ESSEN, Germany, July 3 (UPI) -- A German university is suing a student for lost income because he finished his bachelors and masters degrees in only 20 months.

The School of Economics and Management in Essen is asking the court to make former student Marcel Pohl, 22, pay an extra $3,772 after he obtained his degrees in only three semesters instead of the usual 11, The Local.de reported Tuesday.


"When I got the lawsuit, I thought it couldn't be true," Pohl told the Bild newspaper. "Performance is supposed to be worth something."

Pohl said school officials agreed in advance he and two friends could take their 60 required exams despite divvying up the lecture hours between them and sharing notes afterward.

"We didn't get any freebies, and we agreed [to] our plans in advance with the school," Pohl said.

A university spokesman said officials do not want to comment before the case reaches court.