Student Councils and Specialized Advisors

You have made your decision to study at the University of Würzburg, and now you're wondering how to approach this new stage in your life? Don't worry, as confusing as all the unfamiliar details and new information may seem at first, a successful beginning to your studies really isn't all that hard to accomplish. On these pages, we have compiled information about the most important points that you will have to take care of when beginning your studies at the University of Würzburg.

Please see our Checklist for First-Semester Students below. The order of the entries represents the time sequence in which you should cover/deal with the indiviual points. Just begin at the top and work your way down to the bottom, and your studies at the Univerisity of Würzburg will be off to a good start!

Before Registration

Application?

Applications are necessary for subjects with restricted admission. Whether you will have to apply directly to the University or to an authority called ZVS, the Central Clearing House for Places in Degree Programs, depends on the subject in question. Subjects with open admission require no applications, and students register directly. For the exact application process, please see our Bewerbungsinfoseite .

Aptitude Test?

Check the subject list - Fächerliste - to see whether there is an aptitude test, or, more precisely, a qualifying examination (Eignungsfeststellungsverfahren), for your subject. Often these aptitude tests only take place once a year, so make sure to check the date and include this in your planning. In this case, you should register as early as possible.

If you have chosen a course of study for which an aptitude test is mandatory, you can only register as a student if you are able to show proof that you have passed the test.

Some courses of study begin with a placement test. This is not a qualifying exam, and it takes place only after registration. The purpose of a placement test is to measure students' skills and to assign them to the appropriate class. If you should achieve conspicuously poor results, you might be asked to reconsider your choice of subject - but no one will throw you out.

Latinum and/or Graecum?

For some subjects, a certificate of proficiency in Latin or Greek, the so-called Latinum or Graecum, is mandatory. However, you will only have to present it prior to the intermediate exam, which means after the first two years of study, in most cases. Just the same, you should check the Fächerliste right away, to see whether you need the Latinum for your subject, so that you can sign up for a class if you do. For more information, click on Weitere Infos zum Latinum/Graecum.

Registration

(= Immatrikulation) From here on in, you will officially be a student and a member of the University.

After Registration

Vorlesungsverzeichnis / Course Catalog

The Vorlesungsverzeichnis will give you the times and the rooms for all classes you wish to sign up for. You will find out about mandatory classes at the orientation assembly at the beginning of the semester or by checking the conditions of study for your subject.

Vorkurse/-praktika / Preparatory Courses or Internships?

For some subjects, you will have to attend a preparatory course. These classes are designed as refresher courses or as intensive language training. To find out whether your subject requires preparatory courses or preparatory internships, see the subject list: Fächerliste.

Einführungsveranstaltungen / Orientation Assemblies or Meetings

Most courses of study start with some kind of orientation event in the first week of classes (sometimes even a few days before the beginning of the semester). Some of them are conducted by the University, some by students in higher semesters. At these assemblies or meetings, you will find out what is important for beginning your studies, i. e. which classes are recommended for the first semester, where to sign up, etc. Orientation events are listed on the on-line course catalog. Please go to Online-Vorlesungsverzeichnis (-> "Lehrveranstaltungen" -> aktuelles Semester -> "Einführungsveranstaltungen zum Studienbeginn").

Stundenplan / Timetable

In contrast to your schooldays, your timetable will not be handed out to you. You must/may prepare it yourself, on the basis of the course catalog and the list of mandatory classes. You will find it in the conditions of study at Studienordnung, and of course, you will be told all about requirements and mandatory classes during the orientation events. Student Advisory Services have also drawn up a guideline model. Please see Anleitung.

Enrolling in Classes?

With most subjects, it is enough to simply show up for the orientation assembly on the first day of classes. Sometimes, however, dates and times for parallel classes are assigned two or three weeks earlier. As a latecomer whose name is not on the list then, you will have to be satisfied with the options that are left. The information on your subject at Fächerliste will tell you whether there is such an application trap.

More Tips for First-Semester Students

For more tips and hints about life in Würzburg that might not necessarily be essential to your survival, but useful, please see Tippsammlung für Studienanfänger.