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Raising Children While Studying

Studieren mit Familie

Family-friendly university

The University of Basel was certified as family-friendly by the audit family-friendly university. Moreover, it is a member of the «Familie in der Hochschule»-network and has signed the associated charter.

The university's goal is to achieve sustainable development in the area of combatibility of family and studies. It is making its contributions with the offers and information below.

For general questions and concerns, please contact the Diversity & Inclusion Office. In addition, there is a contact person in each faculty where you can clarify specific questions. You will find their contact information further down on this webpage.

Mailing list family & university

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  • Academic leave

    Students can take a maximum of two semesters of leave. In justified cases, which includes pregnancy and parenthood, applications to take leave for additional semesters can be submitted.

    On the websites of the Student Services you find instructions for applying for a leave of absence.

  • Information for scholarship holders

    Scholarship holders who interrupt their studies due to pregnancy or parenthood, i.e. who withdraw, should promptly report this to the scholarship sponsor since scholarships stipends taken unduly must generally be repaid.
    If, however, a scholarship holder remains enrolled, he or she is generally still entitled to receive the scholarship stipend.

    Always consult your scholarship sponsor ahead of time concerning the specific terms of the scholarship.

  • Limitation on duration of studies and recognition of credit points

    There are essentially no limitations on the duration of studies at the University of Basel.

    According to the student regulations, the University of Basel recognizes academic achievements earned in other degree programs or at recognized higher education institutions other than the University of Basel provided that the skills and knowledge constitute part of the curriculum of the bachelor's or master's degree program applied for at the University of Basel. Academic achievements are recognized in the form of transfer or credit points by submitting an application to the respective faculty. As a general rule, only credit points that have been earned during the last five years can be recognized.

    Contact the Dean's Office of the respective faculty. In the case of sports science and nursing science, contact the institutes directly to clarify the detailed rules.

  • Class absences

    There is no uniform rule in place at the University of Basel for dealing with absences from classes. We recommend contacting the respective instructor directly or the Dean's Office ahead of time to obtain information on absence rules, for example, whether a child's or family member's illness will be considered as a legitimate reason for an absence and the ways available to compensate for absences or missed coursework.

  • Postponement of exam dates

    Exam dates can generally be postponed if there are valid grounds to do so.
    Contact the appropriate Dean's Office or the Institutes of Nursing Science or Exercise and Health Sciences ahead of time to find out about any relevant rules and clarify the arrangements for any necessary repeat examinations.

    The regulations for bachelor's and master studies state that in cases of hardship, justified exceptions from the rules listed in the regulations can be made.

  • Part-time studies at the University of Basel

    The University of Basel allows part-time study. The respective regulations for bachelor's and master's degree programs list the regular period for full-time study and state that part-time studies are possible but that the duration of study may be prolonged accordingly.

    However, the practical prerequisites for part-time studies vary depending on the subject. We therefore recommend contacting the appropriate Dean's Office or the Institutes of Nursing Science or Exercise and Health Sciences.

  • Family-friendly infrastructure

    Find an overview of the family-friendly infrastructure of the University of Basel on the Family Service web page.

  • Financial support and advice at the University of Basel

    The university has its own fund to aid students with limited resources.

    The family situation is taken into account when calculating the amount of the university’s support as well as of the cantonal scholarships or loans. It is always worth clarifying the conditions.

    Further information can be found at the Social Services of the University of Basel or at berufsberatung.ch (GER).

  • Private scholarship organizations

    In addition to the state-funded agencies that award scholarships, there are several private foundations and funds that provide aid to students and trainees, especially with family responsibilities.
    The website of the Office of Educational Grants of Basel-Stadt provides further information and documents on this topic, including a directory of scholarships in Basel.

  • Pregnant in the lab

    Are you pregnant and working in a laboratory or coming into contact with dangerous substances?

    The safety of you and your child is the top priority. The document Maternity protection in the workplace: information sheet and checklist provides information on protective measures and offers a comprehensive guide to reviewing the safety of the workplace. If you have any questions, please contact our Occupational Health & Safety Coordinator, who also supports students.

Emergency childcare

Your child is sick, but you have obligations at the university that cannot be easily postponed?

If you are studying or working at the University of Basel there is a solution for this situation. In cooperation with the Swiss Red Cross, the «Hütedienst für kranke Kinder» is offered. You call and within four hours a trained and experienced caregiver will take care of your child.

The free emergency childcare is aimed at student or employee parents or guardians who live in the cantons of Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft, Solothurn and Aargau and applies to children up to 12 years of age.

Further information in the leaflet emergency childcare

Contact person at faculty resp. field

Faculty of Theology

Office of the Dean of Studies and of the Dean of Research, Franziska Müller Boss franziska.mueller-boss@unibas.ch 

Faculty of Law

Office of the Dean of Studies, Nicole Saraceno nicole.saraceno@unibas.ch

Faculty of Medicine

Studmed Helpdesk medizinstudium.unibas.ch

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Student Administration studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch

Faculty of Science

Office of the Dean of Studies, Susann Schulz susann.schulz@unibas.ch

Faculty of Business and Economics

Office of the Dean of Studies, Sandra Viehmeier studiendekanat-wwz@unibas.ch

Faculty of Psychology

Office of the Dean of Studies studiendekanat-psychologie@unibas.ch

Sport Science

Study Coordination,
general questions studium-dsbg@unibas.ch
lecture and exam related questions pk-dsbg@unibas.ch

Nursing Science

Student Advice Center, Yuliya Senft yuliya.senft@unibas.ch

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