Individual Needs
Are the University facilities adapted for students with mobility disabilities?
Many University facilities are fully or partially adapted for students with mobility disabilities:
- The external door to the main VDU building is automated;
- VDU buildings are equipped with special elevators or wide elevators with audible announcements;
- Auditoriums are equipped with special places for people in wheelchairs;
- There are parking spaces near the University Palace.
What should a student who cannot attend lectures or assessments due to individual needs do?
Each student, during the registration for studies or individually, has the opportunity to create a study schedule that suits him/her personally, taking into account his individual needs.
Are the University libraries adapted to students with individual needs?
In the departments of the University library, located in various faculties of the University, you can find spaces equipped with special workplaces for students with individual needs. More information about the equipment in the libraries can be found here.
Can a student with 45 percent or less employability receive scholarships and benefits?
Yes, to receive them, the student must re-apply every semester. The following scholarships and benefits are awarded:
Social scholarships – a scholarship in the amount of 6.5 BSI (1 BSI = 46 EUR) can be received by all students of the first, second, and third cycle, integral and professional studies of higher education institutions. More information: https://vsf.lrv.lt/lt/studentams/soc-stipendijos
Targeted payments are payments that can be received by students of higher education institutions operating in Lithuania and foreign higher education branches with disabilities.
More information: https://vsf.lrv.lt/lt/projektas-studiju-prieinamumo-didinimas-studentams-turintie
In addition to the social grant and targeted allowance, a student with individual needs can receive a monthly special needs allowance from the Department of Disability Affairs. All disabled people can receive this benefit, even if their working capacity is higher than 45 percent.
Can a student with individual needs get a government-backed loan?
Yes, students with 45 percent or less work capacity can get a state-supported loan.
There are 3 types of state-sponsored loans:
- Loan to pay the tuition fee;
- Loan for living expenses;
- Loan for partial studies according to international (interagency) agreements.
Most of the time, students with individual needs receive a loan to pay the tuition fee and/or a loan to cover living expenses. If the application is completed in the September semester, the loan to pay the tuition fee can be granted to pay the fee for the entire academic year. To pay for the spring semester, a certificate of student status must be submitted to the bank and the remaining amount of the tuition fee is transferred to the university. If the application is completed in the spring, in this case, it is possible to get a loan only to pay the tuition fee for the spring semester and only half of the maximum loan to cover living expenses. Applications – forms are filled out anew every academic year.
More information: https://vsf.lrv.lt/lt/studentams/vrpaskolos
Is it true that a student with individual needs can be exempted from repaying a student loan?
A student with a working capacity of 45 percent or less can receive a state-sponsored loan to pay tuition fees and/or cover living expenses. The State Study Fund can waive its return once.
A student with individual needs may be exempt from loan repayment if they have successfully completed their studies. For example, if a student took out a loan while studying for a bachelor’s degree, he can only be discharged from the loan when he receives a bachelor’s degree from those studies. If a borrower with a work capacity of 45 percent or less discontinues his studies or is expelled from higher education, he or his representative has the right to apply to the commission established by order of the Director of the Fund and request exemption from repayment of all or part of the state-supported loan.
A student who has already been exempted from loan repayment can apply to the University and request a tuition fee discount. The tender for tax benefits is published publicly on the official website of the University. at the beginning of each study semester for the current study semester. The student must submit an e-mail in the form prescribed by the Department of Student Affairs. the application (questionnaire) that is published during the tender and submit the necessary documents together with it.
More information about State-supported loans: http://vsf.lrv.lt/lt/studentams/vrpaskolos
More information about study benefits: https://www.vdu.lt/lt/vdu-jums/vdu-studentams/finansine-parama/mokestines-lengvatos/ https://www.vdu.lt/lt/konkursas-studiju- and-accommodation-tax-to-get-benefits/
Can the University provide the student with the tools necessary for the study process if the student does not have such an opportunity?
Yes, the University makes it possible for students to use the teaching/educational tools and facilities intended for them so that later students with individual needs can take care of the materials they need for their studies.
Are the University dormitories adapted for students with mobility disabilities?
University dormitories are adapted for disabled people, but not all.
VDU dormitory no. 1 “Taika” (Address: Taikos pr. 119, Kaunas) and VDU dormitory no. 6 (Address: A. Vivulskio g. 36, Vilnius) are adapted for people with mobility disabilities. On the first floor of the dormitory, there are 4 rooms adapted to meet the special needs of students. Students with mobility disabilities have adapted access to the dormitory, ex. there is a slope. Reconstructed elevators allow students with disabilities access to all (except the laundry room) common areas located in the twelve-story dormitory.
VDU dormitory no. 2 “Baltija” (Address: Vytauto pr. 71, Kaunas) and VDU dormitory no. 5 (Address: Universiteteto g. 8, Akademia, Kaunas district) are adapted for students with mobility disabilities. There is a ramp at the entrance to the dormitory, and on the second floor, there are rooms for the disabled, toilets and showers. Wide elevators allow students with disabilities access to all common areas.
All other VDU dormitories are suitable for residents with mild or moderate physical disabilities (for example, those with diabetes, lupus, epilepsy, etc.). Unnamed dormitories are not adapted for students with mobility disabilities.
You can read more about the University dormitories: https://apgyvendinimas.vdu.lt/bendrabuciai/vdu-bendrabutis-nr-1/
Is it possible to get tax relief for accommodation in a University dormitory?
Students with individual needs living in a university dormitory and accompanying people living with them can receive a 25, 50, 75 or 100 percent discount on the accommodation fee per semester. Students living in a single room in a dormitory are not exempted from the accommodation fee. Students who claim to receive tax benefits through a tender must submit the form prescribed by the Department of Student Affairs by e-mail application (questionnaire), which is published during the competition on the official website of the University.
More about this: https://www.vdu.lt/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Mokestini%C5%B3-lengvat%C5%B3-teikimo-ir-kompensacij%C5%B3-skyrimo-tvarkos- apra%C5%A1as.pdf
Can a student participate in the Erasmus+ program if he/she has individual needs?
Yes, students with individual needs can not only participate in the competition and be selected for an Erasmus+ study or internship abroad, but also have the opportunity to receive additional funding that will cover the costs they incur related to their individual or special needs, Erasmus+ internship or study abroad years.
About additional support for the disabled: https://erasmus-plius.lt/programa/papildoma-parama-aukstojo-mokslo-studentams/
More information: https://www.smpf.lt/lt/ or by contacting VMU International Relations Department.
Is there somebody at the University who coordinates students with individual needs?
Yes, the responsible individual of the University who works in the field of students with disabilities of the Department of Student Affairs centrally helps to solve various problems at the University, which are faced by students studying at the University with individual needs.
Coordinator of Disability Affairs Miglė Janušauskaitė
- Phone: 8 659 76399
- Email: migle.janusauskaite@vdu.lt
- Address: S. Daukanto g. 27-301, Kaunas