Certificate of Good Standing

Close-up of a hand holding a pen while filling out a form Copyright: © Stefan Hense

What is an unsworn declaration?

In your unsworn declaration, you certify under penalty of perjury that you have not ultimately failed a course of study or subject at RWTH or a university in Germany or have not lost the right to take a required exam. You must submit a certificate of good standing if you declare that you have failed a course or subject of study. You can obtain this certificate from the examination board.

You must submit a certificate of good standing if you declare that you have ultimately failed a course or subject of study or have lost your right to take a required exam.

The hand-signed declaration is a requirement to enroll in any Bachelor's, Staatsexamen, or Master's course of study. Please note that the unsworn declaration may not be signed digitally. Therefore, please print out the document, sign it by hand and then upload the scanned document into RWTHonline.

Submitting a false unsworn declaration may make you liable to prosecution.

Certificate of Good Standing

When do I need a certificate of good standing?

You must submit a certificate of good standing if you have indicated in your unsworn declaration that you did not pass a course of study or subject at RWTH or a university in Germany or can no longer be admitted to a required exam or have lost the right to take exams in your chosen course of study or subject at RWTH.

The form for the certificate of good standing can be downloaded together with the unsworn declaration from Self Service. Aside from the unsworn declaration, a certificate of good standing is required to enroll in this case. You will receive your certificate from the examination board for your new course of study.

What is a certificate of good standing and what is its purpose?

If you are transferring to a different subject or are re-enrolling in a new course of study, a certificate of good standing ensures that you still have the right to take exams. If you ultimately failed an exam during your previous studies, you may have lost the right to take exams in another course of study. This is particularly the case if the same or an equivalent exam is also in your new course of study.

How do I request a certificate of good standing?

Download the form from Self Service and contact your departmental advisor at RWTH with the required information explained below. It can take some time for the certificate of good standing to be issued. Please contact the departmental advisor for your course of study or subject as soon as possible. If you are in a teacher education course of study, be aware that you will need a certificate of good standing for each individual subject.

Please note that the above information does not apply to students wishing to enroll in a degree program at a university other than RWTH.