Each semester comprises 14 weeks of courses. After courses end, there is an examination period of two to three weeks. Before the beginning of each semester, the International Office organises a Welcome Week for new exchange students.

Semester dates

University courses usually begin 15 minutes past the hour (for example, at 8:15 am). This quarter of an hour is called the "academic quarter" and is announced with "c.t." (Latin "cum tempore" = "with time" = in this case the additional quarter of an hour). If an event starts at the hour, it is indicated with the addition "s.t." (Latin "sine tempore" = "without time").

A course listed in the course catalogue with duration 8–10 am thus lasts from 8:15 am to 9:45 am or 90 minutes.

The first important contact point for international exchange students is the International Office at the University of Oldenburg. The International Office provides you with general information about studying, financing and staying in Germany.

In addition, the University of Oldenburg offers you a well-developed network of academic and social counselling services.

Advisory Services

A module is a content-related group of different courses, which is completed with an overall grade. Individual courses of the module can be ungraded.

Courses can take different forms, for example:

• lecture (often ungraded)
• seminar (frequently graded, exam could be a seminar paper)
• exercise
• tutorial
• laboratory work
• project

Modules are particularly relevant for regular enrolled students of the University of Oldenburg, but also have an impact on the choice of possible courses of exchange students. For example, if you would like to attend only a specific lecture, but not the other courses that belong to the corresponding module, an overall grade is usually not provided. If you attend a seminar, but not the corresponding tutorial and the lecture, the course is worth fewer ECTS than the entire module.

The workload for a module or course is measured in ECTS (credit points). One ECTS credit point translates into roughly 30 hours of work, of which only a part is spent in the classroom. The workload which regular students aim for is 30 ECTS per semester. An individual course can be worth anything between 3 and 10 ECTS. Usually, students attend courses totaling 30 ECTS per semester.

All students receive a free university e-mail account with the address firstname.surname@uol.de. Because our university is sending official communications to this university e-mail address and we expect it to be regularly accessed, you should do so reliably. Also, some e-mail providers (e.g. hotmail, outlook, live, windowslive,…) might store e-mails sent from university addresses into your spam folder.

Exchange students enrol online in August/September or February/March. The CampusCard and the login data for Stud.IP are then created and are usually available shortly before the start of the semester.

The following documents are required for enrolment and will be requested by e-mail:

• Proof of health insurance (see: Health insurance - what do I have to do?
• Proof of transfer of semester contribution to the University of Oldenburg's bank account

Attention! Unlike regular enrolled students, exchange students can not register for exams via Stud.IP (learning management platform). You have to take care of the agreement of examinations at an early stage:

1. In the first week of the semester, arrangements must be made with the respective lecturer for the examination to be taken: What type of examination is provided (written exam, written paper, paper, oral exam)? How many ECTS is the course including the exam worth? When does the examination have to be performed, when does the grading take place?
2. Prior to the examination, the proof of academic achievement for exchange students must be filled in and handed in to the lecturer. After the exam, the form will be filled in by the lecturer and sent to the International Office.

To borrow books in our university library (BIS) and to use the printing and copying machines, you need a CampusCard. The card also works as a "key" to the lockers in front of the library.

Using the CampusCard in the library

The University Library works in conjunction with the Landesbibliothek at the Pferdemarkt and the Jade Hochschule Library. The user card can also be used for these libraries.

You should set up your learning agreement with your academic advisor at your home university. In this document, you should state the classes you would like to attend in Oldenburg and send it to the University of Oldenburg. Your departmental coordinator at the University of Oldenburg will then review and sign it and send it back to your home university. Please inform both academic advisors/coordinators about any changes in your learning agreement.

February and July: time for re-registration! For continuing your studies in Oldenburg in the upcoming semester, please transfer your semester contribution to our university's bank account. Cash payment is not possible.

Re-registration

Stud.IP is our university's online learning platform. Exchange students will receive their login after enrolment. An introduction to Stud.IP for exchange students is organised during the Welcome Week.