Do you need to combine your studies with caring for close relatives? Then you can take a semester off under certain conditions and still take part in courses and examinations. You can also be given more time to complete your examinations on an individual basis.

According to § 38a StuPO, you are entitled to care giving leave. During this leave of absence , students can take part in courses, complete coursework and examinations, in particular individual examinations for courses already attended in previous semesters, and use university facilities in accordance with a binding study agreement.

You can also be given more time to complete your examinations without taking a semester off and thus reduce the examination load per semester in order to reconcile caring responsibilities with your studies. In all cases, however, you must submit an application for care giving leave.

You must also apply for approval of a binding study agreement, i.e. you must be clear about how you want to complete your studies. To do this, you should draw up a corresponding plan, which you should work out with the student counselling staff at your school and discuss with your Dean of Academic Affairs or mentor and which must be approved by the school's examination board. During the nursing period, you are entitled to have an application to change the binding study agreement approved up to twice. The study agreement can also be amended more often if the reason given is that you are caring for a longer period.

In any case, please contact the student counselling staff at your school for advice. If you are applying for a semester off on your own, submit a corresponding application to the StudiCenter. The application for leave of absence with the plan for a reduced examination load per semester must be submitted together with the application for approval of a binding study agreement to the member of the school examination board responsible for you. If leave semesters are planned in a binding study agreement, these leave semesters must be applied for separately at the StudiCenter in addition to the approval of the binding study agreement by the school's Examination Board. The following documents must be enclosed with the application for care giving leave or the application for semesters of leave:

• Certificate of the care level of the relative (notification from the care insurance fund or medical service) in accordance with Section 7 (4) PflegezeitG
• Proof in accordance with § 7 Para. 3 PflegezeitG that the person is a close relative
• Explanation as to why no other family member can take on the caring responsibilities
• Draft of the binding study agreement (study progress forecast using the Excel tables provided)
• Minutes of the study counselling for vSV

Formal aspects:

• Do the requirements for a binding study agreement exist (see above for evidence of care giving time)?
• Are all examinations taken into account?
• Are you authorized to take the relevant examinations at the planned time?
• Are the relevant requirements for the practical semester met at the beginning of the practical semester? Does the practical semester have to be postponed if necessary?

Content organization:

• Is the logical study structure taken into account (e.g. maths usually before OR)?
• Are the objectives realistic (given the student's effort)?
• When assessing the examination load, the following must be taken into account: 
  Students on care giving leave (§ 37 para. 3 d) i.V.m. § Section 38a StuPO) have a legal right to a self-determined individual study program. The advising university lecturers can, of course, work towards a change in the case of examination sequences or the like that make little sense

Here you will find relevant information and documents to download: