Exceptional hardness

A small number of places may be awarded to applicants for whom non-admission to the program would cause exceptional hardship.

According to § 11 clause 2 of the study place allocation regulations of Hesse (StPlaVO), exceptional hardship exists if special personal social or family reasons make it absolutely necessary for the student to begin his or her studies immediately, i.e. if a delay in the start of studies, even by only one semester, is unacceptable for personal reasons.

Examples

In the following example cases, the request can usually be granted:

• Illness with a tendency to aggravate, which will result in a high probability that in the future the burdens of study in this degree program cannot be endured,
• disability due to illness; professional rehabilitation can only be ensured by immediate admission to the study program, because due to the disability a reasonable bridging of the waiting period is not possible,
• physical disability; the disability stands in the way of any other reasonable activity until a study place is allocated,
• Spätaussiedler (ethnic German immigrants), as well as confirmation of enrollment in a course of study in the country of origin.

Not recognized as a rule:

• local ties due to the necessity of domestic care and support in the case of existing illness,
• the studies cannot be financed,
• applicant has one or more children,
• father, mother or both parents as well as siblings are ill or severely disabled.

Attention:
A severe disability (according to the Severely Disabled Persons Act) usually does not justify immediate admission within the framework of the hardship regulation.

Up to five percent (§ 5 para. 2 no. 1 StPlaVO) of the study places in each study program are available to persons who submit a hardship application.

This means that if a hardship application is accepted, the applicant will still participate in the selection according to the average grade and the selection according to the waiting period like all other applicants. If he/she cannot reach the selection thresholds, this does not mean that he/she will receive a rejection notice; instead, he/she will now be selected within the framework of the hardship quota. Admission under the hardship quota thus has the effect of exemption from the generally applicable selection standards.

A hardship application must be submitted during the online application process in eCampus.

The privilege of immediate admission over competing applicants can only be justified if a delay in the start of studies in the desired subject would be unreasonable or grossly unfair. It is therefore necessary to prove a particularly serious personal exceptional situation. This exceptional situation can only relate to present or future circumstances.

While applying for exceptional hardship, you will need the following documents:

• Letter of justification(please upload the document during your online application in eCampus).
• Appropriate supporting documents, such as expert reports(please upload the documents during your online application in eCampus).

All circumstances presented in the hardship case must be supported by appropriate evidence, otherwise they cannot be considered in the decision.
The attached supporting documents must be presented clearly enough to allow an outside person to understand your arguments based on the documents.

Unfortunately, a preliminary assessment of hardship reasons cannot be made. A binding assessment is only possible if a comprehensively proven hardship application has been submitted together with the application for admission.