Graduates at the University of Konstanz with outstanding academic performances were exempted from tuition fees.
In accordance to the former regulations in the statute on the exemption of gifted students that expired on 30 September 2012:
- the top five percent of graduates in a study programme were retroactively exempted from having to pay tuition fees for the last two semesters of their study period.
- In study programmes with less than 20 graduates in a year, only the best student received the exemption.
- In study programmes with less than ten graduates in a year, only the best student was exempted if he or she graduated with a “very good” (<1.5) grade according to the respective examination regulations.
The senate resolution regarding the repeal of the statute on the exemption of gifted students can be found here.
The university acknowledged and applied the exemption preconditions without the student having to submit an application. The exemption was applied retroactively for two semesters, thereby leading to the refund of the already paid tuition fees. If the tuition was paid only for one semester, then the exemption was only applied to this semester.
If the university decided to exempt the student, then he or she was informed via an exemption notification. This occurred in due time after the examination statistics confirmed the grades for the respective study programmes.
The enrolment requirement for students who were yet to complete their last examination according to the relevant version of the admission and enrolment regulations of the University of Konstanz were not affected. That meant that the fees associated with re-registration had to be paid by all students, even those that were identified as gifted.