Legal Statement

Frankfurt School of Finance & Management

Legal Information

Terms and Conditions

General Terms and Conditions

 

General provisions for all study programs, certificate programs, and seminars

 

1. Scope

1.1 These General Terms and Conditions apply to the entire contractual relationship between the student or participant of the seminar (hereinafter referred to as “student”) and Frankfurt School of Finance & Management GmbH (hereinafter referred to as “Frankfurt School”) when entering a contract for a degree program, a seminar, or a certificate program (hereinafter referred to as “program”). All masculine forms apply equally to all genders.

1.2 Special Terms and Conditions may apply to individual contractual relationships. These contain deviations or additions to these General Terms and Conditions and are agreed upon when the contract is concluded. Insofar as the Special Terms and Conditions or other agreements are provided otherwise, such provisions shall prevail.

2. Duties of the Student

2.1 The student is obliged to provide Frankfurt School with all information and documents relevant for the execution of the program in due time. In particular, the student must promptly notify Frankfurt School of any changes to their name or contact details.

2.2 The student must check certificates and other communications from Frankfurt School for accuracy and completeness without delay and raise objections immediately.

3. Email Address

 

3.1 Unless otherwise agreed, the student must provide Frankfurt School with an email address and check it regularly. Schedules, changes, study notes, and important information (e.g., exam results) will usually be provided via email.


3.2 Email communication may take place unencrypted.


3.3 The student must ensure that the email address is protected from unauthorized access.

 

4. Study Materials

4.1 The study materials provided by Frankfurt School are of a supportive nature only. They do not release the student from the obligation to conduct independent study, attend in-person classes, and stay informed about current developments in the field. In particular, the materials may not cover all possible exam content.


4.2 Additional study materials (e.g., statutes, further literature, or aids) must be acquired by the student at their own expense.


4.3 Frankfurt School reserves the right to amend or replace study materials, particularly to update them regularly.

5. Rights to Study Materials

5.1 The study materials provided electronically or in print are intended exclusively for study purposes and personal use.


5.2 All rights remain with Frankfurt School, unless otherwise agreed or indicated.


5.3 The student agrees not to share Frankfurt School study materials or content made available via the Extranet or other media with third parties or otherwise distribute them. Copyrights must not be infringed. Reproduction is permitted only for personal study purposes.

 

6. Liability

6.1 Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions and the limitations of liability set out below, Frankfurt School shall be fully liable for damages resulting from injury to life, body, or health caused by negligent or intentional breach of duty on the part of its legal representatives or vicarious agents, as well as for any damages resulting from intentional or grossly negligent breaches of contract or from fraudulent intent by its legal representatives or vicarious agents.

6.2 In cases of simple negligence, Frankfurt School shall not be liable for property or financial damages, except where it has breached a material contractual obligation, the fulfillment of which is essential for the proper performance of the contract, the violation of which jeopardizes the purpose of the contract, and on the observance of which the student regularly relies (hereinafter referred to as “cardinal obligation”). Liability for the breach of such a cardinal obligation shall, however, be limited to the foreseeable damage typical for the contract. This limitation shall also apply to loss of profit and missed savings. In the event of simple negligent breaches of non-material ancillary obligations of the contract, Frankfurt School shall not be liable. The limitations of liability set out in Section 6.2 shall also apply to the liability of the legal representatives, senior executives, and other vicarious agents of Frankfurt School.

6.3 Any further liability of Frankfurt School, regardless of the legal nature of the asserted claim, shall be excluded. Where liability is excluded or limited, this shall also apply to the personal liability of the employees, staff members, representatives, and vicarious agents of Frankfurt School.

6.4 Insofar as the Special Terms and Conditions for individual business relationships or other agreements provide otherwise, such deviating provisions shall take precedence.

7. Disruption of Operations

Frankfurt School shall not be liable for damages caused by force majeure, civil unrest, war, natural disasters, or other events beyond its control (e.g., strikes, lockouts, transport disruptions, or official orders).

8. Liability for the Student’s Fault

If the student contributes to the occurrence of damage through culpable behavior (e.g., by breaching the obligations listed in Section 2), liability is determined in accordance with the principles of contributory negligence.

9. Termination

9.1 Unless otherwise regulated in the Special Terms and Conditions, the student may cancel the contract up to four weeks before the start of the program.


9.2 Termination must be made in writing. Upon request, Frankfurt School will confirm receipt.


9.3 The right of both Frankfurt School and the student to extraordinary termination for good cause remains unaffected. Frankfurt School is entitled to terminate the contract without notice if:
a) the student is in default of payment of program fees despite a written deadline and warning of possible termination, and does not pay within four weeks; or
b) the student’s conduct significantly disrupts the proper course of study or the cooperative relationship with fellow students, lecturers, or Frankfurt School staff, despite written warning and deadline. Section 323 (2) BGB applies accordingly.

 

10. Lecturers, Dates, and Study Location

10.1 Frankfurt School determines lecturers and the program and examination schedule at its reasonable discretion.


10.2 Program and examination dates are set by Frankfurt School.


10.3 The indication of a study location means that teaching usually takes place there in person. Frankfurt School is entitled to move courses to another reasonably distant location or conduct them online if necessary (e.g., due to regulatory, health-related, or organizational reasons). Courses may also be conducted partly or entirely online for pedagogical or organizational reasons, provided participants are notified in advance. Online courses are typically held in real time, ensuring interaction between lecturers and students comparable to in-person classes.


10.4 Any additional costs incurred will not be refunded to participants.

11. Objection Period, Fees, and Payment Default

11.1 Six weeks after receipt of the invoice by the student, the invoice shall be deemed approved by the student unless it is contested within this period by notifying Frankfurt School. Frankfurt School shall expressly draw attention to the possibility of objections within the six-week period on the invoice.

11.2 The student shall pay to Frankfurt School the fees for the study program as set out in the Special Terms and Conditions.

11.3 The student’s obligation to pay shall not be affected by the student not commencing the program or by later non-participation in classes, unless such non-participation has been caused by a breach of contract on the part of Frankfurt School.

11.4 Timely payment of the fees invoiced for the study program is a prerequisite for the student’s admission to the program. Accordingly, Frankfurt School shall not be obliged to admit the student to the program if the student is in default with the payment of at least 50% of the invoiced fees.

12. Amendments

12.1 Frankfurt School reserves the right to amend these General Terms and Conditions to reflect legal, judicial, technical, or organizational developments, provided the changes are reasonable for students. A change of essential contractual obligations is excluded.


12.2 Amendments to these General Terms and Conditions and the Special Terms and Conditions will be communicated to the student in writing. If the student has agreed with Frankfurt School on an electronic communication channel within the course of the business relationship (e.g. the intranet, the extranet/myCampus), the amendments may also be transmitted in this way, provided that the form of transmission enables the student to save or print the amendments in a readable format.


12.3 Amendments to these General Terms and Conditions shall be deemed approved if the student does not object in writing or via the agreed electronic communication channel. Frankfurt School will expressly draw the student’s attention to this consequence when notifying them of the amendments. The student must send the objection to Frankfurt School within six weeks after notification of the amendments.

 

13. Written Form

13.1 No oral side agreements exist. Any side agreements must be made in writing.


13.2 Amendments, supplements, and termination of this contract require written form. This also applies to changes to this written form clause itself.

 

14. Applicable Law

German law applies to the contractual relationship between the student and Frankfurt School.

15. Place of Performance

The place of performance for educational services owed by Frankfurt School is the venue selected by Frankfurt School.

16. Jurisdiction

If the student is a merchant, a legal entity under public law, or a special public-law fund, the exclusive place of jurisdiction for all disputes arising from the contractual relationship is the registered office of Frankfurt School.

17. Online Dispute Resolution

The European Commission provides a platform for online dispute resolution at https://consumer-redress.ec.europa.eu/index_de. We point out that we do not participate in dispute resolution proceedings before a consumer arbitration board.

Additional documents