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Auditing Students

What is an auditing student?

As an auditing student, you can attend individual courses or a module at Freie Universität Berlin for one semester while being enrolled at another university. You are allowed a maximum of 6 contact hours per week (Semesterwochenstunden) or 1 module per semester.

Legal Basis: §18 of the Statutes for Academic Affairs of Freie Universität Berlin


Key Points:

  • Auditing students are not members of Freie Universität and, therefore, do not receive a student ID or student visa.
  • Registration at Freie Universität Berlin is required to access IT systems (e.g., Campus Management, Blackboard) and obtain academic records.
  • Registration and issuance of academic records are only possible with the instructor's consent and approval from the relevant Office of Academic Affairs.

Deadline:
Please register as an auditing student starting from the beginning of lectures and no later than 4 weeks after the beginning of lectures. Dates can be found in the academic calendar.
(Applications before the start of lectures are only possible for auditing students at the Institute of Biology).

Application Process for Auditing Student Status – Step-by-Step Guide

Please select the appropriate application procedure for your needs.

  1. Download Application Form: Download the application form. Digital signatures may not work in your browser.
  2. Fill Out the Form: Enter your personal details, information about your home university, the desired semester and the course or module. Please refer to the course catalog for necessary course information.
  3. Obtain Instructor’s Signature: Ask the instructor for their signature; this can be digital. You can find the instructors’ contact information on the department websites.
  4. Submit Application to the Office of Academic Affairs: Send the application signed by both you and the instructor to the relevant Office of Academic Affairs.
  5. Await Response: You will receive the application back from the Office of Academic Affairs.
  6. Submit Completed Application to Student Records and Registration Office: Send the completed application (including your home university’s certificate of enrollment and all required signatures) in PDF format to the designated email address for auditing students at the Student Records and Registration Office.
  7. Registration: The Student Records and Registration Office will process your application and register you at Freie Universität. You will receive the signed application back and the Office of Academic Affairs will be notified to arrange the booking of your courses in Campus Management. This process may take a few days.
  8. Activate FU Account: After registration, you will receive an email to activate your FU account. This activation is mandatory.
  9. Self-Service Access: After activating your account, you can download your registration certificate in the Self-Services portal and view your registered courses on Blackboard (if the instructor uses Blackboard).
  10. Academic Records: After successfully completing the course, your academic records will be available for download in Campus Management.

Important Notes:

  • Signatures: Please obtain the signatures of the instructor and the Office of Academic Affairs yourself. Send the application to the Student Records and Registration Office only when all required signatures are collected.
  • PDF Format: Please submit the completed application only in PDF format (no JPG files).
  • Courses with Limited Capacity: Freie Universität Berlin students have priority for courses with limited capacity. Approval of your desired course can be granted only after the allocation process (the last working day before lectures begin).

To audit a course at the Language Center, first register through the Language Center’s online form. Course lists are posted the Friday before lectures begin. For more information, please visit the Language Center’s website.

Note: Course placement at the Language Center follows a priority system, with students from other universities receiving the lowest priority. The allocation is handled by the Language Center itself, not Campus Management. If no spot is available, auditing will not be possible.


If you have been allocated a seat, please proceed with the application as follows:

  1. Download Application Form: Download the application form. Digital signatures may not work in your browser.
  2. Fill Out the Form: Enter your personal details, information about your home university, the desired semester and the course for which you have received a spot. Please refer to the course catalog for necessary course information.
  3. Obtain Instructor’s Signature: Ask the instructor for their signature; this can be digital. You can find the instructors’ contact information on the Language Center’s website.
  4. Await Response: You will receive the application back from the instructor.
  5. Submit Completed Application to Student Records and Registration Office: Send the completed application (including your home university’s certificate of enrollment and all required signatures) in PDF format to the designated email address for auditing students at the Student Records and Registration Office.
  6. Registration: The Student Records and Registration Office will process your application and register you at Freie Universität. You will receive the signed application back and the Language Center’s coordination team will be notified to arrange the booking of your course in Campus Management. This process may take a few days.
  7. Activate FU Account: After registration, you will receive an email to activate your FU account. This activation is mandatory.
  8. Self-Service Access: After activating your account, you can download your registration certificate in the Self-Services portal and view your registered courses on Blackboard (if the instructor uses Blackboard).
  9. Academic Records: After successfully completing the course, your academic records will be available for download in Campus Management. If you need a certificate with signature and stamp, please contact the Language Center office at the end of the semester break (end of March/September). 

  1. Download Application Form: Download the application form. Digital signatures may not work in your browser.
  2. Fill Out the Form: Enter your personal details, information about your home university, the desired semester and the course or module. Please refer to the course catalog for necessary course information.
  3. Obtain Instructor’s Signature: Ask the instructor for their signature; this can be digital. You can find the instructors’ contact information on the department's website.
    (Note: The instructor’s signature is only required after the start of lectures!)
  4. Submit Application to the Office of Academic Affairs: Send the application signed by you (and by the instructor after lectures begin) to the relevant Office of Academic Affairs.
  5. Await Response: You will receive the application back from the Office of Academic Affairs.
  6. Submit Completed Application to Student Records and Registration Office: Send the completed application (including your home university’s certificate of enrollment and all required signatures) in PDF format to the designated email address for auditing students at the Student Records and Registration Office.
  7. Registration: The Student Records and Registration Office will process your application and register you at Freie Universität. You will receive the signed application back and the Office of Academic Affairs will be notified to arrange the booking of your courses in Campus Management. This process may take a few days.
  8. Activate FU Account: After registration, you will receive an email to activate your FU account. This activation is mandatory.
  9. Self-Service Access: After activating your account, you can download your registration certificate in the Self-Services portal and view your registered courses on Blackboard (if the instructor uses Blackboard).
  10. Academic Records: After successfully completing the course, your academic records will be available for download in Campus Management.


Important Notes:

  • Signatures: Please obtain the signatures of the instructor and the Office of Academic Affairs yourself. Send the application to the Student Records and Registration Office only when all required signatures are collected.
  • PDF Format: Please submit the completed application only in PDF format (no JPG files).
  • Courses with Limited Capacity: Freie Universität Berlin students have priority for courses with limited capacity. Approval of your desired course can be granted only after the allocation process (the last working day before lectures begin).

FAQ Nebenhörerschaft

Auditing students affiliated with a different university are permitted to complete coursework and assessments for the courses they are attending. The final thesis project, however, must be undertaken at the university where they are enrolled. You have a right to undertake examinations and assessments if you have been admitted to an entire module. Please consult the university where you are enrolled for further information on having credit points you have acquired as an auditing student recognized.

Generally speaking, auditing students affiliated with a different university do not have to pay any additional fees. However, for some continuing education degree programs you may need to pay a fee. Please contact the staff member responsible for the respective degree program for further information.

You can simply consult Freie Universität Berlin’s course catalog. Each course description specifies whether there is a maximum number of participants for the respective course.

Unfortunately, courses/modules in History (BA and MA, incl. Public History and Global History) cannot be selected.

In the Psychology and Veterinary Medicine degree programs, it is unfortunately also not possible to be a minor.

Blackboard is an online learning platform. Lecturers upload material for the seminars here, such as semester plans, texts or homework. Students log in with their Zedat username and password and can then access the material. Normally, students are also registered for a course in Blackboard if they are registered for the course in Campus Management.

Information on Campus Management you find here.

The allocation procedure is carried out on Campus Management for places in courses with limited capacity (where there is a maximum number of participants that cannot be exceeded). During the allocation procedure course registrations for Freie Universität students are processed. You can find information on when this procedure takes place on the website about Campus Management.

Your status as an auditing student does not permit you to attend any other courses if you are completing an entire module in one specific department. If this is not the case, then you are allowed to select various courses from different departments. Please note that you will have to fill out two forms in this case. This may mean that it takes longer to complete the process.

Communication with Auditing students of Freie Universität Berlin takes place exclusively via the FU account and the account of your home university. In order to register you with us, we need an active e-mail address from your home university. Please make sure that you enter this correctly in the application for auditing student.

Recommendation:

If necessary, set up e-mail forwarding from your home university account to your private e-mail address.

Access to the academic records is only possible during the semester of registration. Please save them before the end of the semester.