Compensation for Disadvantages in Examinations

Right to compensation for disadvantages
The Framework Examination Regulations for Universities of Applied Sciences (RaPO) of 17 October 2007, most recently amended by the ordinance of 6 August 2010, can be found in §5 (1) para. 1:

"Students who, due to a disability, are not able to take an examination in whole or in part in the intended form shall be granted compensation for disadvantages to the extent that this is necessary to establish equal opportunities."

Forms of compensation for disadvantages
Compensation for disadvantages can, for example, include (see also §5 (1) para. 2 RaPO):

• Resonable extension of the processing time of examinations
• Examination of written performance certificates in oral form
• Approval of additional work and auxiliary equipment (e.g. computers, screen readers)
• Modification of audit tasks in an appropriate form

Application for compensation for disadvantages
A written application must be made for compensation. The request should be submitted at the latest when registering for the examination. (Section 5 (2) RaPO)

The disability must be substantiated by a medical certificate. Pursuant to section 5 (3) sentence 2 half-sentence 1 RaPO, the examination board determines which information the medical certificate must contain.

The application must contain the following:

• A written application to the administrator at the study centre
• Confirmation of the doctor signing the attest to the restriction
• Optional: occurence and expecteed duration of the disability

Improvement of the Average Grade

The average grade is a key selection criterion for the allocation of study places. For this reason, performance impairments which have prevented an applicant from achieving a better average grade when acquiring a higher education entrance qualification (e.g. entrance qualification for studies at universities of applied sciences) are to be compensated for. If such circumstances and their effects are proven, the application for admission with an improved average grade can, under certain conditions, be included in the award procedure. 

Justified applications

In the following cases, which are given as examples, a request to improve the average grade can generally be granted:

• Specific social or health circumstances of the applicant
• Prolonged absence from education due to illness during the last three years before obtaining the higher education entrance qualification (specialist medical opinion)
• Severely handicapped person of 50 or more percent (severely handicapped pass or assessment notice from the pension office)
• Prolonged serious illness of the applicant, unless covered by the above-mentioned points, or comparable special health circumstances (specialist medical opinion)
• Pregnancy of the applicant during the last three years before obtaining the university entrance qualification (specialist medical certificate or birth certificate of the child)
• Special economic circumstances of the applicant (documents suitable for proof)
• Moving to the Federal Republic of Germany
• Special family circumstances:
  • Case of minor children, sibilings or relatives in need of care (in the ascending line) in the last three years prior to acquisition of the entitlement to admission to higher education, if other people were not available for care (birth certificates of the child(ren) in connection with suitable evidence that other people were not available for the purpose of childcare - e.g.  certificate from the social welfare office or evidence of the need for care)
  • Loss of a parent in the last three years before acquiring the higher education entrance qualification, provided that the applicant was unmarried at that time and had not yet reached the age of 25 (death certificate of the parents and declaration of marital status at that time).
  • Several changes of school in the last three years before acquiring the higher education entrance qualification due to relocation of parents (applicant's leaving certificates and parents' registration certificate)
  • Membership of the A, B, or C squad of the federal sports federations for at least one year without interruption during the last three years prior to the acquisition of the university entrance qualification (certficate from the relevant federal sports federation).

Unsubstantiated applications

In the following cases, an application is generally unsuccessful:

• Work during school hours in the parental household, shop or business
• Parents' illness
• Loss of parent or other close relative before acqusition of the higher education entrance qualification
• Parental disagreement or divorce
• Parents moving house before the last three years before acquiring the higher education entrance qualification

Within the quota for hardship cases, only applicants for whom non-admission to the desired degree programme would mean exceptional hardship can be admitted.

Exceptional hardship is deemed to exist if special social, health or family reasons within the applicant's own person make immediate admission to the programme of study absolutely necessary. The rejection of the application for admission would have to entail disadvantages for the applicant which, if a strict standard were applied, would go considerably beyond the extent of the disadvantages usually associated with rejection.

Universities in Bavaria keep 2% of the study places free for so-called hardship cases. The application is therefore only eligible for a small number of people.

Hardship case application

Not every impairment, even if perceived as severe, justifies admission to a hardship case. Rather, the applicant must have such serious health, social or family reasons that even if particularly strict standards are applied, they cannot be expected to wait even one year for admission (exceptional situation).

The case of hardship must be proven by appropriate evidence (e.g. medical certificate, birth or death certificate, school education report, etc.).

For the winter semester, the complete application and supporting documents must be submitted by 15 July at the latest (summer semester by 15 January).

Justified applications

As a rule, a hardship application can be granted in the following cases, which are given as examples:

• Special health circumstances of the applicant which require immediate admission:
  • Applicant suffers from an illness with a tendency to worsen, which will in all probability lead to the inability to cope with the stresses and strains of the course of study in the future (specialist medical opinion).
  • Applicants have to give up their previous studies or previous profession for health reasons; for these reasons it is not possible for them to bridge the waiting period in a meaningful way (specialist medical opinion).
  • Applicant is physically disabled, due to their disability, they are either unable to perform any other reasonable activity until a study place is allocated, or is unreasonably disadvantaged in comparison to non-disabled applicants in the event of further referral to the waiting period (specialist medical opinion)

The expert opinion should contain statements on the origin, severity, course and treatment options of the disease as well as a prognosis on the further course of the disease and should also be comprehensible for non-medical people. Suitable additional proofs are, for example, the severely disabled person's pass, the assessment notice from the pension office and the notice of withdrawal from service from the Bundeswehr.

• The applicant's particular economic situation, but only if there are health problems and/or family or social circumstances
• Specific family or social circumstances of the applicant which require immediate admission (appropriate supporting documents)
• Applicant has been admitted to the above-mentioned degree programme in an earlier semester, but was unable to take it up for compelling reasons for which they are not responsible (in particular illness), unless an advance admissions officer (proof of compelling reason, previous notification of admission)

Unsubstantiated applications

In the following cases in particular, the application is generally unsuccessful:

• Local connection due to necessary home care and support in case of existing illness
• Previous studies or occupation had to be abandoned for health reasons, bridging the waiting period is, however, possible and reasonable.
• Studying cannot be paid from private funds
• Future discontinuation of private financing of studies if the start of studies is further delayed
• The financing of the degree programme is limited (e.g. inheritance contract, will, payment of orphan's allowance or Bundeswehr pension); it is no longer guaranteed for the intended programme if admission is delayed
• Applicant is married or has one child
• Father or mother or both parents are ill or severely disabled
• Origin from a large family; siblings are still in education
• Applicant is an orphan or half-orphan

(in German)

• https://stwno.de/de/wohnen/wohnen-handicap
• https://stwno.de/de/wohnen/wohnanlagen-deg/finkenhof-detterstrasse

Rental Phonak Roger hearing aid set with telecoil (T-coil)

The system consists of a touch screen lecturer's microphone and a MyLink receiver with a neck loop containing an induction loop. The inductive field of the cord addresses the telecoil (T-coil) in your hearing aid and thus transmits the speech signal. Roger MyLink can be used with any hearing aid that has a telecoil. The Phonak hearing aid not only works with hearing aids, but can also be worn with headphones, which can also be borrowed.

Please make an appointment with the university's disability officer for questions regarding aids. If necessary, we will also help you to apply for other aids (e.g. sign language interpreter, technical aids).

(in German)

• https://stwno.de/de/finanzierung

Deggendorf Institute of Technology ensures that all new buildings and conversion projects are barrier-free and accessible to disabled people.
For prospective students with physical disabilities, we offer, in addition to personal counselling, a visit to the premises of the respective degree programme and other important locations (e.g. library, computer centre, canteen, toilets). This allows you to see for yourself whether the buildings and facilities are suitable for your needs. Individual solutions can also be worked out in cooperation with the administration.

There are three designated disabled parking spaces on the Deggendorf Campus:

• Parking in front of the E-Building
• Parking behind the cafeteria
• In the underground car park Donau parking deck

Site plan of the handicapped accessible parking spaces at DIT.