Daily life · University

Studying with HS: Plan for Flares, Classes and Exams

A private planner that describes what is difficult at university and turns it into questions for your university’s disability service or examination office.

How HS can affect studying

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), also called acne inversa, often begins in early adulthood — frequently in exactly the years of training and university. Pain, drainage, dressing changes, fatigue, itching or difficulty sitting and walking can make university harder — often not every day, but in flares.

University support services usually ask not just for a diagnosis but for how a condition affects you in a specific study or exam situation. That translation is often the hardest part. The planner below helps with it.

  • Long lecture → long periods of sitting → pain or friction
  • Lab class → few chances to leave the room → a dressing or drainage problem
  • Written exam → pain or itching → concentration suffers
  • Flare → unpredictable absence → attendance requirements
  • Large campus → long walks → pain
Build my study support plan First: university accommodations in Germany

Build your study support plan

Four short steps. Nothing is preselected, and you do not have to share anything you would rather not.

Step 1 of 4

What gets difficult?

Select anything that applies. This is about the effect on daily life — your university does not need to know which parts of your body are affected.
Next: Where does it affect you?

Step 2 of 4

Where does it affect you?

Choose the study situations where this matters.
Back Next: What could you discuss?

Step 3 of 4

What could you discuss?

For each combination of difficulty and situation: a question you could ask. These are conversation starters, not promises — what is possible is for your university to decide.

Sitting for long periods

What you experience

During a flare, sitting for a long time without a break can become very painful.

Something you could discuss

  • Teaching: Would it be possible to stand up briefly in longer sessions, or to sit at the edge of the room or on different seating?
  • Examinations and deadlines: Could short breaks, a chance to move, or different seating be discussed for longer examinations?
  • Practical classes and placements: How could long periods of sitting be broken up in practical classes or placements?

Walking around campus

What you experience

At times, longer distances or walking quickly are difficult for me.

Something you could discuss

  • Teaching: What happens if I cannot reach the next room in time between two sessions?
  • Examinations and deadlines: Could the examination location take a short route into account if needed?
  • Practical classes and placements: What options exist for field trips or placements that involve a lot of walking?
  • Campus and getting there: Are there step-free routes, parking options or lifts I could use?

Standing for long periods

What you experience

Standing for a long time can be difficult or painful during a flare.

Something you could discuss

  • Examinations and deadlines: Could I give an oral examination or presentation seated if I need to?
  • Practical classes and placements: Is seating or a break possible during long periods of standing in the lab or on placement?

Concentrating because of pain or itch

What you experience

Pain or itching can affect my concentration and how long I can keep going.

Something you could discuss

  • Teaching: Are lecture materials or recordings available if I cannot take everything in on a bad day?
  • Examinations and deadlines: How can I describe the concrete way pain disadvantages me in an exam — and which adjustment might offset that without changing what is being assessed?

Changing dressings

What you experience

Sometimes I need to change a dressing during the day and need a private space for a few minutes.

Something you could discuss

  • Teaching: Would it be all right to leave a session briefly without having to explain each time?
  • Examinations and deadlines: Could interruptions for a dressing change be allowed for in longer exams — for example, with the exam time adjusted for them?
  • Practical classes and placements: Is there somewhere to change a dressing during placements or field trips?
  • Campus and getting there: Is there a single-occupancy toilet or quiet room on campus I could use?

Managing drainage or odour

What you experience

Wounds can drain unexpectedly, and then I need to be able to deal with it at short notice.

Something you could discuss

  • Teaching: Could I sit near the exit so I can step out discreetly if needed?
  • Examinations and deadlines: Could a seat near the exit or a separate examination room be discussed if needed?
  • Practical classes and placements: Could I keep spare clothing or supplies somewhere secure?

Needing a toilet at short notice

What you experience

I sometimes need to be able to reach a toilet at short notice.

Something you could discuss

  • Examinations and deadlines: How are toilet breaks handled during an exam, and could the time be taken into account?
  • Practical classes and placements: Will toilets be reliably reachable during practical sessions or field trips?
  • Campus and getting there: Which toilets are quickest to reach from the rooms I use?

Attending consistently during flares

What you experience

On some days I cannot attend because of a flare, and this is not always predictable in advance.

Something you could discuss

  • Teaching: How does my university handle illness-related absence where attendance is required, and what evidence is needed?
  • Examinations and deadlines: What options exist for adjusting deadlines or my study schedule to a condition that comes in flares?
  • Practical classes and placements: What happens if I miss a placement or lab date because of a flare — are replacement dates possible?

Medical appointments, treatment or procedures

What you experience

I have regular medical appointments, and after a procedure I may be limited for a while.

Something you could discuss

  • Teaching: How can planned appointments or recovery after a procedure be reconciled with attendance rules?
  • Examinations and deadlines: Who do I need to tell if a procedure falls in an exam period or shortly before a deadline?

Required clothing, uniforms or protective wear

What you experience

Tight or rubbing clothing can make symptoms worse, so required clothing can be a problem.

Something you could discuss

  • Practical classes and placements: Is there flexibility in required clothing or protective wear, as long as safety requirements are still met?

Heat and sweating

What you experience

Heat and sweating can make symptoms worse.

Something you could discuss

  • Examinations and deadlines: Could a cooler or well-ventilated exam seat be considered if needed?
  • Practical classes and placements: How could heat and long physical activity be managed in practical sessions or sport?

Fatigue or poor sleep

What you experience

Pain can disturb my sleep, and in some phases I am noticeably more exhausted.

Something you could discuss

  • Teaching: How could a lighter study plan per semester work, and what would the consequences be?
  • Examinations and deadlines: Could exam dates be arranged or spread so that several long exams do not come straight after each other?

Carrying bags or equipment

What you experience

Carrying heavy bags or equipment can be difficult on some days.

Something you could discuss

  • Practical classes and placements: Could equipment be stored on site so I do not have to carry it?
  • Campus and getting there: Are there lockers I could use?
Back Next: Should the summary name the condition?

Step 4 of 4

Should the summary name the condition?

You do not have to name a diagnosis to describe your situation. If you choose nothing, the summary names no condition at all.
Back Next: My study support summary

University accommodations and chronic illness

This section applies if you study in Germany. Elsewhere, look for your university’s disability or accessibility service — the rules and names differ by country.

In Germany, a Nachteilsausgleich is meant to offset disadvantages caused by a disability or a longer-term health condition — without lowering the academic requirements of a course or exam. The Deutsches Studierendenwerk explicitly includes chronic illnesses that come in flares.

Common examples are more working time, extended exam time for breaks that are actually needed, sitting an exam in a separate room, or longer deadlines for written work. There are no binding standard measures: arrangements are decided case by case.

Whether you meet the requirements, and which arrangement fits, depends on your situation, your course and your university’s rules. The key question is usually not “What diagnosis do you have?” but “How does the condition disadvantage you in this specific situation?”

Where should I start?

  1. Search your university’s website for “Studieren mit Behinderung und chronischer Erkrankung” or “Nachteilsausgleich”.
  2. Check your examination regulations (Prüfungsordnung) for how to apply and which deadlines apply.
  3. Contact the disability officer or advisory service for students with impairments early — ideally well before the exam period.
  4. Ask what evidence is required — often this is a medical certificate.
  5. Describe how the condition affects you in the specific study or exam situation, rather than only naming the diagnosis.

Deutsches Studierendenwerk: Nachteilsausgleiche (in German)

Important: an acute flare on the day of an exam is usually a separate matter — typically withdrawal because of illness, with medical evidence — rather than a Nachteilsausgleich. Your examination regulations set out exactly what applies.

My study support summary

The summary is built from your selections. You can copy it, print it or save it as a PDF and take it to the conversation.

Nothing selected yet. Choose at least one difficulty above.

Use your summary

There is no share link: your summary is never given an address.

Nothing is stored. The PDF and the printout are produced in your browser; analytics records only that a button was used — never what you selected.

Questions students often ask

Does this page tell me whether I will get an accommodation?

No. Whether any arrangement is possible, and which one, is decided by your university case by case under its own rules. This page only helps you prepare the conversation.

Is the summary an application or a medical certificate?

No. It is a personal note that helps you describe your situation. Applications go through the route your university sets out, and medical evidence comes from your doctor.

Does an accommodation lower the academic standard?

As the Deutsches Studierendenwerk describes it, no: an accommodation is meant to offset a disadvantage — for example through more time, breaks or a separate room. What is assessed, and how it is marked, stays the same.

What if I have an acute flare on the day of an exam?

In Germany, being too ill to sit an exam on the day is usually handled through a separate procedure — typically withdrawal with medical evidence — rather than through a Nachteilsausgleich. The details are in your examination regulations; the examination office can explain them.

Do I have to tell my lecturers that I have HS?

This page does not tell you whom to tell. For a formal arrangement, universities usually ask for evidence to be given to the responsible office; the advisory service can explain what information is needed and who will see it.

I don’t study in Germany. Is this still useful?

Yes — the planner is not tied to one country. The Nachteilsausgleich section applies to Germany only; elsewhere, look for your university’s disability or accessibility service, whose rules and names will differ.

Evidence and editorial review

Last reviewed: · Next review:

The accommodation information for Germany is based on the Deutsches Studierendenwerk. It is orientation, not legal advice; your university’s own rules are what count.

There is very little research on HS in university students. The most robust German data concern people in work: in a multicentre study of 481 patients, overall HS-related work impairment averaged 33.4%, and more severe pain and low mood were associated with greater impairment. Two of the authors are employed by a manufacturer of HS medicines. These figures cannot be transferred to students and say nothing about any individual.

The difficulties in the planner describe effects that HS patient information regularly mentions. They are a list to choose from, not an assessment of severity.

Editorial Policy

HS at Work For a part-time job, placement or first job: document the impact and prepare workplace conversations. HS for Teens Still at school? There is a separate school support card. Taking Over Your HS Care Moving into university or training? Make sure your HS healthcare moves with you too — with a private handover checklist. HS and Pain Describe pain so it lands in an appointment — useful when asking for medical evidence, too. HS Clothing & Friction Guide What may help with long periods of sitting, friction and required clothing.

Sources

  1. Examinations and coursework: Nachteilsausgleiche (in German) Deutsches Studierendenwerk · Link checked: 2026-09-23
  2. Nachteilsausgleich: application process and evidence (in German) Deutsches Studierendenwerk · Link checked: 2026-09-23
  3. Nachteilsausgleiche: established measures (in German) Deutsches Studierendenwerk · Link checked: 2026-09-23
  4. Schneider-Burrus S. et al.: The impact of hidradenitis suppurativa on professional life (2023) British Journal of Dermatology 188(1):122–130 · Link checked: 2026-09-23
  5. Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) NHS (United Kingdom) · Link checked: 2026-09-23