The deadline for submitting the thesis is always extended to twice the original deadline (exception: architecture because of the competitive nature of the thesis). This means that as a part-time student, you cannot request the normal deadline for full-time students. You will automatically receive the deadline extension if your student data shows that you are a part-time student at the time of applying for the thesis. However, please make sure to notify your supervisor and the Office for Student Affairs when registering your thesis that you have been granted an extension. It is not possible to extend the deadline retroactively. This means that if the deadline for submitting your thesis was set when you were studying full-time, it will not be extended when you switch to part-time studies. However, the department's examination board may grant an extension in individual cases upon request.

If you are registered with the academic office as part-time before you apply for the thesis, the deadline for submission of the thesis is doubled (exception: architecture). In addition, the examination board can extend the deadline in justified cases. Please contact your home academic office in this regard.

No. The deadline you have been given remains in place. It is not possible to extend the deadline for submission by switching to part-time study. However, in justified cases, you can submit an individual request for an extension to the academic office of your department. The examination board will decide on the request. It can extend the deadline by a maximum of 13 weeks.

In individual cases, the examination board of the department can further extend the deadline upon your reasoned request. To do so, please contact your home Office for Student Affairs. For part-time students, a further extension of up to 26 weeks is possible.

Please report as soon as possible to your home Office for Student Affairs and to the person supervising your work, presenting a medical certificate stating the need for care and the probable duration of your child's illness. Ask for an extension for the duration of the illness. In the event of a dispute, the examination board of the department can also be called upon.

Part-time students are students who do not devote most of their time to their studies. They are often still employed or work in the family business, participate in competitive sports or, due to illness or disability, can only complete a smaller study load. They earn fewer credit points in a semester and their studies take longer.

In the case of unofficial part-time studies, the student takes more time to complete their studies, but does not receive institutional support. At most, advantages can be achieved through individual agreements with the department. In the case of official part-time studies, the university supports the student in his or her efforts to complete a course of study alongside his or her other commitments. There is a part-time study and examination plan with an extended standard period of study and extended deadlines for the completion of assignments. The part-time semesters can be officially certified.

The framework conditions for part-time studies are regulated in the Satzung zur Organisation und Gestaltung eines Teilzeitstudiums an der Technischen Universität Darmstadt (Teilzeitsatzung) (opens in new tab) (Rules for the Organisation and Structure of Part-time Studies at TU Darmstadt (Rules for Part-time Studies)). In addition, there may be faculty-specific special provisions for part-time studies in the examination regulations for your degree programme at your faculty.

As a part-time student, you will study according to the part-time examination and study plan with an extended standard period of study. However, you can deviate from this at any time. You will be granted an extension of the deadline for the minimum requirements set out in the study and examination regulations, as well as for the final thesis. Furthermore, the full years of study completed on a part-time basis will only be counted as one semester of study.

You have a clarified status that offers you legal certainty. You will be granted extensions without the need for further negotiations with supervisors or examiners or an application to the examination board. You do not have to disclose the reasons for your extended period of study to the department and you do not have to explain yourself again and again. Your part-time status is noted in your student records. This means you can expect support from the department.

Within the university, an official part-time degree programme offers only advantages. Outside of the university, However, there may also be disadvantages for the student. In addition to effects on BAföG, health insurance and social services, the part-time status of foreign students can jeopardise their residence permit. Please contact the service centre for part-time studies and studying with children if necessary and ensure that part-time studies will not have any negative effects before applying to the relevant office.

The application for part-time studies is to be submitted to the Service point part-time studies, studying with children . Please download the application form (opens in new tab) and submit it with the supporting documents preferably by email. It is also possible to send it by post or hand it in in person. Please note that sending it by email is only allowed via the student email address and that the document and supporting documents may only be submitted in PDF format.

The application period for the summer semester is 1 March to 30 April and for the winter semester 1 September to 31 October of the respective year. In exceptional cases, an application can be submitted up to the end of the respective semester.

You can submit an application for the

• winter semester from 1 September to 31 October
• summer semester from 1 March to 30 April.

In exceptional cases, it is possible to submit an application up until the end of the respective semester.

The application can be submitted by email, post or in person. If you are applying for part-time studies for the first time, we recommend arranging a consultation via the Moodle course ‘Part-time studies’. The following documents are required as proof for

• Employment: Last payslip (for student contracts with varying workloads, the last three payslips), figures can be blacked out. If the extent of the employment is not clear from the payslip, the employment contract must also be submitted. Alternatively, a current certificate from the employer stating the extent of the employment (at least 14 hours per week) can be submitted. For a newly established employment relationship, the contract or a declaration of intent from the employer is sufficient.
• Self-employment/freelance work: VAT return or proof of VAT payment or income tax assessment notice, whereby a turnover of at least EUR 11,904 per year must be proven. If an annual turnover is not yet available, a quarterly turnover of at least EUR 2,976 must be proven.
• Child care: Only children under 18 years of age will be considered
• • Own children: birth certificate/certificate of parentage of the child or family record book,
  • Adopted children: adoption certificate
  • Foster children: order for foster care
  • Other children living in the same household: child's identification document and proof of residence.
• Care activities: decision from the care insurance company assigning you to a care level, proof of appointment as a carer or medical certificate.
• Disability/chronic, serious illness: medical certificate stating that you are prevented from pursuing a full-time course of study during the period for which a part-time course of study is applied for due to a disability or chronic, serious illness in accordance with § 2 IX. SGB. In the case of a severe disability, a severely disabled person's pass is sufficient.
• High-performance sport: Proof of membership of an A, B or C squad of a top-class sports association
• Involvement as a representative in student or academic self-administration or the student union: Appointment decision to the body or certificate of appointment
• Comparable serious reasons: written justification and suitable evidence

That depends on your reason for part-time studying. We will enter the longest possible duration for you. We will enter

• two semesters: for self-employment, freelance work, working student/SHK activities, severe chronic illness (unless otherwise certified) and nursing care
• Variable: Fixed-term employment contract until the contract expires; child-rearing until 30 September of the year in which the youngest child turns 18; severe chronic illness until the date stated in the certificate; committee work until the end of the appointment to the committee
• End of studies: permanent employment contract; caring for a severely disabled relative; severe disability of at least 50%.

You must enclose proof of the reasons for part-time work with each application.

You can submit an application for part-time study for each semester, provided that the semester in which you wish to start part-time study is not subject to admission restrictions and a part-time option is offered. Part-time study is not possible in semesters with admission restrictions. You can find out from when part-time study is possible from the individual degree programmes .

The deadlines for submitting an application for part-time studies are as follows:

• Winter semester: 1 September to 31 October
• Summer semester: 1 March to 30 April

In exceptional cases, applications can also be submitted up to the end of the respective semester.

After the approval period has expired or if you change your degree programme, you will automatically be transferred to full-time status if you do not submit a new application and provide proof. However, you can apply for a change of status at any time. Please complete the application and submit it to the Service Centre for Part-time Studies, Studying with Children or send it by email or post.

All students enrolled at TU Darmstadt (except doctoral students in the degree programme in which they are doing their doctorate) can apply for official part-time studies if part-time studies are offered in their degree programme and they can provide evidence of a reason for part-time studies. If there is a restriction on admission for the semester, part-time studies are not possible in that semester. You can find out whether part-time studies are suitable for you by contacting the Service point part-time studies, studying with children .

employed for an average of at least 14 hours of regular working hours per week;

self-employment or freelance work with an annual turnover of at least EUR 11,904 or quarterly turnover of at least EUR 2,976;

care of at least one child up to the age of eighteen in the same household;

care of a close relative;

disability or chronic, serious illness;

competitive sports;

participation as an elected representative in student or academic self-administration or the student union;

comparable serious reasons.

From the summer semester of 2025, it will be possible to apply for part-time studies even if you are enrolled in two degree programmes simultaneously. You can complete one or both degree programmes on a part-time basis.

Please contact the immigration office before applying for part-time studies. Your residence permit was issued for full-time studies and a change to part-time studies may jeopardise it.

Yes, you can apply to study part-time.

Yes, you can apply to study part-time. In terms of residence law, your gainful employment is the main focus.

No. These conditions are part of the admission and are not extended by the part-time status. However, you can submit a request to the examination board in the Office for student affairs for an extension of the deadline due to part-time studies. However, it is at the discretion of the examination board whether they grant an extension. You have no legal right to an extension.

Minimum requirements are only stipulated for the introductory phase of studies. These do not exist in all degree programmes. The applicable regulation of the degree programme or the General Examination Regulations of Technical University of Darmstadt will show you which these are. The deadline for the minimum performance defined in the study and examination regulations is extended proportionately by one or two semesters, depending on whether a part-time study programme was applied for in the first or second semester. No deadline extension will be granted retrospectively.

Furthermore, there is a state law regulation. 65 (4) HessHG stipulates that students who do not perform within two years can be de-registered. This period is the same for full-time and part-time studies. We will de-register you if you have not performed in four consecutive semesters without an accepted reason, i.e. if you have not successfully completed a module.

In the case of part-time studies, the deadline for submitting the final thesis is automatically extended to twice as long (exception: architecture). The deadline is not extended retroactively. This means that if the deadline for submitting the final thesis has been set for full-time students, it will not be extended if you switch to part-time studies. However, the examination board of the department can extend the deadline in individual cases upon request.

The period for providing the minimum performance is extended by a further semester for each semester spent in part-time status. Exception: part-time studies are not allowed during the introductory phase.

No. You will first be invited to a counselling interview.

You will automatically receive the deadline extensions for the minimum performances and the final thesis when the part-time status is noted in your student data. However, you should notify the person supervising your thesis and the academic office when you apply for the thesis. No deadline extensions will be granted retrospectively. This means that if a deadline has been set for the submission of a thesis while studying full-time, this deadline will not be extended if you switch to part-time studies. However, the examination board of the department can extend the deadline in individual cases upon request.

No. The legal deadline is the same for both full-time and part-time students. You must provide a certificate of achievement within four consecutive semesters as required by your examination and study regulations, i.e. successfully complete a module.

The first point of contact for all questions relating to part-time studies is the Service point part-time studies, studying with children .

The Technical University of Darmstadt has its own day care centres and emergency childcare at Fluggis-Abenteuerland. For more information, please contact the Family Service or contact the Service point part-time studies, studying with children .

TU Darmstadt offers free ad hoc childcare at Fluggis Abenteuerland Darmstadt, Bad Nauheimer Straße 4 in 64289 Darmstadt. Please register via the hotline 06151-7805305, quoting your matriculation number. In addition, it is also possible to arrange for a qualified carer to look after your child. For further information, please contact the Family Service Centre or read the offers in the Moodle course ‘Studying with a Child’ under Childcare.

Please contact the Representative for Students with Disabilities or Chronic Illnesses, Wolf Hertlein. You are also welcome to come to the Service point part-time studies, studying with children for advice so that we can consider together whether part-time studies would be helpful. In principle, compensation for disadvantages can be applied for at the office for student affairs via the faculty's examination board.

Come to the Service point part-time studies, studying with children so that we can work out together how you could proceed and what minimum performance you have to provide. Perhaps part-time studies would be helpful. But you can also contact the TU Darmstadt Family Service, which also advises students in care situations. On the other hand, you can contact the Office for Social Affairs and Prevention, Department of Care for the Elderly, Darmstadt Care Support Centre, where you will be informed about options for relief in the provision of care.

At TU Darmstadt, you can also work full-time alongside your studies. This is not queried during enrolment or re-registration. If you regularly work more than 20 hours, you should opt for part-time studies. This will ensure that you are entitled to unemployment benefit in the event of unemployment. You cannot receive unemployment benefit while studying full-time. To do so, gainful employment must be in the foreground.

You do not have to tell your employer that you are studying in your free time. However, it may be useful to do so so that they can support you. If you work a maximum of 20 hours per week, you could also be employed as a student trainee. This way, your employer saves on social security contributions, but you are not entitled to unemployment benefits. If you regularly work more than 20 hours per week, you must be employed as a regular employee.

Whether you can apply for part-time studies with a voluntary internship depends on the individual circumstances. You must work at least 14 hours per week on a regular basis and the internship must last for at least four months. Depending on the individual case, the part-time status may then only be registered for one semester.

No. You can also work full-time alongside a full-time course of study. However, part-time studies could be helpful, for example, in extending the deadline for submitting your thesis.

With student health insurance, you are allowed to work a maximum of 82 hours per month or a maximum of 20 hours per week during the lecture period. The following are not included in the calculations:

• weekend work, provided it does not take place on more than 26 weeks per year;
• full-time work during the semester holidays. However, a student employee is not allowed to work more than 26 weeks or 182 calendar days a year full-time (40 hours per week).

No. Your gainful employment is never a reason for de-registration.

You can earn € 6,672 within the 12-month approval period without this being offset. It does not matter whether it is a mini-job or a holiday job. Above € 6,672, only the difference is taken into account and your BAföG is reduced.

Please note: this limit does not apply to compulsory internships for which you receive money or to self-employed work. But be aware: part-time studies are not eligible for BAföG funding.

You must not exceed the income limit of €535 per month (e.g. for a student assistant job) or €556 for a mini-job (including special payments such as holiday or Christmas bonuses) per year. Several employment relationships are added together. Please talk to your health insurance company in advance and find out which regulations apply to you.

The registration and cancellation procedures are the same for full-time and part-time students. There are no special rules here.

Withdrawal from an exam without stating a reason is possible up to seven days before the date of the exam. After that, withdrawal is only possible for health or similarly serious reasons upon application to the responsible examination board. The application for withdrawal must be submitted to the Office for Student Affairs in writing or electronically immediately after the reasons become known, but no later than within three calendar days after the examination date. If the deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday, the proof can be submitted on the following working day in order to meet the deadline. When applying for withdrawal from the examination, the student must provide credible evidence that their own child has fallen ill and requires care. Suitable documents for this purpose would be a medical certificate (attestation) confirming the child's illness and need for care, as well as proof that the child is theirs (e.g. a copy from the family register). Find out more

No, the semester fees to be paid are the same for full-time and part-time studies. If you wish to be reimbursed for the semester ticket, please contact the AStA. Find out more

The same semester fees apply to part-time and full-time study. You can find them here.

The AStA is responsible for the semester ticket. You can apply for a refund there. You can find details here.

If you receive social benefits of any kind, please contact the provider of the benefits before applying for part-time study to clarify whether part-time study will affect your benefits.

If you are a student and want to apply for social assistance benefits, you can only do so as a full-time student with a leave of absence or as a part-time student.

In principle, you are only considered a ‘regular’ student for your health insurance company if you devote most of your time to your studies.

If you are doing part-time studies with more than half the workload of a full-time course (20 CP curriculum), you can continue to be covered by student health insurance and enjoy the privileges of a working student. You can then work up to 20 hours a week and remain insured as a student.

If, on the other hand, the part-time study programme involves exactly half or less of the workload of a full-time study programme (15 CP study plan), the student health insurance and the working student privilege do not apply. Your health insurance company assumes that you do not devote most of your time to your studies. Regardless of the number of hours they work, these part-time students are treated and insured as normal employees.

When deciding whether you are studying part-time or not, the health insurance companies look at whether you are primarily working or studying. If you are studying part-time but are doing more work than studying, and have passed more than half of the examination requirements of a full-time course of study (20 CP study plan), then, according to social security law, you are no longer considered to be studying part-time. The health insurance company will then continue to insure you as a working student. However, if you work more than you study, the working student privilege no longer applies and you will have to take out insurance as a normal employee.

The prescribed period of study for the part-time option can be found in the selected part-time study and examination plan. The prescribed period of study for a Bachelor's degree is a maximum of twelve semesters, and eight semesters for a Master's degree. However, you can exceed the prescribed period of study.

Yes, that is possible without any problems.

Yes, you can. However, it may be that the original study plan can no longer be studied in this way, as certain courses/examinations are no longer offered. Please check this and contact your department if necessary.

Part-time study has no influence on the university semesters. Only the calculation of the regular semesters is changed: for a year of study completed part-time (i.e. two semesters), only one regular semester is counted.

However, the prescribed period of study for the full-time course cannot be shortened as a result of part-time study, unless fewer semesters were actually spent at the university. For example: If the bachelor's degree programme was completed in 9 part-time semesters from the start of the programme, this would correspond to 5 regular semesters, but 6 regular semesters are credited. If the bachelor's programme is completed in 5 part-time semesters from the start of the programme, this also only corresponds to 5 regular semesters.

The calculation of the regular semester is carried out by the service point part-time studies, studying with children and stored in TUCaN in the study history.

No. Neither will appear on your certificate.

There are no different closure periods for part-time students than for full-time students. This means that you may have to complete your studies in less than the prescribed period of study for part-time students.

No, official part-time studies are not eligible for funding. In certain cases, however, actual part-time study is subsidised. If you perform at the average level of the full-time study plan in part-time study and can therefore provide proof of performance, further funding is possible. Even if you are unable to perform as well due to child-care, an extension of the maximum funding period is possible. Please clarify the details with the person responsible at the Darmstadt student union.

If you have already been awarded a Deutschlandstipendium, that's not a problem. You will not lose your entitlement. If you want to apply for the Deutschlandstipendium in the near future, you have an advantage with part-time study because the modified calculation of subject semesters gives you more time to apply for it. Otherwise, it is not the status, but the credit points earned and the grades that are decisive.

The KfW student loan can also be used for part-time studies. This offer does not apply to foreign students who are EU citizens and who did not obtain their higher education entrance qualification in Germany or at a German school. For detailed conditions, please visit the KfW Website.

Please clarify this with the scholarship provider before applying. This is not critical for the Deutschlandstipendium.

No. The study programme is the same for part-time and full-time students and no separate events are offered. However, many courses are supported by digital resources, enabling flexible study that is independent of time and place. If you wish to take online courses in a semester in which they are not actually offered, you must be given special access. This is possible for part-time students.

Please contact the student advisory service of your department. Together you can develop an individual study plan that makes sense in terms of your subject and your time budget.

The departments may attach certain conditions to part-time studies, e.g. that you have successfully completed certain modules beforehand or that part-time studies are only offered from a certain regular semester onwards. You will find this information in the part-time offer for the respective degree programme.

Learn More

You can improve your work and organisational skills and optimise your time management. The Center for Educational Development and Technology offers free courses for this purpose. If you have already exhausted all possibilities, however, your study plan may be too ambitious in view of your time budget. A conversation with the Departmental Student Advisory Service will certainly help you.

You can attend as many courses as you want. The recommended part-time study and examination plan does not define any minimum or maximum performance. However, there may be minimum performances defined in the regulations of the degree programme. In addition, there are also legally defined minimum performances. In principle, we recommend taking fewer modules so that there is enough time to prepare for the module examinations.

If your degree programme requires you to complete a minimum number of credits (CP) or take certain exams for the first time in a specific semester, or complete modules by a certain semester, then it is in your own interest to stick to the study plan.

You are also welcome to take more exams or bring forward other courses that are more feasible for you in terms of time if no prerequisites are defined for them in the module handbook or you have already fulfilled them.

If you have already achieved the minimum performance, you can also take fewer courses than planned. But remember: the part-time study and examination plan is an optimal variant of the course of study, the feasibility of which is guaranteed. If you (want to) deviate from it, a course guidance session is recommended. They will also be happy to put together an individual study plan for you.

Minimum performances are only required for the introductory phase of studies. These do not exist in any of the degree programs. The applicable regulations of the degree programme or the General Examination Regulations of TU Darmstadt will show you the level of these performances. Once you have overcome this hurdle, you can acquire as many credit points as you want. The part-time study and examination plan does not define any upper or lower limits. However, please bear in mind that you will be de-registered due to state regulations if you do not successfully complete a module within four consecutive semesters.

Please refer to your part-time study and examination schedule to find out which examinations you should take during the semester in your degree programme. Please refer to TUCaN to find out when you can take them.

Minimum performances are only required for the introductory phase. These do not exist in any of the degree programmes. The applicable degree programme regulations or the General Examination Regulations of TU Darmstadt will show you which these are. Once you have overcome this hurdle, you can acquire as many credit points as you want. The Part-time Studies and Examination Schedule does not define any upper or lower limits. However, please bear in mind that you may be de-registered due to state regulations if you do not take an examination for two years.

Current part-time programs

Yes, but only in the regular semesters without restricted admission. For example, if the first two regular semesters are subject to restricted admission, part-time study is possible starting in the third regular semester. You can find out here. if and when it is possible to study part-time in your degree programme.

Unfortunately, you cannot study part-time officially. Please contact your departmental student advisor and explain your situation. They will be able to support you through individual agreements.

In part-time status, you study according to a recommended part-time study plan with an extended standard period of study. However, you can deviate from this at any time. You will be granted an extension of the deadline for the minimum requirements and the final thesis as specified in the study and examination regulations. Furthermore, the years of study completed on a part-time basis are only counted as one semester of study.

Unfortunately, students cannot see their part-time status in TUCaN.

The offices for Student Affairs can see the part-time status (not the reason for part-time study) in the student's master data. In the student dialog in TUCaN, the status is noted under remarks. It is also stored in the course of studies. Whether a student is in part-time or full-time status in the current semester can be seen from the field full-time/part-time next to the semester.

You will receive a certificate of part-time status after your application has been approved. This will be sent by email to your stud-email-address. In addition, the Office for Student Affairs can see the part-time status in TUCaN under your student data. If you require further proof of your part-time studies, you can obtain it from the Service point part-time studies, studying with children

No. Although the part-time status is noted in your student data and can be viewed there by the responsible Office for Student Affairs, it is not shown on the student ID card or the certificate of study. You will receive a certificate for your records from the Service point part-time studies, studying with children.

No. Neither the status nor the completed regular semesters are mentioned in the degree certificate. However, upon request, the Service point part-time studies, studying with children will provide you with a certificate for your degree certifying the duration and, if you wish, the reason for your part-time study.