Specific conditions by faculty
Please find below the particular conditions for each Faculty with respect to the policy on absence for family commitments (pregnancy, sick child, etc.).
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Faculty of Arts and Humanities
Minimum attendance rate
Some study plans have a minimum attendance rate. If absent, we advise you to inform the lecturer and secretary's office of the department concerned, and include valid supporting evidence for this. If this condition is not met, you risk a definitive failure. Find out from your study plan.
Pregnancy, sick child, absence during assessments
If your absence is due to problems related to your pregnancy or a sick child, it is considered a case of absence due to force majeure. You must notify this in writing to the study programme director concerned as soon as you know the reason, with a copy to the department secretary's office. If this cannot be communicated on the same day, it must be done at latest 7 days after the assessment date.
If exams fall slightly before the due date of a pregnancy, you still have the option to cancel your enrolment or quite simply not to enrol for the exam. If cancellation is no longer possible, it is important that you communicate your absence and send your medical certificate to your programme director, as well as the secretary's office of the department concerned. In this case, the department secretary's office will defer the exam session.
1st year of Bachelor's degree exams
Except for compelling reasons, first year exams must be passed during the exam sessions in the first four semesters of the study programme.
Asking for leave
The University offers the option of taking one or several semesters of leave for maternity or paternity leave. These semesters or leave do not count as part of the duration of your studies.
Request for extension
Extension requests concerning first year Bachelor's degree exams must be sent to the Deanery Council in writing with a brief summary of the reasons at the latest 15 days before the start of the fifth semester of studies.
Extension requests concerning the duration of Bachelor's and Master's studies must be sent to the Deanery Council in writing with a brief summary of the reasons at the latest 30 days before the end of the final authorised semester of studies.
Regulation of 8 March 2018 on obtaining the Bachelor or Master's degree from the Faculty of Arts and Humanities (Art. 19, paragraphs 1-3, Art. 29 paragraph 2, Arts.30, 35 and 49)
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Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences and Management
Minimum attendance rate
Some study plans have a minimum attendance rate. If absent, we advise you to inform the lecturer and secretary's office of the department concerned, and include valid supporting evidence for this. If this condition is not met, you risk a definitive failure. Find out more depending on your study plan.
Pregnancy, sick child, absence during assessments
If exams fall towards your due date or that of your partner, you have the option of informing the Faculty of your absence. A medical certificate must then be sent to the department secretary.
You can use this general address for this purpose exams-delegate-ses@unifr.ch which will always be read, or telephone the dean's office on 026 300 8200.
Asking for leave
The University offers the option of taking one or several semesters of leave for maternity or paternity leave. These semesters of leave do not count as part of the duration of your studies.
Request for extension
Depending on the situation, the Faculty allows students to extends their studies or draw up an adapted study plan with them, which takes their family commitments and what they cannot do into account. These requests are dealt with on an individual basis, as each situation is different.
Absence during tests
You can withdraw from a test up to the last working day that precedes it at midday (12pm). If the withdrawal takes place after the enrolment period, the enrolment fee is retained. If you know the exam questions, on the other hand, you will no longer have the option of having your exam cancelled through a medical certificate.
If you are absent from exams for exceptional reasons, beyond your control, a written excuse must be given immediately to the examinations officer, and in any cases before the end of the exam session. The postmark provides proof of the date sent. The examinations officer decides on the validity of the excuse.
Regulation of 19 May 2014 on the structure of studies and examinations at the Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences (Art. 25-27)
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Faculty of law
Minimum attendance rate
In general, the Faculty of law does not have an obligation to attend classes. As a result, no certificate is required if there are problems related to pregnancy or a sick child.
There is nonetheless one exception: attendance is required for the block course for the Master of law taught track. The Faculty of law authorises a maximum of 3 days of reasoned absence during the three weeks of intensive block classes for the Master of law taught track. This also applies to health issues due to pregnancy. In all cases, if you are absent for more than 3 days, you will fail the block course. The medical certificate has no effect in this specific case, as you can resit the block course, select another course or the block course in the next semester.
Pregnancy, sick child, absence during assessments
If you cannot attend exams due to problems related to your pregnancy or a sick child, you can withdraw from the exam. If the withdrawal deadline for the exam has passed, you must send a medical certificate to the Dean's office (ius-examens@unifr.ch).
The examinations officer intervenes and decides if the absence can be considered an absence without failure (meaning that the number of attempts to pass the exam in question is not affected).
If you a Bachelor of Law student and you cannot attend the June exam session, it is also up to the examinations officer to decide if you can directly attend the retake session provided in September, or if you must wait for the next ordinary exam session in January.
Asking for leave
The University offers the option of taking one or several semesters of leave for maternity or paternity leave. These semesters of leave do not count as part of the duration of your studies.
Request for extension
In view of the option of asking for maternity or paternity leave, the Faculty of law's rules do not provide an extension of study time for pregnancy.
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Faculty of theology
Minimum attendance rate
For less than 3 days of absence in classes (any type of class), a medical declaration of pregnancy may be given to the department secretary or the lecturer. In all cases of more than 3 days, a medical certificate is obligatory.
Absence at assessments
Tests for a teaching unit or module must take place at the latest before the start of classes in the 5th semester following enrolment for this unit or module. If this rule is not complied with, the teaching unit or module concerned shall be considered unattained.
In agreement with the teacher, an exam may be deferred.
On written and detailed request from you, the Curatorium may authorise another deadline for the submission of end-of-year work.
Asking for leave
The University offers the option of taking one or several semesters of leave for maternity or paternity leave. These semesters of leave do not count as part of the duration of your studies.
Request for extension
Extending your studies by one semester, one year or several years does not pose a problem. Inform your teacher, and get in touch with the dean's office (decanat-theol@unifr.ch).
Regulation of 25 May on receiving university and ecclesiastical degrees in the Faculty of Theology (Art. 25, paragraph 4 and 26, paragraph 3) -
Faculty of science and medicine
Minimum attendance rate
For classes with compulsory attendance (practicals): for less than 3 days of absence, a medical declaration of pregnancy may be given to the department secretary or the lecturer. In all cases of more than 3 days, a medical certificate is mandatory. For most classes, there are no attendance checks.
Asking for leave
The University offers the option of taking one or several semesters of leave for maternity or paternity leave. These semesters of leave do not count as part of the duration of your studies.
Request for extension
Requests to extend the duration of studies (without asking for leave), as well as part-time studies, are exceptional requests to the rules and must go via the Request Committee.
For extension requests, you must prove that you could not complete your studies within the set deadline due to exceptional circumstances. The Committee deals with and decides, where applicable, on the number of additional semesters.
Absence during tests
The first year of a Bachelor's degree must be completed in 4 semesters. Master's studies must be completed in 6 semesters.
If your due date is near the exams, you can choose not to enter the exams for this session, and enrol for the next session where these exams are offered. There is also the option of opting out of exams.
If you waive, after the enrolment deadline, attendance at a test you are enrolled for, you must inform the dean's office of this by mail at the latest seven days (date of receipt) before the start of the exam session. In this case, enrolment for the test will be cancelled.
If you waive attendance at a test you are enrolled for after the deadline mentioned above, you must notify the dean of this by mail, mentioning the reasons for your withdrawal. If the case of illness or accident (pregnancy and child sickness included), an original medical certificate must be submitted. The submission deadline for the original medical certificate (to the dean's office) is fifteen days as of the day after the exam date in question. The dean decides if the reasons given are valid. If this is the case, the test will not be considered failed.
Without a valid reason justifying withdrawal, disruption or cancellation, the test is considered failed.
Regulation of 6 April 2020 on receiving the Bachelor and Master of Science
Art. 10-13 and 16)