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FAQs

General Questions and Answers for International Online Students

Technical requirements

As students have to work with learning management systems, elaborate knowledge and submit several different written tasks, we expect the following technical requirements:

  • Reliable internet connection,
  • Computer with sufficient screen size (about 15 inches), camera and headset, whereas several different devices and combinations are possible, for instance:
  • Laptop with integrated camera or web cam plus headset,
  • or: large tablet plus physical keyboard, headset and possibly an additional screen.

Please refrain from studying with only a smartphone.

FAQs for Virtual International Programme Students

Yes! You can choose up to five courses from different areas of JLU.

In the VIP we offer German courses at A1 level in addition to the regular course programme. You can choose the German courses ONLY in combination with at least one other regular course.

The VIP is open to all students of all levels from our partner universities. The requirement is that you are currently enrolled at one of our partner universities.

You can still apply for the VIP in the final phase of your studies, but only as long as you are still enrolled.

Yes, the VIP is free of charge for students from our partner universities.

The final admission to the courses will be granted in consultation with the lecturers after the application deadline. A confirmation of acceptance will be send to you via e-mail in due time.

To apply for the VIP, you have to submit a certificate from your home university which proofs that you are enrolled at the time of application. This is a so-called certificate of matriculation/certificate of enrolment.

After successful completion of your courses, you will receive an official Transcript of Records with details of your attendance, grades, and ECTS. For successful participation, a minimum of 80% attendance in the courses is required as well as passing the final examination.

Please note that the creation of your transcript will take several weeks as the compilation of the grades takes place after the examination and assessment phase is completely finished. You will then receive your transcript by e-mail.

The VIP is an exclusively digital offer. All courses and exams are available in digital format.

VIP students are officially enrolled as exchange students at JLU. You will receive a matriculation number and access to all technical tools and portals at JLU.

To activate your JLU account, you will receive two emails from the University that explain in detail how you can activate your account with the help of a one-time password on JLU’s website.
If you have not received the e-mail with your matriculation number, please contact VIPprotect me ?!admin.uni-giessenprotect me ?!.de.
If you have not received the account activation e-mail, please contact iamprotect me ?!uni-giessenprotect me ?!.de.

The 1st semester – Navigating through the IT-Services and Educational Technologies

Use your student-ID to log in. This is the student-ID you previously received via email. Find more information here

Stud.IP and ILIAS are both asynchronous learning platforms. Both of these learning management systems are described in a corresponding video tutorial ("Introduction to Stud.IP" and "Introduction to ILIAS") which are available here.

We also offer you manuals for Stud.IP and ILIAS.

In most cases, this is due to the lecturers and the designated period of time in which students should register. Usually, you will be able to register in the first week of the semester, as soon as your lecturers activate the registration (Faculty 09 is an exception as they work with fixed registration periods). If you have not been able to access your Stud.IP courses after the first week of the semester, please contact your lecturer.

Stud.IP contains all official courses offered at JLU. In the "Planner" → "My timetable" area you can see an overview of the courses for which you have registered in the respective semester. In the "My events" area, you can view updates for your events at a glance.

The settings you need to configure your mail programme can be found at the following link: https://www.uni-giessen.de/fbz/svc/hrz/svc/komm/email/conf

Detailed configuration instructions for some common mail programmes can be found in the submenu of the same website on the left.

 If you have any mail problems, please contact the IT-department:

 0049 641 99 13100

 mail-supportprotect me ?!hrz.uni-giessenprotect me ?!.de 

Yes, please create a JLU MS-Teams account by using your student ID and the respective username and mail address (s*****@uni-giessen.de), so that your lecturers can find and add you to your courses.

Sign up with your e-mail address, which must be structured as follows:
studentid@uni-giessen.de
Before the @ symbol should NOT be your name, but your student-ID.
After the @ symbol should NOT be "courseofstudy.uni-giessen.de/", but only "uni-giessen.de"

During the registration you will be asked whether you are a pupil/student or a teacher.
Students should enter “pupil/student.”
Teaching staff should enter “teacher.”

You will then receive an e-mail from Microsoft that contains a confirmation code. If you do not receive the confirmation code within a few minutes, you should make another attempt at registration at a later date.

Once you have received the confirmation code, enter it into the registration form. You should not tick the box pertaining to the sharing of your data with a third party or the information on Microsoft products. You should also not fill out the invitation form for other persons.

You can use your university e-mail address via webmail or setup in Outlook/Thunderbird. To log into webmail, you need to use your student-ID.

Your JLU email address will expire approx. 2 months after exmatriculation.

Yes, on the login page of Webmail Horde under “settings”.

No, you do not need an account to attend events via BigBlueButton (BBB). You only need an invitation link, which the lecturers will send by email or make available on Stud.IP.  

Stud.IP is JLU’s central information and communication platform for all seminars and courses. If Stud.IP is used by your lecturers, you have to register for courses on this platform.

In contrast to FlexNow, Stud.IP offers a couple of features accompanying you throughout the semester. Stud.IP offers the possibility to download files, to hand in written assignments, to download reading assignments, to read news (such as changes of lecture rooms, etc.), to work with others on a project using Stud.IP’s Wiki, or to discuss lecture topics in the forums. There are even further interesting features, such as a virtual billboard for advertisements, pinboards, surveys, and even a platform to register for consultation hours.

Departmental student bodies also use Stud.IP for the distribution and exchange of information.

JLU offers you synchronous as well as asynchronous tools for collaboration. To get an overview, visit the page How you will study.

You can access all available online media via EZ-Proxy.

There are many books that can be accessed online in the library system - but not all. Some can only be borrowed, copied, or scanned by students as print copies in the library. However, most texts will be made available to you on Stud.IP by your course instructor.

You can find more information about literature search here.

Have you tried to use another browser? Usually, full functionality can be ensured by using Chrome, Safari or Firefox as a browser.

In this case, please contact iamprotect me ?!uni-giessenprotect me ?!.de.

You cannot change your password. In case you forgot your password get in contact with the IT service center.

FAQs regarding the M.Sc. Sustainable Transition

Admission requirements

Applicants must hold a bachelor's degree with at least 180 ECTS-points and the grade good or very good in one of the following scientific fields: agriculture, nutrition, natural or environmental sciences, economics, or political science.

Firstly, you need to proof sufficient knowledge in economics, and/or the social sciences, i.e. at least 60 ECTS points in at least one of these subjects. Secondly, the application includes a letter of motivation of about 500 words (+/- 10%) outlining your personal motivation and subject-specific knowledge.

Grade Conversion

The following formula can help you with the conversion of your grade into the German grade system. It can help you with the estimation of your grades. Please note that this formula is only intended as an orientation and the results are in no way binding.

x=1+3(Nmax-Nd/Nmax-Nmin)

Nd = your grade

x = German grade

Nmin = lowest passing grade

Nmax = highest achievable grade

You can find a conversion tool for your convenience here.

You can convert your letter grade by assigning a number to each letter.

For example:

Your grading system is A+, A, B, C, D, and E (Fail). The highest achievable grade is A+, while the lowest passing grade is D. Now you assign numerical values in ascending order starting with 1 to each letter. As a result you get a list like this:

  • A+ equals 1
  • A   equals 2 
  • B   equals 3
  • C   equals 4
  • D   equals 5
  • E   equals 6

Converting your grade is now easily done: 1 is the highest achievable grade (A+), and 5  is lowest passing grade (D). Select the numerical value of your grade and insert it into the equation.

Language requirements

As the entire degree course is taught in English, applicants must provide proof of sufficient knowledge of written and spoken English.

Accepted proofs of language proficiency:  

either: TOEFL test iBT (inter-net-based test) with at least 80 points or IELTS test with a minimum grade of 6 in the academic test;   

or: proof of university entrance qualification awarded for one of the following countries: Australia, Ireland, Canada, Aotearoa/New Zealand, the USA, the UK, South Africa  

or: proof of completion of an English-language Bachelor’s degree course  

or: proof of the UNIcert II certificate.

Application and Admission Process – How to apply

If you hold a foreign Bachelor’s degree: 

Please apply via uni-assist: www.uni-assist.de/en/. For more information check out the video and FAQ.
(Note: the country where you acquired your university entrance qualification is not of importance for this process)

If you hold a German Bachelor’s degree:

You need to register yourself at the JLU applicant portal (Please note that the application must be submitted online and by post service): https://bewerbung.uni-giessen.de/
(Note: the country where you acquired your university entrance qualification is not of importance for this process)

Apart from the uni-assist handling fee there will be a semester contribution of approx. 100€ per semester covering costs for administration. No tuition fees are charged.

Apart from the uni-assist handling fee there will be a semester contribution of approx. 100€ per semester covering costs for administration. No tuition fees are charged.

Application process via uni-assist

You’ll need:

  1. an officially certified copy of your school-leaving certificate,
  2. an officially certified copy of the complete Transcript of Records and the Bachelor's certificate,
  3. proof of your officially certified language proficiency,
  4. a copy of the page in your passport showing your name and passport photo,
  5. and a letter of motivation.

If your certified copies are not already in German or English, you will have to send in certified translations along with your officially certified copies in the original language.

The certified copies of your documents must be either in German or English. If they are not already in German or English they must be translated by an accredited translator. Additionally, you must send a certified copy of your documents in the original language.

The deadline is the 15th of July. However, we recommend sending in your application early to allow time for processing and submitting missing documents.
For possible extensions of the application deadline, please check the following JLU website: https://www.uni-giessen.de/de/studium/studienangebot/master/st/index

Uni-assist will take approximately 4-6 weeks to process your documents.

You will receive an email from uni-assist after your application has been processed.

The process will take several weeks and the times may vary.

Uni-assist will still process your application after the deadline. Just make sure to upload all documents before the deadline expires. However, it is better to upload your documents as early as possible so that you can still hand in missing documents if needed.

No, you do not need to send your documents by post anymore as the application process has been facilitated.

In some cases the university might want to check your official documents. Hence, you must have the hard copies of your official documents ready for examination as long as you are a student at JLU.

Please check the uni-assist website for details.

You can also check the portal anabin to see how your degree or certificate is recognized in Germany. Note: the page only exists in German.

Once you have finalized your application and want to submit it.

See:  https://www.uni-assist.de/en/faqs/pay-all-fees/ for more information.

Please check the uni-assist website as fees may change.

You can pay by credit card or bank transfer. Please check the uni-assist website for further information.

Application process via the JLU’s applicant portal

If you are holding a German bachelor’s degree, please apply via the JLU applicant portal.

For applying via the JLU applicant portal you will need to upload the following documents:

  • Your bachelor's certificate including a transcript of records
  • Proof of language proficiency (see prerequisites for details)
  • Letter of motivation of about 500 words outlining your personal motivation and subject-specific knowledge

Additionally, you will have to fill in an application form, sign it and send the scan as a PDF file to:

stud-sekretariatprotect me ?!admin.uni-giessenprotect me ?!.de

Applications are welcome from the 1st of June until the 15th of July.

Only in case of enrolment, certified copies of your documents - plus additional documents - have to be send by mail to the JLU. (You will receive a check list for enrolment.)

Getting started at JLU – Registration and Enrolment and Re-Registration

You will find your matriculation number (sometimes known as "registration number") in the JLU applicant portal and your certificates of study under https://iam.uni-giessen.de/.  For questions concerning the application, admission and enrolment of international students, please contact Katarzyna Smolka & Sandra Wobisch from the registrar's office under: international.admissionprotect me ?!admin.jlu-giessenprotect me ?!.de

You can request your certificate online. It will be sent to your university email address as a PDF file. To request your certificate of study, please use the following link: iam.uni-giessen.de
Use your student user ID (consisting of letters and number, e.g. "xy1234") to log in and please be sure to deactivate the pop-up blocker!

You will receive instructions on how to set up your account via the email address, you provided when applying via uni-assist.

The re-registration for the summer semester has to be carried out between the 15th of January and the 28th of February every year. The re-registration for the winter semester has to be carried out between the 15th of June and the 31th of July. If the re-registration is not carried out within the deadline, a late fee will be charged.

You can find the dates under "re-matriculation" here: https://www.uni-giessen.de/study/termdates?set_language=en

For re-registering you have to pay the semester fee via bank transfer. The amount of the semester contribution depends on whether you are enrolled in a digital study programme (i.e. Sustainable Transition) or in a study programme that is studied in presence in Giessen. Also be aware that transferring internationally can be very costly. However, there are tricks and tips to help you save on transferring costs. One of them could be the opening of an international online bank account. When carrying out the transfer, please make sure to include your matriculation number (sometimes known as "registration number") and name in the formular.

You can find JLU’s bank details here.

No, you cannot get an extension of your visa when enrolling in Sustainable Transition as the study programme is completely online.

No, you do not need a German health insurance for the master programme Sustainable Transition as you will study remotely from your home country.

FlexNow

The access data consists of your student-ID and the corresponding password. The IT-department / JLU is working hard to provide you with the access data for the electronic systems of JLU. You will be informed by email or by post about the process for activating your account before the start of the semester.

FlexNow is the centralized examination management system of JLU. Everything you need to know about the use of FlexNow at your faculty you can find here.

Exam and Thesis Registration

Gerneral Information about examination procedures and regulations are provided by your faculty.

Information about administrative and scientific questions conerning your master's thesis are available here.

Responsible for the content: Ben Kahl: Contact by e-mail