Relevant and general information at study start

On this page you will find basic information on the topic of exams which shall help you to get your bearings regarding terminology and structures at the start of, as well as during your studies.

In most degree programs, exams are implemented as class- or module-integrated assessments ("studienbegleitende Prüfungen") starting with the first semester. This applies to all bachelor’s and master’s degree programs. In these programs, the final exam (bachelor’s or master’s thesis, plus oral exam, if applicable) usually is integrated into the final program module. In some bachelor’s programs, moreover, there are certain exams which must be passed by a specific point in time at the latest, like, e.g. the orientation exam or intermediate exam, or certain modules which have to be completed by the end of a certain program-specific semester. All exams in bachelor’s and master’s programs are university examinations. 

Degree programs with a concluding state examination include exams in the form of class- or module-integrated assessments as well as a final exam. For successful graduation in programs with state examination, apart from the integrated assessments, the final examination is crucial. It extends over a certain period and contains several assessments at the end of the program. Among the programs with state examination at the University of Tübingen are Law, Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmacy. Final exams in programs with state examination are not managed by the university, but by the state. Accordingly, the state examinations offices are responsible for the organization of these exams, not the exam offices of the university.

Beyond examinations, in most programs there is also coursework which, unlike exams, usually will not be graded. The specifics concerning this can be found in the respective exam regulations.

Every (major/minor) program is based on examination regulations. At the University of Tübingen, the regulations for bachelor’s and master’s degree programs consist of two parts: (a) General Provisions (“Allgemeiner Teil”) of the exam regulations or General Exam Regulations (“Rahmenprüfungsordnung”), respectively, and (b) Special Provisions (“Besonderer Teil”).

• The General Provisions or General Exam Regulations contain, e.g., general regulations with regard to assessments and coursework, admission requirements, provisions concerning exam attempts and the assessment of exams etc.
• The Special Provisions of the exam regulations include, e.g., concrete specifications regarding exam deadlines as well as mandatory modules and examinations which have to be passed as part of a program’s curriculum.
• Detailed module descriptions, with specific information on exam types, in contrast, will be found in the module handbook. Modules usually will be concluded with a final examination. Possible exam types or formats are e.g. written exams, term papers, presentations, oral exams, portfolios, bachelor’s or master’s thesis etc.

In programs concluding with state examination usually the exam regulations consist of only one part which describes the respective program’s curriculum and defines the exam regulations.

Please note: The regulations valid for you are those that were in effect, and most current, when you enrolled in the program (e.g. for enrollment in winter semester 2025/26, current effective regulations from 2021).

Examination regulations may change, i.e. they can be updated and further developed. Students will usually be notified by the departments when new exam regulations have been published. In this case, students are free to switch to the new regulations within a certain period (see transitional provisions in the new exam regulations).

Students who, as part of their degree program, have to acquire skills in one or more foreign languages, will be granted an extension of the examination deadlines as specified in the respective exam regulations. Usually, deadlines can be extended by one or two semesters per language. In combination degree programs, the extension applies to both major and minor subject.
Students concerned should notify the appropriate examinations office to facilitate the deadline extension, and the registration of the extension in the digital examination system. Please contact the officer responsible for your program via mail. Contact data can be found on the website of the Central Examinations Office: 
https://uni-tuebingen.de/en/120435
You can find further information concerning foreign language acquisition during your studies, like, e.g. course offers, course registration, preparatory courses etc. in the Pathfinder for Students at:
https://uni-tuebingen.de/en/178677

At the University of Tübingen, there is no central access portal for all exam regulations and module handbooks. Instead, the program entry in the catalogue of degree programs will have a link to those documents as well as the Central Examinations Office and the faculties’ web pages.
Catalogue of degree programs at the University of Tübingen:

• Catalogue of degree programs

Homepages of the individual faculties:

• Faculty of Protestant Theology
• Faculty of Catholic Theology
• Center for Islamic Theology
• Faculty of Law
• Medical Faculty:
  • Medical Studies
  • Dentistry
• Faculty of Humanities
• Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences
• Faculty of Science

For every degree program at the University of Tübingen, there is an examination board and corresponding examinations office.

• Examination boards:
  Exam boards are responsible for the organization of exams according to the specifications in the exam regulations. They are, e.g., tasked with deciding on applications and individual cases concerning examinations.
  Exam boards usually consist of three professors, one member of mid-level academic staff and one student. An exam board is headed by one chair. By their role, the board members are obligated to professional discretion. Exam boards delegate a great share of their tasks to the exam office responsible.
• Examinations offices:
  The exam offices support the exam boards in the execution of their tasks. This includes e.g. the registration of exams in the examination system, accepting applications and forwarding them to the appropriate exam board, or the issuing of certificates at the end of studies. Should you notice incongruencies in your registered grades or, respectively, transcript of records, you may contact the exam office for clarification.

At the University of Tübingen, there is a Central Examinations Office which is responsible for most bachelor’s and master’s degree programs.

For bachelor’s and master’s programs at the Faculty of Medicine, the responsible examinations office is not the Central Examinations Office, but the relevant exam office at the Faculty of Medicine. For degree programs concluding with state examination, the examinations offices responsible for the university exams are situated in the respective faculties. Responsible for the final exams are the state examinations offices; these are university-external exam offices of the state of Baden-Württemberg.

You can find the contact details of the Central Examinations Office here: https://uni-tuebingen.de/en/120435

Further examinations offices of the University as well as external offices (state examinations offices) can be found here: https://uni-tuebingen.de/en/2074