To successfully complete any module, you have to 1) actively participate in all courses of the module and complete the regular coursework (short written or oral assignments during the semester) and 2) pass the so-called module exam at the end of the semester.

Note that there is only one module exam in each module, no matter how many courses/classes a module contains.

Depending on the module, the module exam may cover all or only specific parts/courses of the module. Exam types vary by module: there are oral, written and combined module exams. What type of exam you need to take and which parts/courses of the module it will cover is specified in the Module guide for Erasmus-/Short-term Students.

The exam period at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities usually lasts from the last week of lectures until the end of the semester break (winter semester: until March 31 / summer semester: until September 30).

Many written and oral exams are held in the last week of lectures or during the first three weeks of the semester break. A few are scheduled at a later date. Central submission deadline for term papers is March 15 in the winter semester and September 15 in the summer semester.

IMPORTANT: All students who wish to take exams must register for their module exams on time via KLIPS 2.0!

Please pay close attention to exam registration windows in KLIPS 2.0 (they vary across modules). Exam registration usually opens in mid-November (winter semester) or mid-May (summer semester).

Exam registration - Instructions for short-term students at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities

At the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, exam registration via KLIPS 2.0 is mandatory for all types of module exams (tests, oral exams, term papers etc.).

In Studium Integrale, exam registration is usually not required, since many Studium Integrale courses do not have exams or are not graded (please check with your lecturers).

No exam registration via KLIPS 2.0 is required for exams taken in the Department for German as a Foreign Language (DaF).

At the end of the stay, most short-term students require a "Transcript of Records" (ToR) to document their academic achievements at the University of Cologne (courses taken, ECTS credits earned, and grades received).

IMPORTANT: Your Transcript of Records will not be issued automatically!

Here is how you get it:

After the official exam date displayed in KLIPS 2.0 has passed, lecturers have eight weeks to mark your exams, enter your grades in KLIPS 2.0 and send them to the examination’s office for validation. As soon as the examination's office has validated the grades, they will appear on KLIPS 2.0 (see "Transcript of Records" > "Print Transcript"). Winter semester grades are usually released in March or April, summer semester grades in September or October.

If you have a tight deadline at your home university, inform your lecturers accordingly and ask if they could mark your exams first to avoid any delays. Note, however, that lecturers can only submit your grades after the official exam date shown in KLIPS 2.0!

If you have completed entire modules, credit points will appear automatically in KLIPS 2.0 once your grades have been validated. If you have taken reduced workload options, ZIB PhilFak needs to confirm your credit points manually. 

Please send an e-mail to philfak-incomings(at)uni-koeln.de once all your grades are shown on KLIPS 2.0 and ask for finalization of your Transcript of Records!

Following your e-mail, ZIB PhilFak will add missing credit points (if necessary), finalize your Transcript of Records and send it to your home university via e-mail. Upon request, we can also send a hard copy via post.