FAQ category: 04 Deadline extension/adjustment (new law)

There are six ways to extend the accreditation of study programmes:

Automatic Extension of Program and System Accreditations for the Duration of the Administrative Procedure (Section 26(2) MRVO)
If an application for reaccreditation in program or system accreditation is submitted in a timely manner, the accreditation period is automatically extended until the Accreditation Council renders its decision, provided that the decision is not made before the expiration of the accreditation period (see FAQ 01.1.1).

Extension of the Accreditation Period in Connection with the Preparation of a Bundled Accreditation Process (Section 26(3), Sentence 1, Item 1 of the MRVO)
Upon application by a higher education institution, the Accreditation Council may extend the accreditation period for a study programme by up to two years if the study programme is included in a planned cluster accreditation. The extension is intended to alleviate the burden on the higher education institution as it prepares for the cluster accreditation. The number of study programmes for which the accreditation period is to be extended should be in a reasonable proportion to the number of those study programmes whose accreditation period is decisive for determining the new accreditation period. This generally means: “the minority adapts to the majority.”

Note: For information on the procedure for preparing an application for case consolidation and a deadline extension as part of the preparation for a consolidated proceeding, see FAQ 04.4.

An extension to prepare for a consolidated proceeding can be requested using application type 06.2 in ELIAS.

Extension of the Accreditation Deadline in Connection with Preparations for System Accreditation (Section 26(3), Sentence 1, Item 1 of the MRVO)
Upon application by the higher education institution, the Accreditation Council may extend the deadlines for study programmes by up to two years if the institution is preparing an application for system accreditation. The extension is intended to alleviate the burden on the higher education institution as it prepares for system accreditation.

An extension to prepare for system accreditation can be requested using application type 06.2 in ELIAS.

Extraordinary Extension of Accreditation (Section 26(3), Sentence 1, Item 2 of the MRVO)
In justified individual cases that are wholly or partially beyond the higher education institution’s control, an extraordinary extension of accreditation may be requested for program or system accreditations. This provides relief to higher education institutions in exceptional circumstances. Grounds for a case-by-case decision include, for example, accidents and exceptional national or international situations (pandemics, floods, etc.). Planned personnel or structural changes in the study programme or in the administration generally do not justify an extension. The extension granted will be credited toward the subsequent accreditation period.

An extraordinary extension of the deadline can be requested using application type 06.2 in ELIAS.

Extension of the accreditation deadlines for study programmes during the administrative proceedings before the Accreditation Council in the context of system accreditation (Section 26(3), second sentence, MRVO)
This option allows for the extension of the accreditation deadlines for study programmes that expire during the administrative proceedings when an application for system accreditation is submitted to the Accreditation Council. The deadline extension may be granted for the duration of the administrative proceedings plus one year. The additional year is intended to enable higher education institutions to evaluate and accredit the relevant study programmes themselves within the framework of the accredited system’s accreditation procedures.

An extension for study programmes following the submission of an application for system accreditation can be requested using application type 06.3 in ELIAS.

Extension of the Accreditation Period for Discontinued Study Programs (Section 26(3), Sentence 3, MRVO)
The Accreditation Council has the option, upon request, to extend the accreditation periods for study programmes that are no longer to be continued and in which no new students are being enrolled until the students have completed their studies. This is subject to the higher education institution providing evidence that the study programme has not undergone any essential changes and that the necessary personnel and material resources will be maintained on a sustainable basis.

An extension for study programmes that are being phased out can be requested using application type 06.1 in ELIAS.

Automatic renewal of program and system accreditations from the time of application until the Accreditation Council’s decision:
The application must be submitted in a timely manner (see FAQ 01.1.1) via the ELIAS electronic system, including the submission of the required documents (accreditation report, self-evaluation report), which must allow for at least a preliminary review. Submitting documents after the deadline is not permitted.

Cluster accreditation:
A written justification with details of all study programmes to be extended as well as details of the other study programmes to be included in the cluster to whose accreditation deadline the study programmes to be extended are to be aligned (name of the study programme, degree, existing accreditation deadline and, if available: Bundle approval). If the bundle contains study programmes that have not yet been launched at the time of application, an official committee resolution on the launch of the study programme is required.

For bundles consisting of more than four study programmes, a bundle approval must be obtained before applying for an extension. This applies to combined study programmes regardless of the size of the bundle.

Extension of program accreditation deadlines in preparation for system accreditation:
When preparing for system accreditation, the following documents must be submitted to the Accreditation Council:

• Contract with an approved Agencies;
• informal application with details of the study programmes to be extended and
• Overview of all study programmes currently offered at the higher education institution, including the corresponding accreditation deadlines or the next scheduled internal accreditation review

Extraordinary Extension of the Deadline:

A written explanation stating that the higher education institution is facing an exceptional situation caused by factors beyond its control.

Extension of Program Accreditation Deadlines Following Submission of a System Accreditation Application:

Application number of the higher education institution’s corresponding (sub)system accreditation application.

Program to be phased out:
A written justification including details on all study programmes to be extended:

• Confirmation that the study programmes have not undergone any essential changes and that no further essential changes will be made,
• Confirmation that the necessary personnel and material resources will be maintained on a long-term basis,
• Date of students’ last enrollment.

Full-time and part-time theology study programmes:

Full-time and part-time theology study programmes (e.g., Magister Theologiae) require written approval from the appropriate church authority for the requested extension.

• The extension of program accreditations upon application until the decision of the Accreditation Council is made is automatic, i.e. without a separate application.
• In all other cases, separate applications for the extension of accreditation deadlines must be submitted online by the higher education institutions in the electronic application processing system ELIAS. If a higher education institution (or the user administrator of the higher education institution) wishes to forward this task to an agency, an employee of the respective agency should be created as a user of the higher education institution in order to enable the application via the agency.

• Your application will be automatically assigned to a staff member at the German Accreditation Council’s Head Office for processing.

  Requests for deadline extensions for study programmes undergoing programme accreditation are first reviewed for completeness. If there are any questions or if clarification is needed, the higher education institution that submitted the application will be contacted. Once the completeness review is successfully completed, a decision on your application is typically made within six weeks. Any approved extension will be made publicly visible five days after the decision is made. Entries regarding deadline extensions for study programmes at accredited higher education institutions (system accreditation or Alternative Procedures) are generally published after editorial review; the extension becomes publicly visible five days after publication.

Applications for the extension of accreditation periods pursuant to Section 26 of the MRVO, as well as applications for the composition of accreditation bundles pursuant to Section 30(1) and (2) of the MRVO, are processed entirely in ELIAS. These are treated as different application types in ELIAS. If a higher education institution wishes both to have a bundle approved and to have the terms of some of the accreditations contained therein extended, two separate applications must be submitted in ELIAS.

The correct sequence is to submit an application for bundle composition first. If this application is approved, the application for deadline extension can then be submitted as part of the preparation of an already approved bundling procedure. The positive decision on the bundle composition should be attached to the deadline extension application.