Students

Students on maternity leave and students with children or caregiving tasks may suffer disadvantages during their studies as a result of their special circumstances. In these cases, provisions are
made for adjustments for disadvantages.

Section 9 (15) of the General Examination Regulations for Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes at
TU Braunschweig refers to students in special social circumstances (such as pregnancy, parenting
or caring for relatives). If you are a student in one of these groups, you may apply for an adjustment
if you are unable to take an examination or parts of an examination in the specified form.
The Examination Board should then grant an adjustment.

Possible adjustments could be, for instance, these:

• Special consideration in the registration for courses
• Options to agree alternative coursework or examinations
• Extended deadlines for coursework or examinations
• Deviating from formally specified examination procedures

If you are eligible for an adjustment for disadvantages, you should submit your application to the
Examination Board. You may wish to arrange a preliminary consultation with the Examination
Board or the examiner before submitting your application. After your application has been reviewed
and approved, appropriate actions can be taken.

The regulations at the TU Braunschweig are described and explained in this guide (so far only in German).

The written application to the respective examination board can be made informally or with the help of this form (so far only in German).

If you are studying with children and you are unable to take an examination because a child for whom you are largely the sole carer has suddenly fallen ill, the same rules apply as for students missing an examination because they have fallen ill themselves. The rules also apply if a close relative is sick, who is medically certified as requiring care, if you can provide evidence from an official body that you are responsible for this close relative’s care.

Under Section 11 (3) (1) of the General Examination Regulations, you have to immediately notify the Examination Board or other authorised bodies in writing of the reasons for your withdrawal or absence and provide the appropriate evidence.

A medical certificate from the treating paediatrician or the physician treating the close relative is considered sufficient proof of the illness of the family member. This has to demonstrate that care is necessary and you have to submit it to the responsible bodies as quickly as possible. Please note that retrospective sick notes will not be accepted. There is no need for a certificate from an officially appointed doctor (Amtsarzt), even where the situation occurs repeatedly.

Students have the option to study part-time. You will need to submit the appropriate application to the Admissions Office for a minimum period of two semesters. Your personal study plan has to be agreed with the relevant contact for your degree programme and included with your application. Please remember that, as a part-time student, you will earn no more than half the credits normally available per semester. Studying part-time will add one semester per year of study (two semesters) to your standard period of study. Please note that not all degree programmes are suitable for part-time study. Make sure you contact the relevant department for details in advance.

The deadline for applications for part-time study is 15 July for the winter semester and 15 January for the summer semester.

Further information: Part-time study