Students with Special Needs or Chronic Illness
TU Dortmund University is very active in creating equal opportunity study conditions for students with special needs and/or chronic illnesses. You can also receive more support for your stay abroad than you might think. In select scholarship programs, lump sums can be awarded for additional costs incurred abroad or you may even apply for funding to cover your real costs and even preparatory trips.


Erasmus+ Inclusion Top Up | Real Cost Application | Preparatory Trips

The new program generation of Erasmus+ is now even more inclusive and focused on creating equal opportunities. With its new forms of mobility, additional funding opportunities and broader target audience, the program makes stays abroad more feasible for even more people by breaking down potential barriers to going abroad.
Students with special needs (degree of disability of 20 or more) or chronic illness who go on an Erasmus+ funded stay abroad can also apply for a supplemental grant of 250 EUR per month in addition to the regular Erasmus+ mobility grant (a so-called Inclusion Top Up).
If very high costs are expected during the stay abroad (e.g. costs for assistance, transport of devices or medication, etc.), applications for the expected real costs can also be submitted (instead of the Inclusion Top Up) in advance.
In addition, students with special needs or chronic illness may also apply for funding for a preparatory trip in order to make arrangements on site that can not be easily organized from Germany.
The additional funding opportunities apply in particular to students with
- physical disability,
- visual impairment/blindness,
- hearing impairment/deafness,
- speech impediment,
- chronic illness
Erasmus+ Outgoings with questions about the Inclusion Top Up, the Real Cost Application as well as the Preparatory Trip Application can contact
- Hella Koschinski (studies)
- Laura Hope (internships)
Erasmus+ Studies:
- Inclusion Top Up: Turn in the Honorary Declaration Form (Ehrenwörtliche Erklärung) at least three months before your stay abroad.
- Real Cost Application and/or Preparatory Trip Application: Contact Hella Koschinski as soon as possible after submitting your Online Acceptance Form. She has the current DAAD application template at hand and can advise you accordingly. The application must be sent to the DAAD via the International Office at least three months before the start of the mobility.
Erasmus+ Internships:
- Inclusion Top Up: When you apply for the Erasmus+ grant (at least one month before your stay abroad) be sure to mark the appropriate box on the application form and upload your Honorary Declaration Form (Ehrenwörtliche Erklärung). However, due to limited resources we recommend applying as early as possible!
- Real Cost Application and/or Preparatory Trip Application: Contact going-abroadtu-dortmundde as soon as possible after submitting your regular Erasmus+ application. You will then receive the current DAAD application template and assistance with it. The application must be sent to the DAAD via the International Office at least three months before the start of the mobility.
The DoBuS team can also help with the planning and organization for the application - let us advise you! Since you will need proof of the difference between the costs at home and abroad, please plan enough time for the application.
The requirement is a degree of disability of 20 or more. In the case of chronic illness, the illness must lead to additional expenses abroad.
The handicap identity card, the notice from the state social welfare office or a letter from your doctor is considered as proof.
In the case of chronic illness, the letter from your doctor must indicate that the illness will cause expected additional expenses abroad.
Please note that you must keep all receipts for the social top ups, as the university will carry out random checks.
PROMOS Scholarship Program
Within the framework of the programs funded through PROMOS, universities can apply for additional funding of up to 10,000 EUR (including expenses for an accompanying person) for a period of up to six months. The prerequisite is that the additional expenses are above and beyond those expenses in Germany and that no other sponsors will provide support. In addition, proof of a degree of disability of at least 50 must be submitted.
For more information, please contact the International Office. Please note that the application takes a lot of time and should therefore be started early (at least 6 months in advance)!
Information Sources
DoBuS
The section "Disability and Studies" (DoBuS) supports the creation of conditions for equal opportunity studies for students with special needs and illness. In particular, the team can assist with Erasmus+ and PROMOS real cost applications.
Tips from the BMBF | DAAD
Studying and working abroad with special needs: tips and testimonials (in German)
Inclusive Mobility
A European platform where universities can register to share their support services related to exchange students with disabilities or chronic illness.
Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs of North Rhine-Westphalia (MAGS)
Your city officials may be able to issue you a disability certificate in other languages for a stay abroad (in German).
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The campus of TU Dortmund University is located close to interstate junction Dortmund West, where the Sauerlandlinie A 45 (Frankfurt-Dortmund) crosses the Ruhrschnellweg B 1 / A 40. The best interstate exit to take from A 45 is "Dortmund-Eichlinghofen" (closer to Campus Süd), and from B 1 / A 40 "Dortmund-Dorstfeld" (closer to Campus Nord). Signs for the university are located at both exits. Also, there is a new exit before you pass over the B 1-bridge leading into Dortmund.
To get from Campus Nord to Campus Süd by car, there is the connection via Vogelpothsweg/Baroper Straße. We recommend you leave your car on one of the parking lots at Campus Nord and use the H-Bahn (suspended monorail system), which conveniently connects the two campuses.
TU Dortmund University has its own train station ("Dortmund Universität"). From there, suburban trains (S-Bahn) leave for Dortmund main station ("Dortmund Hauptbahnhof") and Düsseldorf main station via the "Düsseldorf Airport Train Station" (take S-Bahn number 1, which leaves every 20 or 30 minutes). The university is easily reached from Bochum, Essen, Mülheim an der Ruhr and Duisburg.
You can also take the bus or subway train from Dortmund city to the university: From Dortmund main station, you can take any train bound for the Station "Stadtgarten", usually lines U41, U45, U 47 and U49. At "Stadtgarten" you switch trains and get on line U42 towards "Hombruch". Look out for the Station "An der Palmweide". From the bus stop just across the road, busses bound for TU Dortmund University leave every ten minutes (445, 447 and 462). Another option is to take the subway routes U41, U45, U47 and U49 from Dortmund main station to the stop "Dortmund Kampstraße". From there, take U43 or U44 to the stop "Dortmund Wittener Straße". Switch to bus line 447 and get off at "Dortmund Universität S".
The H-Bahn is one of the hallmarks of TU Dortmund University. There are two stations on Campus Nord. One ("Dortmund Universität S") is directly located at the suburban train stop, which connects the university directly with the city of Dortmund and the rest of the Ruhr Area. Also from this station, there are connections to the "Technologiepark" and (via Campus Süd) Eichlinghofen. The other station is located at the dining hall at Campus Nord and offers a direct connection to Campus Süd every five minutes.
The AirportExpress is a fast and convenient means of transport from Dortmund Airport (DTM) to Dortmund Central Station, taking you there in little more than 20 minutes. From Dortmund Central Station, you can continue to the university campus by interurban railway (S-Bahn). A larger range of international flight connections is offered at Düsseldorf Airport (DUS), which is about 60 kilometres away and can be directly reached by S-Bahn from the university station.
The facilities of TU Dortmund University are spread over two campuses, the larger Campus North and the smaller Campus South. Additionally, some areas of the university are located in the adjacent "Technologiepark".
Site Map of TU Dortmund University (Second Page in English)
Interactive map
The facilities of TU Dortmund University are spread over two campuses, the larger Campus North and the smaller Campus South. Additionally, some areas of the university are located in the adjacent "Technologiepark".
