Study organization with child

If you are pregnant during your studies, a semester of leave can be useful in order to be able to take care only of the role of mother for a while and to pause your studies. These semesters of leave are then not counted towards the standard period of study and you still retain your status as a student. An application for leave of absence is available at the Study Service Center (SSZ) and must also be submitted there (within the re-registration period). During a semester of leave due to maternity or parental leave, the student is exempt from the semester fee. Details can also be obtained from the Study Service Center.

Please note, however, that during a semester of leave there is no entitlement to BaföG and no study or examination achievements may be taken. You should therefore consider whether a semester off is really helpful - the Family and Equal Opportunity Officer will be happy to advise you on this.

If the workload of your studies is difficult to reconcile with your role as a parent, it makes sense to consider continuing your studies with a child on a part-time basis. This reduces the amount of work to be done per semester and offers the possibility to finish the studies in a more relaxed way. With regard to the period of study, part-time semesters are counted as half semesters.

Part-time study is possible in all degree programs, provided that this is not expressly excluded in the respective study and examination regulations. Part-time studies must be applied for in writing at the Study Service Center (SSZ) during the re-registration period for the following semester. This is possible both before the start of studies and during the course of studies and must be justified with suitable proof (e.g. birth certificate of the child). When applying, the desired reduction in studies must be specified. However, it should be noted that this may change the entitlement to BaföG.

Due to maternity protection and/or parental leave, special regulations may apply to study and examination achievements. In general, students on maternity leave or due to parental responsibilities can apply for an extension of the processing times for written examinations as well as Bachelor's and Master's theses. The deadlines and extension periods can be obtained from the Examinations Office. However, the intention should be discussed with the examiner in advance.

Also due to pregnancy or maternity leave as well as due to the illness of your child, the regulations for a withdrawal from an examination due to illness apply (presentation of a doctor's certificate). Unfortunately, an alternative date for exams is also not possible due to maternity.

The question also arises again and again what happens if labor pains start during the exam and the exam has to be terminated prematurely.... Even if this case only occurs very rarely: in this special situation, the well-being of mother and child is of course paramount and a solution can be found after the exam.

You can also complete your internship semester during pregnancy, as long as pregnancy is not an obstacle to doing the internship. There is also the possibility to interrupt the internship period due to maternity protection and to continue it later. In this case, close consultation with the Internship Office and the internship company is strongly recommended so that problems can be avoided. The Internship Office can also give you helpful tips for finding a suitable internship for students with children.