Academic leave of absence
If you have to interrupt your studies for important reasons, you may submit a request for a semester long leave of absence at the Registrar’s Office.
If you are planning a semester leave of absence, please remember that some courses are only offered once a year.
It can also affect any benefits you receive such as Bafög or child benefits.
Please get information in advance from the responsible agencies.
Typically, you will only be granted a leave of absence if you will be absent for at least 50% of the lecture period. It is usually not possible to be granted a leave of absence for more than two semesters for the same reason. It is not possible to be granted a leave of absence for reasons that arose after the lecture period. It is also not possible to be granted a leave of absence for previous semesters.
A leave of absence for the first subject-related semester is only possible if rejecting the request would lead to unreasonable, exceptional hardship (e.g. illness). However, Master’s students may be granted a leave of absence in the first subject-related semester for an internship or semester abroad if there is a reason this must be done in the first subject-related semester.
It is only possible to take a leave of absence for an important reason. This could include:
- Starting a practical activity that is related to the study objective (mandatory or voluntary internship)
Proof: Contract or certificate of activity (copy); Important: The duration and content of the activity must be stated. - Studies at a foreign university or language school
Proof: Certificate from the foreign university or responsible office at the University of Hohenheim (e.g. the Office of International Affairs)(Duration of studies must be stated)
It is not possible to take a leave of absence while studying at a foreign university in a double degree program. - Illness
Proof: Medical certificate that includes the extent to which the studies are affected by the illness and the duration - Pregnancy / Maternity leave
Proof: Copy of maternity records (Mutterpass) with estimated due date - Parenting
Proof: Copy of birth certificate and family registration card (Familienmeldebescheinigung), if the child is 3 or older, also the reason additional care is necessary
Writing a Bachelor’s, Master’s or Diplom thesis is part of your studies and therefore not a reason for a leave of absence.
Please submit your application for leave of absence in HohCampus and upload your supporting documents there as well (Service > Requests).
The application must be submitted by the re-registration deadline (SS: 15 February / WS: 15 August). If the reason for the leave of absence occurs later, the application must be submitted immediately .
Decision on the request
A decision on granting the semester of leave cannot be made until all required supporting documentation is received. A leave of absence is always for one semester; if the reason continues beyond one semester, a new application is required.
If your request is approved, you will be able to access new certificates of enrollment in the HohCampus showing the leave of absence: The semester is then marked as a semester leave of absence on the certificate of enrollment. You can see how your application has been decided or what the current processing status is by looking at your application in HohCampus.
Semester leaves of absence are university semesters (Hochschulsemester), but not subject-related semesters (Fachsemester). This also applies if you take exams during the semester you are on leave.
Please note: If you take a leave of absence to take a German course, then at the end of the course the language school must send a certificate of participation to the Registrar's Office!
During a leave of absence, the regular semester fees (administrative fees, Student Services fee, and fee for the Student Parliament) must be paid.
It is not possible to have these semester fees waived.
An exception to this are the tuition fees for international students and second degree students:
It is possible to get an exemption from these fees due to a leave of absence if both the request for the leave of absence and the request for an exemption from the tuition fees were submitted before the start of the lecture period.
If you have already paid the tuition fees and are subsequently exempted from having to pay them due to a leave of absence, you can apply for reimbursement of the tuition fees. Please upload the request for reimbursement in HohCampus along with your request for the leave of absence:
Students on a leave of absence are not entitled to take part in the University of Hohenheim’s self-governance bodies, attend courses, or use University institutions - the exception are the Library and IT services, which may be used.
However, students who are on a leave of absence due to parenting or protective periods such as maternity leave or parental leave may attend courses and use all University institutions.
- You may take exams but are not required to. This applies to all kinds of examinations (coursework, examinations, first attempts or make-up attempts).
If you registered for exams and decide not to take them during the leave of absence, then you will need to withdraw from these exams.
The request to withdraw is made informally in writing and submitted to the SIZ. It can be submitted as a letter to the SIZ or via email directly to the Examinations Office.
BAföG
Financial aid according to BAföG is not granted during semesters on leave. One exception is Auslands-BAföG, which is paid while eligible students are studying abroad or doing an internship abroad. Semesters on leave during which no BAföG is paid are not included in the maximum period of financial support.
Time spent abroad for university study or work is not included the maximum period of financial support unless it exceeds one year. The latter condition does not apply if the time spent abroad is required in the degree regulations.
The Amt für Ausbildungsförderung (Federal Financial Aid Office) must be informed by the student on leave about the time and the length of semesters on leave (via matriculation certificates).
Child benefits
Whether child benefits are granted during the leave of absence depends on the reason for leave.
Health insurance
Students remain in the student / family insurance plan if they have a low-paying job (geringfügige Beschäftigung). If they earn above this limit (currently 450€ / month), then they are required to pay into the social benefit system for health, long-term care, pension, and unemployment insurance.