The Studi-Portal is an online portal for all Furtwangen University students which offers the following services:
- re-enrolment for the next semester
- change of postal address
- print-out of transcript of records (grade sheet)
- confirmation of registration for exams / courses
- print-out of current certificate of enrolment
- downloadable forms and applications
- study and examination regulations (SPO)
The Studi-Portal can be accessed with your HFU account information.
The senate approves an official schedule for each individual semester that includes the dates and deadlines for enrolment (matriculation) or re-enrolment and the deadlines for enrolment for specific courses. Re-enrolment is also required during semester abroad, internship semesters, when registering for thesis preparation, or when taking leave of absence.
Please note: For successful enrolment (first semester students only), fees must be transferred at latest 10 days before the start of the enrolment period. Re-enrolment for the following semester (applies to all existing HFU students) can only be done online through the Studi-Portal.
From the beginning of the examination period, under the heading "My course" you will find a new heading, "Payment & Re-registration". When you click here, the fees payable and the bank transfer information will be shown. If the amount payable shown is not correct, please contact the Student Affairs Department (Studentische Abteilung).
Please transfer the amount payable using the bank transfer information given. Please use the exact data given in bold print. The bank transfer can take up to 8 days to be processed.
You cannot re-enrol on Studi-Portal until the payment has been processed and is registered on our account. At this point you can download and print your new confirmation of enrolment (Studienbescheinigungen). Then you can also validate your student ID card (Studierendenausweis) for the new semester.
The State University Law (LHG) and the Study and Examination Regulations (SPO) govern university studies. The SPO distinguishes between a general section applicable to all students (Allgemeiner Teil) and a special section for each degree programme (Besonderer Teil). All new and current students are urged to read these carefully and to contact the Student Administration/Examinations Office if there are any questions.
As a rule, the regulations of the SPO and any additional resolutions passed by the Central Examination Board, apply. Exceptions to these regulations can only be made only in very rare cases upon application (with a detailed explanation) to the Examinations Office.
You have the possibility to repeat a semester if you wish (a so-called B-semester). If you receive BAföG student funding (only applicable to German and EU citizens), you should discuss this first with the BAföG representative or the BAföG office to avoid any problems. When re-enrolling, you must first re-enrol online via the Studi-Portal and then contact the Examinations Office (e.g. by email) to apply for the B-semester.
A non-graded (pass/fail) or graded assessment (e.g. a written exam, presentation, lab work, etc.) is passed if a non-graded assessment has been assessed as a "pass" (bestanden), or the graded assessment has been passed with a minimum grade of 4.0. Failed exams are graded with a 5.0. If an exam is withdrawn from without prior notice or a required assignment is not submitted, a grade of 5.0 will also be awarded. (see SPO General Section for details)
Because hardship cases in bachelor programmes are no longer considered, graded exam or non-graded assessment may be repeated several times. However, both the official time allowed for the completion of foundation level and advanced level studies and the maximum limit of penalty (malus) points (for foundation studies = maximum 48 penalty points and for advanced studies = maximum 96 penalty points) must be observed. For every failed graded exam or non-graded assessment, penalty points are added to the penalty account. There are no longer any exceptions for hardship cases. (see SPO General Section for details)
You are automatically re-enrolled in each taught semester for the mandatory courses and for resits of failed compulsory (Pflichtfächer) and compulsory elective courses (Wahlpflichtfächer) (see SPO Special Section).
You must register for the following courses yourself at the Student Administration/Examinations Office (Prüfungsamt) during the enrolment period:
- Compulsory electives (Wahlpflichtfächer)
- Additional courses (Zusatzfächer)
- Failed additional courses
- Compulsory subjects taught in a more advanced semester (requires official approval)
Note 1: You must register online for language courses on the Language Center portal NEO (following an assessment test) and in the Student Administration/Examinations Office.
Note 2: It is not permitted to take an exam for which you have not registered. In such cases, the grade achieved will not be recorded by the Examinations Office.
Accreditation of credits for graded (Prüfungsleistungen) and non-graded (Studienleistungen) assessments must normally be carried out at the start of the study programme and within the first three weeks of the lecture period. You must have the completed application form signed by the Chairman of the Faculty Examination Board (or the dean of studies) within the required deadline. The decision as to whether accreditation can be given or not should be made before the end of the enrolment period of the semester in question.
You can register for more compulsory elective courses (Wahlpflichtfächer) than specified in the Special Regulations section of the SPO. However, please be aware that once you register for an compulsory elective course, it becomes a compulsory course and must be passed. If you have completed more compulsory elective courses than required, you will be able to choose which of these should be included in the preparation of your degree certificate. Courses that are not included in the calculation of the degree certificate are simply be shown as "passed", rather than showing a specific grade.
Please speak first to the course lecturer who has assessed the written exam or other assignment. If this fails to resolve the matter, you can contact the dean of studies for the programme. Should the situation still remain unresolved, you can submit an appeal to the Faculty Examination Board (Fakultätsprüfungsausschuss). The application will be forwarded to the Head of the Examinations Office only after all attempts at resolving the matter have failed to satisfy the student.
If a particular non-graded or graded assignment has been assessed as a "fail", you are automatically registered to take the resit exam in the following semester. The required work must then be completed with the lecturer who is teaching the course in that semester – you are not entitled to take an exam with a specific lecturer.
It is possible to withdraw voluntarily from the first registration for an exam having given the required notification to the Examinations Office (for further information see general section of SPO). Withdrawal from an exam may occur due to illness. In such cases a doctor's note must be submitted to the Examinations Office without delay, i.e. at latest 3 days after the exam date.
Please note: Voluntary withdrawal from an exam does affect BAföG. Therefore please make an appointment to speak with your BAföG coordinator at HFU as soon as possible.
The following regulations apply to admission to advanced level studies:
- Admission to advanced level studies is automatic upon achieving 54 bonus points.
- If you achieve 44-53 bonus points, you can apply to the dean of studies for admission to advanced studies. If you receive this permission, you will be able to start advanced studies.
- If you achieve 43 or fewer bonus points, you will not be able to start advanced studies and will therefore have to repeat a semester (take a so-called B-semester). However, you can still apply to the dean of studies to take certain advanced study modules (up to a maximum of 12 ECTS credits). If permission is granted, you must register for these courses taken ahead of schedule at the Examinations Office during the registration period.
- If at the end of the foundation studies period you have accumulated 24 or more penalty points (Maluspunkte), you will be required to discuss the situation in a meeting with your dean of studies.
You will receive written notification from the Examinations Office regarding points accumulated and your transcript of records (Notenspiegel).
The State University Act (LHG) § 61, para. 1, regulates the granting of leave of absence: "Upon request and provided there are important reasons, students may be released from the obligation of following the regular course of study (given leave of absence). The leave of absence period should not normally exceed two semesters." Deviation from this time limit is only possible under exceptional circumstances, (e.g. illness, the consequences of an accident, etc.).
The completed application form for leave of absence (Antrag auf Beurlaubung - currently available in German only) must be submitted to the Examinations Office no later than the end of the first week of the lecture period. The dean of studies has the final decision as to whether the application will be granted. (Please see also § 31 SPO General Section.)
First and foremost, you should observe the general section of the Bachelor's SPO (§§ 24, 25) or the Master's SPO (§§ 18, 19), as well as supplementary provisions (Ausführungsbestimmungen - currently available in German only) of the faculty. The completed thesis registration form (signed by the supervisor and the dean of studies) must be submitted to the Faculty Office. The thesis itself must also be submitted to the Faculty Office by the relevant submission deadline. Once your thesis has been submitted to the Faculty Office and you have passed all required modules and exams, you must dis-enroll at the Examinations Office. You will also have to clear any final debts (Entlastung) on Studi-Portal.
The Semester Ticket, a public transport pass from the regional public transport services (Verkehrsverbund Schwarzwald Baar - VSB) which allows students discounted travel by rail and bus, is also available in the Schwarzwald-Baar district. Further information is available here: www.v-s-b.de.
Your HFU-Card is a multi-functional chip card which not only serves as a means of identification for students and staff of Furtwangen University, but also enables you to access a variety of university services including campus dining, libraries, copying and retail purchases in the university store. To access these services, you must first load funds onto a debit account on your HFU-Card.
HFU-Card functions
1. Membership ID
Every semester after re-enrolment, students must update their HFU-Card. This is done at the InterCard machines which are situated in front of the cafeteria on the Furtwangen campus (Building A), in front of the Examinations/Registration Office on the Schwenningen campus (room B 0.05), and in front of the Examinations/Registration Office on the Tuttlingen campus (room A 2.10).
2. Electronic key
For access outside official HFU opening hours
3. ID for library access
- To all HFU libraries
- To libraries of the BW Cooperative State University in Schwenningen
Library users must use their HFU-Card to pay inter-library loan charges and any library fines.
4. Electronic wallet with payment function
Effective in all dining halls and cafeterias of Student Services Freiburg (SWFR - Studentenwerk Freiburg) in Freiburg, Furtwangen, Kehl and Schwenningen
A discount of approximately 10% is given if the HFU-Card is used for cashless payments in the cafeteria.
In the SWFR dining halls, cashless payment with the HFU-Card is the only accepted form of payment. In exceptional cases, you can top up the card with cash.
MensaCard for visitors: issued upon payment of a €7 deposit, which, along with any balance remaining, is refunded upon return of the card.
Issuing the HFU-Card
The HFU-Card is issued to all new students in the first week of lectures.
- Furtwangen: Examinations/Registration Office, A 1.19
- Schwenningen: Examinations/Registration Office, B 0.05
- Tuttlingen: Examinations/Registration Office, A 2.10
Loading your HFU-Card
To use the payment function of the HFU-Card, you must first load funds onto a debit account on your HFU-Card.
Machines for loading money onto the card (using an EC card) are situated in the following campus locations:
- Furtwangen: entrance area, Building A
- Furtwangen: in front of the cafeteria
- Furtwangen: in the dining hall
- Schwenningen: in front of the Examinations/Registration Office (B 0.05)
- Schwenningen: at the BW Cooperative State University, in the foyer opposite the library
- Tuttlingen: in front of the Examinations/Registration Office (A 2.10)
You can also load money onto your HFU-Card using an EC card at the cash register in the dining hall or the cafeteria. In exceptional cases, you can load the card using cash at the cash register in the cafeterias in Furtwangen and Schwenningen.
Problems with your HFU-Card
If your HFU-Card is lost or damaged, please contact:
Furtwangen Admissions Office, A 1.25
Telephone: +49 (0)7723 920-1232
Email: Email application is started:hfu-card(at)hs-furtwangen.de
Loss of the HFU-Card
If you lose your HFU-Card, you cannot be reimbursed for any remaining credit. A replacement card will be issued for a fee of €10.