FAQ

In principle, anyone who is a citizen from a non-EU country is obliged to obtain a visa for Germany. Here (opens in a new window)is a list of the countries whose nationals will require a visa. Take a look at this visa check list for studying. (opens in a new window)

As soon as you have received your letter of acceptance from the HNU, you should start the application process for your visa. This process can take several weeks or months. Please be patient and do not send multiple emails. We recommend that you apply for a visa for the entire period of your stay in Germany. The actual period of time is at the embassy's discretion. Your visa should be a "national student visa, category D". (A tourist visa is not enough!). Please note that, as a rule, you will have to prove financial means for the entire stay when applying for a visa. Therefore, please consider in advance whether you can afford studying in Germany.

We highly recommend you to start with your room search as soon as possible. 

You can get more information about finding a room here.

If your study programme includes an exchange semester in a third country - which is especially the case for the our Master's programmes taught in English - then you should include this in your visa application. You need to contact the relevant embassy of the third country to apply for a visa for your exchange semester. Whether a visa is approved in advance is at the discretion of the respective embassy.If you receive a visa in advance, will be at the embassy's discretion.

If you don't receive a visa in advance, please contact the embassy of the destination country as soon as possible in Germany.

You need certification of valid health insurance for your enrolment at the HNU and for your residence permit.

• You can try to have your health insurance from you home country recognized by a German health insurance provider by sending a scan of your own insurance (in English or German) to them. You will find contact persons of several public health insurance providers below.
• As a student from EU countries, you should get the EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) from your respective insurance company. With this proof you can get an exemption from the compulsory health insurance at any public health insurance in Germany.

If you apply for student health insurance cover with a German health insurance company, the monthly health insurance contribution is about 125 €.

If you are going abroad to a third country for one semester and then returning to Germany, you should deactivate your German health insurance in the meantime.

Public health insurance providers

There are various public health insurance providers in Ulm and Neu-Ulm. You can freely select any health insurance.

Allgemeine Ortskrankenkasse Günzburg (AOK), Link (opens in a new window) (only in German)

contact person: Mr. Moritz Ebner, Jahnstraße 6, 89312 Günzburg
Tel. +49 (0)8221 94-369, moritz.ebner[at]by.aok[dot]de

Barmer, Link (opens in a new window)

contact person: Ms Nicola Schütz, Eserwallstr. 1, 86150 Augsburg, Tel.: +49 (0) 151/18234044, nicola.schuetz[at]barmer[dot]de

Deutsche Angestellten Krankenkasse (DAK), Link (opens in a new window) (only in German!)

contact person: Ms. Maike Müller, Bahnhofstraße 17, 89073 Ulm, Tel. +49 (0)7541/374092106, maike.mueller[at]dak[dot]de

Techniker Krankenkasse (TK), Link (opens in a new window)

contact person: Mr. Michèl Jaquet, Hirschstraße 21, 89073 Ulm, Tel. +49 (0)151 14534978, michel.jaquet[at]tk[dot]de

We highly recommend you to use the time to familiarize yourself with the the German language (opens in a new window). Ideally, you will have already acquired a good knowledge of German (B1 or B2) in your home country, which will make it much easier for you to get started in Germany. Inform your study advisor (opens in a new window) in case you arrive after semester starts. Please check your HNU e-mails (opens in a new window) regularly. With your HNU login data you can already enroll in your courses in the e-learning platform Moodle (opens in a new window)and participate in virtual lectures. Follow the STUVER (opens in a new window) and LEI Neu-Ulm (opens in a new window) on Instagram to stay up to date about social life at the HNU.

1. Register your seat of residence with the city administration (Bürgerbüro) and apply for a residence permit, if necessary. 
2. Transfer the semester fees as soon as possible. You will receive your HNU login details 1-2 weeks later. Afterwards, you can pick up your Campus Card at the Office of Studies & Examinations and validate the card at the HNU. 
3. Sign up for the Moodle course "Degree seeking students" and check your HNU e-mail account regularly to stay up to date!
4. Register for a German language course. Contact sprachen@hnu.de and attend language exchange events.
5. Get to know the HNU platforms and find out about the introductory events of your degree programme. Make new friends at the Lokale Erasmus Initiative Neu-Ulm or Ulm assist.

If you intend to stay in Germany longer than 3 months, then you must register your address within the first 14 days after your arrival in Germany. Registration takes place at the town administration office either in Neu-Ulm Citizens' Information Office (German:Bürgerbüro Neu-Ulm) or in Ulm's Citizens'Information Office (opens in a new window).

For your registration, you will need

• your ID or passport,
• confirmation from the landlady or landlord renting a flat/apartment (German: Wohnungsgeberbestätigung).

If you intend to stay in Germany for less than three months, you cannot register your address at the Citizens' Information Office. If you require an official certificate of residence, please speak to your landlord or landlady, or to the housing administration of where you live or to the hotel reception, and ask for a special registration certificate (German: besonderer Meldeschein).

The certificate of residence is an important document to apply for your residence permit. After you have registered at the Citizens' Information Office, you will also receive a request to pay the licence fee. (opens in a new window)  For this, make sure that your name is visible on the mailbox.

You can find your timetable on the intranet "HNU intern". (opens in a new window) If you have any questions about your courses, please contact your study advisor. Make sure to attend the introductory event (opens in a new window) of your degree program before the start of lectures. You must register for all your examinations at the HNU in the Campus Portal (opens in a new window) during the deadline. You can find learning materials and up-to-date information about your courses on E-Learning Moodle (opens in a new window). Exam dates, last minute course changes and general information about your faculty can be found on the intranet (opens in a new window). You should also read your HNU e-mails (opens in a new window) regularly. Please find an overview about the course registration process here (opens in a new window). 

Only if your visa does not cover the entire length of your stay in Germany, you will need to apply to extend it and apply for a residence permit.

The foreigners' authority at Landratsamt Neu-Ulm or at Bürgerdienste Ulm (opens in a new window) is your contact in this matter.  Currently, the authorities are very busy, so we kindly ask you to be patient and friendly with the staff. You need to wait two weeks from your registration at the city until your extension of visa and application for a residence permit, as your data need to be transmitted in the meantime.

You need to submit the following documents

•  registration confirmation from the city
•  passport or ID
•  enrolment certificate from the HNU
•  health insurance proof or document ‘exemption from German health insurance’
• 2 biometrical passport sized picture
• proof of financial means = 992 € per month of stay as a bankstatement, parent’s bankstatement or scholarship (English versions)
• 100€ for the electronic residence permit

You will automatically receive an electronic residence permit, when you apply for extension of your visa. The process can take  3-6 months.

Yes, we recommend you both.

A German bank account is essential for some things, e.g. paying the rent for your room on a monthly basis. If you arrived in Germany with a blocked account for your visa, you can unblock it now. Otherwise you can arrange a student account at any German bank. If you have not already paid this, please arrange for transfer of the obligatory semester fees for your enrolment at the HNU.

If you cause financial damage to other people, liability insurance (Haftpflichtversicherung) pays for fixing the damages. 83% of Germans have liability insurance. It costs around 5€ per month.

Find out more about activities for international students here (opens in a new window) or contact the Lokale Erasmus Initiative Neu-Ulm (opens in a new window). Besides, you join Tandem events (opens in a new window) or the local Peerwalk (opens in a new window) to make new friends.

In our welcome brochure (opens in a new window) for international students you will find various helpful information that can help you get started in Germany and in Neu-Ulm/Ulm. Chapters 7, 8 and 9 are relevant for the topics everyday life, leisure time and transport.

Life does not stop at the gates of the HNU: should you have financial, health or other private problems in the course of your studies, we will stand by you and find a solution together. If you are looking for practical assistance to continue your studies, please contact the Study counselor. 

If you would like to talk to someone in person, Mr. Giebeler (BIZEPS) (opens in a new window) will advise you confidentially and free of charge. You can also contact Studierendenwerk Ulm via video counseling (opens in a new window) or via chat (opens in a new window). If you have legal issues, please contact the Social and Legal Counseling Service (opens in a new window). If you have had a discriminatory experience at the HNU, reach out to our Equal Opportunity Officer. (opens in a new window)

Germany's public broadcasters provide independent reporting - on radio, television and the Internet. This service is made possible by the licence fee (opens in a new window), which currently amounts to 18.36 euros per month. In principle everyone is obliged to pay this fee. In order to obtain a residence permit, international students must prove that they have sufficient financial means to support themselves and thus also to pay the licence fee.

The Language Center offers free German courses for level A1-B1.  Sign up in the Moodle course "Registration German courses" (opens in a new window): As an international student a German A1 certificate must be submitted by the end of the 1st semester at the latest. If you can't join the HNU A1 course, you can attend private German courses online (opens in a new window) or on site courses in Ulm. The Virtual Academy of Bavaria (opens in a new window)also offers virtual German courses for higher levels. You can get a certificate and participate free of charge. In addition, it is useful to regularly practice one's German language skills outside of class, for example, in a sports course (opens in a new window), a student initiative (e.g. the Lokale Erasmus Initiative Neu-Ulm (opens in a new window)) or at the adult education center. (opens in a new window) Besides, you join Tandem events (opens in a new window) or the local Peerwalk (opens in a new window) to find a language exchange partner.

• Moving out and handing over your room: please make an appointment with the caretaker, your landlord or your housing administration a few weeks in advance to hand over your room. If you do not want to take remaining food or items with you, you can drop off your items at the Food Sharing Fairteiler at the HNU or at the exchange room in Neu-Ulm Vorfeld.
• Returning HNU materials: bring all borrowed HNU media back to the library and return your Campus Card at the Stuy and Exam Office.
• De-registration of your seat residence: if you have registered at city at the beginning of the semester, please de-register your seat of residence in the citizen's office of Neu-Ulm or Ulm.
• De-registration of licence fee(German: Runkfunkgebühren)
• Termination of health insurance: if you want to terminate your German health insurance, your flight ticket or the city's certificate of de-registration is usually sufficient. Please contact your health insurance directly.
• Closing your German bank account: do not close your German bank account until you have completed all bank transfers and you have received the deposit for your room back. However, some landlords also transfer the deposit to a foreign bank account.

You should build up your professional network as early as possible (opens in a new window), e.g. through internships or student jobs. Good German language skills (B2 level or higher) are very beneficial. If you need help correcting your application documents in German, you can contact the Career Service. The Welcome Center Ulm (opens in a new window) and the Career Week (opens in a new window) can help you to network with local companies. Ask your professors and HNU alumni (opens in a new window) about their contacts and their careers, they will be happy to help you.

Volunteer experience (opens in a new window) can also give you an advantage when applying for a job or if you consider to apply for the German citizenship. You will also work on your personality, expand your network and improve your language skills. 

If you have successfully completed your studies in Germany and come from a Non-European country, you have the possibility to obtain a residence permit valid for up to 18 months to look for a job. If you have a job offer that matches your qualifications, you can apply for a residence permit to take up qualified employment or an EU Blue Card. Detailed information can be found on the Make it in Germany (opens in a new window) website.