You can receive 3 or 7 ECTS for political science courses at the Otto-Suhr-Institute, depending on the type of certificate you obtain.

If you complete a seminar or a lecture (Vorlesung) with a certificate of participation (“Teilnahmeschein”) you will receive 3 ECTS. A Teilnahmeschein usually requires regular participation and preparatory reading, but no written exam or research paper. However, the specific requirements are up to the individual lecturers. Teilnahmescheine are not graded. They are marked with a “P“ for participation.

If you complete a course with a certificate of achievement (“Leistungsschein”) you will be awarded with 7 ECTS. Besides regular participation in class, a Leistungsschein mostly requires writing an exam or a research paper. Leistungsscheine are graded.

It is you who decides whether you would like to complete a "Teilnahmeschein" ( 3 ECTS) or a "Leistungsschein" (7 ECTS) based on the requirements teachers share with you in the first week. Please note that no extra credit points can be awarded for extra work and that the number of ECTS is not up for negotiation between you and individual lecturers.

If you attend courses at other FU institutions, e.g. language courses, you receive the number of ECTS points determined by the other institution. Please contact the ERASMUS coordinators of the respective departments to receive more information. You can receive 5 ECTS for the courses for international exchange students (more information here: https://www.fu-berlin.de/en/studium/international/studium_fu/auslandssemester/Studienangebot-fuer-internationale-Gaststudierende/index.html).