Enrollment in a higher semester
Enrollment in a higher semester is possible in two cases:
- if you are already enrolled at the KU,
- if you wish to transfer to the KU from another university.
General information
At the KU, you can enroll in a higher semester of a degree program that is offered. If the degree program has restricted admission or requires an aptitude test, please refer to the information on applications.
For degree programs with restricted admission, it is only possible to determine whether places are available for enrollment in a higher semester after the re-registration deadline has passed.
The dates and deadlines for enrollment will be communicated in the respective letters of admission. A letter of admission will be issued provided that a place is available in the semester applied for.
The confirmation of a place of study is valid exclusively for the semester specified in the letter of admission, even if a lower semester is subsequently determined in the credit transfer notice. It is not possible to be downgraded to a lower semester.
Recognition of previously completed coursework and examinations
If you already have credits or skills that you would like to have recognized or credited before enrolling in your degree program, you can submit a corresponding request after you have enrolled. You can only submit a request for recognition of your previous academic achievements and examinations or for crediting of your professional skills once you are enrolled. Here, you will find information on the recognition procedure.
The board of examiners responsible for your degree program shall decide which academic achievements can be recognized or which skills can be credited.
However, you can contact the subject advisor or subject representative for teacher training responsible for your degree program prior to your enrollment. The subject advisor or representative can assist you in preparing your credit transfer request, but cannot provide you with legally binding information on which achievements or skills can be recognized or credited and to what extent.
Generally, you can make your own assessment based on the published module descriptions, which can be viewed at KU.Campus. The “Competencies/Skills” section in the module descriptions is particularly relevant for the subsequent decision of the board of examiners. As long as there is no significant difference between the skills described in the KU modules and the skills you have already acquired, there is a good chance that your credits will be recognized or transferred.
Each successful recognition of study and examination achievements of more than 15 ECTS credits results in classification into a correspondingly higher semester (semester classification). The final semester classification is based on the total number of ECTS credits transferred and is carried out in accordance with the steps specified for the respective degree program in the applicable examination regulations.
If you are or were already enrolled at another university or at the KU in another degree program and have completed coursework and examinations, enrollment in a higher semester is not always recommended for these reasons alone. If recognition is requested for a higher semester, there is a risk that the maximum period of study according to the valid examination regulations will be exceeded after the recognized examination credits have been recorded, or that successful completion of the degree will no longer be possible in the remaining study period until the maximum period of study is reached. Once the maximum period of study has been exceeded, the respective degree program is considered failed.
If the semester to which you are allocated on the basis of the requested recognition differs from the semester for which you have enrolled, the following rule applies: If the recognition results in a semester that is higher than the semester you applied for, you will be upgraded to the semester corresponding to the recognition. If the recognition results in a semester that is lower than the semester you applied for, you will remain in the semester for which you originally enrolled. Downgrading is not possible.
Please note that you are responsible for any problems that may arise in the course of your further studies due to an unrealistic self-assessment when enrolling for a higher semester.
If you are unsure about the semester in which you should enroll, please contact our student advisory service.
