Change of degree and university

  • Entry into the first semester

    You apply for the course of studies in the regular way. Any applications for the crediting of exams are then submitted with your matriculation.

    Information on the application procedure

    Information on the recognition of audit services

  • Change within the HNU

    Even if you change within the university, you must apply regularly for the course of study and (if desired) apply for the crediting of exams in good time.

    Information on the application procedure

    Information on the recognition of audit services

  • Entry into a higher semester

    You can find all information here.

FAQ about the change

I lost the right to take the exam in my course of study. Can I still study at the HNU?

It is no longer possible to study in the same degree programme. However, you are welcome to apply for a different course of study and, under certain circumstances, have your achievements recognised.

As a rule of thumb for a "same degree programme" you can use the degree programme designation.  If you have lost the right to take an exam in "Business Administration", you cannot continue your studies in "Business Administration" at HNU. However, if your previous course of study was, for example, "International Business Administration", you can be admitted to "Business Administration".

If you have lost your entitlement to examine at a university, this will not have any negative effect on your chances of admission to the HNU, even if the course of study has the same title.

If I switch: Do I take retry exams with me?

No. In the case of a change of degree programme, credits will only be recognised on application. There is no automatic recognition of failed attempts.

What if I write examinations in the current semester? Can I also have them recognised?

Examinations that are still being written can also be checked for recognition. When applying for a higher semester, applications for recognition for such modules should also be submitted by the end of the application period together with a corresponding module description and a note that the grade is not yet available. You must then submit the grade as soon as possible.

Entry into a higher semester

In order to be admitted to a higher semester, you must be able to obtain sufficient recognition of study and examination achievements from your previous studies in a related course of study. If you have not taken any or only few study and examination credits, please apply for the first semester.

If the course of study is admission restricted, sufficient capacities must be available.

How do I apply for a higher semester?

To apply for a higher semester, please use the HNU online application portal (opens in a new window). There you can choose to apply for a higher semester.  Here you will find an overview of the procedures for the different study programs.

The same regular application deadlines apply as for applications for the first semester. Any extensions of the application deadlines for the first semester do not apply to applications for higher semesters.

How can I know which semester I will be placed in?

The extent of the recognition decides for which semester admission is possible. However, we only know later in the procedure how many of the recognitions you have applied for have actually been recognized. For this reason, it is unfortunately not possible to make any statements about the specific prospects of success in advance.

As a rule of thumb, you can use it as a guide: In order to be admitted to a particular semester, you should have at least half of the ECTS credits of the courses you have completed in the previous semester. This means that you would (usually) need at least 15 ECTS to enter the 2nd FS, at least 30 ECTS to enter the 3rd FS and at least 45 ECTS to enter the 4th FS.

But studyability is also another important aspect. Therefore, a general statement is unfortunately not possible.

In which courses of study can I start in which higher semester?

free-admission programmes

  • In all Bachelor's programmes with open admissions, you can choose to apply for a higher semester during the regular application deadlines in the application portal.
  • For Master's programmes without admissions, you apply for admission to the 1st semester. When you enrol, you submit your applications for recognition. Depending on how much you are recognized, you will then be placed in a correspondingly higher semester.

restricted-admission programmes

  • In all Bachelor's programmes with restricted-admissions,  it is only possible to apply for a higher semester if there are still places available in the higher semester. This will be announced at the beginning of the application phase and the selection will then be available in the application portal.

Questions about the application?