According to Section 15, Paragraph 1 of the Maternity Protection Act (MuSchG), pregnant students and students with newborns at the university are required to notify the university of their pregnancy, including the expected due date or the birth. However, there is no obligation to report.

To effectively protect your health and that of your child, the university relies on being informed about the pregnancy as soon as possible through the appropriate forms.

If, in addition to your studies at Hochschule Kaiserslautern, you are working as an employee or student assistant, please also report your pregnancy to the relevant contact person. For more information: Pregnancy for Employees.

Please notify your pregnancy or the birth of your child by email using the provided PDF form "Notification of Pregnancy_Maternity Protection Periods" to schwangerschaft(at)hs-kl(dot)de. The form is two-sided and also includes an inquiry regarding maternity protection periods. A suitable proof of pregnancy, such as a maternity record or medical certificate, should be attached to your notification.

Your notification will be sent to the Diversity Management office and the Occupational Safety Specialist, both of whom will contact you promptly. Additionally, the notification will be forwarded to the examination office responsible for you so that examination-related rights under the Maternity Protection Act can be implemented.

Pregnant students or students with newborns are required to independently inform the instructors of the courses they are attending, so that special arrangements regarding examination rights can be made in cooperation with the examination board and within the courses, if needed.

The maternity protection period is six weeks before childbirth and eight weeks after the birth of the child. In the case of a premature or multiple birth, or after the determination of a disability, the maternity protection period is extended to twelve weeks. If the birth occurs before the expected due date, the maternity protection period is extended by the amount of time not taken before the birth.

During the protection periods, you, as a student, are exempt from the obligation to attend courses and exams, and participation is not possible during this time. However, female students have the option to explicitly request participation in courses or exams and waive the protection periods before and after birth in writing. Participation in exams and courses during the statutory protection periods is only possible upon submission of a waiver statement.

This waiver can be revoked at any time in writing via Schwangerschaft(at)hs-kl(dot)de.

The form "Notification of Pregnancy_Maternity Protection Periods" includes a section about the maternity protection periods. You have the option to take advantage of them or explicitly waive them. If you waive the maternity protection periods, you may attend courses or exams during that time but are not obligated to do so.

Please also refer to the information on handling exams during pregnancy.

Expectant and breastfeeding mothers must not be exposed to hazards to life and health at their workplace, including both physically demanding tasks and health-threatening substances.

The workplace for an expectant or breastfeeding mother must be arranged or redesigned by the university to ensure these conditions are met. If this is not possible or reasonable, there is a work ban with full salary compensation.

According to Section 10 of the Maternity Protection Act, the university is required to assess the risks to which a pregnant or breastfeeding student or her child may be exposed. Based on the risk assessment, potential health impairments, the need and possibility for protective measures, or a potential compensation for disadvantages will be determined.

These risk assessments will be created in consultation with you by the respective instructors of the courses you attend, in collaboration with the occupational safety specialist.

The working hours for pregnant and breastfeeding students are limited according to the Maternity Protection Act (MuSchG). Activities (e.g., courses) before 6 a.m. or after 8 p.m. (§ 5 Abs. 2 MuSchG), on Sundays and public holidays (§ 6 Abs. 2 MuSchG), or exceeding 8 hours per day (§ 4 Abs. 1 MuSchG) are not permitted. A rest period of at least 11 hours must be observed between activities related to courses (§ 4 Abs. 2 MuSchG).

With explicit written consent, pregnant or breastfeeding students may participate in mandatory excursions and courses that span multiple days or take place on a Sunday or public holiday. This consent form must be submitted to the instructor before the event begins.

If you are unable to schedule the necessary medical examinations outside of your study time, you have the right to be exempted from classes to attend these appointments.

Breastfeeding women have the right, during the first 12 months after childbirth, to take at least 30 minutes twice daily or one hour once daily for breastfeeding breaks. For study times exceeding 8 hours a day, you are entitled to take 45 minutes twice or 90 minutes once for breastfeeding breaks (§ 7 Abs. 1 and 2 MuSchG).

For exams that last several hours or for compulsory attendance courses, breastfeeding breaks must be provided.

You also have the option to borrow mobile refrigerators for breastfeeding breaks through the family service.

Pregnant and breastfeeding students are entitled to compensation for disadvantages if they experience disadvantages in their studies or during exams (§ 9 Abs. 1 MuSchG). They have the option to apply for compensation for disadvantages in writing to the relevant examination board, although there is no entitlement to a specific measure of compensation for disadvantages.