The title, lecture type, names of the lecturers, place and time of the course, objectives, methods, permitted aids and assessment criteria must be announced for each university course (German: "Lehrveranstaltung", short LV) at the start of the semester. These can only be changed during the semester in exceptional cases. In this case, you can withdraw from the course without assessment within 48 hours of the announcement by writing the lecturer.

There are different types of courses (German: VO, UE, VU, ... English: L, P, ..) which are assessed in different ways. 

The types are translated into english, for example a lecture is short VO in german and L in english.

Assessment can take the form of a written and/or oral examination. Courses with an inherent examination character (all except L) are not graded with a single examination, but through continuous assessment during the semester, for example through submissions and partial examinations. Lectures (L) are examined in one process, for which at least three examination dates must be offered per semester, which must be announced before the start of the semester.

The grades correspond to numbers from 1 (very good) to 5 (insufficient). Alternatively, there are the grades “successfully participated” and “unsuccessfully participated” if a numerical grade is not appropriate. In the event of cheating, “U, invalid” is used.

In all regular degree programs offered by TU Graz, a maximum of five attempts are available for each examination, with two exceptions: in the teacher training program you only have four attempts, and you may repeat the last open course examination of the degree program one more time. You may repeat examinations that have been assessed positively up to a maximum of 12 months after taking the examination. The grade of the last attempt always counts, regardless of whether the grade is worse, better or the same.

From the fourth exam attempt onwards, all lecture examinations are held by a commission, as well as the third attempt if requested by you. This means that the assessment is carried out by a committee consisting of at least three people, which is intended to avoid unfair assessment by a single person. Unless otherwise stated in the course description, the mode remains the same, i.e. written examinations are corrected by several people.

If you are absent from an exam without an excuse, you can be blocked for eight weeks and for the next exam date - so always deregister on time! The deregistration period at TU Graz ends 48 hours before the examination date and is extended by 24 hours on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. However, if you can provide the examiner with a comprehensible important reason for not attending, the examiner must lift the block immediately, for example a doctor's note.

In principle, attendance is only compulsory for courses with an immanent examination character, unless the lecturer specifies otherwise. Attendance is not compulsory for a lecture course, but it is never a bad idea to attend the lecture and to participate actively.

Plagiarism is not only the copying of scientific findings, but also, for example, the invention of data and the copying of submissions, whether inside or outside an examination. If a fraud is discovered, the consequences range from the assessment of the course as “U invalid” to the obligation to rewrite a thesis and even the revocation of an academic degree! It is also a matter of good academic practice. 

The results must be announced no later than four weeks after the examination date. This applies not only to lectures (L) examinations but also to partial examinations for immanent courses. The results then correspond to the certificates, which can be printed out via the online system. If the four-week deadline is not met, the course is deemed to have been completed for registration requirements. There is no right of appeal against the assessment of an examination, but in the event of serious deficiencies in the implementation, a negatively assessed examination can be annulled. As the appeal period is only four weeks and serious deficiencies rarely occur, you should contact us as soon as possible if in doubt!

You can inspect the examination documents (details, answers, assessment and examination record) for up to 6 months after the assessment has been announced. Of course, this must be agreed with the examiner in advance. If you are unable to attend an inspection appointment, you have the right to an alternative appointment. The examination may be copied or even photographed, with the exception of multiple-choice questions.

Evaluating a course via the online system helps everyone, and it is completely anonymous! Of course, it is not only criticism that should be given, praise is also welcome. The lecturers find out what they need to work on and what they are doing well. The evaluations are also an important basis for argumentation for your representatives. Evaluation is a powerful tool for students and should be used by everyone.

The STEOP (German for "Studieneingangs- und Orientierungsphase" can be translated as “Study entry and orientation phase”) comprises several courses designed to give you a relevant impression of your studies and the subject area. You must successfully complete the specified courses so that you can start your studies without any restrictions, as you can only complete a maximum of 22 ECTS credits before completing the STEOP (including free subjects, excluding credits). This also applies to registration for courses with an immanent examination character! In some degree programs with a STEOP “pool”, the STEOP is considered completed as soon as you have successfully completed a valid combination of courses. You can find more detailed information on this in your curriculum.

The study load is usually 30 ECTS per semester, which corresponds to a total of 750 hours per semester with 25 hours per ECTS.

You must complete at least 16 ECTS within the first four semesters of your Bachelor's degree, otherwise you will not be admitted to this course for two academic years. Students with an established disability are exempt; semesters on leave of absence do not count towards the deadline.

Courses can be held (in part) online. Virtual teaching is most of the time synchronous, which at least enables interaction between students and lecturers. The course instructor is responsible for any questions regarding method of teaching in their course. Asynchronous teaching is only possible in individual cases; in particular, an uploaded script does not replace a lecture!

We are convinced that active participation in courses increases learning performance.

Courses that have already been completed can be recognized for similar courses that are still to be completed. There are so-called equivalence and recognition lists, both of which can be found in the curriculum. The Dean of Studies can also recognize courses individually. However, if you would like to spend a semester abroad, it is essential that you consult the dean's office in advance to find out which courses you would like to attend abroad so that they can be recognized by the dean's office.

A fee of approx. 25 euros (as of academic year 2024/25) must be paid per semester, which is made up of the student fee (ÖH fee) and a special fee for accident and liability insurance. If you exceed the minimum duration of study + 2 tolerance semesters per degree program (Bachelor and Master are separate studies), you must also pay the tuition fee (approx. 363 euros, as of 2024). However, there are some waivers to avoid having to pay this fee. It should also be noted that students from third countries (outside the EU/EEA) unfortunately have to pay double the tuition fee from the first semester onwards.