diff --git a/src/main/webapp/app/exercises/programming/manage/services/submission-policy.service.ts b/src/main/webapp/app/exercises/programming/manage/services/submission-policy.service.ts
index 505615c1144e..9817563677b8 100644
--- a/src/main/webapp/app/exercises/programming/manage/services/submission-policy.service.ts
+++ b/src/main/webapp/app/exercises/programming/manage/services/submission-policy.service.ts
@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
 import { Injectable } from '@angular/core';
 import { HttpClient, HttpParams, HttpResponse } from '@angular/common/http';
-import { Observable } from 'rxjs';
+import { Observable, map } from 'rxjs';
 import { SubmissionPolicy } from 'app/entities/submission-policy.model';
 
 export interface ISubmissionPolicyService {
     addSubmissionPolicyToProgrammingExercise: (submissionPolicy: SubmissionPolicy, exerciseId: number) => Observable<SubmissionPolicy>;
-    getSubmissionPolicyOfProgrammingExercise: (exerciseId: number) => Observable<SubmissionPolicy>;
+    getSubmissionPolicyOfProgrammingExercise: (exerciseId: number) => Observable<SubmissionPolicy | undefined>;
     removeSubmissionPolicyFromProgrammingExercise: (exerciseId: number) => Observable<HttpResponse<void>>;
     enableSubmissionPolicyOfProgrammingExercise: (exerciseId: number) => Observable<HttpResponse<void>>;
     disableSubmissionPolicyOfProgrammingExercise: (exerciseId: number) => Observable<HttpResponse<void>>;
@@ -24,8 +24,14 @@ export class SubmissionPolicyService implements ISubmissionPolicyService {
      *
      * @param exerciseId of the programming exercise for which the submission policy should be loaded
      */
-    getSubmissionPolicyOfProgrammingExercise(exerciseId: number): Observable<SubmissionPolicy> {
-        return this.http.get<SubmissionPolicy>(this.requestUrl(exerciseId));
+    getSubmissionPolicyOfProgrammingExercise(exerciseId: number): Observable<SubmissionPolicy | undefined> {
+        return this.http.get<SubmissionPolicy | undefined>(this.requestUrl(exerciseId)).pipe(
+            // using any as it can be null
+            map((response: any) => {
+                // Ensure that null is replaced by undefined
+                return response === null ? undefined : response;
+            }),
+        );
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/src/main/webapp/app/overview/exercise-details/course-exercise-details.component.ts b/src/main/webapp/app/overview/exercise-details/course-exercise-details.component.ts
index 9ea6c5058874..5e8ec3703c32 100644
--- a/src/main/webapp/app/overview/exercise-details/course-exercise-details.component.ts
+++ b/src/main/webapp/app/overview/exercise-details/course-exercise-details.component.ts
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ export class CourseExerciseDetailsComponent extends AbstractScienceComponent imp
     private discussionComponent?: DiscussionSectionComponent;
     baseResource: string;
     isExamExercise: boolean;
-    submissionPolicy: SubmissionPolicy;
+    submissionPolicy?: SubmissionPolicy;
     exampleSolutionCollapsed: boolean;
     plagiarismCaseInfo?: PlagiarismCaseInfo;
     availableExerciseHints: ExerciseHint[];
diff --git a/src/test/javascript/spec/service/submission-policy.service.spec.ts b/src/test/javascript/spec/service/submission-policy.service.spec.ts
index a84f95e45cbe..01ee9af19dba 100644
--- a/src/test/javascript/spec/service/submission-policy.service.spec.ts
+++ b/src/test/javascript/spec/service/submission-policy.service.spec.ts
@@ -63,21 +63,26 @@ describe('Submission Policy Service', () => {
             addPolicySubscription.unsubscribe();
         }));
 
-        it('should get submission policy from exercise', fakeAsync(() => {
-            const getPolicySubscription = submissionPolicyService
-                .getSubmissionPolicyOfProgrammingExercise(programmingExercise.id!)
-                .pipe(take(1))
-                .subscribe((submissionPolicy) => {
-                    expect(submissionPolicy).toBe(lockRepositoryPolicy);
-                });
-            tick();
-
-            const request = httpMock.expectOne({ method: 'GET', url: expectedUrl });
-            request.flush(lockRepositoryPolicy);
-            tick();
-
-            getPolicySubscription.unsubscribe();
-        }));
+        // Using functions to avoid a serialization error
+        it.each([() => ({ input: null, expected: undefined }), () => ({ input: lockRepositoryPolicy, expected: lockRepositoryPolicy })])(
+            'should get submission policy from exercise',
+            fakeAsync((fun: any) => {
+                const { input, expected } = fun();
+                const getPolicySubscription = submissionPolicyService
+                    .getSubmissionPolicyOfProgrammingExercise(programmingExercise.id!)
+                    .pipe(take(1))
+                    .subscribe((submissionPolicy) => {
+                        expect(submissionPolicy).toBe(expected);
+                    });
+                tick();
+
+                const request = httpMock.expectOne({ method: 'GET', url: expectedUrl });
+                request.flush(input);
+                tick();
+
+                getPolicySubscription.unsubscribe();
+            }),
+        );
 
         it('should issue delete request', fakeAsync(() => {
             const removePolicySubscription = submissionPolicyService.removeSubmissionPolicyFromProgrammingExercise(programmingExercise.id!).subscribe((response) => {