Inability to take the exam due to illness – medical certificate

When and where do I have to submit my medical certificate? What to consider?

In the event of inability to take the examination due to illness, various points must be observed (APB Section 15 para. (2) (opens in new tab) ).

You have to submit the medical certificate to the Office for Student Affairs that is responsible for your degree programme within 3 days after the examination date. This also applies if the exam takes place at another department. Students of the fields of study (Studienbereiche) should contact the study office in charge of your field of study. The submission can be made in paper form or electronically (please note the modalities in the respective office for student affairs). This is the only way to withdraw from the examination due to illness in accordance with Section 15(2) APB (opens in new tab) in due time.

Please note that the eAU (electronic certificate of incapacity for work), which has been introduced since January 2023, is only automatically forwarded by doctors' surgeries to employers. For you as a student, the TU Darmstadt is not an employer, so that you are still obliged to submit a medical certificate of incapacity for work in paper form in due time in case of illness for a proper withdrawal from an examination, whereby the paper copy – as described above – can be submitted electronically.

With the introduction of the eAU, the “classic” certificate has largely been abolished and you as a student will receive a printout of the eAU from your doctor on request (this is usually not signed). You must submit this printout in due time as described above. If there is an uncoded diagnosis on the printout, you can black it out.

Of course, the previous “classic” certificates will continue to be accepted.

For Students of the Teaching at Grammar Schools programme:

Please contact the Office for Student Affairs of the department responsible for the respective subject.

Medical certificates for the basic sciences, including the two modules of the basic sciences in the networking area (03-01-4007 “Pädagogisches Verstehen von Naturwissenschaft und nachhaltiger Entwicklung” and 03-01-4008 “Medienpädagogik”), must be submitted to the Office for Student Affairs of the Department of Human Sciences.

Medical certificates for the other modules of the networking area have to be submitted at the “Zentrum für Lehrerbildung” (Centre for Teacher Education).

The chairperson of the responsible examination board decides on the recognition of withdrawals (also in case of illness). In cases of doubt, a detailed medical report or an official medical certificate may be requested.

If the deadline is on a Saturday or Sunday, the deadline is postponed to the following Monday. If the deadline is on a public holiday, the deadline is postponed to the following day.

Examples for the deadlines

Examination Date A medical certificate must be submitted on….
Monday Thursday
Tuesday Friday
Wednesday Monday
Thursday Monday
Friday Monday
Saturday Tuesday

If the above mentioned documents are not submitted within the deadline, all exam performances for which a withdrawal should be requested will be evaluated as “insufficient” (5,0), since the exam date was missed without excuse. This also eliminates the possibility of an oral supplementary examination for third examinations attempts.

FAQ

You can submit your medical certificate electronically (please note the modalities in the respective Office for Student Affairs in your department) or you can drop the certificate in paper form in the letterbox of the respective Office for Student Affairs, send it by post or hand it in at the gate of the TU Darmstadt (S1|03).

It is your duty to ensure bringing in the certificate to the Office for Student Affairs in your department in due time.

You can submit your medical certificate electronically (please note the modalities in the respective Office for Student Affairs in your department) or you can drop the certificate in paper form in the letterbox of the respective Office for Student Affairs, send it by post or hand it in at the gate of the TU Darmstadt (S1|03).

If the above mentioned documents are not submitted within the deadline, then all exam performances for which a withdrawal should be requested will be evaluated as “insufficient” (5,0), since the exam date was missed without excuse. This also eliminates the possibility of an oral supplementary examination for third examinations attempts.