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International Exchange Students

You have been accepted for an exchange place at our university and are looking forward to this exciting experience. Whether you are participating in an ERASMUS programme or are coming from one of our worldwide partner universities, you are sure to have numerous questions. Here you will find all the most important information you’ll need for your stay at our university.


Visa Application and ImmigrationHide

A first important step for many international students coming from so-called third countries is the application for a student visa at the German diplomatic mission of the home country. If and how the application for such a visa should be done is explained on this website.

We highly recommend researching the regulations and requirements as well as the appointment schedule regarding the visa as early as possible. The international Office of the University of Bayreuth is not able to schedule appointments or inquiry about the status of the visa at the diplomatic missions.

Application for Student Dorms and Tips on Looking for AccommodationHide

The Studentenwerk Oberfranken (SWO) manages several student dorms on and off campus.

All students admitted to the University of Bayreuth can apply for a room in the student dorms. In order to do so, this application form needs to be filled in. Following this application form, an automatic email with a link to confirm the application will be generated and sent to the email address you submitted. This link has to be confirmed – otherwise the SWO is not able to allocate a room!

Further useful information regarding the search for suitable accommodation can be found here and in the Guidelines for International Exchange Students. In general, it is advisable to secure accommodation before travelling to Bayreuth as especially at the beginning of the semester it can be very difficult to find accommodations!

Living Costs Hide

International students in Germany spend an average of €900 on living expenses per month. These costs can vary considerably, depending on your place of residence and lifestyle, and this overview is merely illustrative.

  • Accommodation (rent including utilities):
    • SWO student dorms: €200 - €350/month (depending on dorm and type of room)
    • Private student dorms: €350 - €550/month
    • 1-room apartment: starting at €450/month
    • Room in a shared apartment: starting at €320/month
  • Semester fee: ca. €145/semester
  • Health insurance (provided you do not already have a European Health Insurance Card): ca. €130/month
  • Broadcasting fee (GEZ-Gebühr): ca. €19/month
  • Internet access: ca. €20/month
  • Groceries: starting at €175/month

This overview takes all necessary expenses into account – all other costs (for example for travelling, shopping, eating out and events) obviously vary from student to student.

Travelling and Important Public HolidaysHide

Bayreuth and Kulmbach can be reached by train or bus from all major airports within Germany. This website gives an overview over all methods of transportation, times and prices from the different airports and train stations to the University of Bayreuth. Within Bayreuth, we recommend using the app of the local bus network (called VGN) as this generally shows the most reliable connections.

The Welcome Services as well as all other administrative bodies are only open during the weekdays (Monday to Friday). Supermarkets and other stores in Bavaria are closed on Sundays and public holidays.

Basic Information on InsuranceHide

Health insurance is mandatory for enrolment at the university. International students must contact one of the statutory health insurance providers upon arrival in Bayreuth and sign up for an insurance policy. Students who have a European Health Insurance Card or an equivalent document must have their existing insurance confirmed by a German statutory health insurance provider. For this reason, we ask that you please go visit a statutory German health insurance provider in Bayreuth or any other city. The DAAD provides detailed information here.

People staying in Germany for an extended period or renting a furnished apartment should think about getting private liability insurance – some landlords even require this prior to signing a rental contract. More information can be found here.

German Courses prior to the SemesterHide

In cooperation with the Institute for International Communication and Foreign Cultural Exchange (IIK), the International Office offers a fee-based German course with two levels prior to the semester start. The first course is suitable for students with little or no knowledge of German (A1) to familiarize themselves with the language for the first time and learn the most important phrases to make living in Bayreuth easier from the start. The second course is targeted towards students who already have a good command of the German language and want to refresh and deepen their knowledge (B1/B2).

These German courses are an additional offer for international students and cannot be used to earn certain German certificates, which qualify for starting to study in Germany.

One month prior to the beginning of the semester the Welcome Services will send out more information regarding the registration and schedule.

Orientation WeekHide

Orientation week prepares new international students for their studies at the University of Bayreuth, explains structures and processes at the university and life in Germany. Therefore, this is a central element of the first weeks in Bayreuth, and international students are required to take part! Participation is mandatory for all exchange students!

Detailed information regarding the date and form of the orientation week will be communicated to all admitted students by the Welcome Services via email.

Buddy ProgrammeHide

The Buddy Programme offers international students a great way to connect with students from the University of Bayreuth, ask questions and find new friends before even coming to the University of Bayreuth.

Interested UBT Students can get more information here.

New international students will be automatically invited via email. If you have not received an invitation via email or have further questions, please reach out to buddy@uni-bayreuth.de.

Enrolment and Student IDHide

Enrolment for exchange students takes place digitally via the MoveON platform. The following documents must be uploaded:

  • Enrolment form (template provided by the Welcome Services)   
  • Admission letter
  • Confirmation of health insurance by a statutory German health insurance provider
  • Proof of payment of the semester fee
  • Copy of passport/ID card and visa (if applicable)
  • Passport picture

If further documents are needed, the Student Administration Office (Studierendenkanzlei) lists them on the admission letter.

After enrolment, each student receives an email from the Student Administration Office (Studierendenkanzlei). In this email, the personal student identification (also known as bt-identification) as well as the password to first log into CampusOnline is listed. After the initial registration, which needs to be done within one week, this password has to be changed in order to access all other online systems offered by the university.

The student ID card will be ready within ca. one week of enrolment and can be picked up in the Welcome Services after the email regarding student identification and password have been sent by the Student Administration Office. If this email is not received within one week, we recommend stopping  by  Welcome Services to ask for further assistance.

After the student ID card has been collected at the Welcome Services, it has to be validated at one of the machines on campus (they can be found in the central administration building and the main library). With the ID card, students not only get the cheapest rate in the canteen, check out books from the library and make copies/print documents, they can also take the bus and trains within Bayreuth and its surrounding areas at no extra charge.

Semester FeeHide

The University of Bayreuth does not charge tuition fees from there students. The only contribution that has to be made is the semester fee, which is composed of the contribution towards the student services and the semester ticket in order to use public transportation within Bayreuth. This fee has to be paid by every student!

The contribution has to be paid prior to the enrolment! The respective banking details are given on the admission letter. As it takes up to seven business days to process the payment, this should be done as early as possible to ensure a quick enrolment. The payment cannot be done in person at the university! Without the payment, the enrolment is not possible and the ID card cannot be handed out.

City Registration Office and Foreigners AuthorityHide

An important step after the arrival in Bayreuth is the registration with the city registration office (Einwohnermeldeamt). This registration has to be done within 14 days after moving into the apartment. For the registration, only the passport as well as a document signed by the landlord (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung) is necessary. We recommend making an appointment or arriving at the office early in the morning to minimize the waiting time.

Students from third countries, which did not need a visa to enter Germany or got a visa for a limited time, have to make an appointment with the foreigners’ authority to get a permanent residence permit. In order to make an appointment, international students should send an email with the important information (name, country of origin, purpose of stay and if applicable a picture of the current visa) to the foreigners authority in Bayreuth. In general, they will send back a list of documents, which need to be brought to the appointment.

International Student OrganizationHide

ESN Bayreuth, a student organisation that attends to international students, offers – in cooperation with the International Office – not only the Buddy Programme but also many events and trips during the semester. An overview of upcoming events and more information can be found on their Facebook Page.

Each semester international students can use a Facebook group to connect and network even before the semester starts. This group not only provides information for various events but also provides the opportunity to talk to other students – international and German – and ask questions.

Course Catalogue and Selection of CoursesHide

A complete list of courses can be found in CampusOnline for each semester. It is possible to sort courses by faculty/study programme or the language of instruction. Detailed instructions can be found here.

The course catalogue for the winter semester is available from end of August/beginning of September, the course catalogue for the summer semester from end of January/beginning of February.

Registration for some courses (especially seminars) can take place before the start of the semester. We recommend getting in touch with the lecturers of such courses to discuss possibilities of attending as soon as possible.

Learning AgreementHide

If your home university expects its students to establish a Learning Agreement, the following steps need to be taken:

  • Selection of courses in CampusOnline
  • Signature of student and Home university
  • Search for the academic coordinator at the University of Bayreuth
  • Submission of the completed Learning Agreement
  • Changes to the Learning Agreement

Detailed instructions with explanations for each step can be found in the Guidelines for International Exchange Students.

Erasmus DocumentsHide

Within the Erasmus Programme, certain documents have to be signed by the guest university before and during the exchange.

The Welcome Services or the Mobility-Team can sign the Confirmation of Arrival as well as the Confirmation of Stay. Signatures on the Learning Agreement can only be done by the academic coordinator of the respective department (more information above)!

Questions concerning the required documents should be discussed directly with the home university.

Transcript of RecordsHide

The University of Bayreuth is working on an automatically generated, electronic Transcript of Records for international students. Until this system is completed, exchange students have to help with the creation of their Transcript of Records.

These steps need to be carried out at the beginning of the semester in order to get a complete Transcript of Records:

  • Selection of courses in CampusOnline at the beginning of your stay
  • Completion of this form for the Determination of ECTS Credits for each course selected
  • Signature on the form by the lecturer
  • Submission of the completed document by Email to the Mobility Team
  • If there are any changes during the semester, please inform the Mobility Team as soon as possible.
  • The completed transcript can be downloaded from CampusOnline after the grading process has been completed. It will not be sent separately by e-mail.

Courses for which no form has been submitted will not be shown with ECTS points in the transcript. The electronically generated transcript of records is valid without signature and will therefore not be confirmed by the International Office.

This table shows a conversion of German grades into foreign grading systems.

The CampusOnline system can be accessed up to 6 month after your stay at the University of Bayreuth.

Extension of Stay and Renewing EnrolmentHide

Exchange students are welcome to extend their stay at the University of Bayreuth for an additional semester. In order to do so, the confirmation of the home university. Please contact the Mobility Team for more information.

Renewing enrolment for the following semester is straightforward. Circa two months prior to the semester ending, the Student Administration Office (Studierendenkanzlei) sends out an email with the request to pay the semester fee for the upcoming semester. Information on this can also always be found in the personal CampusOnline/cmlife account. Around one week after the transfer of the money, the student ID needs to be validated at the machines (either in the central administration building or the main library).

De-registration from the University and DepartureHide

Students who completed their stay at the University of Bayreuth, can de-register from the university prior to their departure. This has to be done in person at the Student Administration Office (Studierendenkanzlei). The confirmation of de-registration is necessary to terminate the health insurance contract (if a German health insurance has been taken out in the beginning). If students decide not to de-register in person, they will automatically be excluded from studies at the beginning of the new semester. The confirmation of de-registration can then also be downloaded in cmlife.

De-registration does not affect access to the online systems – they can be used up to six months after the end of the semester!

In addition, the following aspects should be kept in mind when planning the departure:

  • Reporting your move to the Residents' Registration Office: This can be done in person only at Bayreuth’s Registration Office at the earliest one week before the actual departure. This can be helpful when terminating contracts (e.g. internet).
  • Termination of health insurance: Students who have signed up for German health insurance should cancel it before departure. The certificate of withdrawal from the university (see withdrawal) should be taken to the appointment.
  • The cancellation of the German bank account (if available): Before this, it is essential to agree on a regulation with the landlord/SWO regarding the payment of the deposit.
  • Cancellation of all other contracts concluded in Bayreuth (e.g. mobile phone and internet).
  • Erasmus students: Have the document Confirmation of Stay signed by the Welcome Services or the Mobility Team.
Additional InformationHide

Detailed information and useful tips regarding the administrative and academic life and studies in Bayreuth can be found in the Guidelines for International Students.

Explanations for all terms and expressions in the university environment are provided in our glossary Studying at the University of Bayreuth from A to Z.

The Studentenwerk Oberfranken (SWO) offers different services (i.e. legal advice or psychological counselling) free of charge for all students.

In addition to the International Student Organization (ESN), there are many other initiatives and organizations on campus.

The universities sports programme offers students, researchers and employees a large selection of sports courses. A detailed explanation of the selection of courses and payment of fees can be found in the Guidelines for International Exchange Students.


Webmaster: Sabine Anders

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