Hardship case
In the quota for cases of hardship, only applicants may be admitted for whom non-admission to the desired degree program would constitute exceptional hardship.
Exceptional hardship exists when specific personal, social, or family circumstances make it imperative for the applicant to begin their studies immediately. The rejection of the application for admission would have to entail disadvantages for the applicant that, when assessed by strict standards, go significantly beyond the extent of the disadvantages usually associated with rejection. In making the decision, the guidelines of the Higher Education Admissions Ordinance are applied accordingly.
Universities in Bavaria reserve 2% of their places in degree programs for so-called hardship cases. If more hardship cases are recognized than there are places available under this quota, selection is based on the degree of exceptional hardship, particularly social hardship. However, this quota does not have to be fully utilized. Within the scope of this quota, the approval of a hardship case application, without consideration of selection criteria (e.g., average grade), leads directly to admission in preference over all other applicants.
Requirement of justification for hardship cases
Applying for a hardship case is therefore only an option for a small number of people. Not every hardship, however severe it may seem, justifies admission as a hardship case. Rather, the applicant must have health, social, or family-related reasons of such severity that, even when applying particularly strict standards, it cannot reasonably be expected of them to wait even a single year for admission. There must therefore be a particularly exceptional situation. The far-reaching significance of a positive hardship decision for those applicants who can no longer be admitted according to the general selection criteria because places in degree programs have been filled by hardship cases necessitates a particularly critical review of the stated reasons and the submitted evidence.
The hardship case must be substantiated by appropriate supporting documents (e.g., a medical specialist’s review).
Deadline for applying for a hardship case
The hardship application and the required supporting documents must be submitted in full by the deadline. Applications submitted after the deadline, or supporting documents submitted after the deadline that substantiate the application, will not be considered. Similarly, circumstances that arise after the deadline cannot be considered under any circumstances.
Examples of cases of hardship
Examples of justified applications for hardship cases
In the following examples, an application for hardship relief can generally be granted.
All cases listed as examples under No. 1 require a specialist medical review as supporting documentation. This review should include information on the origin, severity, course, and treatment options for the condition, as well as a prognosis regarding its future progression, and should be understandable even to those without a medical background. Additional supporting documents, such as a disability ID card or a determination notice from the Social Security Office, are suitable. The cases listed as examples under Nos. 2 and 3 require appropriate documentation as proof.
- Special health circumstances of the applicant that require immediate admission:
- The applicant suffers from a condition that tends to worsen and is highly likely to result in an inability to cope with the demands of the program in the future.
- The applicant must give up their current studies or profession for health reasons; for these reasons, it is not possible for them to meaningfully bridge the waiting period.
- The applicant has a physical disability; due to this disability, they are either unable to perform any other reasonable work until a place in a degree program is assigned, or they would be unreasonably disadvantaged compared to non-disabled applicants if they were required to wait further.
- The applicant is in a special financial emergency, but only if this coincides with the circumstances described in points 1 and/or 3.
- The applicant has special family or social circumstances that require immediate admission.
- The applicant was admitted to the aforementioned degree program in a previous semester but was unable to take advantage of the admission for compelling reasons beyond their control (in particular, illness).
Examples of hardship applications that cannot be accepted
Cut-off deadline
Deadline for submitting a hardship application for admission to a degree program: July 15, 2025
