Legal notice on general statements on deadlines

This information is intended to assist in explaining the provisions of the KU’s Bachelor’s and Master’s examination regulations. Only the provisions of the duly adopted examination regulations for the respective degree programs are legally binding on students. Unless the examination regulations for the Magister in Theology degree program contain differing provisions, the following explanations also apply to this degree program.

Standard period of study

The standard length of program is specified in the examination regulations.

Notwithstanding this, all students who were enrolled during the COVID-19 pandemic and were not on leave of absence are granted an individual standard length of program extended by one semester. This means that the semesters that fell within the period of the COVID-19 pandemic (summer semester 2020 through winter semester 2021/2022) will not be accredited toward the standard length of the program. As a result, deadlines and time limits tied to the semester of the program—and thus also to the standard length of program—are extended accordingly by these semesters (this applies in particular to the maximum duration of study).

Maximum duration of study

The maximum duration of study is prescribed by law in the Free State of Bavaria. All course requirements for a degree program must be completed within the permitted maximum duration of study. The maximum duration of study specifies the number of semesters within which a degree program must be completed at the latest. In Bachelor's degree programs, the maximum duration of study generally ends after six to eight semesters of the program; in Master's degree programs, it generally ends after four semesters of the program, and in some cases after five. The maximum duration of study is specified in the respective examination regulations and applies only to the degree program named therein. In most cases, the deadline by which the Bachelor’s or Master’s examination must be passed (maximum duration of study) is stated in the relevant section regarding the requirements for passing the Bachelor’s or Master’s examination.

Upon the expiration of the final semester of the maximum period of study specified in the examination regulations, students will first receive an informational letter from the Examinations Office regarding their first instance of failure to complete the program, stating that the remaining requirements must be fulfilled no later than two additional semesters. This letter does not yet have any immediate legal consequences for the students. It should be understood as a warning regarding the possible failure to pass the bachelor’s or master’s degree examination due to a definitive exceeding of the maximum duration of study.

Upon the expiration of the two additional semesters of the program, the maximum duration of study has been definitively exceeded. If, by this point, students have failed to pass all the examinations required for their degree program, they will receive a notice of definitive failure from the Examinations Office.

If it becomes apparent that students will not be able to complete all the requirements necessary to graduate from their degree program within the maximum duration of study, they may submit an application for an extension of their study period to the Board of Examiners responsible for their degree program before the end of the last current semester:

• A prerequisite for such an application is that the student provides verifiable reasons for wanting to extend the duration of study that are beyond the student’s control.
• If verifiable reasons exist, the Board of Examiners may extend the duration of study initially for the duration of one academic semester.
• Further extensions must be applied for separately and before the expiration of an already approved extension, with appropriate supporting documentation.
• The Board of Examiners will notify the student in writing of any approved extension of the period of study.
• If no extension is possible, the Bachelor’s or Master’s examination is considered failed upon the expiration of the last possible academic semester. The student may no longer continue their studies.

Deadlines for submitting Bachelor's or Master's thesis

The submission and receipt of the Bachelor’s or Master's thesis are documented by the Examinations Office.
The Examinations Office monitors the submission deadline.

If there are compelling reasons, a request for an extension of the submission deadline may be submitted to the relevant Board of Examiners (with a copy to the Examinations Office) before the deadline expires.

Any approved extension will be communicated to the student in writing (either by the Board of Examiners itself, with a copy to the Examinations Office, or by the Examinations Office after receiving prior authorization from the Board of Examiners).

In the event of a prolonged illness, students have the option to withdraw from the “Bachelor's thesis” or “Master's thesis” examination entry in a timely manner, i.e., before the deadline for completion. Withdrawal from the exam can be requested from the Board of Examiners using a form available on the Examinations Office’s website; the reasons must be substantiated (with a valid medical certificate).

If the withdrawal is approved, the student is treated as if he or she had not begun the thesis. Upon re-registration, the deadline starts anew. Regardless of this, the maximum duration of study must always be observed. This means that an extension of the deadline for submitting the final thesis does not automatically result in an extension of the maximum duration of study. Both deadlines must be considered independently of one another; extensions must be requested separately and in a timely manner before the respective deadline expires.