Two groups, one procedure.
Students with special needs
- blind and partially sighted; deaf and hard of hearing
- speech and language disorders
- specific learning difficulties (dyslexia, dyscalculia)
- physical disability
- long-term or chronic illness
- autism spectrum disorders
- psychosocial difficulties
Students with special status
- categorised athletes and coaches (own page)
- recognised artists and cultural workers
- participants in international professional competitions
- student parents until the child starts school
- exceptional life circumstances: long-term sick leave, caring for a family member
What is possible – and what everyone gets, even without status.
With status
- extra time in written exams (as a rule +50 %)
- adapted materials: larger font, digital format, recordings
- an oral exam instead of a written one or vice versa; exams and defences by video conference
- reduced compulsory attendance and substitute assignments
- extended deadlines for submitting assignments
- an individual study plan and adjusted pace – studying over three years without additional tuition (enrolment fee only)
- adapted practical training (location, timetable, remote work)
- a personal assistant or companion at exams, a tutor
Without status, for everyone
- lecture recordings and Orbita with the AI tutor
- tutoring and free preparatory courses
- deferral of tuition payment in financial difficulties (application)
- career advice with a mock interview
- referral to free psychological support (Student Counselling Service, Maribor Health Centre)
- studying entirely from home
Accessibility of premises
Maribor, Glavni trg 17b (4th floor) – lift access; Ljubljana, Leskoškova 12 – ground floor. If access is not possible, obligations are completed from home or by video conference. The Student Office confirms accessibility details before enrolment.
Legal basis
Higher Vocational Education Act (extension of status by at most one year for justified reasons: parenthood, military service, serious illness) · Instructions for adapting part-time study in short-cycle higher education (2017) · Equalisation of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities Act · Scholarship Act: special needs supplement to the state and Zois scholarships €64.60/month · Academia's Rules on students with special status.
Four steps, confidential.
Role
recommended by 20 OctFill in the application for special status at the Student Office (in person or by e-mail); describe which adjustments you need. You can also submit the application during the year if circumstances arise later.
Evidence
A placement decision or committee opinion, a pension/social work centre decision, a specialist's certificate; the child's birth certificate; an Olympic Committee certificate; a certificate from a cultural institution or association.
Decision
usually within 15 daysThe Study Affairs Committee issues a decision with the list of adjustments; the Student Office informs the lecturers – without the diagnosis.
Implementation
one academic yearThe status is valid for one academic year or until the circumstances end; extension with a new application. Appeal to the Strategic Council within 15 days.
Studying as a new mother – and everything at the first sitting.
"I am proud that I managed to pass everything at the first sitting, even though I was pregnant in my first year."
Alenka Rojnik · Civil Engineering · Student of the Year 2026 · geoinformatics specialistAlenka started studying civil engineering while pregnant and continued with a small child – with lecture recordings, agreed exam dates and a placement adapted to her family. Her story and video are on the Civil Engineering programme page.
Read the storyDiscreet and concrete.
ConfidentialityWill the lecturers know my diagnosis?
No. Lecturers receive only the list of approved adjustments; the evidence is seen by the Student Office and the committee.
DeadlineCan I submit the application in the middle of the year?
Yes – whenever the circumstances arise (illness, birth of a child). We recommend by 20 October so the adjustments apply from the start.
TuitionDoes the status affect tuition?
It does not increase it. If your studies take longer because of your circumstances, repeating a year costs nothing extra; payment can also be deferred.
From homeCan I combine special status with studying from home?
Yes, most adjustments (recordings, video-conference exams, substitute assignments) are part of studying from home.
Work placementDoes the status also apply to the placement?
Yes: we adapt the location, timetable and scope of practical training, and remote work with the mentor is also possible.
Student statusI need more than two years. What about my student status?
The ZVSI allows the status to be extended for justified reasons (parenthood, illness, exceptional circumstances) – you submit the application at the Student Office.
Tell us what you need. It stays between us.
Andrej Sterniša and Marjan Fridauer, Student Office · info@academia.si · 02 228 35 35 · during term time every weekday 9.00–20.00, in summer 8.30–17.30. Chair of the Study Affairs Committee: Maja Mrđa, MSc.