Ex-Matriculation from Uni: Why it Happens and How to Get Out of it

Getting ex-matriculated can be devastating, but it’s not the end of the world.

What is ex-matriculation?

German universities will usually ex-matriculate a student after three failed attempts at an examination. A failed attempts considered in both cases where you take the exam and fail, as well as failing to show up for the exam without a suitable excuse. A suitable excuse in most cases is when you are sick for example.

Some universities or at least some faculties offer an oral test after the second attempt to avoid a fail. If you however fail in the oral test, you have to take the third and final try.

Another incident is when you fail to pay for your fees at the uni, then the uni ex-matriclates you once the deadline is over. If you simply forgot to pay the fees, then visiting the registration office at the Uni can solve this immediately without affecting your studies. Of course it depends on when this happens.

 

What does it mean?

Usually being ex-matriculated from a course means you can’t undertake the same study course in any public University in Germany. So for example if you failed your “Introduction to European History” class and you are enrolled at the Uni for a degree in Sociology, then it means you cannot enrol at another University and study Sociology.

 

Try and prevent it:

Prevention is definitely better than cure, so you need to avoid getting ex-matriculated in the first place.

• If you don’t plan on taking an exam, cancel it. Make sure you cancel it on time
• In cases of sickness, hand in the sick sheet at the Uni within the specified time (READ: Krankenmeldung Sheet for Students: Getting Sick Before/During an Exam)
• Most Universities offer an oral exam after the second try, take advantage of that, to prevent having to take an exam three times.

 

After it has happened:

Well, sometimes even after doing everything right, you might find yourself ex-matriculated. So what do you do?

Found out why it happened:

It’s important to consider why it happened in the first place.

• Is it because you aren’t interested in this study course?
• Is it because the course is not in line with your strong attributes?
• Could it be due to poor time management and planning, exam anxieties or sheer procrastination

What to do?

• For optional exams –
  • just forget about it and take another class in its place instead
• For compulsory classes
  • Talk to your Dekan and try get the last try annulled, you would be surprised how helpful some professors can be. Just ask.
  • Change your study course (READ: Changing study courses at the University)
  • Change Universities (READ: Transferring to a German Uni from a Uni in Germany or Abroad )
  • Change to an Ausbildung – the migration law is against this, but it is possible (READ: After Exmatriculation, Kenyan Converts From Uni Visa to Ausbildung Visa)
• In cases of disinterest or pure incompetence in self-management, it might be important to take up time management classes or career counselling to help in choosing a career that matches your strengths and interests.