Credit transfer for coursework completed abroad

Many students wish to have the credits they earned abroad recognized as part of their studies in Bayreuth. The procedures for recognition vary depending on the degree programme.

Please note that the International Office is not responsible for recognizing academic achievements from abroad. For any questions about recognition, contact the relevant department directly.

In general, academic achievements earned abroad can be recognized as part of your degree if your programme allows for it, such as through a mobility window or by substituting individual courses.

Achievements that cannot be directly transferred to your degree programme may still be included in the Diploma Supplement. You can request this document, along with your degree certificate, from the Examinations Office upon completing your programme. Internships can also be included in the Diploma Supplement.

Find out about your rights and obligations regarding recognition. The German Rectors' Conference has compiled general information on the recognition and conversion of foreign qualifications and a helpful FAQ section.

Course Selection at the Host University Hide

Before your exchange, research the courses offered by your host university to address potential recognition issues with your department in advance. Be mindful of any course selection restrictions imposed by the host university.

Consider the following sources of information during your research:

Current Online Course Catalogue

Check the host university's current course catalogue. If it hasn’t been published yet, refer to the catalogue from the previous year.

Fact Sheets

Some universities may limit exchange student access to certain degree programmes or require prior knowledge. Look for this information in fact sheets or on the host university's website.

Testimonials from Previous Students

In our partner overview, you can find experience reports from previous exchange students (if available). These may provide insights into course selection and recognition processes.

Fact Sheets from Host Universities

Fact sheets, accessible in our partner overview (if available), often outline restrictions on course levels and selection.

List of Recognized Courses

To assist in your decision-making, we’ve compiled a non-binding overview of recognized courses based on feedback from former exchange students.

Important: This list is provided solely as a guide and is not legally binding. It does not guarantee recognition. The final decision regarding course recognition rests with your department, examination board, or Examinations Office.

Requirements for Courses Abroad Hide

The Lisbon Convention outlines the framework conditions for the recognition of courses. For a course to be recognized at the University of Bayreuth, it must meet the following criteria:

It must be comparable in type and scope to the corresponding course at Bayreuth.
The content must not differ significantly from the corresponding Bayreuth course.
It must meet the requirements of the University of Bayreuth, and the nature of the examination performance must be clear and comprehensible.
The course must be successfully completed abroad.
It must differ significantly from examinations already taken at Bayreuth.
It must be taken at a foreign institution that is recognized as a higher education institution in Germany.

Recognition Processes at the University of Bayreuth Hide

At the University of Bayreuth, the recognition of international credits is not handled centrally but is the responsibility of individual departments, examination offices, and examination boards.

Some departments have established standardized procedures for the recognition of international credits. You can find specific information on recognition processes on the relevant faculty webpages.

Faculty of Law, Business & Economics

Sport Science
Business Administration
Health Economics
International Business & Development
International Business & Governance
Law
Economics
Business & Information Systems Engineering

Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences

Philosophy & Economics

Faculty of Engineering Science

Industrial Engineering and Management study portal

Faculty of Biology, Chemistry & Earth Sciences

Institute of Geography

Faculty of Mathematics, Physics & Computer Science

Computer Science

If your department has not established a standardized recognition procedure, you must consult with your programme or subject coordinator to clarify the recognition process. In such cases, it may be helpful to create a Learning Agreement.

Students participating in the Erasmus+ programme or receiving funding through the DAAD PROMOS scholarship are required to draft a Learning Agreement. You must earn at least 20 ECTS credits abroad (or the equivalent for non-European institutions). As a general rule, it is advisable to take the same number of courses at the host institution as local students.

Conversion of Foreign Grades Hide

Grading systems at many universities, particularly outside Europe, differ from that of the University of Bayreuth. As a result, grades obtained abroad must be converted into the Bavarian system.

The International Office recommends using the modified Bavarian formula for grade conversion. This formula takes into account both the maximum achievable grade and the minimum passing grade at the respective university. Departments may, however, choose to use alternative "Min" and "Max" values if it is known, for instance, that maximum grades are rarely awarded.

Grading scale at the University Bayreuth

Recording periods abroad in the Diploma Supplement

The Diploma Supplement (DS) was developed in connection with the creation of a European Higher Education Area and contains information that helps educational institutions and employers at national and international level to classify qualifications correctly according to standardised criteria. This makes the academic career of graduates more transparent and facilitates access to the international higher education and labour market.

The Diploma Supplement is issued as an English-language supplement to the degree certificate and is therefore one of the UBT's final documents.

Stays abroad can be included in the Diploma Supplement under ‘Additional Information’.

What can be included in the Diploma Supplement?Hide

Exchange semesters via the UBT programmes (e.g. Erasmus+, Global),
internships,
theses,
research stays,
self-organised study visits (freemover visits) and
summer schools and BIPs for which at least 3 ECTS points have been recognised.

Stays abroad must fulfil the following conditions in order to be included in the Diploma Supplement:

a stay must be reasonably related to the study objective,
have a minimum duration of two months
Exception: short stays during which 3 ECTS were acquired (e.g. summer schools) and
must not have already been fully recognised in the study programme. (e.g. compulsory internship; double degree stays)

Please request the entry of your stay in the Diploma Supplement as soon as possible after the end of your stay in order to avoid delays in issuing your final documents after graduation.

UBT exchange and funding programmes - Erasmus+ SMS/SMP, Global, PROMOS Hide

For the exchange and funding programmes supervised at UBT, ERASMUS+ SMS, ERASMUS+ SMP, Global Exchange and PROMOS, the request for inclusion in the Diploma Supplement can be filed together with the final documents for the stay abroad in MoveOn.

In this case, the International Office will forward the information about your stay to the responsible examination office. You will be informed by the Examinations Office once your stay has been registered.

Self-organised freemover stays Hide

Self-organised stays, internships, final theses, study or research stays, which are summarised under the term ‘freemover’ and are not funded by the International Office, can also be included in the Diploma Supplement. The aforementioned conditions for stays must also be fulfilled.

An application can be made directly to the responsible examination office by submitting the relevant documents or after registering the stay in the MoveOn system of the International Office when submitting the final documents for the stay.

If you have any questions, please contact your responsible examination office.