Studying with disabilities

Two to three per cent of degree study places are reserved for applicants with health problems. To be eligible for such a place, one precondition is that rejecting your application for admission to a course of study would constitute an exceptional hardship. You can request the recognition of such a hardship case, for example, if you have an illness which is likely to worsen or if your health problem restricts your ability to choose or practise a profession.

When applying for admission, you will also need to submit a special request to have your hardship case recognised. You must enclose a report by a medical specialist which explains the hardship case in a comprehensible manner.

When allocating places based on hardship cases, it cannot be guaranteed that all applicants will be offered a study place. If the number of applicants exceeds the number of hardship case places available, admission will be offered on the basis of the degree of exceptional hardship.

Contact: Student administration office

In the performance quota, the allocation of study places in admission-restricted study programs is based on the average grade. Applicants can apply for a disadvantage compensation to improve the average grade according to the  and claim "personal reasons" which are not their own fault and which have prevented them from achieving a better average grade. Corresponding evidence is required. The improvement in grade is determined by the high school and confirmed by the director of the institution. This confirmation must be submitted with the application.

Contact person: Student service

In the waiting period quota, the allocation of study places in admission-restricted courses of study is based solely on the number of waiting semesters. Applicants can apply for disadvantage compensation in order to improve the waiting period "due to personal reasons for which they are not responsible", which have led to a delay in the acquisition of the university entrance qualification. The impact of impairment-related circumstances on the waiting period (for example, prolonged absence from classes due to illness) must be proven, e.g. by a school certificate, school reports, as well as a specialist medical opinion. The director of the institution must determine and confirm the increase in the waiting period. This confirmation must be submitted with the application.

Contact person: Student service

Compensation for disadvantages is regulated in the Model Examination Regulations 2018 of the Dresden University of Applied Sciences: §9 (3) as follows: "If a student credibly demonstrates that he or she is unable to take examinations in whole or in part in the intended form due to a long-term or permanent physical disability or a chronic illness or due to pregnancy-related restrictions or during maternity or parental leave, the examination board must grant him or her compensation for disadvantages. Suitable measures to compensate for disadvantages include, for example, extended processing times, processing breaks, use of other media, use of other examination rooms within the university or another examination date. If these measures are unsuitable in individual cases, a change in the duration, type or form of the examination is also possible. For this purpose, the submission of a medical or official medical certificate may be required. A corresponding restriction must be reported to the examination board at the latest three weeks before the examination date, and thereafter immediately after becoming known."

Students with health impairments can apply for compensation for disadvantages during examinations. This includes all forms of impairments (physical, mental, chronic illnesses) as well as partial performance disorders (e.g. dyslexia, dyscalculia, attention disorders). The compensation for disadvantages refers to the examinations to be taken according to the examination regulations. For this purpose, the student submits an informal application to the responsible examination board, in which he/she justifies which examination performances he/she cannot perform as required due to the impairment. In addition, the student makes a proposal, as concrete as possible, for a possible implementation of the disadvantage compensation. The Examination Committee decides on the application and determines suitable measures to compensate for the disadvantage.

Please submit the application for disadvantage compensation with suitable evidence to the responsible examination board as early as possible, but no later than three weeks before the examination date. Late submission of the application may mean that the application for disadvantage compensation cannot be processed by the examination board until the examination, and the examination must therefore be taken without disadvantage compensation. 

You can find the chairperson of the examination board in the list of representatives (internal area) or on the respective faculty pages.

You can ask the representative for students with disabilities or chronic illnesses, Prof. Margit Voigt, for advice on compensation for disadvantages. The Social Counseling Office of the Studentenwerk Dresden can also advise you.

Further information can be found in the handout on disadvantage compensation at the Dresden University of Applied Sciences.

Sometimes it happens that students are unable to take exams or meet deadlines due to acute illnesses or worsening of existing health impairments. If the inability to take the examination is determined up to one week before the examination date or the date of the issue of the topic, a deregistration can be made without stating the reasons (the form Deregistration of Examination Performance must be submitted to the Examination Office at least one week before the examination date). If acute illnesses or acute deterioration of existing health impairments occur less than one week before the examination date, the student must declare a withdrawal from the examination and submit a medical certificate for this purpose to the Examinations Office (form Declaration of Withdrawal from Examinations/ Application for Extension of Processing Time, see also Submission of Medical Certificate). The same applies to extensions of deadlines for written homework and final papers due to illness.

The study plan (part of the study regulations) is a recommendation. The student may deviate from this plan by agreeing on an individual study plan together with his/her responsible dean of studies.

You can find the deans of studies in the list of representatives (internal area) or on the respective faculty pages.

Students with impairments have the opportunity to contact the Schedule of Classes and Room Planning in good time before the start of the semester so that, if feasible, individual courses can be scheduled in suitable rooms, e.g. in order to shorten long distances between course rooms.

Please inform yourself about the structural accessibility of the buildings.

Contact person: Hour and room planning

In part-time studies, the study schedule is stretched, i.e. the modules are divided from one to two or from 2 to 3 semesters. This extends the duration of study accordingly and reduces the workload per semester.

On 17.08.2015, the regulations on part-time studies at HTW Dresden came into force. This regulates the requirements, scope, legal consequences and procedure of part-time study.

You can find an overview of the courses of study that can currently be studied part-time on the pages of the Student Service.

Please note that part-time studies are currently not eligible for BAföG funding.

A change from part-time studies to full-time studies is possible upon application.

Should an interruption of studies become necessary due to illness or disability, students may take a leave of absence. A leave of absence is granted upon written application. This application must be submitted by the end of the re-registration period, stating reasons and appropriate evidence before the start of the leave of absence. In justified exceptional cases, the application can be submitted no later than 15.04. for the SS or 15.10. for the WS. For good cause, students can be granted leave of absence until the end of the re-registration period upon written application for the following semester, in justified exceptional cases still within two months after the beginning of the semester. A corresponding application must be made in writing and accompanied by the necessary evidence. Proof of illness must be provided exclusively in the form of a medical certificate from a specialist (sick certificates are not accepted).

Please note: The health impairment must be present at the time of the leave of absence. A semester of leave cannot be granted retroactively for past illnesses.

During the period of leave of absence, students remain members of the university and must re-register for the semester as well as pay the semester fee for the Student Union and the Student Council. Please see (below): Exemption from the semester fee during the semester of leave for exceptional cases.

During the leave of absence, examinations can be taken upon request.

Contact person: Student Service