Free semester
- Leave of absence due to pregnancy/ maternity protection
- Leave of absence due to parenting leave
- Leave taken to care for your sick child
- Leave taken due to sickness of child’s parent or guardian
- Leave taken due to relative in need of care
If you need to take a semester of leave, you must apply to Student Administration. You may only take full semesters of leave; in the cases listed above, you may also apply during the semester. You can get information on the deadlines and the necessary forms at Student Administration. This link takes you to Student Administration.
Please ensure that meet all regulations regarding the duration of your studies so that you are not disadvantaged when it comes to registering for your exams. Check with your subject-specific counselor or administration.
You must be enrolled to complete your Bachelor’s or Master’s degree. There may be other rules if you are doing a Staatsexamen. Ask your examinations office.
If you take a long break from your studies, it is recommended that you seek subject-related counselling so that you can retain an overview of any changes which take place in your department.
Details here on Financing for studies when you have a child and must take leave of absence.
Leave of absence due to pregnancy/ maternity protection
Leave of absence from studies due to maternity protection is regulated in the state higher education law, Landeshochschulgesetz § 61(3), in accordance with § 3(1) and § 6(1) of the maternity protection law (MuSchG), as amended. That means:
A student may take leave of absence upon presentation of a doctor’s certificate confirming that she is pregnant. The doctor’s certificate should indicate that continuing her studies as normal could present a health risk to the mother and child.
Leave of absence under the maternity protection law and the law guaranteeing parenting leave is subject to a number of special provisions:
- It may be taken in your first semester of studies.
- You may not attend classes or complete assessment.
- Any semesters you take off do not count against the number of free semesters which may be taken for other reasons. That means you can additionally take the two free semesters “with good cause” (see § 61(1)).
- Examination deadlines are suspended. If students undertake exams despite these provisions, they must clarify in advance with their examination office what extension of the repeat exam deadline is possible should they fail the first exam. You are entitled to disadvantage compensation in the form of flexible deadlines (§ 32 (3)(2) 3 and 4 and § 32 (4)(1) 5 of the Landeshochschulgesetz).
Leave of absence due to parenting leave
Leave of absence from studies due to parenting leave is regulated in the state higher education law, Landeshochschulgesetz § 61(3), in accordance with § 15(1-3) of the parenting leave law (BEEG), as amended. That means:
After the birth of their child, students female or male may apply for leave of absence up to the legal duration of parenting leave, that is, until the child’s third birthday (6 semesters in total). Both parents may take parenting leave at the same time. The duration of parenting leave is not affected. For births up to and including 30 June 2015 you may delay up to two semesters of parenting leave and take them at a later date, providing you have taken them before your child’s 8th birthday. For births on or after 1 July 2015 you may delay up to 24 months (4 semesters) of parenting leave, providing you have taken them before your child’s 8th birthday.
If you have an adoptive or foster child, you may take parenting leave of 3 years total after taking in the child, providing you have taken the leave by the child’s 8th birthday.
Leave of absence under the law guaranteeing parenting leave and the maternity protection law is subject to a number of special provisions:
- It may be taken in your first semester of studies.
- You may not attend classes or complete assessment.
- Any semesters you take off do not count against the number of free semesters which may be taken for other reasons. That means you can additionally take the two free semesters “with good cause” (see § 61(1)).
- Examination deadlines are suspended. If students undertake exams despite these provisions, they must clarify in advance with their examination office what extension of the repeat exam deadline is possible should they fail the first exam. You are entitled to disadvantage compensation in the form of flexible deadlines (§ 32 (3)(2) 3 and 4 and § 32 (4)(1) 5 of the Landeshochschulgesetz).
Leave taken to care for your sick child
Even after taking leave of absence due to parenting leave, you may nevertheless take further free semesters in cases of hardship, for instance, if you must care for a sick child; this is provided for in the Landeshochschulgesetz § 61(1) under “leave of absence for good cause.”
Up to two free semesters may usually be taken for a good reason.
You may not complete coursework or assessment during these free semesters.
Leave taken due to sickness of child’s parent or guardian
Students who are prevented from carrying out regular studies due to illness may take leave of absence under Landeshochschulgesetz § 61(1), which provides for leave of absence for good cause.
Up to two free semesters may usually be taken for a good reason.
You may not complete coursework or assessment during these free semesters.
Leave taken due to relative in need of care
Under § 61(3) Landeshochschulgesetz students may take leave for the period in which they need to care for a relative (under § 7(3) PflegeZG), if this person is in need of care as defined in the Eleventh Book of the Sozialgesetzbuch §§ 14 and 15, or put briefly, is in at least the level of required care Pflegestufe I.
Furthermore, being with a close relative in his or her final phase of life is taken into account as a reason for absence.
How is a “close relative” defined under the laws (PflegeZG and FPfZG)?
- Grandparents,
- Parents, step parents, parents-in-law,
- Spouses, civil partners, partners in a de facto marriage, persons in de facto life partnerships,
- Siblings, brothers- and sisters-in-law,
- Children, adoptive or foster children,
- Children, adoptive or foster children of partner,
- Sons- and daughters-in-law,
In addition a child under 18 which is in need of care and is cared for outside of the household is to be taken into account, as set out in the Pflegetzeitgesetz.
The required documentation is a certificate from the health insurer like the one issued to employees who make use of leave periods for care-giving under § 3 PflegeZG or a clearly formulated doctor’s certificate.
Leave of absence for care-giving is, like leave for parenting and maternity, subject to a number of special provisions:
- It may be taken in your first semester of studies.
- You may attend classes or complete assessment.
- Any semesters you take off do not count against the number of free semesters which may be taken for other reasons. That means you can additionally take the two free semesters “with good cause” (see § 61(1)).
- Examination deadlines are suspended. If students undertake exams despite these provisions, they must clarify in advance with their examination office what extension of the repeat exam deadline is possible should they fail the first exam. You are entitled to disadvantage compensation in the form of flexible deadlines (§ 32 (3)(2) 3 and 4 and § 32 (4)(1) 5 of the Landeshochschulgesetz).