Important information - FAQ

The registration deadlines for students can be found here. The registration deadlines for doctoral studies can be found here. The deadlines for changing programs before starting your studies can be found here.

The contact person for student studies is Prof. Dr. Claus Breisbart (Philosophy; Physics).

Information on the procedure for cancelling an examination and entering a medical certificate can be found in this medical certificate sheet.

Information on renewing semester enrollment can be found here. Deadlines for changing programs during your studies can be found here.

Information about the cost of studying at the university as well as scholarships and funds can be found here.

If you have any questions or problems with the KSL, please contact KSL Support.

• Conditions of participation: At the Phil.-nat. Faculty, lecturers may make the right to participate in performance assessments for their courses dependent on performance to be achieved during the semester (exercises, participation in internships, etc.). Information on this will be announced at the beginning of the semester in the corresponding courses and can also be found on their websites and in the KSL.
• Deregistration from performance assessments: Registration for any performance assessment can be withdrawn online without justification at least 14 days before the start of the corresponding performance assessment. Withdrawals less than 14 days before the examination date can no longer be made online, but only directly and with a justification (e.g. illness, death in the family, etc.) to the responsible lecturer.
• Illness before or during a performance assessment: Indisposition and illness shortly before or during a performance assessment must be reported immediately to the responsible person and documented as soon as possible with a doctor's certificate. If no such report is made before the end of the examination, the candidate is considered healthy and fit to take the examination.
• For the legal basis of performance assessments, see RSL Phil.-nat. 18 Art. 32 ff. (in German)

Would you like to study at a foreign university for one or two semesters as part of an exchange program or on your own? You have this option after completing your first year of study. You can find information about this on the pages about mobility and exchange at the University of Bern.

The topic of sustainability or sustainable development (SD) is dealt with at the Phil.-nat. Faculty in all curricula in different ways. All SD courses (double courses and electives) are available in a separate SD appendix for each curriculum. Furthermore, courses related to SD can be found in KSL by searching for the following keywords: Sustainability, sustainable development, sustainable, education for sustainable development, sustainability, sustainable development.

The study committee of the Phil.-nat. Faculty has defined the procedure for disadvantage compensation and recorded it in a document (Prozessdefinition_Nachteilsausgleich.pdf (PDF, 116KB)). Students who want to apply for a disadvantage compensation are asked to proceed as described in the document. In brief: You submit the application for disadvantage compensation together with the University of Bern's study letter (only in German) to your director of studies (major subject). In consultation with the director of studies, you will be given a confirmation letter (sample template Confirmation letter compensation for disadvantages.pdf (only in German)) and the further procedure will be defined. Please note: if contact is to be made via a third party (e.g. a coach), this person must be in possession of a power of attorney, which must be presented to the Director of Studies.

Information Nachteilsausgleich.pdf (only in German)

The legal basis for the studies at the Phil.-nat. Faculty are the Regulations on Studies and Performance Assessments (RSL) and the respective curricula and their appendices. These documents can be found here.

Grades, final grades and other legally binding decisions of the Dean's Office of the Phil.-nat. Faculty are communicated to the students in writing, in the form of an order. The decision is accompanied by instructions on how to appeal, which show the student how to proceed, i.e. how to take legal action: For example, an appeal against a grade decision that is not justified from the student's point of view can be filed with the Appeals Commission of the University of Bern within 30 days. The homepage and the information sheet of the Appeals Commission provide detailed information about the Appeals Commission, the procedure and the costs of the procedure.
Before submitting an appeal, we recommend that students contact the Director of Studies or the Dean's Office in advance. Often there are misunderstandings or ambiguities that can be settled amicably without having to initiate legal proceedings, which are often lengthy.
Likewise, the SUB's Legal Assistance Service offers individual legal advice and services for enrolled students.

Information about the possibility of extending the period of study and the application form for this can be found here.

Please see the information sheet Doctoral Level.pdf (only in German)

Frequently asked questions about the degree can be found here:

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

PhD degree

Under the following conditions, enrollment in the following semester is no longer necessary:

• Bachelor's degree: The grade of the Bachelor's thesis was entered in the KSL before week 8 or 38 and the studies will not be continued at the University of Bern.
• Master's program: The definitive master's thesis including the evaluation was submitted to the Office of Student Affairs of the Dean's Office of the Phil.-nat. Faculty before week 8 resp. 38.
• PhD studies: The PhD examination must take place no later than 31.01 (fall semester) or 31.07 (spring semester) of a given year. Attention: PhD students must be enrolled at least until the semester in which their PhD examination takes place.

The graduation ceremony of the Phil.-nat. Faculty takes place every year in February. The graduates concerned receive an invitation by email each December.

The next graduation ceremony will take place on Wednesday, February 21, 2024.

The Phil.-nat. Faculty offers students of the PHBern subject studies in natural science subjects - the so-called subject-specific basis - for prospective teachers of secondary level I (link only in German) or secondary level II (link only in German). Further information about the studies at the University of Teacher Education Bern can be found here: PHBern (Link only in German).