Proseminars Main Studies
Current information - application:
If you would like to participate in a Proseminar in the winter semester 2026-27, you must register electronically via the registration platform within the (Pro-)Seminar registration period. The exact registration period will be July 14–16, 2026.
Please note that the registration platform can only be accessed from the university network/via VPN. Instructions for use can be found here.
Here you can find the seminar announcements for the coming semester:
What are Proseminars?
The proseminar in the main study programme serves as an introduction to academic work. It is supposed to prepare students for the specialisation seminar in later semesters. The proseminars teaches the skills required to write a seminar paper and to present it in the form of a lecture. The topic of the paper is based on the proseminar topic and can be taken from a dogmatic subject or a basic subject.
As part of the proseminar, students must complete a term paper (usually a abstract paper on a legal topic) and give a presentation followed by a discussion related to the proseminar topic. The proseminar paper is a so-called “preliminary paper,” which is usually written during the lecture-free period before the start of the proseminar.
Participation is successful if both the term paper and the entire proseminar performance, including the presentation, are graded at least satisfactory (4 points); oral and written performance are each weighted 50% in the overall assessment. If the presentation is not given as part of the proseminar, the entire examination is considered not completed. A certificate is issued after the successful completion of the proseminar, which also includes the grade. Successful completion of the proseminar is part of the admission requirements for the state compulsory subject examination.
Application/admission to the proseminar requires the successful completion of the basic studies with a fully passed intermediate examination! If more students apply for a proseminar than there are places available, the places will be allocated on the basis of a ranking list, taking into account § 59 (2) HG, giving priority to those who have achieved the better average grade in the intermediate examination (in accordance with § 7 (4) sentence 7 of the 2023 study regulations).
General information on the proseminar can be found in the information on the main studies.
Frequently asked questions and answers (FAQ)
Confirmation of a place in a (pro-)seminar and information on the further procedure will be sent out by the (pro-)seminar providers or the office of the respective chair. This means that there may be differences in timing of the respective chair.
If you were given an average intermediate examination grade at your previous university, please indicate it and upload the relevant evidence (usually the intermediate examination transcript from your previous university). If no grades were given, please enter 4.0 as average grade.
Yes, specialisation exams need to be indicated. You can also indicate exams that you have registered for but have not yet written.
Yes, you can change your application at any time until the application deadline. Don't forget to save it again (with all required documents).
Only documents available at the time of allocation can be taken into account. You can edit and complete your application within the application period.
Instead of the certificate for the compulsory state examination, you can also upload a scan of your exam invitation. According to § 7 (3) Studienordnung (2023), it is sufficient that you are in the process of taking the compulsory state examination.
Please indicate "under no circumstances" for all (pro-)seminars to which it applies.
This refers to the PDF overview that you can download in the old Basis-system under ‘Grade overview’. In the new basic system, you can find it under ‘Performance overview’.
After the application period has ended, places will be allocated according to the criteria specified in § 7 Abs. 3 Studienordnung (2023). It is therefore not possible to make any statements about the likelihood of obtaining a ‘preferred specification’.
Access should be reactivated regularly. If this is not the case, please contact the study coordination office by email. We will then reactivate your access to the seminar platform.
The certificate of admission to the seminar must be submitted to the professorship chair upon receipt of the individual topic. It is not necessary to submit it when applying for the seminar. The seminar topic will not be handed out without the seminar admission certificate.
Your application has been saved. The note that it has not yet been processed simply means that we have not yet reviewed your application. This will only take place after the application deadline has passed.
No. Places will not be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis; only after the application period has ended will places be allocated in accordance with the criteria specified in § 7 Abs. 3 Studienordnung (2023).
If you have any questions regarding the content of the proseminars, please contact the responsible proseminar providers directly.
If you have any further questions regarding the allocation of places or technical problems with proseminar registration, please contact the study coordination team.