Organising your Studies with a Family

Students who have children or care for relatives have many questions about how best to organise their studies. The University of Kassel has created some measures and structures to support students with child(ren) or students with relatives in this regard. You will find an overview of these measures below.

 

Abstrakte Illustration, die unterschiedliche Aspekte der Organisation von Studium mit Kindern darstellt: Auf einer Wiese führt eine geschwungene Treppe in den blauen Himmel. Neben und über der Treppe schweben Symbole, die das Studium mit Kind symbolisieren. Folgende Symbole sind abgebildet: ein Doktorhut, ein aufgeklappter Laptop, eine Glühbirne, ein Tischkalender, Bücher, ein Bücherwurm, ein Tablet, ein Auge, eine Doppelhelix, ein Pausenzeichen, eine Hand mit Maulschlüsselwerkzeug, eine Babyflasche, eine Spirale und Pfeile. Um die Treppe versammelt steht eine Gruppe von Erwachsenen, Kindern und Babys. Sie sehen sich die Treppe und die darüber schwebenden Symbole an.Image: Janne Marie Dauer

It is especially crucial for students with children, caretaking responsibilities, disabilities or health restrictions, to be able to attend seminars at specific times. Students with limited time flexibility may be eligible for preferential enrollment in certain departments.

How does preferential enrollment work?

Students in participating departments can apply for preferential enrollment through their program. If the application is approved, students are ensured enrollment in their seminars of choice. Their enrollment is automatically secured by the IT-system. This procedure does not automatically make students eligible to take the corresponding exam.

The necessary requirements for participating in the module or for completing an examination are specified in the program’s regulations and must be fulfilled. The requirement for a preferential enrollment is class enrollment through PRIOS.

Students can apply for the following reasons:

  • Chronic illness or disability, according to § 2 Abs. 1 SGB IX[ZW1]  (verified with a medical certificate - linked on the departments´ homepages, see below)
  • Caretaking of a child up to 12 years old (verified with a copy of the birth certificate)
  • Pregnancy with an expected date of delivery during the semester (verified with medical confirmation of pregnancy, stating the expected date of delivery)
  • Caretaking of a close relative (verified with the copy of a document according to §§ 44, 44a SGB XI)

Application for preferential enrollment 

The application forms can be downloaded from respective homepages of the departments. The application must be submitted to the responsible office on time and complete with all necessary documents included:

            Contact person for inquiries: Melanie Lenz, member of staff for studies and teaching in the Dean's Office

If your department does not yet participate in the “preferential enrollment procedure” and you require assistance with seminar enrollment due to the circumstances described here, please contact the  Family Welcome Service (family/children) or the Service Center for Studies and Disability (chronic illness/disability). We will aim to find a suitable solution.

 

IMPORTANT: If you have changed your study program or are currently on a leave of absence, and would like to register for courses, please contact the Family Welcome Service.

The examination syllabus at the University of Kassel includes regulations that may be particularly helpful to students with children. If you are unable to take exams partially or entirely in the intended form or within the specified deadlines, due to maternity leave or parental leave, you will be permitted to complete the exams within an extended period or submit equivalent coursework in another form.

 

§11 section 5 and 6 of the General Stipulations for Subject Examination Regulations for Bachelor's and Master's Degrees at the University of Kassel (Allgemeine Bestimmungen für Fachprüfungsordnungen mit den Abschlüssen Bachelor und Master an der Universität Kassel, German language only) states that:

(5) If the candidate can credibly argue that they are unable to take the examination fully or partially in the intended form or within the specified time limits due to:

a) a serious or chronic illness or disability within the terms of  § 2 Abs. 1 SGB IX,

b) illness of children requiring supervision and family members requiring personal care,

c) maternity leave or parental leave,

the candidate will be permitted to take the examination within an extended period or to submit equivalent coursework in another form. A medical certificate may be required for this process. The same applies to coursework in accordance with § 9.

(6) If a study program includes mandatory stays abroad, internships, or comparable activities, the subject examination regulations may include alternate forms of coursework for students in particular circumstances (e.g. students with children, students as per paragraph 5).

(7) Accommodations must be requested in written form from the examination committee. The request should be submitted at the time of registration for the examination, at the latest.

The following addition has been made:

Modification of the General Provisions for Subject Examination Regulations for bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Kassel, dated June 8, 2022

8) If a scheduled examination date cannot be met due to a religious restriction on work, an application for a different date may be submitted to the examination committee. In such cases, the examination committee may also determine a form of examination that differs from the subject examination regulations but can still be evaluated according to the same standards. Applications must be submitted before the scheduled examination date, within the deadline set by the examination committee.

If you have any questions, please contact the Department of Studies and Teaching.


Further information and forms:

In certain cases, for example when caring for a child up to the age of 10 (proven by the child’s birth certificate), studying part-time (Teilzeitstudium, German website only) is possible in undergraduate and open-admission degree programmes.

Please note that part-time studies are NOT eligible for BAföG!

It is possible to take a leave of absence from your studies during pregnancy and until the child reaches the age of three.

You can submit the application with proof of the reason for the leave (Mutterpass [maternity passport], medical certificate, child’s birth certificate) to the Department of Studies and Teaching within the re-registration period. In exceptional cases (enclose medical certificate) also during the current semester.

The mother or father of the child can be granted leave of absence. If the father takes leave of absence, the mother’s certificate of study or a certificate from the mother’s employer must be submitted.

A new application for leave of absence must be submitted each semester with the relevant supporting documents.

Semesters spent on leave of absence do not count towards the total number of semesters studied, but the semester fee must be paid and you will not receive BAföG for semesters on leave of absence.

During the leave of absence, you may be entitled to income support (ALG II).

 

The reasons for taking a leave of absence, the application deadline, and important information can be found on this information page of the University of Kassel.

During a leave of absence no credits can be acquired or examinations taken. Exceptions are: Leave of absence for maternity leave, parental leave, caring for a relative.

§ 6 section 16 of General Stipulations for Subject Examination Regulations for Bachelor's and Master's Degrees at the University of Kassel (Allgemeine Bestimmungen für Fachprüfungsordnungen mit den Abschlüssen Bachelor und Master an der Universität Kassel, German language only) states:

(16) There must be rules in place for maintaining attendance lists in subject area examination rules and exceptions are only permitted in justifiable exceptional cases. Justifiable exceptional cases could include:

 - Seminars, practical projects or practica for which there are limited restrictions (e.g. laboratory places) or which are carried out in cooperation with external offices (e.g. schools),

 - Classes or modules in which student interaction places a special role,

 -  Module examinations for which there is no independent examination or course project beyond simple attendance according to the examination rules.

 

Further information on compulsory attendance can also be found under the following links on the information page Examinations – Information on Rights and Obligations (Prüfungen - Hinweise, Rechte und Pflichten, German website only )of the University of Kassel.

 

There is no fixed regulation at the University of Kassel as to how often students are allowed to be absent from a seminar (e.g. due to the illness of a child, but also for other reasons). This will always depend on the content of the course (e.g. “practical” research work in the laboratory, where attendance is necessary, vs. courses whose content can be learned without attendance by studying at home).

In individual cases, make sure to contact your lecturers/the examination board.