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FAQ – Questions and answers on the coronavirus

The university buildings and underground car parks are closed until further notice.

Nevertheless, essential administrative and academic support processes must be maintained, particularly those with a direct effect on students and their degree programmes.

Students and members of the public cannot visit the service points in person. This also applies to secretaries' offices and the pay office. All central services points can, however, be reached by telephone and e-mail during the usual office hours and will continue to deal with your enquiries and applications as quickly as possible. Since many staff members are telecommuting due to the special situation we are finding ourselves in, they may not be reachable at their office phone number. If that is the case, please use e-mail to contact them.

To submit documents, please send them by post or drop them in the mailboxes provided at the respective service points. Alternatively, you may use the night mailbox at the Administration Building's main entrance, opposite the Sports Centre, which is accessible even when the building is closed.

We ask for your understanding that our current top priority is to protect our university community, our relatives and the general population and to help reduce the strain on the healthcare system. By implementing this and previous measures, we intend to help slow the further spread of the virus to allow our healthcare system to gain valuable time.

At midnight on 21 March, the State Government imposed a state-wide lockdown. This means that you may not leave your flat/apartment/house unless it is for one of the reasons specified in the official announcement. For the time being, the initial restrictions have been extended until 3 May. Please be aware that police may be checking people's ID more often due to the lockdown. We therefore recommend that you always carry your identity card or passport with you for the duration of the lockdown.

It is still possible for staff of the University of Passau to come to work, as working is a valid reason for leaving the house. All staff members have received a commuter certificate from the Human Resources Division as a precautionary measure.

The Bavarian State Ministry of the Interior, Sport and Integration has published FAQ on the lockdown (in German). This tells you which areas and activities are affected by the lockdown and what exceptions apply.

The Robert Koch Institute and the Federal Ministry of Health provide reliable, up-to-date information on the situation in Germany and answers to the most important questions. However, please note that this information is, for the most part, in German. The Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority has set up a telephone hotline, which can be reached at +49 9131 6808 5101.

We have compiled important information and updates for university members on the webpage www.uni-passau.de/en/coronavirus.

Please do not go straight to the doctor's practice.

The Germany-wide non-emergency medical helpline, 116 117, provides useful information to help distinguish between the common cold, influenza or the novel coronavirus (available in German only). You will also find information on whether you can be tested.

CovApp, the Charité's online resource, gives you detailed recommendations for action based on a few questions about current symptoms, your last trips and possible contacts.

If you are suffering from symptoms or have reasonable grounds to suspect that you are infected, first call your doctor or the medical helpline at 116 117 (without area code, nationwide). There you will be informed of the next steps. It is important that you state whether you have been in (potential) risk areas or whether you have been in personal contact with a person diagnosed with the novel coronavirus.

Important: If you find yourself in an acute medical emergency, please call 112 right away!

Please act responsibly and protect yourself and others. If you have symptoms or a reasonable suspicion that you may be infected, stay home; do not go out among people.

If you have been to a risk area, you are prohibited from visiting the premises of Bavarian higher education institutions for the time being. The entry quarantine regulation issued as a result of the pandemic, which has been in force since 10 April, has been extended until 3 May together with the extension of the lockdown. According to this law, anyone entering Bavaria from a state outside the Federal Republic of Germany by any route or mode of transport is required to go directly to their own home or other suitable accommodation immediately after arrival and to remain there permanently for a period of 14 days after entry. This also applies to persons who entered the country via another German federal state. Those affected are also obliged to contact their local health authority Gesundheitsamt immediately after entry, regardless of whether they are showing any symptoms of the illness. The Robert Koch Institute has published tips on how to behave correctly when quarantined at home.

The City of Passau has compiled a list of helpful information and support groups at http://www.passau.de/Aktuelles/Pressearchiv.aspx?rssid=d601938a-e459-46ce-8469-2f5c6fa466cc

For international students, the International Office has also prepared information in English, which is being made available to all affected students. You are affected and have not yet received this information? Please send an e-mail to Stefanie Dallmeier stefanie.dallmeier@uni-passau.de to request your information package.

The University of Passau has an emergency plan: a crisis committee has been set up, which meets at least weekly, but also at any time if necessary. We are monitoring the situation very closely and are in contact with the competent authorities, the city council, the hospital and our company physician; we are confident that we are able to react swiftly and appropriately if any new situation arises.

We are under obligation to report suspected cases COVID-19 to the public health department. In such cases the public health department will coordinate further measures with us, such as informing those who may have been in contact with the affected person. If a suspected case is confirmed, the public health department decides on further measures.

The University follows the Robert Koch Institute's recommendations concerning contact persons (information in German).

Generally, 15 minutes of face-to-face contact with an infected person, e.g. while having a conversation, would make you a 'close contact'. This will certainly include anyone living in the same household with an infected person.

The most important preventive measure is to wash your hands with soap regularly and thoroughly. In addition, the University is setting up partially automatic hand sanitiser dispensers near the university buildings' main entrances. The Federal Government has ordered a supply stop of hand sanitisers to all non-healthcare sector organisations. As a result, the disinfectant ordered by the University of Passau and the remaining dispensers still to be installed in the university buildings, will not be delivered for the time being. We therefore ask you to use the remaining disinfectant sparingly and wash your hands with soap and water instead of using the disinfectants whenever possible.

The roller towel dispensers on campus are hygienic: the towel rolls are hygienically cleaned, and the dispenser also provides a fresh section each time the towel is used.

The magazine Forschung und Lehre has summarised universities' rights and obligations if there the risk of an infectious illness at higher education institutions (German text).

The Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts has published guidance for Bavarian universities on its website:

I am healthy and would like to help. Where can I offer my help?

Helping hands are currently needed in many areas of public and private life. Below are some initiatives and platforms that might benefit from your help and active support.

The important thing to remember is that each and every one of us should first ensure our own safety, even when helping others. In the current situation this means making sure that you maintain the required minimum safety distance and observe the known hygiene measures.

 

'Care pool' (Pflegepool) for Bavaria

The Bavarian State Ministry of Health and Care and the association of nursing professionals in Bavaria ('Vereinigung der Pflegenden in Bayern'), is asking everyone who has trained or previously worked as a nurse, medical assistant or medical technologist for their support. Please register online if you are able to provide your expertise and help. Your contact details will be held on file and passed on to the local authorities and emergency services when and as needed. They may then contact you and discuss the detailed operational planning with you directly. For further information and the registration form, visit theCare Pool website (German only).

Job portal of the Centre for Careers and Competencies (ZKK)

Some are looking for meaningful employment that will help others get through this crisis. Others are seeking short-term support because of a lack of seasonal workers or the establishment of labour-intensive new services that will help to supply the populace with necessities during the crisis. In our careersUP careers portal we mark current job offers for helpers and systemically relevant services that reach us with the hashtag #Coronahilfe.

'Das Land hilft'

Restrictions on the freedom of movement across Europe mean that farmers are facing a shortage of up to 300,000 seasonal workers. At the same time, many other people are currently unable to pursue their work or studies. The platform 'Das Land hilft' ('the country helps') aims to bring together employers and those willing to offer their labour. Although this platform will only serve the agricultural sector at first, a multi-industry version is already being worked on.

Networks in Passau

The City of Passau offers a free care service to elderly citizens who cannot or do not want to leave their homes due to the coronavirus situation, as well as for those in quarantine and self-isolation. The following networks accept volunteers:

Supporting local shops and restaurants

The coronavirus crisis is having a devastating effect on retailers, restaurateurs and cultural businesses. If you wish to support local businesses, there are different ways for you to do so online:

  • The editorial staff of blank, the student magazine, offers vouchers from small cultural and food businesses in Passau for sale. These can be purchased right now from the website http://passau-help.de/ and redeemed after the crisis has ended.
  • The initiative 'Aktion Supportyourlocals' of student society Enactus supports local shops and catering businesses by putting up short portraits of the businesses on Facebook and Instagram for greater visibility and providing information on how to order online from these businesses.
  • Which businesses and restaurants in Passau are still open or do deliveries/offer online shopping? City Marketing Passau publishes a continuously updated list of local businesses (German) where you can order online.
  • Which restaurants and catering businesses in Passau still deliver or offer take-aways? The volunteer site www.pastell.jetzt offers an overview.

Germany-wide network

Initiative Corona-Helfer, based in Munich, is a Germany-wide platform for volunteers and those requiring assistance.

Federal Government Hackathon #WirvsVirus

Anyone can vote, so that the best projects can be selected and funded more quickly. Click here to see the results of the Federal Government Hackathon #WirvsVirus (in German).

Unser Soziales Bayern: Wir helfen zusammen!

The Ministry of Social Affairs, together with the Bavarian welfare associations and the Bavarian municipal umbrella organisations, has launched the initiative 'Unser Soziales Bayern: Wir helfen zusammen!' In addition to opportunities for volunteer work, you will find relevant information and handouts for the elderly, families, education professionals and people with disabilities.

Further overviews

The following pages give you an overview of existing volunteering opportunities, but you will also find ideas for online teaching or online offers for those seeking help:

https://coronawiki.net/

https://coronavz.com

In principle, all university examinations have been cancelled or postponed until 19 April. This applies to both oral and written examinations. For legal reasons, oral exams may not be conducted via Skype, Facetime or by other digital means. If the circumstances are such that an examination cannot be postponed, the chairperson of the Board of Examiners and the specific examiner in question must be informed in writing without delay and the reasons must be specified in the letter. The chairperson of the Board of Examiners will decide on a case-by-case basis and in consultation with the Legal Section whether or not the exam will go ahead.

The following applies for the First State Examination for Teacher Education in Spring 2020: The State Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs announced on 29.04.2020 that the suspended state examinations for teacher education programmes will resume on 18 May 2020. For details, visit www.km.bayern.de/ministerium/termine/1-staatspruefung-anmeldung-pruefungen.html (German) and the the Examinations Office webpages. The safety of invigilators, examiners, exam candidates and the university staff is important to us. The exams will therefore be conducted under strict disease control measures.

We will also inform students personally (by e-mail if necessary) before the resumption of oral, practical (art) and other remaining written examinations.

Did you register for a second examination date (winter semester 2019–20)? Currently, it is planned that the examinations should be moved to summer semester 2020. Please read the information from the FIM on the current situation regarding examinations. The resit examination dates are not yet known.

Are you unable to complete assessments within the required timeframe due to the postponement of examinations (e.g. physical education; second examination dates)?

The Bavarian Ministry of State has published special regulations at https://www.km.bayern.de/ministerium/termine/1-staatspruefung-anmeldung-pruefungen.html for

  • Module assessments and 30 ECTS credit requirement
  • Practice teaching
  • Practical sport examinations for P.E.
  • Zulassungsarbeit (dissertation for teacher education programmes)
  • Other requirements for admission to the first state exam.

The respective units (e.g. examinations office, sports centre, teacher placement office) will draw up the relevant certificates and procedures so that you can take advantage of the special regulations for the admissions procedure.

Currently, many health authorities have stopped giving out appointments for physical examinations or are cancelling previously made appointments. The certificate from the local health authority can also be submitted after commencement of employment. For further information, please visit https://www.km.bayern.de/lehrer/lehrerausbildung/grundschule/referendariat.html.

Last revised on 27 April 2020

Please contact the teacher education coordinators or the teacher placement office, who will be able to help.

  • Students who are unable to meet statutory examination deadlines or requirements (e.g. maximum period of study, accumulation of minimum ECTS credits) due to the current circumstances will be granted an appropriate extension by the Board of Examiners upon request.
  • You can also send your applications (e.g. extension of deadlines, acceptance for credit) by e-mail to the Examinations Offices (with scanned supporting documents attached, if needed).
  • Please note: If your examination dates rescheduled for the summer semester, you must be re-registered for the summer semester 2020. Please re-register immediately if you have not already done so. In order to submit your work you must be re-registered, even if you are not planning to attend any courses during the summer semester. This also applies to dissertations and theses.

The deadlines for submission of bachelor’s dissertations and master’s theses, for which you have registered via the Examinations Office, are automatically extended. The scanning service and the planned contactless lending service will not change this fact. We are aware that not all students can use these services in the same way, e.g. because they are not in Passau, may have problems crossing the border from Austria or because there are limits as to what the scanning service can do.

Therefore, until the literature supply is restored to the usual extent, you may continue to add the number of days the library is closed to your original submission date. Please see our FAQ page for an example of how this is calculated. However, there is no requirement to wait with the submission. If you have finished your dissertation or thesis, you can hand your work before the library reopens.

For written seminar papers and other written assignments, the decision on deadline extensions is taken individually by the relevant supervisor, as it may be possible to complete assignments on time using available resources even during the library closure (e.g. using online literature). This also applies to the seminar papers for the specialisation areas of the Faculty of Law – please see visit the page of the Dean of Studies of the Faculty of Law for details.

  • The writing times for written assignments and seminar papers are suspended for the duration of closure of the libraries. Examiners are requested to grant appropriate deadline extensions if they receive such requests from students.
  • The submission deadline is automatically extended for bachelor's dissertations and master's theses. If your deadline has already been set to a specific date, this means that
    the calendar days between the library closing date (14 March) and its reopening will be added to the original deadline. Example:

    Original submission deadline: 31 March 2020
    + 37 closing days (14 March to 19 April inclusive)
    = New submission deadline: 7 May 2020 (or on the following working day, if applicable)
  • You can still register for a deadline extension – please send us your registration form. However, the processing period is only extended by the remaining days until the library reopens.
  • The Examinations Office will inform you automatically of the new deadlines.
  • If you have already finished your work, you do not have to wait for the libraries to reopen. In that case, simply send us your dissertation/thesis by post.
  • Please note that the deadline extension will push the submission date for your paper, dissertation or thesis into the summer semester. Please re-register immediately for the summer semester 2020 if you have not already done so. In order to submit your work you must be re-registered, even if you are not planning to attend any courses during the summer semester.

We recommend that you hold these meetings not in person but using telephones or video chat; the meetings do not then have to be cancelled.

For up-to-date information on changes in the study and examination schedule of the Faculty of Law for summer semester 2020, visit the webpage of the Dean of Studies.

You can register for exam script viewing for those exams of the Business, Economics and Information Systems and Arts and Humanities faculties that were organised and carried out by the Examinations Office. Dates will be announced as soon as the coronavirus crisis permits. If at all possible, it would be helpful if you could register to view your exam scripts in winter semester 2020–21 or even summer semester 2021. The exams will then be reserved for you. This will relieve the burden on the relevant units in summer semester 2020.

For the time being, no exams requiring the physical presence of candidates will be held even after 19 April.

However, the state government announced on 16 April that in principle it is possible to conduct examinations in an examination hall or room. We will inform you on the coronavirus page and in these FAQs as soon as we have information on when examinations will become possible again.

The ministry is preparing a 'Plan B' with the universities in case exams cannot be carried out in their 'normal' format by the end of the semester: this includes deliberations on making it easier to hold online exams, even for those courses that do not have online exams listed in the module catalogue.

Important: All results of examinations taken in the summer semester will count as usual.

Yes, examinations will be taking place in the summer semester and their results will count towards students' degrees. Your examiner will provide information on this. For further information on the exams

We are currently also planning centrally organised examinations (Faculty of Business, Economics and Information Systems Administration, Faculty of Arts and Humanities and the autumn 2020 state examination for teacher education programmes), which will likely take place during the lecture-free period in the summer semester. As soon as circumstances allow and once there is planning certainty, we will inform you – as usual – on the Examinations Office website and put the examination schedules online.

As things stand today, it is not yet clear when the University will be able to resume teaching the full range of courses. Therefore, it may be necessary to transfer some or even all of the taught courses to virtual formats in the coming semester.

Perhaps you have heard a rumour that the semester might be cancelled altogether?On 25 March, the State Ministry of Science and the Arts issued a clear statement: the summer semester 2020 will definitely take place! This corresponds to the position adopted by the Bavarian University Conference, the German Rectors' Conference (HRK) and the German Association of University Professors and Lecturers (DHV), all of whom firmly ruled out a 'non-semester' (the pages linked to are in German).

On 3 April, the State Ministry of Science and Art informed the Bavarian universities about important cornerstones of the summer semester: The lecture period in the summer semester 2020 starts on April 20 and ends at the universities on August 7, 2020, two weeks later than originally planned.

The lecture period will start on 20 April, however there probably will not be any classroom teaching; instead, courses will be offered online, which means students do not have to be in Passau to attend those.

The University of Passau has set up a Study and Teaching Task Force led by Vice President Christina Hansen. The task force will coordinate and organise support measures for lecturers.

The University of Passau is working on transferring many teaching formats online as quickly as possible. We do not expect that this will work out smoothly all the time, but we are constantly working to accomplish this task. Furthermore, it is to be expected that systems and networks will repeatedly experience significant (over-) load, particularly at the beginning of the summer semester. This is unavoidable and we apologise for the inconvenience this will cause. Together we can meet the challenges facing the University.

However, with the switch-over from face-to-face to online teaching, there are also major changes in self-directed learning for which you should prepare in advance:

  • Online courses require a very high degree of self-organisation. Therefore, you should block fixed time slots every week in your calendar on which you are working on each course.
  • You will spend a lot of time alone in front of the computer during the courses. Set up self-directed study groups and exchange information about the course with other students if the course offers do not already provide such opportunities.

At www.uni-passau.de/online-lehre, University staff and students now have access to a central information service on online teaching. With this offer, the DiTech Transfer Forum intends to help the lecturers of the University to offer their teaching online in the coming semester. However, in a next step, the pages will be complemented by information and advice for students, including important advice services.

In synchronous online teaching, teaching and learning take place jointly and simultaneously, for example in a live stream or live chat. In asynchronous online teaching, the teaching and learning processes are separated in time, for example in an instructional video or in a discussion forum. Synchronous online teaching requires a very good internet connection and well-scaled software systems. We are currently working on increasing the existing capacities, but we cannot guarantee that all systems will run stably at peak server request times.

We therefore recommend that lecturers give preference to asynchronous teaching, supplemented by a small number of synchronous elements.

The Study and Teaching Task Force has set up the Transfer Team for Didactics Technology (DiTech), an interdisciplinary team of experts on online teaching. The team is working on support measures that will be available to you in the coming weeks and during the summer semester. It consists of representatives of university didactics unit as well as the ZIM and ZLF (didactic innovation department).

Immediate measures:

  • At www.uni-passau.de/online-lehre, University staff and students now have access to a central information service on online teaching. With this offer, the DiTech Transfer Forum intends to help the lecturers of the University to offer their teaching online in the coming semester.
  • In regular meetings with the deans of studies, the support requirements of the faculties are determined and taken into account in the development of the offers (see 'Planned measures').
  • If you have any questions regarding the design of online courses, send your questions to online-lehre@uni-passau.de

Please note that comprehensive didactic advice cannot be provided, as the team is engaged in preparing on course readers and training offers, which should be made available as soon as possible. As soon as this step has been completed, initial didactic consultations can commence.

Informational resources for lecturers

Learning in online courses is very different from classroom teaching and usually online courses are prepared and planned over a longer period of time. However, in order to best manage the transition from face-to-face to online teaching, didactic handouts are being prepared and will be made available to you shortly. These will explain possible scenarios for university teaching and present detailed information on how they can be implemented at the University of Passau.

Support offers:

  • Assistance in the production of instructional videos: various options are available for recording your classroom-based teaching. The ZMK's and DiLab's TV studio and laboratory rooms can be used for this purpose. In addition to these studio recordings, you should also consider independent recording via your own computer or mobile device.
  • Training courses: These will be offered to help you and your team set up online courses. You can also send your student assistants to these training courses to distribute the workload in your team.
  • Tutorials and instructions: In order to use the various tools available to you for online teaching, we will create instructions and tutorials to help you implement your didactic ideas and follow-up training.
  • Getting students involved: We are working on concepts that also involve students in the implementation of online teaching. The expertise available among students can be a valuable support for lecturers. A discussion forum will be created to facilitate this.
  • Tutor team for online teaching: A student-led media-didactics support team for online teaching will be established to answer your questions and support you in implementing your teaching formats.

At www.uni-passau.de/online-lehre, University staff and students now have access to a central information service on online teaching.

Aspects of data protection law play an important role in the selection and use of new tools for all Bavarian universities, which is why the Bavarian administrative department for IT law is involved in this topic. Information on data protection will be added to the help pages of the ZIM support for each software or online service.

We are currently receiving an increasing number of enquiries about Zoom in particular due to the current media coverage. The ZIM has therefore set up its own webpage on the subject of 'Privacy and Zoom'.

In the summer semester, our lecturers and students will have access to the video and web conferencing platform Zoom, which they can use to conduct online meetings, webinars, file sharing, instant messaging and group messaging in small, virtual groups. The ZIM has already purchased sufficient licenses for this purpose.

At the same time, Stud.IP and ILIAS have been updated. On the student side, this allows for integration of e.g. discussion forums, virtual bulletin boards (Blubber), wikis, Etherpads (which are similar to Google Docs), group blogs etc. into the respective courses. This should further facilitate collaboration and discussion in the virtual learning spaces.

The start of the lecture period of the summer semester is 20 April 2020, and the end of the lecture period has been set for 7 August 2020.This two-week extension gives the universities more leeway to organise the courses (e.g. as a teacher you do not come under pressure if some courses cannot start on time due to the increased preparation time).

Indeed, online teaching is a particular challenge for the Language Centre, because our quality standards are high and our aim is to provide hands-on, communicative teaching, which cannot be transposed directly 1:1 into a digital format, despite all efforts and the support of the University.

At the same time, we strive to offer our students as much of the usual range of courses as possible – and in the usual high quality. As things stand at present, we will be offering more than 90 percent of the planned courses online. Registrations for the courses without placement test will start on Tuesday, 14 April. The placement tests will also take place online next week, as announced. The Language Centre will start teaching on 27 April, i.e. one week after the official start of lectures, in order to give students the opportunity to find their orientation in their subjects.

No, you do not have to be in Passau on April 20th. At least until the end of May, all courses are to be held online. From the beginning of June, it will be seen whether classroom teaching is once again possible.

We do not yet know when classroom teaching will become possible again, so that, at least initially, teaching be conducted online. However, lecturers are free to decide whether they want to deliver their entire course online or split it up into two teaching formats. This decision will depend on subject-specific and didactic requirements and it is up to them to weight the pros and cons of each format.

Lecturers are requested to offer as many of their planned courses as possible in summer semester 2020. Students should take them up on their offering and study the courses as earnestly as they would any other semester. Both sides should therefore strive for a study progress of 30 ECTS credits.

Students who are prevented from gaining the requisite number of credits in summer semester 2020 are not to suffer any disadvantage, either of a financial nature or concerning the progression of their studies, due to the delay in their academic progress. For this purpose we have drawn up guidelines for the boards of examiners and continue to inform all members of the university of new developments here in the FAQs.

No. Currently, no late fees will be imposed as the library is closed until the end of May. If you are currently in Passau: a contactless book return will be possible shortly. The library is also happy to accept books returned by post.

Some Begabtenförderungswerke have put in place special arrangements for scholarship holders whose studies have been delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Please contact your scholarship provider first. If you require a confirmation letter for continued funding, you should contact the Examinations Office.

Yes, you can. Please send e-mail requesting cancellation of your leave semester to the Student Registration Office and enclose documentary evidence that the internship was cancelled due to the novel coronavirus. Your request to cancel the leave semester must be made by 30 April 2020. Cancellations after that date are only possible in justified exceptional cases. The same procedure applies analogously for study semesters abroad that have been cancelled.

Last revised on 24 April 2020

If you are a German student, you should get in touch with the relevant social insurance organisation directly. You may be eligible for social benefits such as housing allowance. International students can apply for a grant at the social welfare office of the Student Services Association (Studentenwerk). A welfare loan will be paid to you.

The contact persons for social counselling for students of the University of Passau can be found at: https://stwno.de/en/counseling/kontakt-6-en. Consultations are currently only offered online. The staff speak English.

We are in close contact with our international students, who receive personal support from the International Office and the faculties.

In accordance with the recommendations of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), which supervises the Erasmus+ programme, we have been recommending that exchange students postpone their exchange semester. We guarantee that we will not unfairly reject applications for exchange semesters at Passau and we support them both in applying for the postponement and in the subsequent nomination for an exchange place in the coming semester. Some exchange students are already taking advantage of this offer.

Exchange students who are unable or unwilling to postpone their sojourn in Passau are advised not to arrive before 19 April 2020. We providing information on the international travel restrictions and the fact that many courses will likely have to be taught as online courses in the summer semester. We also support these students by offering them online and postal enrolment (which has not been possible until now) and by developing virtual formats for the Orientation Weeks to make it easier for them to start their studies.

We also offer our international degree-seeking students straightforward solutions for postponing the start of their studies until the winter semester or taking leave of absence in the summer semester. International students who are already enrolled will have a residence permit and be registered as residents. This means they the travel restrictions to not apply directly to them. Nevertheless, many international students have been asking us questions about the coronavirus situation. Rest assured we will help each of you to figure out what to do.

New international students coming to Passau to start their first semester are in a special situation, as non-EU citizens who have a visa but do not have a registered domicile and residence permit in Germany cannot currently enter the country. In these matters, our offices are in close contact with the Ausländerbehörde and the German Federal Police.

Possible scenarios:

  • Your planned examinations are not taking place – your study duration will be extended.
  • The submission deadline for your bachelor's dissertation or master's thesis has been extended into the next semester.
  • Problem: You did not re-register for the upcoming semester and have received a de-registration notice.

Solution:
Transfer the semester contribution (EUR 74.50) for the next semester and
write an e-mail to the Student Registration Office requesting re-registration for summer semester 2020.
If you have already been notified of de-registration (due to failure to re-register), you should request revocation of the de-registration.
Please make sure you enclose proof of payment of the semester contribution.

Please note when transferring the semester fee:
In order for us to successfully match your bank transfer, you'll need to...

  1. enter your matriculation number, family name(s) and given name(s) in reference line 1 of the bank transfer form;
  2. reference line 2 must show the semester for which you are re-registering.

Bank details for re-registration:

  • Staatsoberkasse in Landshut für Universität Passau (if this is too long, you may shorten it to 'STOK Landshut f. Uni Passau')
  • BayernLB Munich
  • Reference line 1: matriculation number, family name, given name
  • Reference line 2: SoSe 2020
  • IBAN (International Bank Account Number): DE12 7005 0000 1401 1903 15
  • SWIFT/BIC: BYLADEMM

Coming to the campus to validate your electronic student identity card (CampusCard) for the summer semester is currently neither possible, nor would it be expedient to do so. Please do not come to the campus for this purpose. Nevertheless, you can use the city buses free of charge even without validation. The University has agreed on this with the Passau transport operator. Please use your CampusCard with the 'old' validation from the winter semester and bring a print-out of your matriculation certificate (aka enrolment certificate) for the summer semester when using the buses. You should also bring along an official photographic ID. This agreement was extended until 31 May 2020. Should the University's building closures continue beyond this date, we will contact the Stadtwerke in good time to discuss an extension of the agreement.

Last revised on 24 April 2020

We are currently working on concepts for offering courses online in the summer semester. It should be possible for you to attend online courses from abroad. However, you also have the option of taking leave of absence for the summer semester.

If you have already re-registered for the summer semester, an application for leave of absence can be made. For the leave of absence request form visit https://www.uni-passau.de/en/study/getting-organised/reregistration/leave-of-absence/

Please tick 'Other reasons' and briefly explain the reason in your accompanying e-mail. You have until 30 April 2020 to decide whether you wish to take leave of absence. In special cases, if the reason for the leave of absence was unforeseeable, leave of absence is even possible until 15 June 2020.

Theoretically, it is also possible to de-register for the duration of the absence forced by the coronavirus and to resume your studies in the next semester. Please note our notes and the forms on our website: https://www.uni-passau.de/en/study/getting-organised/reregistration/de-registration/

Please tick 'Other reasons' and briefly explain the reason in your accompanying e-mail. Paid semester contributions are only refunded if the de-registration takes place before the start of the semester (in the winter semester before 1 October, in the summer semester before 1 April). The application form can also be found on the above-mentioned website.

Important information for visa/residence permit-holders: For non-EU citizens, it is not advisable to de-register, as this has far-reaching consequences for your right to stay in Germany. If you are on leave for a semester, you should inform the local foreigners' registration office (Ausländerbehörde) about your stay outside Germany. The e-mail address is auslaenderamt@passau.de. Please add 'Urlaubssemester' in the subject line and attach the leave of absence approval letter that was sent to you by the University.

Re-entry to Germany with a valid residence permit is possible at any time, insofar as the general travel regulations permit. If your residence permit expires during your stay abroad, you have to apply for a re-entry visa at the German embassy.

If you would like to terminate your lease/rental contract before the agreed term, e.g. because you want to leave early or cannot return to Passau, please contact your landlord and try to find a solution together. The same applies if you have to extend your stay and therefore need to lengthen the contract term. Please also contact your direct contract partners for follow-up costs from the rental (utilities, internet provider, electricity company and so on). If you are an international student and have rented your room through the International Office, please send an e-mail to accommodation@uni-passau.de. Here too, we will work with you to find a solution.

The foreigners' registration office (Ausländerbehörde) of the City of Passau currently processes extensions of residence permits by e-mail: auslaenderamt@passau.de. Please send all required documents directly to this address. If you have any questions about unforeseen extensions of your stay, semesters of leave or similar, please contact the foreigners' registration office directly. If you feel unsure, you can include the iStudi coach (istudicoach@uni-passau.de) in your e-mail correspondence.

At present the border to Austria is closed and can only be crossed under specific conditions and for valid reasons. In addition, when entering Germany or returning to Austria you become subject to a quarantine obligation. We are aware that this also affects students living in Austria and many of you are wondering how they should make their way to the University under these circumstances.

As long as the buildings and facilities of the University are closed and there are no face-to-face courses, we ask you to stay away from the campus and not to expose yourself and others to unnecessary risk. There is no need to worry about missing courses, as the campus is in lockdown, just like the rest of Bavaria and Austria. We will inform you in good time before the University facilities reopen and tell you about any conditions for crossing the border. Ideally, the lockdown will be lifted and the border reopened at the same time.

In the meantime, if you need to travel to Germany or back to Austria for private reasons, please read up on the current border regulations (German text) in advance.

Closing the university libraries was a decision taken by the ministry. Until the ministry reopens the libraries, we are not allowed to lend out books or run an emergency operation. However, we have generously increased ourholdings of licensed e-books in order to alleviate the situation a little bit. In addition, there is an association of Bavarian university libraries that enables access to e-books at other universities.

On 16 April the state government announced that public and university libraries would be opened starting 27 April 2020 as the earliest date, subject to conditions relating to hygiene, access control and avoidance of queues.

The Passau University Library will remain closed for the time being. This was decided by the University Executive and the the director of library services after intensive deliberations. Against the background of the ongoing crisis, lockdown and the suspension of all face-to-face teaching, it is neither risk-free to come to the campus and remain there, nor is it possible for all university members in equal measure. The University of Passau will continue to monitor the situation closely in close cooperation with the health authority for Passau. We will inform you in good time when the University Library can be safely reopened.

In view of the current general conditions, the University Library is offering a copyright-compliant scanning service for students at the University of Passau as of 20 April 2020, as an additional step after the considerable expansion of the e-media offering. This service will be in place until the reading rooms reopen and the books can be borrowed by students as before. Please report your requirements to ubinfo@uni-passau.de. The University Library is also happy to receive further suggestions for acquisitions of e-media at this e-mail address.

If you will not be coming to Germany, please contact your landlord or landlady and try to find a solution together. If you are an international student and have rented your room through the International Office, please contact accommodation@uni-passau.de. Here too, we will work with you to find a solution.

Due to the current special situation, the University of Passau has significantly expanded the possibilities for working from home. Work from home if you can and if it has been agreed with your division or administrative head. However, please remember that systemically relevant processes must be ensured and service points must be reachable by e-mail and/or telephone. For detailed information on telecommuting, see the memorandum of the Head of Administration Corona-Krise // Vertrauensarbeitszeit und alternierende Wohnraumarbeit vom 18. März bis 3. April 2020.

Timekeeping when working from home

On 6 April 2020, the University returned to exact timekeeping for academic support staff. To enable you to book your working hours at home in BayZeit, 450 additional virtual licenses have been purchased. This new functionality has now been activated for all academic support staff. When you open BayZeit in the Citrix environment, you will see additional new buttons: 'Kommen' and 'Gehen' ('Arrive' and 'Leave', respectively). For details, read this guide with screenshots (German). Staff working in their offices should use the CampusCard terminals.

Digital Workspace (Citrix environment)

All staff members of the University can access the central Digital Workspace (Citrix environment). When using a campus computer connected to the wired LAN network, you can use the 'Citrix Receiver' software to sign in. When using the Wi-Fi network or working from home, you should visit https://citrix-ext.uni-passau.de to log in to Citrix. The sign-in process uses two-factor authentication. This means you have to have a Smartphone with the FreeOTP app (iOS or Android) installed. The initial configuration of FreeOTP can only be done while connected to the University computer network by LAN cable. If you require help setting this up, contact ZIM Support (+49 851 509 1888, room IM 120). The ZIM has provided a detailed manual for the setup and use of Citrix (German).

The various donor organisations are currently scrambling to publish new information on how to deal with the coronavirus crisis. Research Services will collect and publish this information on a separate webpage.

If you cannot work from home or can only do so to a limited extent, (partial) paid leave can be granted for the entire duration of the closure of the schools and other childcare facilities (but NOT during school holidays), provided that the proper functioning of your unit is ensured and the leave is necessary because you have to look after the children. For children under 14 years of age, a declaration to this effect by the employee is sufficient. In absolute exceptional cases, the need for childcare for children aged 14 or older would have to be decided on a case-by-case basis. Staff members may not bring their children to the University. No childcare services are provided by the state institutions.

The aforementioned conditions for leave also apply analogously if there is a compelling need to care for an infirm relative and care cannot be arranged for otherwise. The precise nature of the relative's care requirement must be stated and evaluated. This is particularly true if the relatives are not being cared for at home.

As before, leave can only be granted as a last resort after all other possibilities of arranging for care have been exhausted. Aside from the health its employees, the state institutions' proper functioning has top priority. Therefore, any such leave may be granted on an hourly or daily basis.

Please contact your direct superior and the personnel office if you and your children are concerned.

If your children are under 12 years of age or registered disabled and are not allowed to attend school or go to their childcare facility because of a coronavirus infection, the usual rules for looking after your children in case of illness apply.

Please contact your direct superior immediately and the personnel office if you and your children are affected.

Until further notice, applications for business travel (including for training purposes) will not be approved. At the same time, all previously approved business travel (including for training purposes) has been cancelled. Cancellation costs will be reimbursed by the University due to the special circumstances. However, you must cancel the business and training trips in good time to keep the costs to a minimum. For further information, please refer to the Human Resources Department's announcement on Dienstreisen und Stornokosten im Zusammenhang mit der Corona-Krise (German text).

The decision whether to convene face-to-face meetings rests with the staff members themselves. In principle, all university members should observe rules of hygiene and refrain from shaking hands or sharing dishes, and choose sufficiently large rooms for meetings. Under these conditions meetings are generally possible.

However, existing health conditions of team members themselves or those caring for elderly or seriously ill family members etc. may consider that the risk is too great, despite taking precautions, to attend meetings in person. It is up to the respective teams to make these decisions together. Pragmatic solutions may include using video conferencing software, e.g. using mobile phones.

Staff members who have to come in to work can enter the building via the side entrances using their office key. The site map shows you which building entrances can be opened with the office key. Please make sure that the door is actually locked again after passing through. If, contrary to expectations, your office key for the associated building does not work, please contact the Buildings and Estates Service Office, extension 1231.

Are you at increased risk due to an underlying illnesses (e.g. leukaemia, diabetes, lung diseases, immune deficiency)? Then please contact your doctor. Please discuss with the doctor whether you need to take special precautions (e.g. not using public transport, not working in offices where there is face-to-face contact with members of the public, telecommuting). If it is not possible to carry out the measures and precautions deemed necessary by your doctor, he or she will have to decide whether you are still fit for work. Ask your doctor for a written recommendation of the measures. This will help you when you coordinate matters with your superiors and, if required, Human Resources. Our representative for the severely disabled will advise and support you in such matters.

Masks and other personal protective equipment are currently very difficult to obtain, for private individuals and organisations like ours alike. The University cannot therefore provide protective masks to its employees. As there is no mask-wearing requirement in Germany so far, you do not necessarily have to wear a mask when go on campus. The Federal Ministry of Health's FAQ page (German) provides science-backed information on the effectiveness of protective masks. According to this, the best way to protect yourself and others is to keep a minimum distance of 1.5 metres from one another, to go out alone and to take the usual hygiene measures (regular hand washing; sneezing and coughing into your bent elbow). You may also consider going to work at times when there are fewer people on campus, e.g. in the early morning or towards the evening, to minimise the chance of running into others.

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