Dies Academicus

Dies Academicus – Latin for "academic day" – refers to an academic holiday on which regular teaching is interrupted. The non-teaching day is common at many universities and is often celebrated on the founding date or a date important to the university. In addition to award ceremonies or alumni reunions, this day can also be used for a joint identity-building programme.

Dies Academicus 2026

The University of Erfurt is once again inviting visitors to a “Dies Academicus” on 3 June 2026. To enable everyone interested to attend the events, there will be no lessons that afternoon. This time, the focus will be on neurodiversity in studying, teaching and research.

Depending on the definition, statistically five to ten percent of the population is neurodivergent. However, these neurological dispositions (e.g. AD(H)S, autism, dyscalculia, dyslexia and giftedness) are hardly visible in the general consciousness; there is (too) little knowledge and (too) many clichés. This special day on “Neurodiversity on Campus” aims to strengthen knowledge and awareness, highlight the presence and relevance of the topic in university education (especially in teacher training), present our own research on the topic, open up formats for information, participation and exchange, and make visible the specific needs, skills and challenges of neurodivergent adults in studies and teaching. The event is aimed at all university members – whether neurotypical or neurodivergent, with or without previous experience of neurodiversity. On Wednesday afternoon, 3 June 2026 (no committees or teaching), four to five time slots will be allocated for (parallel) events such as short lectures and expert panel discussions, workshops and poster presentations on relevant research and teaching projects on campus, networking opportunities and information stands.

Further information on the programme are available in our event calendar.

Organisational notes:
Please note that on Dies Academicus, only the afternoon (2–7 pm) is free of teaching. Morning classes will take place as usual.

We want to hear your views!
To accompany the event, we warmly invite you to take part in a short university-wide survey on the topic of neurodiversity. Your experiences and views – whether from your studies, teaching or administration – form an important basis for the further development of an inclusive university culture. >> Go to the survey!

event poster (pdf for download)

Blog posts on the "Dies Akademicus"

Appreciate, don't judge! – Professor Julia Knop, Vice President for Academic Affairs in an interview on the "Dies Academicus" 2026 (in German only)
"Anyone who knows a neurodiverse person knows exactly one!" – Alumna Anna-Lena reports on her experiences with neurodivergence during her studies (in German only)
"The brains of neurodivergent people function with a different operating system" – The university group “Neuro-Spectrum” introduces itself (in German only)

On the occasion of the "Dies academicus" on 3 June 2026 , mindful lecturers at the University of Erfurt invite you to get to know the "Open Ears" project. From 2 to 6 p.m., depending on the weather, you will sit on benches or chairs at or in the research building and simply listen. Look forward to this experience, which may seem unimpressive at first, but is actually something special. You can recognise the colleagues by the yellow blanket with a blue speech bubble.