer, modules are recognised for the following reasons:

1. As part of a semester abroad: You must take examinations abroad in order to fulfil the requirements for financial support. Before your stay abroad, have the faculty's module examiners provide you with a letter of intent for possible module recognition on the Learning Agreement. Upon presentation of the corresponding proofs and certificates (Transcript of Records), the modules agreed in advance will be recognised. Without prior agreement, recognition is only possible in justified exceptional cases.
2. In the case of parallel studies: If you are registered for another degree programme at our university or another university ("first degree programme") and would also like to complete and graduate from a degree programme at Faculty 8 ("parallel degree programme"), examination achievements from the first degree programme can be recognised in order to shorten the duration of the parallel degree programme. If you are a student of our faculty in the opposite direction and would like to take up another degree programme, academic achievements completed with us can be recognised there. In the further course of the parallel study programme, mutual recognition of modules is possible on application. It is not possible to have basic subjects from the parallel study programme recognised in the first degree programme.

Students who have been classified in the third subject-specific semester (winter semester) can listen to all courses of the 1st and 3rd semesters in this winter semester and also write the corresponding written examinations at the end of the semester. In their fourth subject-specific semester (summer semester), they can listen to all courses from the 4th semester, but can only write the corresponding written examinations if they have received credit for all modules from the second semester of their previous studies. Of course, this is very unlikely due to the different Examination Regulations.

The following therefore applies to students who are classified in the third subject-specific semester:
If someone who has been classified in the third subject-specific semester is still missing a maximum of three written examinations from the second semester and no written examination from the first semester, he/she may write written examinations from the fourth semester in the examination period directly following his/her fourth subject-specific semester (but only in this period).

Students who are classified in the second subject-specific semester (summer semester) have often already had a number of written examinations from the second semester recognised from their previous studies. They could listen to all courses from the 2nd and 4th semesters in this summer semester, but only write the written examinations from the 2nd semester at the end of the semester.

The following therefore applies to students who are classified in the second subject-specific semester:
If a student who has been classified in the second subject-specific semester is still missing a maximum of three written examinations from the second semester, he/she may write examinations from the fourth semester in the examination period directly following his/her second subject-specific semester (but only in this period). The number of written examinations still missing from the first semester is irrelevant.

Are entries missing from the list of exams taken? Is the grade or the number of examination attempts incorrect? Mistakes can always happen. But you can help us to correct them:

Send us an e-mail with the subject

[degree programme]-[PO version]-[module number]-[student ID number]

to qis-probleme.maschbaufh-aachen.de and describe the problem as precisely as possible. Please use the following (official) abbreviations of the degree programmes:

MBB = Mechanical Engineering - Bachelor
MEB = Mechatronics - Bachelor
BWI = Bachelor Industrial Engineering
SFB = Bachelor Rail Vehicle Technology
MPM = Master Product Development in Mechanical Engineering
MM3 or MM4 = 3- or 4-semester Master Mechatronics
MWI = Master Industrial Engineering and Management