From one study programme to another

• No matter what reason you have for changing from one university or study programme to another, you should inform yourself about your possibilities at your current and/or new university and check which documents you need to have ready. Be sure to take advantage of the university’s advisory services. Good preparation saves you stress and makes the recognition process easier!

• The next step is to submit your application for academic recognition to your current university or the new university to which you have applied. However, you don’t have to apply for recognition of your achievements before you start your new study programme. As a rule, academic recognition takes place after matriculation (enrolment) in the study programme. It is advisable to apply for recognition right at the start of your study. That way you can structure your study plan ideally and plan your studies well (e.g. to have more time for a stay abroad). However, it is still possible to apply for recognition in the further course of your studies if you have not yet completed the corresponding module. You can also find out from the responsible person at your university (e.g. the academic recognition officer, course guidance, etc.) exactly how to submit your application. They can also tell you whether there are any deadlines you need to meet when applying for recognition.
• By the way: You have an obligation to cooperate when submitting the application and during the subsequent assessment. You need to provide your university with all the information it needs to assess your application conclusively. Otherwise, the university has the right to stop processing your application prematurely and to refuse recognition due to a lack of information.

• After the application for recognition has been received by your university, your application documents will be checked for completeness and authenticity and then evaluated in terms of content. Academic recognition is decided by comparing your competences acquired at another university or in another study programme with those required within the university’s study programme. Simply put, the question is whether there is a substantial difference between the competences acquired and those to be acquired. Along with the assessment of whether the institution or programme meets the standards of a (German) university, the learning outcomes achieved at another university or in another programme are the most important basis of examining a substantial difference.
• Here, the burden of proof is reversed – i.e. the burden of proof lies not with you, but with the university, which must demonstrate that your achievements cannot be recognized because a substantial difference exists.
• Please be patient – the recognition process can take up to three months. At its conclusion, you will receive a notice of the formal decision. If your university recognises your achievements, it can also simply record them as such in the campus management system. If they were graded, your grade will usually be accepted; if they were ungraded, they will be recognised as “passed”. Grades from abroad will usually be converted.
• If your application for academic recognition is rejected, you will receive a notice of rejection and have the option of lodging an objection (see options for objecting).
• The fact that achievements you have attained at another university or in another study programme have been recognised is usually noted in your transcript of records.

Step by step to successful academic recognition when you change your study programme or university – summarised here in our compact checklist.