Special provisions for students at MHH
If you are studying while also caring for relatives, you are not alone!!
Studying itself is a 'full-time job.' When additional commitments, such as caregiving, are taken on, it creates a significant physical and mental dual burden. Nevertheless, this group of students is rarely recognized, and there is a lack of support services tailored to their specific needs.
The Equal Opportunities Office and/or the AStA Social Affairs Representative (soziales[at]mhh-asta.de) offer consultations, informational materials, and networking opportunities related to this topic upon request.
We would like to invite you to join a mailing list for all students with caregiving responsibilities at MHH. Through this list, invitations to events at MHH, information on caring for relatives at the university, new laws, initiatives, etc., will be sent out. If you are interested in regularly receiving information on the topic of 'Studying with Care Responsibilities,' please send an email with the subject 'Join Mailing List "Students with Care Responsibilities"' to familienservice[at]mh-hannover.de. The list is also intended to serve as a communication and exchange platform. Your emails can also be forwarded to the subscribers of the list. This mailing list is anonymous, meaning that only the staff of the Family Service can view the list of subscribers.
Group in ILIAS: Students with Care Responsibilities at MHH. Another opportunity for exchange is the ILIAS group of the Family Service (under the Campus Life section). In addition to current information, you will find many resources related to studying with caregiving responsibilities.
Discussion Group for Family Caregivers
Balancing caregiving for relatives with work and study is very exhausting. Often, there are not enough hours in the day to take care of oneself. Our discussion group offers a space where you can exchange information, ideas, encouragement, and support with other caregivers. You, as a caregiver, are at the center of our focus.
Further events (Training for Family Caregivers on December 7, 2023 / Online event series 'Care in Focus' for family caregivers) can be found on our event page.
Student Services
The 22nd Social Survey (german version only: 22. Sozialerhebung des Deutschen Studentenwerks) of the German Student Union is the largest student survey in Germany. More than 180,000 students from 250 universities participated in the survey regarding their living and study situations, conducted by the German Student Union in collaboration with the German Centre for Higher Education Research and Science Studies and the Higher Education Research Group at the University of Konstanz, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, in summer 2021. You are not alone; this survey revealed that 12 percent of students support relatives.
At the Hannover Student Services, students with caregiving responsibilities receive comprehensive social counseling. Social counseling at MHH is provided by the staff of the Student Services on Tuesdays from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM in Building I2, Preclinical, Room 1070, AStA Consultation Room.
Psychological Counseling
The Institute for General Medicine offers psychosocial counseling for MHH students in collaboration with the Dean’s Office.
Counseling appointments for psychological therapeutic counseling (ptb). There are no longer open office hours at MHH. It is requested that appointments be made by phone; counseling is offered at LUH.
Offer for Young Caregivers
Additionally, there is the II PAUSENTASTE project from the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women, and Youth, which supports young people who have caregiving responsibilities. Sometimes those who help others need help themselves!
Students who demonstrate a disadvantage in exam participation due to family commitments can apply for compensatory measures. To do this, an application with detailed justification and the type of compensatory measure must be submitted to the Dean's Office no later than 14 days before the exam date. A compensatory measure is valid for the current examination semester (cf. § 16 Examination Regulations for Human Medicine).
Binding information can be obtained from the Student Registrar's Office or the Dean's Office.
Leave of Absence: Students from all disciplines can take a leave of absence from their studies (starting no earlier than the 2nd semester) for a maximum of two semesters (longer in justified individual cases) due to pregnancy and subsequent childcare. During this time, students are not allowed to complete study or examination requirements. You will not receive BAföG during this period. This information can be found on the MHH Student Registrar's Office website (see www.mhh.de/studierendensekretariat/beurlaubung).
Free Semester: Students from all disciplines can be exempted from modules (starting no earlier than the 3rd year of study) for one semester or quintile due to pregnancy and subsequent childcare. Participation in modules is not possible during this time. However, examination performances may still be completed. Internships can be undertaken if the Dean's Office certifies the leave for that period. You will not receive BAföG during this time. This information can also be found on the MHH Student Registrar's Office website (see www.mhh.de/studierendensekretariat/beurlaubung).
Binding information can be obtained from the Student Registrar's Office.
The European Master's program in Midwifery Science can be studied full-time or part-time (cf. § 6 (1) Examination and Study Regulations for the European Master's Program in Midwifery Science).
Binding information can be obtained from the Student Registrar's Office or the Dean's Office.
Students in Human and Dental Medicine are given priority in admission to events if they provide proof of caregiving responsibilities and the need for care (cf. § 16 (2) Study Regulations for Human Medicine; § 8 (5) No. 1 Study Regulations for Dental Medicine MHH). Please contact the Dean's Office or the Student Registrar's Office early on regarding this matter.
If absences for important reasons have been exceeded, the responsible instructor may alternatively require proof of participation through an assessment of the content from the missed classes (cf. § 17 (2) Study Regulations for Human Medicine; § 10 (2) Study Regulations for Dental Medicine MHH).
Binding information can be obtained from the Student Registrar's Office or the Dean's Office.
Examination performances can also be conducted electronically (exams, essays, seminar papers, project work, position papers, poster drafts, protocols, and master's theses). Oral exams can also take place online as video conferences (cf. § 11 (1) and (6) Examination and Study Regulations for the European Master's Program in Midwifery Science).
Online teaching: Courses take place in person. Instructors can decide whether to offer courses online—either synchronously or asynchronously—as well. Students do not have a right to this. Hybrid events involve significantly higher effort for instructors, and the necessary staffing conditions are often lacking. Within the framework of the family-friendly university, efforts are being made to better establish online teaching, but this will likely take time to implement.
Binding information can be obtained from the Student Registrar's Office or the Dean's Office.
In justified individual cases within the Public Health program, an extension of the submission deadline for the master's thesis may be granted upon request (cf. § 4 (4) Examination Regulations for the Continuing Education Master's Program in Public Health).
Binding information can be obtained from the Student Registrar's Office or the Dean's Office
Fluxx Emergency Care (Fluxx Notfallbetreuung): Fluxx Phone Number: 0511-16832110
MHH is a partner of Fluxx, a care service provided by the state capital and the Hannover region. Fluxx provides short-term care (not nursing) for relatives in emergencies, offers advice during care shortages, accompanies individuals outside the home, and provides transportation services. Students pay 2 euros per hour.
Financial Support
Students with caregiving responsibilities who care for a relative with a care level can be exempted from tuition fees (§ 12 (3) No. 3, § 13 (1) No. 3 Lower Saxony Higher Education Act).
Students who care for a close relative with at least care level three in a home environment (§ 15 (3) No. 2 BAföG) can apply for an extension of their BAföG benefits for a reasonable period (maximum of 2 semesters) if the maximum funding period has been exceeded. The extension of BAföG benefits is a case-by-case decision made by the responsible office for educational support, based on the documented care level and a credible statement from the student. A financial increase in funding, as is available for students with children, is not possible.
The flyer "Wohngeld für Studierende" (Housing Allowance for Students) from the state capital Hannover, dated March 2019, provides concise and useful information about housing allowance advice, eligibility, and application.
The brochure "Der kleine Geldbeutel" ("The Little Wallet") offers an overview of expenses and potential income for young families.
Students lose their eligibility for the favorable student health insurance upon reaching the age of 30.
The MDK Reform Act has removed the limitation up to the 14th semester and added an exception, allowing for recognition of valid reasons thereafter, which enables an extension of membership. Reasons for extension include caregiving for relatives, child-rearing, illness (minimum of 3 months), disability, committee work, and others.
(cf. § 190 (9) No. 2 Sentence 2 SGB V)
Reason for Extension: Caregiving for Relatives:
"Family and personal reasons: Family reasons include illnesses and disabilities of family members that required care or support from the student. In such cases, an extension of insurance obligation is possible for the period during which participation in studies was not possible or only possible to a limited extent. An extension may also be recognized in the case of the student's own illness or disability, provided that participation in studies was not possible or only possible to a limited extent.
Students with a scholarship are not yet taken into account when it comes to caregiving for relatives, as scholarship regulations usually align with BAföG rules (cf. Gröning, Katharina 2018). The BAföG Amendment Act only came into effect in July 2019, so aligning scholarship regulations will take more time.
Contributions to pension insurance are covered by long-term care insurance, provided that the relative being cared for has at least care level 2. Care must be provided for at least 10 hours within seven days (at least 2 days per week). The professional activity is limited to a maximum of 30 hours per week. Studying does not count as professional activity, which means that students can receive pension contributions! Long-term care insurance pays the insurance contributions only when the specified criteria are met, thereby establishing the status of a caregiver under long-term care insurance. The amount of the contribution is determined by the care level and the extent of caregiving activities.
(cf .§ 44 SGB XI)