According to Article 2, paragraph 4 of the Rhineland-Palatinate Higher Education Act (HochSchG) the Universities promote the compatibility of family and studies. They take into account the special needs of students with children and students who, according to a medical opinion, actually care for relatives in need of nursing care. They ensure that students with disabilities have equal access to their studies and are able to use the offers of the universities as independently and barrier-free as possible. A corresponding compensation for disadvantages is also anchored in the examination regulations.

Students receive detailed and individual advice at the Examination Office. It is recommended to contact the Examination Office trustfully and  in good time if you have personal or family problems, because only then can the best possible solution be found. The staff of the Examination Office and the members of the Examination Committees are subject to official secrecy, the concerns of the applicants are treated with the utmost care and discretion. The Trier University of Applied Sciences attaches great importance to supporting its students in extreme stressful situations that affect them during their studies.

The Examination boards are responsible for the organization of the examinations and for decisions in examination matters. Therefore they are the responsible committee who decide about requests from students dealing with examination matters.

Examples for possible special circumstances due to extremely stressful personal problems:

• Suspention of counting attempt or the 1+4-regulation
• Extention of the deadline and the preparation period of the thesis
• Dispensation of the mandatory requirements for individual examinations
• Dispensation for an entire or partial examination requirement during a semester
• Additional time for written examinations
• Exemption from the obligation to provide official medical certificates, and so on

Special approvals like the above listed, are only possible on the basis of valid reasons which are actually present and can be credibly demonstrated. Therefore, the following steps are necessary for the application:

1. Written request with detailed explanation of the valid reasons, accompanied by appropriate documentation as evidence e.g. medical certificates for illnesses, especially for chronicle illnesses, certificates which verify the need for long-term care for relatives, birth certificates and attestations from child physicians in case of illness of a child, certificates of a gynaecologist during pregnancy stating the possible hazard to mother and child or the risk factors, certificate of dyslexia recognition incl. recommendation of a physician about the possibilities of compensation, e.g. extension of writing time and its duration, death certificate in case of a death in the family, and so on.
2. Submission of the application with all documents at the Examination Office. From here, the documents are forwarded to the responsible examination committee for decision.
3. The decision of the responsible examination board will be communicated to the applicants in writing by the examination office including a reason in case of rejection of the application. If necessary, the applicants receive special certificates, which must be presented before the examinations.