Freshers FAQ & Helpful Links

It depends on the course. Some exercises are recorded or offered online, while others are not.

Always check Moodle or ask the tutor/course team before relying on a recording.

As a rule of thumb, the mandatory lectures in your schedule (e.g. Math, ORDA, Production & Logistics, Business Law) are recorded, while electives usually are not, in order to encourage attendance.

This is a rule of thumb, not a guarantee: it depends on the course and semester, and recordings can occasionally be missing due to technical issues. Always check Moodle or ask in the first lecture.

Exercises vary by course, and tutorials are usually not recorded.

- Bookable group study rooms in each TUM library

- StudiTUM houses

- In front of the Carl von Linde

- LMU Philologicum: “Forum”

It’s manageable as long as you plan your time wisely. However, it’s recommended to first focus on your GOPs in the first semester before starting a job, to make sure you pass your mandatory courses.

Yes, you can take fewer or extra courses depending on what works for you.

Just keep the GOPs and the credit requirements in mind: if you do not pass at least 3 out of the 4 GOPs by the end of your 2nd semester, you will be exmatriculated. The recommended timetable is a good orientation, especially in the first semesters.

For the Bachelor in Management & Technology in Munich, the second stage of the aptitude assessment is an admission test, not an interview.

If you are invited, TUM will send you the date and instructions. Check the official application page for the current format and requirements, as these can change.

The binding rules are in the Satzung über die Eignungsfeststellung, which you can find in TUM's statute database.

A failed attempt does not count toward your final Bachelor grade.

It may still appear in TUMonline as a failed attempt, but your final grade is calculated from the successfully completed modules that count toward your degree.

https://nav.tum.de/

If you want to check the location of a room, use the TUM Roomfinder/NavigaTum, link above.

You can also look up rooms in Garching there.

Navigate to the course under “My Studies” in TUMOnline. Find the “green circle” for that course: That is the exam, for which you can see the exam date, and registration period.

Important: You should ALWAYS check the registration deadline; there is no possibility of a late registration.

Since WS 24/25 there is no physical ZHS card anymore. Log in on the ZHS website, choose the course you want and book it online. Your validated student ID and the booking confirmation are enough to attend, and the semester fee is charged with your first booking.

You can find the current information here: ZHS München.

According to §10 APSO, you must have earned at least:

- 30 credits by the end of the 3rd semester

- 60 credits by the end of the 4th semester

- 90 credits by the end of the 5th semester

- 120 credits by the end of the 6th semester

- 150 credits by the end of the 7th semester

- 180 credits by the end of the 8th semester

These are cumulative credit requirements, not 30 new credits that you must earn every semester.

In your first two semesters, your main priority should be passing at least 3 out of the 4 GOPs.

For most exams outside the GOPs, there is no fixed number of attempts. You can repeat them as long as you still meet the credit requirements and stay within the four-year period you have to complete your degree.

GOPs are different: each GOP has only two attempts. Make sure you pass at least 3 out of the 4 GOPs by the end of your 2nd semester.

There is no general passing percentage for all TUM exams. The passing threshold and grading depend on the individual exam and course, and grading may be curved.

As a rough orientation from previous semesters: open-answer exams (e.g. Math) around 40%, single-choice exams (e.g. Economics, Financial Accounting, Business Ethics) around 60%, and mixed exams (e.g. Statistics, Logistics) around 50%. These are student experiences, not official thresholds.

The professor or course team will usually explain the grading rules before the exam, so always check the current Moodle/course information.

There is no fixed internship break between semesters, because exam dates and retakes vary.

As a rough orientation: after the winter semester you usually have around one month, after the summer semester around two months.

The best way to plan is to check your last exam date and the start of lectures in the next semester. The official lecture periods are listed here: TUM Academic Calendar.

If you have general questions about your studies or schedule, we recommend contacting the Student Hub. They can either answer your questions directly or connect you with the right point of contact. The Student Hub is located on the 3rd floor of the Management Building, room 3550. For details on opening hours, please visit: Student Hub Website.

If you missed the exam registration deadline, contact **examregistration@mgt.tum.de** as soon as possible.

Late registration is generally not possible unless there is a valid reason, so always check the registration deadline in TUMonline carefully.

If you have followed the recommended timetable, this should not be an issue.

However, exercises and tutorials might be offered at times when other lectures are taking place.

If you wish to attend the lecture, then simply reregister for a different group or just go to another one!

It is entirely realistic to finish within 6 semesters if you don’t plan on going abroad, follow the recommended course schedule, and avoid postponing exams too often. If you do take a semester abroad, completing in 6 semesters becomes more challenging, but not impossible-you’ll simply need to take additional electives in the earlier semesters and handle a heavier exam load than the standard schedule suggests.

Usually, standard lectures do not have mandatory attendance. However, some courses such as seminars, practical courses or courses with limited places may require participation.

Always check the course information or Moodle page for the exact rules.

Some write digitally, some on a notebook, some type. It really depends on the subject and preference.

I'd suggest having the opportunity to type and write on a screen.

Content wise they are the same; The lecturers (and of course the times) are quite different. Feel free to try out different slots in the first few weeks to find out what works best for you; Registration is normally not necessary.

GOP stands for Grundlagen- und Orientierungsprüfung.

In our program, there are four GOPs: three in the first semester (Math 1, Economics 1, and Operations Research & Decision Analysis) and one in the second semester (Statistics). Each course has one exam with only one retake opportunity. To remain enrolled at the university, you must pass at least three out of the four GOPs.

The Project Study is a 12-credit group project and is completed in a team of two to five students.

You can apply to projects offered by TUM chairs and companies, or find a project yourself. Once you have a project, it must be supervised through TUM School of Management and officially registered.

The exact requirements can vary, so always check the current Project Study page before starting: Project Studies.

It stands for Fachprüfungs- und Studienordnung, the "rulebook" for everything study-related: which modules count, how many attempts you get, deadlines, and how your final grade is calculated.

Two things worth knowing: Appendix 1 contains the full curriculum and the recommended study plan, and Appendix 2 describes the selection process for the Medicine specialization.

Important: the version that applies to you depends on the semester you started in. If you started in winter semester 2026/27:

- FPSO WS 2026/27 (German, legally binding)

- FPSO WS 2026/27 (English, for information only)

Started earlier? All previous versions are in the Download Center, and every TUM statute for our programme is listed in TUM's statute database.

Only the German version has legal validity.

Yes. Medicine is the one specialization with a selection process, described in Appendix 2 of the FPSO.

There are 48 places.

You apply once a year, for the following summer semester, at the latest by the end of the first week of lectures of that summer semester. The same applies if you switch specialization later or join laterally.

Places are allocated by your study progress in the first semester: applicants who passed all six compulsory first-semester modules are considered first, ranked by their average grade in those modules. If places remain, applicants who passed five, four, three, two or one of them are considered in that order. Ties are decided by lot.

Registering on time matters: late registrations are only considered if places are left over.

Always check the current FPSO before applying, as the rules can be amended.

Usually, the different Economics lecture groups cover the same content. If there is space, you can normally attend another group.

If you want to change your registration officially, you can deregister and register for the other group in TUMonline. Always check the current course information in case there are group-specific rules.

For starters, you only need to register for the lectures themselves; Normally information regarding the tutorials, exercises etc will be shared in the first lectures.

1. Log in to TUMonline → go to Studies & Courses → My Studies. Here you can see your credits, average grade, and course info.

2. Click on the Semester Plan (top center). This shows the recommended schedule and required courses for each semester.

3. Select a course from the plan and register directly through the detail page. This ensures you don’t sign up for the wrong course.

1. To register for exams, you can either go back to My Studies → Exams / Exam Registration and complete your exam sign-up. Or you can simply click on the course you want to register for. The click on the course marked with a red triangle to register for the lectures and for the exam click the course marked with the green circle.

The green one is for the exam and the red one is for the lectures and exercises.

Business Ethics is a 3-credit course that starts later in the semester than your other courses, usually in December. Until then you have Foundations of Entrepreneurial Business.

If you cannot register for it yet, check TUMonline again closer to the course start. The exact dates can change each semester.

Although they are two separate courses with separate lectures, the exams are combined. You will receive one exam paper for each course. However, you must pass both parts individually-you cannot fail one and compensate with a high score on the other. Typically, you need at least 50% in each part (check with the professor for the exact threshold). Both exams are graded separately, and your final grade is the average of the two.

All relevant material is actually provided on PowerPoint slides, which are usually sufficient. If you want to read more about specific topics, the professor will usually recommend a few books in the first lecture. (Some professors even base their entire course on one book, but you don’t actually have to read them. Only if you want to read more about a topic). Don't worry, you don't have to buy them; most are available to borrow from the library or as PDF downloads from the online library. I recommend taking part in the campus tour, as, to my knowledge, the library staff will also tell you how that works.

It depends on the course. A bonus does not automatically carry over to the retake.

Check the Moodle page or ask the professor/tutor for the exact rule for your course.

Because the module combines two formats: a regular lecture and a guest lecture. Both are exam-relevant.

The exact structure (days, times, and whether sessions are on site or online) can change from semester to semester. Check TUMonline and Moodle at the beginning of the semester for the current format.

The structure of Mathematics 1 can change depending on the lecturer and semester.

You will usually have lectures plus exercises/tutorials. Check TUMonline and Moodle at the beginning of the semester for the current schedule and format.

Foundations of Entrepreneurship and Business Ethics are each worth 3 credits. They were originally one combined course, which is why each now runs for only half a semester. When one ends, the other begins, but the exams are held and graded separately.

In the first and second semesters, you follow a fixed schedule with mandatory courses.

First semester courses:

• Math 1 (GOP 6 credits)

• Economics 1 (GOP, 6 credits)

• Business Ethics (3 credits)

• Financial Accounting (6 credits)

• Entrepreneurship (3 credits)

• Operations Research and Decision Analysis (GOP, 6 credits)

Out of these six subjects, three are GOPs. Passing these GOPs is a requirement for continuing your studies: you must successfully complete them by the end of your second semester.

For GOPs, you are allowed only two attempts (the main exam plus one retake). For all other courses, however, you may take as many attempts as necessary, as long as you pass them before finishing your degree and keep up with your GOP requirements.

In total, there are four GOPs: three in the first semester and one (statistics) in the second. To remain enrolled, you must pass at least three out of the four. If you fail two GOPs (including their retakes), you will be kicked out of the program.

To see when and where these lectures actually take place, have a look at the 1st semester course schedule (winter semester 2025/26, your own will look similar) or check the Download Center for the current version.

An exercise is usually held by a doctoral student or a professor. Tutorials are held by a student from a higher semester who usually took the exam themselves a year ago. In addition, tutorials are usually much more interactive (similar what you are used to from school). The size of the classes also varies; tutorials have a maximum of 30 students. Exercises can be significantly larger. And in an exercise, the lecturer usually only explains the tasks and solutions. In a tutorial, you usually have time to solve the tasks yourself first and then, as mentioned, everything is discussed in a more interactive way. And since the tutorials are usually held by students themselves, they naturally have very useful tips.

This can change from year to year. Check the official precourse page and Moodle for information about livestreams or recordings.

If you are unsure, ask the precourse team directly.

Registration links and event information will be shared through our O-Phase page, WhatsApp community and @sctumsom on Instagram.

Some events have limited places, so register early once the links are released.

You should have received a document from the faculty, please check your “Welcome Email”.

We will update this page if we have any information.

Of course you can! Refer to the official precourse page for this,

Vorkurs Mathematik für Management and Technology, Aerospace, Engineering Science, Geodäsie & Geoinformation - TUM - TUM School of Computation, Information and Technology

Bachelors: Meet the Student Council, Campus Tour, Bavarian Lunch, Welcome Day, Campus Rally, City Rally, City Trip and Freshers' Weekend.

Masters: Campus Tour + Bavarian Lunch, Welcome Day, Campus Rally, City Rally and City Trip.

Dates and registration can change each year, so always check the current O-Phase page and @sctumsom on Instagram for the latest information.

It should be running Windows 11 or MacOS: Both work (especially for computer engineering / informatics). For mechanical engineering it can look a bit different.

My tip: Don’t have an ARM64 laptop as your only device. While it works fine most of the time, sometimes compatibility issues may arise.