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Going abroad

Accreditation of coursework completed abroad

Procedures in the Faculties

Procedures for recognizing academic achievements at foreign institutions vary from Faculty to Faculty, so you should seek advice from the respective academic office in due time before going abroad. This page provides initial guidance only and is intended to facilitate your search for the information and contacts you need.

Please note the links under "Kontakte Internationales an den Fakultäten" at www.uni-hamburg.de/internationales/weitere Beratungsstellen.

Faculty of Law

Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences

Faculty of Medicine

Faculty of Education

Faculty of Humanities

Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences

Faculty of Psychology and Human Movement Science

Faculty of Business Administration (Hamburg Business School)

Legal framework (excerpt from a circular issued by the Section for Quality Assurance and Legal Affairs in the Department of Studies and Teaching)

The European Union's Lisbon Recognition Convention, adopted by German Federal Law in 2007, requires universities to recognize academic achievements from foreign institutions. Such recognition can only be denied if the university can prove that the achievements under consideration are not equivalent.

A fundamental principle of the Lisbon Recognition Convention is that, as a rule, a university qualification must be recognized. The office responsible for recognizing achievements has the burden of proof in cases where an application for recognition does not fulfill criteria due to substantial differences. At Universität Hamburg, this would be the examination committee for the respective program. This principle is set forth in § 40 of the Hamburg Higher Education Act (HmbHG). In accordance with § 40 of the Hamburg Higher Education Act and the Lisbon Recognition Convention, skills acquired both within and outside of higher education institutions must be recognized.

More information for students and the Faculties

  • The flyer Auslandsstudium und Anerkennung (PDF), which is issued by the German Rectors' Conference (HRK), informs students of their rights and responsibilities with regard to recognition of academic achievements from foreign institutions.
These guidelines were created for universities and intended to illuminate the basic principles of the Lisbon Recognition Convention as well as provide recommendations for establishing binding and transparent recognition procedures. They contain information about key elements of the Lisbon Convention (especially with regard to burden of proof and subtantial differences), provide guidance about legally implementing procedures in Germany, and offer tips and recommendations for setting up recognition and quality assurance procedures.