Reasonable adjustments:
not an advantage, a levelling
Sitting an examination under different conditions because of a disability or a chronic illness does not put you ahead of anyone, it puts you level.
The requirement stays, the conditions change
That is exactly what separates this from a concession, and exactly what is most often misunderstood.
An adjustment does not lower the academic bar. You sit the same paper, answer the same questions and are marked by the same standards. What changes is only what has nothing to do with the subject: the time available, the format, the location, the aids permitted.
In law this is not a courtesy but the implementation of a prohibition of discrimination. Higher education acts oblige universities to arrange study and examinations so that students with disabilities can demonstrate their ability without outside help. Asking here is not asking for a favour.
And that includes this: no note appears on your certificate. Not on the degree certificate, not on the transcript, not as a footnote or an asterisk. Such a note would disclose health data and is therefore impermissible. The worry that a future employer might see it is unfounded.
Considerably more people than assumed
The group is wider than the word "disability" suggests. Invisible conditions expressly count.
Chronic illness
Autoimmune conditions, chronic pain, migraine, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, long covid. What matters is the effect on your studies, not the severity of the diagnosis.
Mental health conditions
Depression, anxiety and panic disorders, stress-related conditions. The largest group, and at the same time the one that claims adjustments least often.
Specific learning differences
Dyslexia, dyscalculia, ADHD and autism spectrum conditions. Including where they were only diagnosed in adulthood.
Sensory impairments
Vision and hearing impairments. In distance learning this mainly concerns platforms, videos, subtitles and the accessibility of examination software.
Temporary impairments
Consequences of accidents, surgery, a pregnancy with complications. Many regulations provide for time-limited adjustments in such cases.
No certificate required
A formal disability certificate is not a prerequisite. It can make the evidence easier, but the entitlement does not depend on it.
What can actually be arranged
The adjustment has to match the specific effect. That is why the application has to be reasoned.
Time
The most common adjustment: extended writing time, often between 25 and 50 per cent, plus additional breaks that do not count against working time. For dissertations an extension of the submission deadline is possible. In distance learning there is the added option of moving examination dates without an attempt being used up.
Format
An oral examination instead of a written one or the reverse, splitting a long paper into blocks, replacing an on-site examination with an equivalent assessment. A change of format in particular is rarely requested, although for anxiety and concentration difficulties it often helps more than any amount of extra time.
Place and environment
A separate room, an examination centre near your home, a low-stimulus environment. With online examinations using proctoring software there is an extra point to settle: how movement, speaking or aids will be handled that the system would otherwise flag. Raising this beforehand saves a great deal of trouble afterwards.
Aids and study organisation
Screen readers, magnification, ergonomic equipment, accessible files instead of scanned handouts. Plus adjustments beyond examinations: exemption from attendance requirements in on-site phases, longer deadlines for assignments, an individual study plan.
Four steps to an application that succeeds
What gets refused is rarely the entitlement, it is usually the reasoning. That can be worked on.
Read the examination regulations
They state who decides, what deadline applies and what form the application must take. The deadline is the critical point: many regulations require the application several weeks before the examination. Missing it costs you the adjustment for that date, not the entitlement as such.
Have the medical statement worded correctly
This is where the application is won or lost. What is needed is not the diagnosis but the functional effect: what is concretely harder for you, how long that lasts, and which adaptation compensates for it. A statement containing only a diagnosis line is frequently rejected. Tell your doctor what it is for; many practices are not familiar with the requirement.
Apply specifically, not generally
"I apply for reasonable adjustments" is too vague. Better: which measure, to what extent, for which examinations, for what period. The more precise the application, the less room there is to reject it for lack of specificity, and the faster it moves.
Do not give up on a refusal
There are remedies against a refusal, and often a supplemented medical statement is enough. Support is available from your university's disability officer, from student services advice centres and from disability organisations. These bodies know the wording that gets through.
The information on this page is general in nature and based on my advisory practice (last updated 02.08.2026). It does not replace an official credit transfer or recognition decision by the respective university and is not legal advice. Specific decisions are made by universities, the ZAB (Germany), the BMBWF (Austria), or the SBFI (Switzerland). I clarify binding next steps with you in the initial consultation.
The questions that stop people applying
Six answers that resolve the most frequent concerns.
What are reasonable adjustments in this context?
An adaptation of examination and study conditions that compensates for a disadvantage caused by disability or illness. The academic requirements stay the same; only the conditions change, for example through extra time, a different examination format or technical aids.
Who is entitled to them?
All students with a disability or a chronic illness that affects their studies. That expressly includes invisible conditions such as chronic pain, autoimmune diseases, mental health conditions, dyslexia, dyscalculia and ADHD. A formal disability certificate is not a prerequisite.
Will the adjustment appear on my transcript?
No. Reasonable adjustments are recorded neither on the transcript nor on the degree certificate. That would be an impermissible disclosure of health data. Your performance is assessed by the same standards as everyone else's.
What evidence do I need?
Usually a specialist medical statement describing the functional effects on your studies and explaining which adaptation compensates for them. The wording matters: a diagnosis alone does not carry the application, what is needed is a statement of what is concretely harder for you.
When do I have to apply?
As early as possible, and clearly before the examination it is meant to cover. Many examination regulations set a fixed deadline. An examination already sat can almost never be corrected retrospectively through adjustments; other routes exist for that.
Does this apply at private distance universities too?
Yes. The entitlement follows from higher education law and the prohibition of discrimination; it does not depend on who runs the institution. Private universities set out the procedure in their examination regulations. In practice the routes there are often shorter because fewer offices are involved.
Plan the degree so that it fits your situation
Which university handles adjustments confidently, which examination format suits you, where is recognition worth pursuing? We settle that in the initial consultation.