Chalmers aims to be an accessible university, open to everyone. When you enroll, we offer various support initiatives to help you with your studies, regardless of physical impairment or disability. You should apply for educational support as soon as you have been accepted to Chalmers. If you have a more extensive disability or need educational interpretation, contact us as soon as possible so that we can meet your needs.
Who can get study support?
Required Documentation for the Application
You must have valid documentation that proves a permanent disability in order to be notified of disability study support. The documentation must be written by, for example, a doctor, speech therapist or psychologist. In the case of specific reading and writing difficulties/dyslexia, the documentation can also be written by a special education teacher. Chalmers does not carry out investigations into functional impairment.
Applicants must upload a certificate confirming their disability, issued by a qualified professional, such as a doctor, audiologist, speech therapist, or psychologist. The certificate must include the issuer's contact details, name, qualifications, position, or title, as well as the date of issuance. If the certificate has been translated, it must be in Swedish, a Nordic language, or English. For certificates regarding dyslexia, the documentation may be approved by a certified dyslexia assessor or a special education teacher. The certificate must include results from relevant standardized tests.
The certificate should also contain the following information:
- How long you have had the disability or healthcare contact for the problem. The permanence of the condition is important!
- Date of the investigation or healthcare contact
- How long the disability is expected to last
- Description of the disability and how it affects you
Notification of disability study support from other institutions of higher education cannot be used as documentation to prove your permanent disability.
If you have a visual, hearing or mobility impairment, you must contact the coordinator as soon as you receive your admission notice.
Students with mental health conditions are also eligible for study support.
If you have a short-term injury or illness, study support/adaptations are not arranged via the study support coordinator. Instead, you should contact the examiner for the course in question.
How to apply for study support
- Log into Nais with your Chalmers ID (CID), eduID or the same login you use for universityadmissions.se and follow the instructions.
- After submitting your application, you will receive a confirmation email.
- The study support coordinator will invite you to a meeting.
- The decision and recommended support measures will be confirmed to you in Nais after you meet with us.
- Carefully read your decision in Nais so that you know how you can access the support granted to you.
- Apply for study support in Nais.
You are responsible for reading the information in your Nais certificate. You must apply for study support in sufficient time for it to be available before the start of your course, new study period, and/or upcoming course element. Before the autumn semester, there could be up to three weeks waiting period. If your application is late, your support may not be in place by the time the course starts.
Nais
Nais is a system through which students with a long-term disability can apply for study support during their studies at Swedish higher education institutions.
Normal types of help you can get
Note-taking support
Note-taking support involves one of your fellow students taking lecture notes and then sharing them as part of the additional support for those who need it.
Read more about how note-taking works and how to become a note-taker.
Mentoring support
Students having difficulties organising their studies can apply for mentoring support. A mentor is a student who encourages and assists another student with planning and structuring the studies. In order to get mentoring support you need a Nais-decision.
Read more about becoming a mentor
Adapted hall examinations
You may have the option of an extended exam time or to sit your exam in a smaller room. You need to apply for adaptations at least 10 days before the examination period.
If you have diabetes and need an insulin meter during your exam you need to apply for study support in Nais. Read more about preparations for exams.
Tests
A Nais adjudication does not cover tests. For tests, you should contact your examiner at least 15 days before the examination period.
More information about adapted assessments
Physical adaptations and aids
To get access to individual support measures, such as adjustable desks, you will need a Nais certificate that provides for this.
Quiet reading rooms, reading studios and resting rooms
Our libraries have quiet reading rooms and reading studios. You can also find quiet reading rooms on several places on campus.
Find quiet reading rooms on campus
We also have resting rooms at campus. More information about the resting rooms.
Talking books, braille books and personal librarian support
You can access talking books, braille books and e-books via our libraries and get help searching for information and organising references.
To the library webpage
Digital reading and writing aids (Student software portal)
There are several digital reading- and writing aids that all students are free to download.
ClaroRead Plus
Reads on-screen text with a synthesised voice and creates audio files in mp3 format.
Easy reader
Player for audiobooks for students with dyslexia, partial vision, or blindness.
Saida, SpellRight, StavaRex
Spelling and writing tools designed for people with dyslexia.
Supernova
Reading aids that enlarge text, read text, and support Braille.
TorTalk
Reading aids with speech synthesisers for people with dyslexia.
WordFinder
Dictionaries, plus style and grammar checks for English text.
Software adapted to students with disabilities
To get an overview of software adapted to students with disabilities go to Chalmers and Gothenburg university common page (in Swedish).
You can find the software at "Studenternas programvaruportal", the Student Software portal:
Educational support for doctoral students
Doctoral students may also be granted educational support for their studies, with applications made by logging into www.nais.uhr.se in the same way as for other students. Doctoral students needing support in their work environment or duties should consult their immediate supervisor at their place of work.
How students have been helped by study support
“More time for my written exams has helped me to pass more exams than before.”
“The best thing about it is having more time for written exams and the fact that I have a mentor to help me to plan and structure my studies!”
“The mentoring support really helped me in my first year.”
“The note-taking support is good. I have difficulty focusing on the person speaking whilst writing at the same time.”
