Dear Students!
As a student, just like all other university members, you have rights and obligations. These are laid down in the
Key Definitions (Note: maybe expandable)
Key Definitions
Study Law Authority
Enforces the study regulations and is the legal entity at the university for study-related matters. The Vice Rector for Academic Affairs is generally the study law authority. However, they delegate their tasks to the deans of studies for the individual degree programs.
Important tasks: Admissions, annulment of negatively assessed exams, recognition of exams
Official Decision
A legal decision or order. As a rule, legal remedies are permissible.
Important official decisions: Cancellation of exams, exmatriculation, recognitions
Legal Remedy
Formal challenge to an administrative or judicial decision. The filing of legal remedies is always subject to certain deadlines and is only possible for a limited time.
Important examples: Appeal against official decision to the Federal Administrative Court (BVwG), Appeal to the Constitutional Court (VfGH), Individual application to the Constitutional Court (VfGH)
(Partial) Performance
Is the basis for an assessment (submission, exam result, etc.).
Important: Attendance is not a performance
General Academic Regulations
- Regular vs. extraordinary students: Regular students are those with a completed Matura certificate, university entrance qualification exam, or a foreign university entrance qualification recognized by Austria. Extraordinary students have not (yet) met these criteria but are nevertheless enrolled at the university. Extraordinary students can already take exams but cannot obtain a degree. All extraordinary students must pay tuition fees (€363.36 per semester; or €726.72 for third-country nationals).
- StEOP: The Study Induction and Orientation Phase (StEOP) consists of a group of courses in the first semester, or first academic year, designed to provide an overview of the content and requirements of the study program.
There are 3 types: fixed StEOP (a list of courses that must all be completed), StEOP pool (a certain number of ECTS credits must be completed from a pool of courses), a mixture of both (some exams must be taken compulsorily + a certain number of ECTS credits from a pool of courses).
While you have not yet completed the StEOP, you may accumulate a maximum of 22 ECTS credits from non-StEOP courses. Recognitions do not count towards this.
If you do not pass the StEOP, you cannot be admitted to this study program again.
During the StEOP phase, you have one fewer exam attempt (4 instead of 5 attempts). Once you have completed the StEOP, the 5th attempt becomes available to you. - Leave of Absence: You have the option to interrupt your studies at TU Wien for a short period (max. 6 semesters in total) without your admission to the study program at TU Wien expiring. Further information can be found on the TU Wien website.
- Course Types:
Non-examination-inherent: Lectures (VO)
Courses without mandatory attendance, which are concluded with a single exam.
Examination-inherent: Exercises (UE), Lecture with Exercises (VU), Seminar (SE), Laboratory Exercise (LU), Excursion (EX), …
Courses that may have mandatory attendance and whose assessment must consist of several partial performances. - Announcements before the start of the semester
The dates, objectives, format (in-person, hybrid, online, etc.), content, and methods of courses must always be announced via TISS before the start of the semester. Additionally, for the associated exams, the dates, content, format, and assessment criteria must also be announced.
For examination-inherent courses, it must also be defined in advance what the partial performances of these courses are.
Changes during the semester are only possible for compelling reasons, which must be determined by the Rectorate. The changes must also be communicated to students in an appropriate manner. In the event of such changes, students have the option to withdraw from the affected course without it counting as an attempt.
Exams
- Exam Modalities: Exams can be written, oral, or both written and oral. Oral exams are public, and the exam result must be announced immediately after the exam. In the case of a negative assessment, the reasons for the negative grade must also be announced after the exam. In the case of an examination board, the deliberation and voting on the assessment are not public.
- Right to Exam Review: Examiners are obliged to grant you access to your assessed exams (up to 6 months after the assessment). You may also make copies of the corrected documents, with the exception of multiple-choice questions and their corresponding answers. This review does not have to take place on a fixed date. If a date is set, but you do not have time, further opportunities must be offered to you to review it.
- Exam Review by Student Representatives
- Right to Retake Exams: You have the right to retake a failed exam up to four times (i.e., five attempts), and a failed StEOP exam up to three times (4 attempts). The fourth and fifth attempts must be taken before an examination board, provided the exam is conducted as a single examination process (i.e., not for examination-inherent courses, such as exercises). You may also retake passed exams once within six months of taking the exam or before the end of the study section. In this case, the grade of the last exam counts, even if it is worse than that of the first exam.
New since Winter Semester 2022/23: For the final exam of the study program, there is an additional sixth attempt. - Right to Object to Exams: If a serious deficiency occurred during the conduct of a negatively assessed exam, you have the right to object to this exam within 4 weeks. If the objection is upheld, the exam does not count towards your exam attempts.
- Recognition of Exams: You can use achievements already obtained elsewhere (e.g., transcripts from other universities) for the completion of your current study program. Further information can be found on the page Recognition of Exams | TU Wien
- Failure to Appear Despite Registration: Deregister at least two working days before the exam if you do not wish to take it. If you remain registered but do not appear, no certificate may be issued to you, and it will not count as an attempt. (A ban for the next date is possible, even if you are only on the waiting list)
- Taking Exams After a Course Expires: You have the option to take the exam for a course up to three semesters after the course has expired. This also applies if an equivalent course is offered for the course.
- Waiting List Regulation: If you are on the waiting list for an exam date, you must still appear for the appointment. If there are available spots at the exam, you can take it immediately. Otherwise, the Dean of Studies must provide you with an alternative date as soon as possible, preferably within 2 weeks.
- Leave of Absence: Under certain circumstances, it is possible to interrupt your studies at TU Wien for a short period without your admission to the study program at TU Wien expiring. During the leave of absence, no academic achievements can be made. Further information can be found on the TU Wien website.
- Exam Dates for Lectures: For lectures, at least three exam dates must be offered each semester, specifically at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end of the semester. The dates must be announced before the start of the semester.
- Exam Registration: the registration period must be at least two weeks and must end no more than one week before the exam date.
- Deregistration from Exams: You are entitled to deregister in writing or electronically via TISS at least two working days before the exam. If deregistration in TISS is no longer possible, you can still deregister by email.
- Issuance of Certificates: The lecturer has up to four weeks after the exam date to correct the exams and issue a certificate.
- Exams before an Examination Board:
The assessment for exams before an examination board is carried out by more than one examiner and ensures an objective assessment for critical attempts. There is also a right to a different examination mode. The examination board is formed by the study law authority (=the Dean of Studies) and consists of three to five members. Student representatives can always request an examination board exam.
For examination-inherent courses, there are no examination board exams.
Assessments and Certificates
- Issuance of Certificates: The lecturer has up to four weeks after the exam date to correct the exams and issue a certificate.
- Objection to Negative Certificates: No legal remedies are permissible against positive certificates.
In the case of negative certificates, an objection can be raised within 4 weeks due to a serious deficiency.
The grade cannot be changed. Only the exam can be annulled. The attempt remains valid. - Serious Deficiency: exists when serious errors occur in the formalities of the exam, such as: less time than indicated in TISS, different subject area than indicated in TISS.
Admission, Re-registration, and Exmatriculation
- Grace Periods for Admission & Notification of Continuation of Studies: The grace period for notifying the continuation of studies only extends until October 31 for the winter semester and March 31 for the summer semester. The same applies to the extended admission period in justified exceptional cases.
- For students admitted from Winter Semester 2022/23 onwards: Minimum Academic Achievements (this applies only to Bachelor’s students): You must achieve 16 ECTS credits within the first four semesters, otherwise you will be exmatriculated. The deadline is October 31 and March 31, respectively (one month after the end of the semester). If the minimum academic achievement is not met, your admission expires immediately on November 1 or April 1, respectively, and re-admission is only permitted after two academic years (equivalent to 4 semesters).
- Admission to Master’s/Doctoral Studies: If you apply for admission to a Master’s/PhD program that is not consecutive to your Bachelor’s, the Dean of Studies may impose requirements (supplementary exams).
Legally, you would have to fulfill these requirements within the first 2 semesters. However, this regulation is not enforced at TU Wien. Therefore, there are no consequences if you take longer to fulfill the requirements. - Consecutive Master’s Programs: for every Bachelor’s program, there must be a consecutive Master’s program that can be started without additional requirements.
A consecutive Master’s program can also be started outside the regular admission period. - Exmatriculation: means the premature termination of studies without a degree.
How can I be exmatriculated?
> if you withdraw from your studies
> if you fail to re-register for your studies
> if a compulsory exam was negatively assessed even on the last permissible retake
> if an action poses a permanent or serious danger to other persons in the course of study
> if you do not meet the minimum academic achievement in the first 2 years
If you have any specific questions, you can, of course, contact us anytime at bipol@htu.at.