Leave of Absence
Requirements | Rights | Obligations
Students with valid reasons preventing them from pursuing their studies in accordance with standard regulations can be granted a leave of absence of up to two semesters.
Justification for the leave of absence must be provided in writing in the application and must be supported by pertinent evidence.
Leave of absence in the first semester of study is only possible in master's degree programmes; in undergraduate degree programmes, it is only possible in justified exceptional cases.
A retroactive leave of absence for past semesters is not possible.
Valid reasons for a leave of absence particularly include:
- Studies abroad
- Internship
- Illness
- Maternity and/or parental leave
- Caring for a close relative if the care cannot be provided by another person
- Business start
- Service obligation for voluntary military service or federal voluntary service
- Foreign language or school assistance abroad (KMK)
Application and Submission Deadline
The application for a leave of absence can be submitted by post to the Registrar's Office until 30 October in the winter semester and until 30 April in the summer semester. If the valid, unforeseeable reason for the leave of absence does not arise until a later date, the application can be submitted by post until 5 December in the winter semester and until 5 June in the summer semester.
Leave of absence application(304.2 KB)
What does a leave of absence mean for me?
- Even when applying for a semester on leave, the student services fee and the fee for the semester public transport ticket must be paid!
- With the exception of the obligation to pursue studies in accordance with standard regulations, the student's rights and obligations remain unaffected during the period of the leave of absence.
- During your leave of absence, you are still a member of the university and are therefore entitled to use its facilities and to vote in university elections.
- Participation in courses is not possible during the leave of absence (exception: leave of absence due to maternity/parental leave and/or care for close relatives) - Art. 93 p. 3 s. 1 BayHIG.
- Semesters for which a leave of absence is granted do not count towards the total number of semesters studied. For this reason, it is not possible to complete any course work or examinations at the University of Bamberg during a leave of absence; it is only possible to take repeat examinations (exception: leave of absence due to maternity/parental leave and/or care for close relatives).
- Please note that deadlines within an examination procedure already in progress are not normally interrupted or suspended due to a leave of absence. Please enquire at the Office of Examinations as early as possible!
Retraction of a Leave of Absence
The application for leave of absence may be withdrawn by the end of the lecture period of the semester for which the leave of absence was granted by means of a written statement - signed and dated.
Information for BAföG Recipients:
Please note that you could potentially lose your BAföG entitlement due to a leave of absence. Therefore, before submitting your application, please contact the staff member responsible for the University of Bamberg at the BAföG office.