Concerning Corona & COVID-19

Current measures and information

The current situation is definitely a big challenge for everyone – but our team is still here for you! Be assured, our whole team is working diligently to support you with any kind of questions and to ensure smooth-running processes. Let us know how we can be of help to you.

We as RWTH Business School are doing our best to offer you a safe and smooth continuation or start of your studies – be it on campus or online depending on future developments. As we have been working with blended learning in most of our courses already we are quite experienced with video lectures, screencasts or interactive online sessions and are now bringing it to the next level for entirely digital programs – if the situation demands it. We will inform you well in advance in case of any changes and would be more than happy to have you all back with us as soon as possible.

FAQs

Are you thinking of online lectures for future certificate courses / the next semester?

For the last years, we have been working with blended learning in most of our courses already. Thus, we are very experienced with video lectures, screencasts, or interactive online sessions. The current winter semester 2020/21 will be held mostly digitally until further notice. We are constantly keeping an eye on the current developments and will adapt our processes according to the situation so that you won’t have any disadvantages.

Will the upcoming certificate courses take place?

The upcoming certificate courses will be held online. The safety of our lecturers and participants is our top priority here, while at the same time we are striving to guarantee the high quality of the courses.

Does the current situation have an impact on the current enrollment process?

Right now everything is working as planned. We are constantly evaluating the further developments and will adapt our enrollment process according to the situation to avoid any disadvantages.

Are there any entry regulations for Germany?

Please note that there are compulsory regulations that are obligatory for all students who travel to Germany from risk areas:

The Robert-Koch-Institute provides a list of risk areas. Please inform yourself about all the current regulations before you travel to Germany and adhere to them.

The federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia also has decided to impose a quarantine on persons who return from travelling in these risk areas. The regulations concerning quarantine can be found here.

IMPORTANT: These regulations are legally binding. If you do not comply with them, you risk being punished.

Please note that the generally known regulations for a two-week quarantine order and free testing possibility now also apply to students coming from a risk area.

For students who enter the country daily (commuters) or who are only in the country for up to 5 days because of their studies, the obligation to self-quarantine and notify the public health department does not apply. However, any students who arrive in Germany and stay for longer than 5 days must report to the Health Office immediately. The public health department can shorten the quarantine period if students present a negative test result. As soon as the (shortened) quarantine period is over, students may attend courses and take exams at RWTH if they are taking place again physically.

Regarding the application of these regulations, you should contact the respective health department of your place of residence. You can find information of the health department of Aachen here.

Detailed information (for border commuters, others traveling to or from Aachen, etc) can be found in the latest blog post of the university.

There is also a lot of helpful information offered by RWTH Aachen University. You can find their FAQs here. For additional support and answers please visit the website of the ASTA (RWTH Student Union) here. We have also summarized the most important information for you below:

Prohibition of contact

The state government of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) has issued a Coronavirus Protection Ordinance in line with the other federal states. These measures are to be understood as a minimum standard. The following regulations must be observed in all areas of RWTH Aachen University:

  • In principle, individuals are obligated to wear a mask when in a room or on the premises of RWTH.
  • Physical work meetings of two or more persons may only be held if they are absolutely necessary for the current operation of the RWTH and a digital form of work cannot be made possible even with restrictions.
  • A minimum distance of two meters between two persons must be maintained for all activities. If this is not possible, the activity may only be carried out under compensation measures previously agreed with the occupational safety department.
  • Infected university members (no suspected cases) must be reported immediately to the university medical facility.

You can also find information about infection with the virus here.  For further information of the city of Aachen please click here.

For your reference, we have also included a link to information by the WHO.

Studying at RWTH Aachen University

To stay up to date, you can visit the Corona-Blog of the RWTH.

Based on recent decisions by the federal and state governments on the extension of the lockdown, the Crisis Management Team and the Rectorate of RWTH have decided on the following measures:

  • All virtual courses and exams will continue as scheduled.
  • The regulation that no in-person exams may be held at RWTH up to and including April 12 still applies, with exceptions in the field of medicine and for lab courses.
  • Instructors have the option of offering exams as online exams. As part of the instructors’ constitutionally protected freedom in research and teaching, the decision in this regard is entirely up to them. Please watch out for upcoming announcements as to whether, and in what form, the exams you have registered for will be offered!
  • In the case of experimental theses that require attendance, students must discuss available options with their supervisors.
  • The free attempt regulation is still valid until the end of the summer semester exam period. This means that an exam graded as “failed” or “insufficient” is considered to not have been taken. This does not apply if you fail to attend an exam without providing a good reason or if the exam is assessed as “failed” or “insufficient” due to a cheating attempt or any other breach of regulations. In such cases, the attempt will indeed be counted.

The study rooms at RWTH Aachen University will remain closed until further notice. This also means that students should not be at the study tables in the corridors or in open parts of the building.

Following the six-week closure resulting from lockdown measures, Studierendenwerk Aachen is now resuming operations at Mensa Academica starting from February 8 and accordingly for Mensa Vita starting from March 1. They are planning to sell two different takeout dishes to students and university employees on weekdays from 11:30 am to 3 pm. The daily choices include one vegetarian and one meat-based dish.

As in previous months, only students and employees of the four Aachen universities who can prove their university affiliation are eligible to access the dining hall. All necessary precautions and hygiene measures will be observed in the dining hall.

The sports facilities of the University Sports Center (HSZ) remain closed. Despite the current circumstances, you will be able to enjoy at least part of the HSZ sports program from home during digital workouts.

It is the explicit aim of the university to offer more digital services in the area of teaching and examinations. As a pioneer in the digitization of teaching, the RWTH also wants to use this opportunity for the benefit of its students.

For applicants: Our application process is also entirely online, no need to send us any printed documents.

The Crisis Management Team and the RWTH Rectorate have taken the above measures based on the following guideline: All measures are intended to substantially reduce the risk of infection (for example, by reducing the need to take transportation to and from work). At the same time, we are committed to helping students progress with their degree programs in the best possible way.