In accordance with its key principle and function, a Nachteilsausgleich is explicitly not designed to make exams “easier" in the sense of an “alleviation" or “advantage", but to provide an adequate adaptation of the academic environment and circumstances, accommodating the impairments and needs of the student. The instrument has the purpose of allowing students to acquire and demonstrate academic qualifications of equal value on an equal basis with others, preserving equality of opportunity.     

The concrete shape of accommodations implied in a Nachteilsausgleich must be determined individually in each individual case, considering the relevant characteristics of the situation at hand and pertinent regulations applying to the exam itself.

Possible forms of accommodations include for example:

• Extension of time-limits and deadlines concerning test papers and academic papers/ essays
• Oral examinations in the place of written examinations or vice versa
• Modifications concerning attendance requirements (options to compensate for deficiencies in regular attendance)
• Changes to the examination schedule or temporal order of exams (e.g. taking the required number of exams over a longer period of time)
• among others.

The examination board's decision on a suitable form of accommodation is based on the impairments and issues of the individual case and the concrete examination situation. 

It is impossible to be exempted from taking required examinations or parts of examinations altogether on the grounds of a Nachteilsausgleich. Nor may the accommodation affect the core competencies – its “core contents” – meant to be demonstrated in an exam.

Students have to apply for a Nachteilsausgleich in advance of the examination(s) concerned. The application should be filed well ahead of time, as early as possible, especially as some accommodations require extensive preparations on the part of the university or the examiners. You may use the application form provided by the university to file your application and we advice you to do so. The university also provides an information sheet for medical professionals to facilitate communication and ensure the quality of the medical evidence provided.  Supporting your care givers in providing pertinent medical evidence facilitates matters.  However, neither the use of the form nor the of the supplementary information sheet is legally mandatory. Meanwhile, your application should contain all relevant details indicated on the form, as applicable to your situation. 

The application has to be substantiated by suitable means of evidence concerning the relevant condition(s). Usually, this evidence consists of a statement by a specialised doctor or a psychotherapist. A German “Schwerbehindertenausweis" (Ger.: "Disability Identity Card", "Disabled Pass") in itself, however, is generally neither necessary nor sufficiently precise to support an application for a Nachteilsausgleich.

Applications for a Nachteilsausgleich may be filed using a form devised by Goethe University entitled “Antrag auf Nachteilsausgleich" (Ger.: “Application for Accommodations"). However, not all examination boards use this form. If you are considering applying for a Nachteilsausgleich, we advise you to contact the examination board in charge of your academic subject to discuss the particulars of the application process.

For applications concerning teaching degree programmes (“Lehramtsstudiengänge"), the “Zentrales Prüfungsamt für Lehramtsstudiengänge" (ZPL at ABL) is the examination board to contact.

A Nachteilsausgleich must not be mentioned in your university certificate, according to legal regulations. The university will not publicise a Nachteilsausgleich you have used during the course of your studies.