Advice for Students with Disabilities or Chronic Illnesses

• Advice on all questions about studying at the University of Mannheim with a disability
• Special campus tours
• Information on applying for a program and requesting recognition of hardship upon admission
• Establishing contact to students with the same or a similar disability or chronic illness (if possible)

• Advice on all questions about studying at the University of Mannheim with a disability
• Information on disadvantage compensation for examinations (for instance time extensions, enlargement of exam papers, etc.)
• Newsletter on studying with a disability or chronic illness
• Referral to other counselors and points of contact (for instance at the schools, the Studierendenwerk, the Federal Employment Agency, etc.)

What services and support options are available to students in general, and at the University of Mannheim in particular? What is disadvantage compensation, and what should be taken into account? Who at the university can be contacted for specific concerns? Ask your questions about the organization of everyday student life and examinations.

Feel free to contact us if you need to, even if you are not sure whether you might need assistance. The best thing to do is to book a personal advising appointment, but you can also reach us by e-mail or phone. You will find the booking tool (appointments take place in person, by phone, or online) and contact details at the bottom of the page.

Students who are unable to take examinations in the usual form due to a disability or chronic illness have the option of applying for disadvantage compensation. As a rule, the application must be submitted by the end of the examination registration period at the latest. Please contact the Comissioner and Counselor for students with disabilities or chronic illnesses. Please be sure to note the information on disadvantage compensation in the examination regulations that apply to you.

The examination committee responsible for your degree program will decide on your request. Once all the required documents have been submitted, the examination committee generally has up to three months to process your request. Since it is also possible that additional documents may need to be submitted, it is strongly recommended that you submit your request early in the first few weeks of the semester.

As a rule, a proposal for disadvantage compensation must be submitted anew each semester. The deadline for the alternative examination dates is also the end of the applicable general or early registration period.

Exchange students with disabilities or chronic illnesses who receive disadvantage compensation for examinations at their home university may also apply for disadvantage compensation at the University of Mannheim.

Please ask the coordinator at your home institution to submit a signed and stamped confirmation of the disadvantage compensation granted to you there by the beginning of the lecture period. This document should be sent to the commissioner and counselor for students with disabilities or chronic illnesses.

Please inform the commissioner and counselor for students with disabilities or chronic illnesses of all examinations you have registered for no later than the end of the examination registration period. Notifications submitted after this deadline cannot be taken into consideration. A notification must be submitted for all examinations, including those taken on a resit examination date.

Please note: We aim to offer the same disadvantage compensation as granted by your home institution. However, in individual cases, this may not be possible or may only be feasible to a limited extent.

Disadvantage compensation in the first state examination in Law is cannot be applied for and will not be processed at the University of Mannheim, but must be submitted directly to the Landesjustizprüfungsamt (state office for legal examination).

Depending on your situation, it may be helpful to take one or more academic leaves of absence. Please read the general information on this topic. If you have any questions or uncertainties, please contact your contact person at Student Services, the competent program managers, or the commissionfr and counselor for students with disabilities or chronic illnesses.

If you are interested in individual study coaching or workshops on the topic of learning, it is worth exploring learning and study techniques. You can browse StudyVerse in ILIAS. The Psychological Counseling Service (PBS) at the Studierendenwerk also offers regular workshops on the topic of exam anxiety.

If you are experiencing psychological stress, you can make an appointment for psychological counseling with Alessa Nick at the Department of Equal Opportunity and Diversity or contact the Psychological Counseling Service (PBS) of the Mannheim Studierendenwerk.

The social counseling service of the Mannheim Studierendenwerk provide advice on personal, social, or financial issues and problems.

The overview Multimedia equipment in lecture halls lists the lecture halls that have equipment for students with hearing impairments. If you have any questions, please contact the media technology team. If you use an FM system, please also contact the media technology team, as the frequency must be checked for compatibility with the media technology available in the room.

The examination regulations contain information on how to deal with situations where compulsory attendance cannot be met in courses in which participation counts as coursework.

In Portal², you can use the “Available rooms” tab to find rooms that are not currently being used for teaching and are available for independent study. The Schloss Schneckenhof Library features a quiet room where you can study without being disturbed. 

If you are considering taking a voluntary semester abroad or are already in the process of planning your stay abroad, it is best to contact the commissioner and counselor for students with disabilities or chronic illnesses and/or your contact person at the International Office as early as possible. For degree programs in which a stay abroad is mandatory, please contact the relevant program manager first.

Feel free to check the  International Office website in advance for information on financial support options, for example.