Student Affairs Office

Some matters can only be handled by means of a formal application. You can find the necessary forms here.

IT-User-Guidelines

Health insurance

According to the German Social Security Code (Sozialgesetzbuch - SGB V), all students are in principle subject to compulsory health insurance.

In all cases, however, the electronic certificate from the student's statutory health insurance company must be submitted for enrollment, stating whether the student is insured or, alternatively, whether the student is exempt from insurance, exempt from compulsory insurance, or not compulsory insurance.

Liability insurance

The general liability principles apply to personal injury and property damage caused by students in connection with their studies, especially during the practical study semesters or when preparing a practical thesis. It is therefore recommended to take out liability insurance in order to be protected against liability claims, especially during the practical study semesters. Information can be obtained from the insurance companies.

Since technical courses of study involve working with high-quality, sometimes very sensitive equipment during exercises and internships throughout the entire course of study, it is advisable to extend liability insurance to the entire period of study.

Accident insurance

All students are insured against the consequences of an accident directly related to their studies during their entire studies, free of charge, in accordance with the provisions of the German Social Security Code (SGB). During the practical study semesters, there is statutory accident protection in accordance with § 2 Para. 1 No. 8 c) SGB VII at the professional association responsible for the training company.

An accident of any kind (including accidents on the way to and from the university) must be reported immediately to the study office, as there is a legal obligation to report to the Bavarian State Accident Insurance Fund (Bayerische Landesunfallkasse) as the statutory accident insurance fund.

According to Art. 93, Para. 2 of the Bavarian Higher Education Innovation Act (BayHIG), students can be released from the obligation to study properly for good cause. A leave of absence is granted for one semester at a time if the important reason is proven by the student.

The leave of absence must always be applied for during the respective re-registration period for the coming semester by means of an application form. Recognized important reasons for granting a leave of absence are, for example, a long-term illness, the completion of a voluntary internship not prescribed by the SPO, pregnancy and the upbringing of a child.

A leave of absence may be granted for a maximum of two semesters, except in the case of raising a child. The first-time taking of examinations is excluded in the case of a granted leave of absence in this semester, however, repeat examinations may have to be taken if a repeat period is affected here. EXCEPTION: examinations may only be taken for the first time if a leave of absence has been granted due to pregnancy or child rearing.

Details are regulated in the university's own statutes on enrollment, leave of absence, re-registration and de-registration procedures.

You can apply for a leave of absence in the PRIMUSS-Portal.

The following information is intended to give you an overview of the legal requirements, content, organization and procedure of the practical semester. If you have any further questions, the university will be happy to help you. If you have any questions or problems, please contact us at an early stage so that we can find a solution together.

1. Legal basis

The practical semester is a compulsory part of the Bachelor's degree course and, depending on the respective study regulations, also in individual Master's degree courses.   The aim of the practical semester is to provide students with practical training. The practical semester is subject to a number of legal regulations that must be adhered to; exceptions to these regulations are only possible in rare cases.   The following legal bases exist:

-Regulations on the implementation of practical semesters at the state universities of applied sciences in Bavaria Announcement of the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts dated January 24, 2023

- Study and examination regulations (SER) of the respective degree program

2. Contact persons and information options

The first point of contact for students is the respective course advisor for the degree program. The course directors can also provide assistance with questions about the practical semester. You can find specific names on our homepage, as well as further information about the internship. A number of forms and samples are also available for download.

3. Components of a practical semester

The recognition of a practical semester requires the following components:

• Internship contract
• Completion of the internship
• Internship report (only BW/IM/WR) or project work
• Confirmation/certificate of the internship

4. Timing of the practical semester

The timing of the practical semesters is regulated separately for each individual degree program. The exact provisions are set out in the respective study and examination regulations (location: Office of Student Affairs - SER [Study and Examination Regulations]).

5. Internship companies

Students are generally entitled and obliged to nominate an internship to the university. This means that you must look for a suitable internship yourself and apply in writing, submitting the usual application documents. Internship positions can be found on the university notice boards at the relevant locations (information from the faculty secretariats) or in the online job exchanges. The internship officers or course directors of the individual degree programs will be happy to support you in your search for an internship. When choosing an internship company, make sure that the company can offer you practical work that is related to your degree course. If in doubt, the suitability of the company for an internship should be clarified in advance with the responsible internship officer/degree program director.

6. Internship contract

The prerequisite for completing an internship is usually a legally binding internship contract. Sample contracts are available to download from the PRIMUSS portal. As a rule, larger companies have their own contract templates, which are also recognized by the university. A copy of the signed internship contract must be submitted via the PRIMUSS portal.
As a general rule, it is not possible to complete an internship without the internship contract.

7. Duration of the practical semesters

The practical semester usually lasts at least 20 weeks. The specific regulations for the individual degree programs are listed in the respective study and examination regulations.

8. Project work

Students on Bachelor's degree courses in Industrial Engineering, Business Informatics, Applied Informatics, Media Informatics, Mobile Computing, Mechanical Engineering (also MB international), Environmental Engineering, Innovative Textiles and Materials Engineering must complete a project during the practical semester. The project work must be registered in writing (registration form: Students - Academic Office - Downloads). The formal design is based on the guidelines for writing a thesis (Students - Office of Student Affairs - Thesis).

9. Internship at the company

In the event of illness or absence of more than 5 days, the missed days must be made up. In principle, the internship should be completed in full at one company. If there are compelling reasons, a splitting of the internship can be approved after prior application to the study office. The intern's daily working hours are generally based on the working hours of the training company. The internship can begin at the earliest after the end of the examination period of the preceding theoretical semester.
It is not possible to do an internship in your own company. An internship in the parents' company is possible if the company has a recognized training authorization. The student remains a member of Hof University of Applied Sciences throughout the internship.

10. Insurance coverage during the internship

Only the statutory provisions apply to social security issues. Further information can be obtained from the health insurance companies. Students are insured by law against accidents at work (for internships in Germany) with the employers' liability insurance association responsible for the place of training.   As practical training during the course of study is considered to be equivalent to a professional activity, students are liable for any damage they may cause. The usual personal liability insurance does not apply here. It is therefore strongly recommended that you take out special liability insurance.

11. Internship report/certificate

In the degree programs Business Administration, Media Design, Textile Design, Business Law and International Mechanical Engineering, a practical report must be completed. This is not graded, but given the rating "with success/without success". The report must be confirmed by the training company with a signature and sent to the responsible degree program officer in the study office by e-mail. The internship report must be accompanied by a certificate signed by the company. Forms are available for download.
The internship report should be created using a word processing system, have a minimum length of 10 pages and a maximum length of 20 pages DIN A4. Exceptions to this are the degree programs Mechanical Engineering International and Textile Design. In the Textile Design degree program, the general conditions that can be found in the Moodle course "Internship TD_Praxisprojekt_Praxisseminar" apply and the report must be submitted to the internship coordinator of the degree program.
For Mechanical Engineering International, the internship report must contain a section of 2 to 3 pages per internship week. The font should be Arial 12 pt. with 1.5 line spacing; the page margin should be 2.5 cm. The report must describe the progress of the training.
The following structure must be used for the report:
1. brief introduction of the company (at least 2 pages): Succinct explanations of the company's industry, history, legal form and market position are suitable here.
2. organizational structure and operational departments (at least 2 pages, if necessary with an organization chart): The individual departments, work and task areas to which the student was assigned during the internship should be described here.
3. activities performed or observed (at least 3 pages): In this item, the student should elaborate on the work he/she performed. This is less about general explanations (e.g. "what are special expenses?", "which advertising materials were used?"), but more about the experiences "on the job" (e.g. how were conflicts resolved?). It would also be desirable to evaluate the internship company in terms of the knowledge gained and the quality and intensity of supervision. This would enable the university to better advise future interns.
4. scientific foundations (at least 3 pages): This point serves to link the practical experience gained by the student with the knowledge and statements conveyed so far in the degree program. This information is of particular importance for the university, as it enables statements to be made about how well it prepares students for practical work experience. For example, if the internship was completed in the controlling department, it would be useful to provide information about the type of cost accounting system used in the company, the classification of cost centers and the computer programs used. At the same time, it should be described how the content taught in the lectures helped to solve the operational tasks.

12. Admission requirements for the practical semester

Admission to a practical semester is dependent on certain admission requirements, which are set out in the respective study and examination regulations. If these requirements are not met, students cannot enter the practical semester. Subsequent recognition of a completed internship without prior fulfillment of the admission requirements is not possible under any circumstances! Students who have not met the requirements for admission to the practical semester and have already been accepted by an internship company or have signed an internship contract are obliged to inform the training center immediately in writing.

13. Crediting of the practical semester

Completion of the practical semester can be credited in full or in part if certain requirements are met (completed vocational training and proven related professional activity). For this purpose, an informal written application must be submitted by the student to the respective examination board of the degree program (submission of the application to the study office with the responsible degree program officer! The examination board then decides on the application together with the responsible internship officer/degree program director. The student will be informed of the result in writing.

Internship offers

Inthe links stellenhof (only for students of Hof University of Applied Sciences) you can search for open internships, in the job exchange also for theses, job offers, etc..

Contact persons

If you have any questions about your internship, please contact the member of staff responsible for you in the student affairs office.

If you wish to continue your studies in the following semester, you must apply for re-registration in accordance with Art. 93 Para. 1 of the Bavarian University Innovation Act (BayHIG). This also applies if you have applied for a leave of absence. The deadline for re-registration is set by Hof University. You apply for re-registration online via the PRIMUSS-Portal.

When you re-register, you pay the fee due via ePayment procedure of the State Office of Finance.

The obligation to re-register also applies to dual students, even if the training company pays the contributions.

Please note: Certificates of study for the semester of re-registration can only be provided after the grade enforcement (approx. first week of March for the summer semester, approx. second week of September for the winter semester)!

Detailed regulations can be found in the Statutes on the enrollment, leave of absence, re-registration and de-registration procedures at Hof University of Applied Sciences.

Student Union Fees

The basic fee is €72; the additional fee for the semester ticket is €58.29 from the winter semester 2024/2025.  The total contribution of €130.29 is due upon enrollment or re-registration for further studies and is paid upon re-registration in the PRIMUSS-Portal.

You can find the legal basis for the collection of contributions on the page of the Studentenwerk Oberfranken under Rechtsvorschriften!

Semester ticket

Free travel for students at Hof University

The Studentenwerk Oberfranken (Student Union Upper Franconia) has agreed with some transport providers on the use of a semester ticket. The Campus Card with photo is valid as a ticket; the validity of the semester ticket is one semester at a time and is updated when the Campus Card is validated. The following terms of use apply:

• HofBus GmbH

Free travel on all lines on the Hof-Münchberg route

• DB Regio AG (keine Privatbahn z. B. Agilis oder ALEX)

Free travel on all lines on the Hof-Münchberg route

• Verkehrsgemeinschaft Bayreuth-Hof

Cooperation partner: Verkehrsbetriebe Bachstein GmbH and Omnibusverkehr Franken GmbH
Free travel on selected lines between the Hof and Münchberg section of the route

• Agilis-Bahn Free travel on all lines on the Hof-Selb route

The following semester times apply:

Winter semester 1. Oktober until 14. March
Summer semester 15. March until 30. September

Deutschlandticket reduced price

is a fully-fledged Deutschlandticket. You can get it exclusiv at the onlineshop of our distributor VGN currently only in german language.

In the shop You have to

1. select "Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften Hof" and click "weiter"
2. on the next page DFN-AAI select again "Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften Hof"
3. Login with your Hof-University access data.