Student FAQ Course Registration

Those are questions for your academic advisor. Our office does not do academic advising. If your advisor is unable to help, for example, because you are in an uncommon situation, you can also contact Academic Advising Services (https://constructor.university/student-life/student-services/academic-ad...).

For general information on the structure of your study program, please make sure to check your handbook which is available on the Constructor University website.

You log in to campusnet, and then you click on: Courses -> Course Registration -> Register for Courses. You can then follow the options appearing in the middle of the screen to register for your mandatory and mandatory elective modules.

A module will have between one and three components (i.e. courses that belong to this module). Always make sure to register for all of the components inside each module as well!

Second-years and Third-years will need to specify their electives (under “Year 2 and 3 Electives” in the registration area on campusnet) before registering for modules and courses, otherwise, none will be shown.

Most commonly, this means you have registered only for the modules but not for their components (the courses inside the modules). Please do so and the courses should appear. You can also use the drop/add period to do this.

It is normal for registrations to be pending until after the end of the drop/add period. A few days after this deadline, you should know whether you are accepted or rejected. If it still shows “pending” in the middle of the semester, please come see us.

This can happen for a number of reasons: you do not have the pre-requisites for this course, you have taken a certain other course that excludes you from taking this one, the course has been cancelled, you registered yourself via “further courses” without contacting Registrar Services, the number of maximum participants in the course is exceeded...

If you believe that none of these legitimate reasons apply or if you have questions, please feel free to contact our office for support. However, note that if your rejection was valid (as it usually is) we will not undo it.

Lab rotations are sorted mainly according to number of participants. In other words, if there are 15 spaces in the lab and 20 students have registered for that rotation, 5 students are moved to a different rotation. Sometimes there are additional constraints such as the need for an even number of participants.

If your lab rotation was moved, please accept this. If you actually cannot attend the rotation you were put in, for example, because it clashes with another course in your schedule, let us know and we will find a solution.

The campusnet app doesn’t update automatically. It needs to be refreshed manually in order to show new additions. In case of doubt, you can check the desktop version of campusnet.

If you have missed the first registration period of the semester, please use the drop/add period to register for your courses. See the official registration information e-mail that you are sent in the beginning of the semester. The deadline for the drop/add period of each semester can also be found in the Academic Calendar.

If you have missed the drop/add period as well, please contact our office. If there are good reasons for the delay, we can approve of late adds if your course instructors agree to them.

There is no comprehensive list of eligible reasons for a late add or drop since every case is different, but these reasons definitely include:

• Health reasons (you have missed so much of a course that you can no longer catch up and need to drop it, you have a broken foot and can’t access a course that takes place on the second floor, you have such a high workload that it affects your mental health etc.)
• Two courses take place in the same timeslot so you can only take one of them
• You no longer need a certain course because a replacement or credit transfer was recently approved
• You had a blocked campusnet during the registration phase and were unable to register on your own
• You forgot to register a mandatory course
• You registered for a module but forgot one of the courses in it
• Your study plan took a while to settle, e.g. because you are in a special situation (such as 7th semester students) or received incomplete advising in the start of the semester

And they definitely do not include:

• You have changed your mind
• The work load is higher than expected
• The course is more difficult than expected
• You forgot to register for a course you want but do not need to graduate

Please note that applications that are eligible for one of these reasons may still be denied by the instructor. They have every right to control changes in their classes.

You cannot register if your campusnet is blocked, and we will not register you manually either. Please take the necessary steps to have your hold lifted by contacting the respective office.

Please check: does it show the name of a module/course, or does it show “no open application term”?

In the first case: You have not (yet) passed a module that is a pre-requisite for this module. This can be because you have not taken the pre-requisite module, or that you have not yet taken the exam because you were excused, or that you have failed it. In any case, campusnet will not let you register (and neither will our office). If the instructor of the module that you want to register for accepts you into their class regardless of your missing pre-requisites, you can ask them to sign a pre-requisite waiver form for you (https://constructor.university/sites/default/files/2023-02/rs_cu_2022_ap...). Submit this form to us and we will register you.

In the second case: you are trying to register outside of the registration period for this particular module/course. Please be aware that the registration phases for language courses and labs are often different; see the official registration information e-mail you have received for details. If there is still a drop/add period for the module you are trying to register for, please use that period. If it is after the drop/add period, please contact our office for support.

Generally, the grade submission deadlines for the make-up period are set in a way that allows students to still register during the drop/add period if they have passed the make-up. You can see the exact dates for each semester in the Academic Calendar.

Alternatively, you may also ask the instructor of the module you want to take whether they are willing to waive the pre-requisites for you: https://constructor.university/sites/default/files/2023-02/rs_cu_2022_ap...

You have almost certainly not set your electives/study track in campusnet.

Please see the tab “Year 2 and 3 Electives” and follow the instructions. Once you have set your electives and returned to the course registration area, the correct modules should appear.

Please be aware that you cannot change the electives once you have set them! We can change them for you manually if needed but that will mean some waiting time for you.

This is because campusnet does not let you register a second time for modules you have already taken (which is generally correct). However, if you want to take a module in your first UG year that you have already taken during your Foundation Year, you have the right to do so. Please contact our office and we will register you.

Every student has the right to take additional courses at the university out of personal interest. You can see the whole course selection in the course catalogue (not the registration area!) on campusnet. If there is a course/module that interests you, you can apply for it as a further course using a further course application form: https://constructor.university/sites/default/files/2023-02/rs_cu_2022_fu...
You can choose between two options: receiving a grade or registering for “audit” (no grade). Please note that this cannot be changed later on.

If you register for a grade, you will receive a grade for this course. This means it’s in your own interest to submit assignments, sit the exam or fulfill any other necessary requirements. Choose this option if you are willing to invest some effort into this course, or if you are not sure whether you would like to have it accredited into your studies at a later time, or if you need it to apply for example to a graduate program.

If you register as an audit, you will not receive a grade. This means you will have access to the course and its material but you will not be expected to do work for it or sit an exam. Choose this option if you are taking this course out of interest but do not necessarily need its result to appear anywhere.

Further modules/courses with a grade will be shown with their grade on an additional page of your transcript. The grade will not factor into your GPA. Their ECTS credit points will not be accredited into the 180 credit points of your degree.
Audited courses will not appear on your transcript.

The administration does not (and cannot) check whether you are physically sitting in a certain classroom. If the instructor allows you to be there, you are welcome to attend.

However, you cannot receive credits or a grade for a course you are not registered for. It will not appear on your transcript or be accredited to your studies. Please make sure to be registered for all modules/courses you need by the end of the drop/add deadline, or contact our office as soon as possible afterwards.

Please note that there are two kinds of cases.

If you want to replace one mandatory elective with another mandatory elective, this is not a problem. Simply register for the new module you would like (contact our office if you run into difficulties with this) and ask the responsible colleague in Registrar Services to have the “old” module moved into the Further Courses section. This applies, for example, if you would like to replace one of your elective choice modules with a different choice module.

If you want to replace a module or a module component with a different one that is not generally supposed to have this function (e.g. you are a BCCB student and would like to take an MCCB specialization module in order to have it accredited as a BCCB specialization module, or if you would like to replace a choice module with a core module), please note that this is only possible in exceptional circumstances. In order to apply for this, please submit an Exceptional Course Replacement application to Registrar Services: https://constructor.university/sites/default/files/2023-02/rs_cu_2022_ap... Please note that these applications may be rejected, so make sure to have a “Plan B” if possible. Further note that this application will not take care of your course registration (it is a separate process); you will need to be registered for the course before making your application.

If you have started your studies in Fall 2019 or later (class of 22 and up): You have three attempts to pass each module. If you have failed an exam, you do not need to register for it again or undertake any steps: you will automatically appear on the exam list the next time the exam is offered. You can simply check the time and place in the Final Examination Schedule and attend the exam.

In order to help you prepare for your examination, you will also automatically be added to the currently running course with an audit status. This gives you access to the lectures and course material. Whether you use this access or not is up to you; you have the right to sit the examination either way.
Please note that this automatic audit registration does not happen a) for language courses where participation is limited and b) in semesters after your expected study period ends (i.e. in your 7th semester and later). In both cases, an audit registration is still possible upon request; please contact our office.

If you have started your studies in Fall 2018 or earlier (class of 21 and below): Your modules generally consist of between three and six courses. Whether you fail any one of them with a grade of below 45% is irrelevant; the only thing that matters is that you pass the module on average with 45% or higher. If you do, you don’t need to (and are not permitted to) retake any of the courses or exams in the module even if you have a grade of below 45% for them.

If you complete the module with an average of below 45% (fail the module), you will need to contact the module owner and ask them for a retake decision. This decision specifies what you need to do in order to pass the module. It may include retaking whole courses or only their exams, sitting a combined module exam, or replacing module components with different ones. If you have received such a retake decision, we can register you for courses you need in the framework of this module retake.

No. If you have passed a module, its grade is final. If the module was a mandatory elective for you, you may of course substitute it by taking another module instead.

Your major change application should go to the general Registrar Services office. Once they have formally changed your major in campusnet, they will inform you and you will be able to register for your courses.

Please don’t register for modules before your major is changed, as all those registrations will have to be deleted.

From a formal point of view, you are permitted to take two classes that overlap in your schedule. It is, of course, not advisable. Please also note that the Final Examination Schedule is based on the semester schedule, meaning that two courses that take place in the same timeslot during the semester are likely to have their exams in the same timeslot as well.

For students who have started their studies in Fall 2022 or earlier:
If you are a German native speaker, you will need to complete your language credits with modules from other available languages. You can mix and match different languages if you like.
If you are not a German native speaker, you must complete your language credits with German courses. You are of course free to take other languages as further modules if you are interested in learning them.
If you are not a native speaker of German but believe that you have near-native speaker knowledge of German, you may be exempted from the German requirement and be treated like a native speaker. Please contact the language department for support: learninglanguages@jacobs-university.de

For students who have started their studies in Fall 2023 or later:
You can choose between German modules and Humanities modules. If you are a German native speaker, or if you study online and can't join in-person language classes, you will need to choose a Humanities module.

With permission from the language department, yes. Please contact them and discuss your situation: learngerman@constructor.university   
Alternatively, take the online placement test to prove that you are ready to move to a higher level. Information about the placement test and the link to it can be found here: Registration & regulations | Constructor University

You can generally not take the same language level twice, however.