Organization of Stay

 

Before the Stay

Most of the organization takes place before the actual trip. This also applies for a stay abroad at a university.

Academic Calendar

The academic year in Germany is divided into summer and winter semesters. The semesters themselves always start on April 1st and October 1st, respectively. The lecture times change every year and can be found in the semester dates.
The examination period begins at the end of the lecture period and usually lasts four weeks for the first examination date. The repeat examinations usually follow directly thereafter.

Timetable

Please contact your study abroad coordinator to arrange your schedule. You may need or want to change courses from your Learning Agreement.

The student advisors are very busy at the beginning of the semester, so it is best to make an appointment (via e-mail) before your departure. Let the person know when you will arrive in Aachen as well as any other appointments blocked, e.g. by the orientation week.

 

During the Stay

The buildings of RWTH Aachen University are not all located on one campus, but are partly spread over the city. You will find out the location of your course when you register for it and use the building search. Most of the institutes of the department are in buildings near the city center. Another important building is the university library. In addition, the Department of Earth Sciences and Geography still have their own libraries and modern computer labs.

Registration for Exams

There are two exam dates for each course. In our department, the retake date is still in the same semester as the first date.

Please note that there are also module examinations and the courses of the modules can take place in two consecutive semesters, so that the written exam takes place only in the second semester. In that case, a stay of two semesters would be necessary.

The exam registration is done via RWTHonline via "free registration". We have put together click instructions for this. You can deregister up to three working days before an exam.

Semester Ticket

With your enrollment you will not only receive your student ID (Blue Card), but also a ticket for the public transportation system (ÖPNV) within North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW).

This means that within NRW you can use your semester ticket to travel free of charge on all trains (except ICE, IC), buses, city trains and subways.

In case of a ticket control you have to show your semester ticket and your identity card/passport. So, always have your identity card/passport with you!