The winter semester will be a hybrid semester

Online teaching and face-to-face teaching

A large part of the winter semester 2020/21 will be taught online. Although some face-to-face teaching will still take place, the upcoming semester will be a hybrid semester. A hybrid semester means that face-to-face teaching is offered to supplement online teaching. However, all compulsory classes must continue to be offered online to ensure the participation and inclusion of students who are currently abroad and unable to leave the country, of students with pre-existing conditions to whom face-to-face teaching would pose a particularly high risk and of students with children, who are required to study at home due to school or childcare closures.

In short, we need to ensure that studies can continue in all degree programmes.

Whether to offer face-to-face teaching and to whom is a decision that will be made by the dean of studies at the faculties in consultation with the degree programmes. Where possible, students who are new to FAU should be offered face-to-face teaching so that they have the opportunity to get to know the University. Unfortunately, it is simply not possible to hold all lectures and classes in the usual rooms and lecture halls due to the current distancing and hygiene guidelines. ‘For example, the Audimax which has almost 900 seats, can currently only seat 86 people’ reports Friedrich Schüller, Head of Occupational Safety at FAU.

All further information related to the coronavirus and links to faculty regulations are available on the FAU coronavirus information website Please check this website for up to date information on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on FAU. Please contact corona-informationen@fau.de or the Student Advice and Career Service if you have any individual questions.

Are you new to FAU and not sure where to start?

On the website www.fau.eu/start-of-the-semester we are collecting information and details of services that are relevant to anyone who is new to FAU, especially due to the coronavirus pandemic, ranging from virtual tours and information events to online seminars for starting your studies successfully.

The welcome event for new students will take place on 12 October 2020 (2-5pm, TBC) –for all students who are starting at FAU in the autumn and for students who have already started their studies in this summer semester.

We would like to wish everyone a relaxing summer break and a good start to the winter semester in the autumn.