STUDY

Extending your period of study

Prerequisites

Pursuant to Section 8 (2) Part B of the Statutes of the University of Klagenfurt, upon student request, the Rector of Studies “may” extend the deadline for the completion of an expiring study programme “in cases of particular hardship”.

A “case of particular hardship” as laid down in Section 8 (2) Part B of the Statutes of the University of Klagenfurt shall only be deemed to exist, if, on the one hand, there is an “exceptional” reason, which prevents the timely completion of studies and if, on the other hand, this “exceptional” reason is of a temporary nature, not exceeding the duration of one semester at most.

Approval is only granted, if it appears likely that the degree programme will be completed within the requested period. An extension of the period of study amounting to more than two semesters is excluded according to the Statutes.

There is no legal entitlement to the granting of an extension of the period of study.

Contact

Studienrektorat
E-Mail: stud_re [at] aau [dot] at

General information and application deadlines

Applications requesting the extension of the period of study must be submitted electronically (Student online account – My Applications).
Furthermore, all communication in this regard must be conducted exclusively through your university account.

The application to extend the period of study must be received by the Office of Academic Affairs no later than three weeks prior to the expiry date. This means, if your degree programme ends on the 31^st of October 2025, you must submit the electronic application to extend the period of study no later than 24:00 hrs (midnight) on the 10^th of October 2025.

If your degree programme is due to be discontinued and can no longer be studied after the 31^st of March 2026, you must submit the electronic application no later than 24:00 hrs (midnight) on the 10^th of March 2026.

The earliest opportunity to submit an application is at the start of the final semester during the defined period of study. The extension applied for cannot exceed one semester. As study progress represents one of the criteria used when considering the request, we recommend that you submit your application just a few months before the deadline expires. A subsequent application requesting the extension by an additional semester can only be approved in exceptional circumstances, provided that you can provide evidence of significant progress in your studies.

Expiry date: Without exception, applications that arrive once the deadline has expired will not be processed.

Please note: Any supervision agreement in place for your Master’s or Diploma thesis will expire automatically when the period of study ends, and does not lead to the extension of the period of study!

An extension of the period of study does not mean that students do not have to pay the required university fees and student union fee! (https://www.aau.at/en/study/studying-at-aau/during-your-programme/university-fees/)

Prerequisites for extension and documents to be submitted

Students must provide credible evidence to substantiate their claim of particular hardship. Particular hardship is deemed to exist if an ‘exceptional’ reason of a temporary nature prevents students from completing their studies within the prescribed period. This includes, for example, completion of military or civilian service; pregnancy; illness that demonstrably hinders study progress; childcare responsibilities or other care responsibilities equivalent to childcare responsibilities; completion of a voluntary social year or other exceptional reasons.

To confirm this, corresponding documents must be uploaded with the application.

Please note: Employment is not considered a case of hardship unless it involves compelling and unforeseeable changes.

For Master’s programmes, an ongoing supervisory relationship (approved academic thesis – e-application: application for supervision of a Master’s thesis) must be in place. When requesting a second extension, a statement from the supervisor detailing the current status of the Master’s thesis must be submitted electronically.

Approval is only granted if it is likely that the degree will be completed within the specified period. This means that the degree completion level in the electronic examination book (ePB) must be high.

In addition, please note any guidelines specific to your expiring degree programme.

Guidelines on extending the period of study

Students enrolled in the expiring Bachelor’s degree programme in Secondary Education, General Education Curriculum 2017, version 2018 – which can be studied until the 30^th of September 2024 – are subject to the following guidelines regarding the prerequisites for extending their period of study!

Students enrolled in the expiring Master’s degree programmes

– Adult Learning and Education and Vocational Education and Training, programme code: 847, version 09W
– School Education, programme code: 545, version 09W
– Social Pedagogy and Social Inclusion, programme code: 846, version 09W – which can be studied until the 31^st of October 2024 – are subject to the following guidelines regarding the prerequisites for extending their period of study!

Students enrolled in the expiring Master’s degree programme in Media, Communications & Culture, programme code: 841, Version 09W – which can be studied until the 31^st of October 2024 – are subject to the following guidelines regarding the prerequisites for extending their period of study!

Students enrolled in the expiring Master’s degree programme in Information and Communications Engineering (ICE), UL 066 488, version 15W, which can be studied until the 31^st of March 2025 – are subject to the following guidelines regarding the prerequisites for extending their period of study!

Students enrolled in the expiring Master’s degree programme in Business and Law (UL 066 909, version 12W) – which can be studied until the 31^st of October 2025 – are subject to the following guidelines regarding the prerequisites for extending their period of study!

Students enrolled in the expiring Master´s degree progamme in Applied Business Administration (UL 066 918, version 12W) – which can be studied until the 31^st of March 2026 – are subject to the following guidelines regarding the prerequisites for extending their period of study!

Competent authority/certification

Once the application for extension has been approved by the Rector of Studies, the deadline for your degree programme will be automatically updated on your student profile.

Legal consequences/ramifications

In the event that an application for an extension of the period of study is approved, you are entitled to continue and to conclude your studies until the end of the stipulated period.

If the defined deadline coincides with winter semester, the studies are considered to have been properly concluded provided that all academic achievements required according to the curriculum have received a positive grade no later than the 31^st of March of the following year.

If the deadline coincides with summer semester, the studies are considered to have been properly concluded provided that all academic achievements required according to the curriculum have received a positive grade no later than the 31^st of October of the same year.

In the case of the BA and MA secondary school teaching programmes, the studies are considered to have been properly concluded in the summer semester provided that all academic achievements required according to the curriculum have received a positive grade no later than the 30^th of September of the same year.

A leave of absence does not prolong the period of study.