Students with Special Status

The student athlete status can be claimed by students who meet any of the following criteria:

• Categorization certified by the Slovenian Olympic Committee (SOC), i.e., a recognized title of an Olympic, world, international, perspective, national or young athlete; or a categorization corroborated by another, equivalent certificate from another country.
• Top achievements at the national or international level in sports and disciplines, which, in accordance with the conditions, rules and criteria of registering and categorizing athletes in Slovenia, are not classified by the SOC, and which are certified by an individual national sports federation or by an equivalent certificate from abroad.
• Official appointment of a student by an individual national sports federation as a coach to a national team or to a categorized athlete; the student must also be actively involved in the preparation and realization of programmes for said athletes, certified by a national sports federation or another equivalent sports body, or an equivalent certificate from abroad.
• Top achievements of a para-athlete, certified by the Sports Federation for the Disabled of Slovenia (of the Slovenian Paralympic Committee) on a national or international level, or a certificate from an individual national sports federation on national or international achievements, which must not be, in accordance with the conditions, rules and criteria for the registration and categorization of athletes in Slovenia, classified by the SOC; or an equivalent certificate from abroad.
• The responsible authority of the member faculty for assigning statuses may, upon submission of appropriate documentation, grant a student whose discipline is not recognized by the SOC, the National Sports Federation, or the Sports Federation for the Disabled, the status of a student athlete.

A student can obtain the status of a recognized artist if they meet the following two criteria:

• Membership in a national or international art society or association of art societies. Membership is proved with a certificate of membership in the given society (for art, music, film, dance, theatre, literature, photography or something other) or, alternatively, the status of an independent artist or cultural worker.
• Authorship or participation in the performance of a public work of art, which can be proved with awards or awards for outstanding achievements in the field of art, all of which are handed out by relevant institutions at both the national and international level.

A student can obtain the status of a student who participates in (regional) international competitions under the following condition:

• If they have attended at least two (regional) international competitions over the course of their studies, provided that these were related to the field of their programme, and that they are registered for a competition at the time of their application for obtaining the status.

• Students obtain the status of a student parent if they become a parent during their enrolment in a study programme and year.
• Parenthood is proved by presenting a birth certificate.

The status of a student with special needs is obtained under conditions described in Article 3, Paragraph 5 of the UL Rules and Regulations on Students with Special Status. The student must present the appropriate documentation. Proof of difficulties or impairments are medical reports from healthcare or other institutions (hospitals, rehabilitation centers, counseling centers). These must point to a chronic or long-lasting illness, impairment, disorder, or deficit. Other documents include disability status decisions, opinions from a disability committee or committee for directing children, adolescents or young adults with physical and mental health disorders, or decisions on the status of a child with special needs (decision on placement or classification).

A student may claim the status of a student with special needs if they provide proof of extraordinary social circumstances, parenthood of a physically injured child, a child with a long-term illness, or a child with special needs, as these circumstances significantly affect their ability to study and to fulfill their obligations.

Article 3, Paragraph 5 of the Rules and Regulations on Students with Special Status:

Students with special needs are students with partial or complete loss of vision (visually impaired and blind students), students with partial or complete hearing loss (hard of hearing and deaf students), students with speech and language difficulties (communication difficulties), students with mobility impairments, students with long-term or chronic illnesses, students with learning difficulties (difficulties in reading and writing, dyslexia for instance, etc.), students with autism spectrum disorders, physical injuries and/or undergoing prolonged rehabilitation, disorders in physical and mental health, as well as emotional and behavioral disorders. The status of a student with special needs can also be obtained on the basis of extraordinary social circumstances.

If you want to claim special status during enrolment into a first or single cycle programme, you must present all necessary proof during the application procedure. Rules for obtaining special status in the application-admission procedure for enrolment at the University of Ljubljana may be found here.

The following handbook is aimed at both students and secondary school pupils who have only just applied for studies. It is full of useful advice, such as:

• how to navigate the university environment;
• how, when and who to tell about your special needs;
• how to communicate with professors regarding adjustments;
• how to improve self-advocacy skills;
• how to improve other skills and knowledge to make independent decisions in your studies

The handbook contains key information on different groups of students with special needs, as well as guidelines for teaching, adjusting the study process, and communication with special needs students. The handbook describes the following groups of students with special needs:

the blind and visually impaired, the deaf and hard of hearing, the deafblind, people with mobility impairments, learning disabilities, speech and language disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, chronical illnesses, and psychosocial disabilities. Each group is also presented through a personal story of a student.

The handbook contains key information to assist with work, and is based on the recognition that appropriate adjustments to the study process are a necessity for the equal and active inclusion of students with special needs in the academic community.