Certificates (all types)

A transcript of records attests to the coursework you successfully completed. The transcript can be stored electronically in your STiNE account and you can print it out as an official document whenever you need it. You can also request a hard-copy version, but only a single copy of this will be issued. In both cases, the transcript can be issued in either English or German.

Use the web form to submit your transcript request.

• Certificate request form

Before you submit your transcript request, check to ensure that the information in your course account is correct. If not, or if you are not certain, contact the exam manager responsible for your degree program. 

• Social Sciences Academic Office staff

Once you have completed your studies, the following documents are issued in German (original) and English (copies) upon request: degree certificate, diploma, the Diploma Supplement, and the transcript of records. The documents indicate the date on which you officially completed your studies (the date on which you took your last exam). For example: if your bachelor’s thesis is your final examination, the (actual) date of submission will be used as the official completion date of your studies. All documents also display their date of creation. The documents are signed by the chair of the examinations board or by the dean.

After you complete all examinations and obtain your results, your examination office will email you the application form to request your transcripts and certificates. This application is usually enclosed with the reviewers’ reports on your final thesis.

If you have questions about these documents, contact the exam manager responsible for your program.

• Social Sciences Academic Office staff

Students who receive federal loans must submit proof of coursework pursuant to Section 48 BAföG to Studierendenwerk Hamburg in the course of their studies. Use the proper form to enter your personal data and the semester for which the coursework should be certified (generally the fourth semester). 

Use the web form below to submit your request:

• Certificate request form

If you apply to a master’s program, in some cases you must also submit a certificate providing a prognosis for your studies. Many potential employers and foundations that offer scholarships now also request official documentation indicating when a student is expected to complete a program.

This prognosis certifies that you can successfully complete your studies by a specific date (generally the start of a new program or job). As the prognosis usually involves a lot of questions, you can only request it in a meeting with the degree program coordinator responsible for your program.

• Social Sciences Academic Office staff

The curricula for the bachelor’s programs in sociology and political science include a mandatory 9-week internship. In many cases, the internship provider requires proof that the internship is mandatory. Since students can also do an internship abroad, they can request a certificate in either German or English.

Use the web form below to request the certificate:

• Certificate request form

Learning Agreements are agreements in writing that are concluded for study abroad. The agreements govern the recognition of coursework completed abroad for the degree program in Hamburg.

First, students must submit an LA when they apply for a place to study in an exchange program. The LA submitted with the application is generally preliminary, meaning you list courses from the current or previous curricula and not from the semester that you will be completing abroad.

Be aware that the degree program coordinator does not have to discuss or sign the preliminary LA that you submit with the application.

The degree program coordinator only has to consult with you and sign the LA after you have been accepted to an exchange program. Subsequently, you send this LA to the partner university. To clarify which courses can be recognized and to have your LA signed, you need to meet with your degree program coordinator.

Send your degree program coordinator an email to make an appointment to discuss the LA. Attach the LA and, if available, information about the courses (e.g., about the topics, exams, reading material) as a PDF.

Also read the information from the international office of the Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences about correctly completing the LA. 

• International office

If you wish to make changes to the courses after you arrive at the university abroad, you must note these changes in a LA for changes. These changes also have to be clarified with your degree program coordinator. It is best to handle this by email: ask about whether the courses can be recognized and provide information about the courses, either as an attachment or by providing a link.

For information about your degree program coordinator and office hours, contact the

• Staff of the Social Sciences Academic Office.

You require certified copies of your transcripts and certificates (certificate, final record of grades, transcript of records, or diploma supplement) or other documents you have received in the course of your studies? Contact the registration office responsible. Which registration office is responsible in your case depends on your address of residence. In Hamburg, you can obtain certified copies of your documents at the Hamburg Service—the City’s customer service centers (formerly called Kundenzentren).

Further information:

• Municipal authority search engine
• Information on document certification, City of Hamburg
• Information on prior document certification or apostilles for presentation abroad, City of Hamburg

We ask for your understanding that the academic offices in the Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences cannot certify documents.

In accordance with recommendations from the German Rectors’ Conference and the current valid regulations of the University of Hamburg, ECTS grades are not currently calculated or listed (by the academic offices in the Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences) in transcript documents or other documents.

If you require official proof, you can find a declaration from the head office for academic affairs in the Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences here:

• Non-issuance ECTS grades (German)
• Non-issuance ECTS grades (English)

Paper course certificates can be used only in justified exceptional cases, e.g., if exam results cannot be entered into STiNE but need to be added later by exam managers. Submit your course completion certificates to the exam manager responsible.

• Social Sciences Academic Office staff
• Course certificate attesting to course participation  [PDF not accessible for disabled individuals]
• Course certificate and protocol for oral exams [PDF not accessible for disabled individuals]

In most degree programs offered by the Department of Social Sciences, you can draw up a learning contract that allows you to earn ECTS with work outside the standard curriculum. To do this, students must conclude a learning contract with a supervisor.

The contract stipulates what work or exams are required. This contract is signed by the student and supervisor and then submitted to the help desk in the Social Sciences Academic Office. The chair of the examinations board decides on recognition.

• Learning contract form [PDF not accessible for disabled individuals]

Degree verification means your university confirms you have completed your studies and contains, above all, the following information: degree program, academic degree, and the date on which you completed your studies. It is often the case that potential, often international employers request this type of confirmation.

If you require this kind of confirmation, contact the Campus Center at the University of Hamburg and use the

• Campus Center contact form.

Duplicates replace original supporting documents (certificate, final record of grades, transcript of records, diploma supplement). They are issued upon formal request if the originals can no longer be found or if they have been lost or destroyed.

It costs between €10 and €40 per document, with a cap at €75 for all documents + mailing costs.

A duplicate can be issued only if you can compellingly demonstrate that the requirements for a request have been met (irrevocable loss, destruction, etc.). If you need another duplicate, you must have the copy notarized by the appropriate office (e.g., district office or local authorities). The authenticity of German degree documentation used abroad is confirmed by the central office for residents (formerly called “Einwohnerzentralamt”). This is the case especially if you need an apostille.

The duplicate must be clearly marked as such and may not deviate from the original (changes of name, for example, will not be taken into account). 

Getting a duplicate is possible only if you arrange a personal meeting with the exam manager responsible for your degree program. It may take a long time to have your duplicate issued.

• Social Sciences Academic Office staff