An `NTA` is intended to compensate for disadvantages that may arise during your studies because of a disability, chronic illness, or other individual impairments. Its purpose is to create equivalent study and examination conditions so that you can demonstrate your performance independently of existing limitations. The academic requirements of courses and examinations remain unchanged. The `NTA` should create neither a disadvantage nor an advantage. It also does not affect the grading of your work and is not mentioned in transcripts or certificates.

All students with a disability or chronic illness are eligible to apply. A formally recognised severe disability is not required. Chronic mental health conditions as well as dyslexia or `ADD/ADHD` may also be taken into account. Pregnancy and studying while raising children or caring for relatives in need of support can likewise create special challenges in everyday study life.

If you recognise yourself in this description, or if you are unsure whether an `NTA` might be relevant for you, please do not hesitate to seek information or support. The relevant contacts within the Institute of Computer Science can be found in the sidebar.

A prerequisite for an `NTA` is that you would otherwise face a specific disadvantage under regular study or examination conditions or within the standard deadlines. In addition, there must be no direct factual connection between that disadvantage and the competencies that the relevant course or examination is meant to assess.

The following impairments may justify the need for an `NTA`, although the list is not exhaustive. Experienced and lived impairments, and the disadvantages that arise from them, are as individual as our students. Please feel free to contact us even if your situation is not explicitly listed here.

Examples include:

• long-term or permanent disabilities, such as sensory impairments affecting vision, hearing or speech, or mobility restrictions, for example in connection with neurological conditions or after accidents
• chronic illnesses, such as asthma, migraine or diabetes mellitus
• mental health conditions, such as depression or anxiety disorders
• neurodiversity, for example `ADHD`, autism, dyslexia or dyscalculia
• other long-term impairments or serious illnesses, such as cancer
• pregnancy, raising a child up to the age of 14, or caring for close relatives. Please also make use of the university information service on balancing studies and family life

Every `NTA` is granted individually and is intended to compensate for your specific impairment in relation to a particular course requirement or examination. There are therefore no rigid standard measures, but there are many examples of what an `NTA` can look like. You are also welcome to discuss with the lecturer responsible for your course which measures would help you complete the required work.

Examples include:

• breaks during written examinations without losing time
• separate rooms for an examination
• a change in the examination format, for example converting oral to written examinations, term papers to presentations, or group examinations to individual examinations, and vice versa
• extra time in examinations or deadline extensions for submissions
• spreading examinations across a longer period
• use of technical aids and/or personal support
• replacing mandatory attendance in a course with another compensatory form of work
• splitting or rescheduling internship periods

When selecting measures, it is important that the `NTA` compensates for the identified disadvantages as fully as possible in the interest of equal opportunity, without overcompensating for them.

An application for an `NTA` is submitted informally and with a written justification by the affected student. Your application should be addressed to the Examination Committee and should include the following information:

• the course or examination requirement(s) for which compensation is requested
• information about the impairment, though naming the diagnosis is not mandatory
• a description of how your health situation affects your study or examination situation
• a concrete proposal for compensation, for example an extension of writing time by `X%`, breaks after `X` minutes, or exam tasks in a font size of `X`; this can be discussed in advance with the lecturer responsible for the relevant course or examination
• a scanned certificate confirming the effects of the impairment, for example medical certificates, statements by licensed psychological psychotherapists, reports from hospital or rehabilitation stays, statements by rehabilitation providers, approval notices from integration assistance providers, or official disability documentation
• important note: it is entirely possible that your doctor, therapist, or other professional contact is not sufficiently familiar with `NTA` procedures. The certificate issued for you should explain how you are affected and, ideally, also suggest what kind of support would help, for example "documented visual impairment -> larger font size helps". You must keep the original documents and certificates yourself.

Based on this information, the Examination Committee must be able to decide, even without medical expertise, whether the requirements for an `NTA` are met and whether the proposed compensatory measures are appropriate.

It is important that you submit your application in good time before the relevant examination or course requirement, so that both the decision-making process and the organisational implementation can be ensured. The `NTA` should reach the examiner no later than four weeks before the end of the registration period for the examination. If the `NTA` concerns attendance requirements in a course, the application must be submitted at the beginning of the semester. If appropriate proof of a permanent impairment is provided, for example medical confirmation, an `NTA` can be requested for the entire duration of your studies.

The Examination Committee decides on the application promptly and informs both the applicant and the Examinations Office. If possible, the approved measure is entered into the examination system `FlexNow`. As soon as you receive approval from the Examination Committee, please contact the relevant examiner or module coordinator as quickly as possible to coordinate the logistical details of implementation.

If you need advice before submitting an application, please contact us. You can find the contact information in the sidebar.

• if necessary, get advice and/or speak with the lecturer or examiner
• submit an informal, reasoned application to the Examination Committee no later than four weeks before the end of the registration period for the relevant course or examination
• the Examination Committee reviews and decides on the application
• the Examination Committee informs the student
• the student informs the lecturer or examiner
• the Examination Committee informs the Examinations Office
• if possible, the approved measure is entered in `FlexNow`
• the organisational implementation is handled by the Examinations Office and, where necessary, by the lecturer or examiner

If the impairment is permanent, the application for an `NTA` can also be submitted for a longer period, for example for your entire course of study. It is also possible to submit one application covering several affected courses or examinations at the same time.

If you are concerned that applying for an `NTA` and disclosing your impairment or illness could put you at a disadvantage or lead to stigma, please be assured that everyone involved at the university, from advisory services and lecturers to the Examination Committee, is bound by confidentiality and must not disclose this information to third parties. Neither the application nor the granting of compensation for disadvantages is mentioned in your final degree certificate.

The legal entitlement to compensation for disadvantages is derived in principle from articles of the German Basic Law and the Lower Saxony Higher Education Act. More specifically, the General Examination Regulations for Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes and other study offerings at the University of Göttingen (`APO`, current version: `AM I No. 5` of `10 February 2023`) contain provisions concerning compensation for disadvantages (`Section 21`, protective provisions) and participation in courses (`Section 14`, paragraph `5`, access and admission to modules and examinations).

At no point in your contact with us or during the application process is it necessary to state a specific diagnosis. In some cases, however, it may be helpful for the Examination Committee when deciding whether the measures you requested are appropriate for your disadvantage. It may still be possible, even without naming a diagnosis explicitly, for conclusions to be drawn from the application.

Your sensitive data is, of course, treated confidentially and may only be made accessible to the offices involved in the decision and implementation. The actual application and the supporting documents you submit are deleted after the procedure is completed and a short retention period has expired. The approved compensatory measure itself is stored permanently in the electronic student record (`ESA`). The University of Göttingen's data protection rules apply.