We are more than happy to help you with any questions you may have about accessibility and studying at Freie Universität Berlin. Are you unsure about how to submit a request to acknowledge personal hardships with your application (known as a “Härtefallantrag”). Would you like to know more about preparing to switch universities? You will find plenty of helpful information about these subjects below.

An application is required for many degree programs at Freie Universität Berlin. You can find more information about our degree programs, application process, application requirements, and deadlines at https://www.fu-berlin.de/en/studium/index.html.

Submitting a Special Application with Your Application for Admission

Applicants who have a disability or chronic illness can request immediate admission due to personal hardships (Härtefallantrag) when applying for their first semester of study at Freie Universität Berlin in a bachelor’s or master’s degree program, a law degree, or a degree involving state examinations (via Hochschulstart). The special application is submitted during the usual application process. You will need a report from a medical specialist. If you would like to submit a special application for immediate admission due to personal hardships, you should get in touch with your physician in good time. Their report must be specifically written for the purposes of your university application and must be no older than twelve months. It must describe the nature of your health conditions or disabilities in line with the information outlined in our application form. It must detail the grounds for claiming hardship (Härtegründe) under item 1, 2, or 3 as well as 5 (where applicable) and be clearly written so that people outside of the healthcare system can understand it. 

The application for immediate admission (irrespective of grades or waiting period requirements) may be approved in terms of the quota for placements due to personal hardships applicable to three percent of all study placements if a report from a medical specialistconfirms that a waiting period is unreasonable for you as an applicant. You can find more information on the websites about admission and enrollment under information on special applications.

What are some factors that are generally grounds for immediate admission?

• You have a health condition or disability that is expected to worsen and which would therefore make a longer waiting period or later admission to a degree program impossible.
• You have no way of spending the waiting period with another productive activity such as part-time or temporary work due to your physical disability or illness.
• You have limited career options due to a physical disability or illness and the desired degree program would help you to successfully (re)join the professional world or make it possible in the first place, and/or
• You had to discontinue your previous studies or professional occupation for health reasons.

If you are a resident of the Berlin-Brandenburg region and a health condition or disability prevents you from being able to study at another institution you can also apply for immediate admission. Please note that if you would like to change your degree program later on, having been admitted to the degree program on the basis of a hardship application, then you will only be allowed to change subjects if you are doing so because a new health condition or disability has made this necessary. 

If you are applying for a bachelor’s degree program, then instead of or in addition to a hardship application you can also submit an application to improve your grade point average and/or an application to reduce your waiting period.

If you have any other questions you can get in touch with the Admission and Enrollment staff