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Study with a physical disability

Initial situation

In terms of the proportion of severely disabled students, Philipps-Universität Marburg occupies a unique position in comparison with other universities in Germany:
at least 30 students who rely on wheelchairs and a further 40 or so students with severe mobility disabilities represent the largest number of physically disabled students at any university in Germany. These students are dependent largely or around the clock on nursing and personal assistance.
What is crucial to the appeal of Philipps-Universität Marburg to students with physical disabilities are the support services provided by the Konrad Biesalski House (KBH), a student dormitory and residential care home. This dormitory of the Marburg Student Union, which is home to students both with and without disabilities, provides the basic requirements for unrestricted university attendance with its organized care and transportation services. This has gone hand in hand with 30 years of efforts by Philipps-Universität Marburg to adapt the structural conditions of university institutions to the needs of students with disabilities.

Advising services

We provide support and assistance with:

  • Choosing or changing a major or combination of majors that fit your interests and physical ability;
  • Study and aid financing problems (application and appeal procedures);
  • Applying for (technical) study and other aids such as study assistance or an individually adapted motor vehicle;
  • Planning, organizing and implementing an efficient course of study;
  • Coordinating individual accommodations or modifications of the degree program and examination rules;
  • Overcoming structural and equipment-related obstacles in individual institutions (e.g. providing information on the accessibility of individual buildings);
  • Disability-related hardship situations (e.g. study delays);
  • Applying for assumption of costs for staying at the Konrad Biesalski House (KBH) student dorm/residential care home or for help searching for an accessible private apartment as well as securing the necessary care (including support with applications to the applicable cost centers).