How to get started

As an international student, you are invited to our Welcome Program, which includes a Help Desk, an academic writing workshop, a mini-workshop on study planning with the digital "Alma" system, and various peer-to-peer activities from students for students, for instance an advisory course on “How to study at a German university”.

The University of Tübingen also offers two specific welcoming and introductory sessions for international degree-seeking students and for international exchange students, where you can ask your questions directly.

You can find further information on the following dedicated websites:

• Getting started and orientation for international degree-seeking students
• Getting started and orientation for international exchange students

(Please note that some new information may still be added shortly before the start of the semester.)

As a degree-seeking student in a Bachelor's program, you are also invited to have a look at the presentation "Neu an der Uni – wie geht‘s nun weiter?" ("New at the university - what now?", in German), which is provided by the Student Counseling Service. Here you will receive important hints for orienting yourself at the university, as well as information on the structure of your study program, how to organize your studies, how to compile your weekly schedule, and where to go if you need advice.

International Master's students beginning their studies at the University of Tübingen are invited to join the "TÜ-VIP Start" program ("Tübingen Virtual Intercultural Program") shortly before the start of the semester. It consists of online events in the first week as well as on-campus events in the second week, and aims to familiarize you with the administrative, academic, and social aspects of studying at UT, offering e.g. language courses, campus and city tours, information about study management and support options, and several Q & A sessions with university staff, as well as numerous opportunities to meet other students.

If you’re coming to Tübingen for a Master’s program taught in German, you may also want to attend the special introductory session for new M.A./M.Sc. students (in German), where you can find out more about administrative structures of a German university in general, and this university in particular.

Almost all lectures, seminars and tutorials are managed via the online portal “Alma”. This is also where you register for classes and exams. You can find out how to work with this portal both in the online mini-workshop "Study planning and organization - hands-on Alma" (in English), and in the live event "Introduction to the Alma portal for new students" (in German). There is also a website FAQ to the Alma Portal (in English) and a User's guide to the Alma Portal for students (in English, including video tutorials).

General instructions on how to create your personal timetable can be found in the introduction "Neu an der Uni - wie geht's nun weiter?" ("New at the university - what now?", in German) by the Student Counseling Service.

In the degree programs Human Medicine and Dentistry, registration for courses DOES NOT take place in the Alma Portal, but instead in the special Simed/Zmed portal. The functions of this portal are explained in the subject-specific introductory events for the medical degree programs.

Are you enrolled in a teachers' training degree program? There are also special introductory offers for all new students aiming to become a teacher (in German), where details about the structure of the Bachelor of Education (B. Ed.) programs will be explained.

Students with a disability or chronic illness often have very specific questions about their personal situation, about special requirements in organizing their studies, about support services, or about the individual adaptation of study conditions in order to prevent disadvantages. These topics will be addressed in the event “Studieren mit Beeinträchtigung” (in German, with barrier-free access).

There is also a workshop with a focus on study planning, "Semester management for students with a disability or chronic illness" (in German, with barrier-free access).
Attention: This workshop takes place on 01 October 2024, even before the start of the lecture period!

You can find further information on the website "Services for students with a disability or chronic illness" (in English). Individual counseling is also available.

During the Dies Universitatis celebrations, the semester will be officially opened with a welcome address to all new students. Afterwards there will be a fair where you can inform yourself about various student groups and academic facilities.

One of the most important parts of the Orientation Week for all new students is the introductory meeting of your individual subject. Here, you will find out about the structure and content of your study program as well as subject-specific regulations. You will also get to know the most important contact persons, and you will receive help in finding the right classes for your course plan and in fitting them into your schedule. If you are enrolled in multiple subjects, please try to attend all relevant introductory meetings.

Because the introductory meeting probably won’t be specifically tailored to the questions you might have as an international student, it is always a good idea to make an individual appointment with your subject’s faculty course advisor. This is especially important if you are studying in one of those few smaller programs that do not offer a introductory meeting at all.

All subject-specific introductory offers for the winter semester 2024/25 will be listed on the linked website (in German) by 20 September 2024.

In many subjects, the elected student representatives (“Fachschaften”) offer additional welcome events from a student's point of view. These events provide you with valuable hints for your studies, and of course with a great opportunity to meet other students and have a lot of fun.

• Overview of all Fachschaften at the University of Tübingen (includes links to their websites, where the individual events will be announced)

If you think it would be wise to focus on improving your German-speaking skills, you may want to attend one of the German language courses for international students. Note that some of these courses start even before the regular beginning of the semester.

Some study programs also offer preparatory courses in mathematics or, rarely, in some other field in order to get your skills up to par (“Vorkurse” or “Propädeutika”). These classes usually start a few weeks before the regular beginning of the semester. Please check ahead of time whether there are any preparatory courses offered for your study program.

All known preparatory courses for the winter semester 2024/25 are already listed on the linked website (in German).

In case you need to complete any other language requirements for your study program (e.g. Latin, Ancient Greek, or an additional modern language), please have a look at the relevant course program before the semester starts. Registration for Latin courses in the winter semester 2024/25 is open until Tuesday 15 October, 12 pm (noon).

You can find further information on the website "Was mache ich, wenn ich noch Fremdsprachen lernen muss?" ("What do I do if I have to acquire additional foreign language skills?", in German).

In order to plan your studies in detail, you will need to know a few fundamental documents: the examination regulations (“Prüfungsordnung”) and the module handbook (“Modulhandbuch”) of your subject(s). Many programs also have model course plans (“Modellstudienplan” or “Studienverlaufsplan”) that summarize the structure of the program for you in the form of an example.

There are some important constraints on which courses to take, especially in the first few semesters, so you should read these documents closely at an early point, ideally even before the introductory events, or ask someone to explain them to you. They are especially relevant if you are planning to do your whole studies in Germany. You can find these documents in the database of degree programs and on the websites of the individual faculties:

• Evangelisch-Theologische Fakultät
• Katholisch-Theologische Fakultät
• Zentrum für Islamische Theologie
• Juristische Fakultät
• Medizinische Fakultät
  • Humanmedizin (Vorklinischer Studienabschnitt)
  • Humanmedizin (Klinischer Studienabschnitt)
  • Zahnmedizin (Vorklinischer Studienabschnitt)
  • Zahnmedizin (Klinischer Studienabschnitt)
• Philosophische Fakultät
• Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaftliche Fakultät
• Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät

You are expected to put together your weekly timetable yourself, based on the examination regulations and module handbooks. This is best done before the start of lectures. You can find more information about this in the introduction "Neu an der Uni - wie geht's nun weiter?" ("New at the university - what now?", in German) and/or in the online mini-workshop "Study planning and organization - hands-on Alma" (in English) by the Student Counseling Service.

The subject-specific introductory events will explain the relevant details about what to look for when creating your personal timetable. Please read the documents about your study program carefully, and make use of the option to ask questions during live events. You can also always contact your faculty course advisor via e-mail.

Your personal timetable does not have to be ready before the start of the respective subject introductions. However, it certainly makes sense to create a draft for your timetable in advance. If questions arise, you can clarify them in the orientation sessions and make changes to your timetable afterwards if necessary.

The Online Course Catalogue can be found in the Alma Portal.
Please note that not all lectures and events may have been announced in Alma yet, and that some information regarding time and location may still be preliminary.

In order to log in to Alma, please use the student login credentials sent to you via regular mail as soon as they are available to you. (Alma login credentials from the application phase are not permanent.)

Please note:
In the Alma-Portal you will find the course catalog and the registration for most courses and examinations. For most study programs, the portal also contains a module overview, but this is not legally authoritative. If you want to make sure that you know all the regulations for your degree program, please be sure to read the examination regulations and the module handbook!

In the degree programs Human Medicine and Dentistry, registration for courses DOES NOT take place in the Alma Portal, but instead in the special Simed/Zmed portal. The functions of this portal are explained in the subject-specific introductory events for the medical degree programs.

In addition to studying the main subject itself, students in all Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science programs are required to attend classes in the field of interdisciplinary key qualifications (“Schlüsselqualifikationen”; for details see the examination regulation and/or module handbook of your program). These courses are offered in the Transdisciplinary Course Program (TCP).

In this interactive virtual guided tour of Tübingen (in German, produced in 2020, but still good for a first impression of the city), you can get to know some of the most relevant places in the city of Tübingen from the perspective of the students Amelie and Tony.

Finding accommodation in Tübingen, as in other university cities, is not always easy. We therefore encourage all students who are new to Tübingen to start looking for a room, e.g. in a student hall of residence, in a shared flat or in private accommodation, as early as possible.

The Studierendenwerk Tübingen-Hohenheim manages several halls of residence distributed throughout the city, and also offers an agency for private accommodation.

There are also several additional student halls of residence in Tübingen which are managed by other institutions, e.g. by church organisations, by clubs, or by foundations. Rooms in private shared flats (WGs) are often arranged via online ads; in addition to specialised platforms (local or transregional) there exist, for instance, several Facebook groups with the purpose of finding accommodation in Tübingen. An overview can be found in the brochure "Wohnen in Tübingen" (in German), which is published by the Student Counseling Service.

International students can find additional information and assistance on the website Housing for international students.

Students with EU nationality or refugee status can apply for financial support by the state of Germany (BAföG) if their parents' income is not sufficient to finance their studies. Half of the support is provided as a grant and the other half as an interest-free loan which you can repay after the end of your studies. In exceptional cases, parent-independent support is also possible.

You can find more detailed information on BAföG funding, the funding guidelines and the application procedure as well as the responsible contact persons on the website of the Studierendenwerk Tübingen-Hohenheim. (Please note that due to administrative issues, BAföG payments were often delayed last year, and we cannot guarantee that this won't happen again. Therefore, it might be a good idea to prepare yourself to finance a couple of months from other sources to bridge the gap.)

Information on other financing options (scholarships, student loans, part-time jobs, etc.) can be found on this overview page.

The University Library offers courses and information about various topics (also in English), e.g. how to use the library, how to search in the catalog, and how to organize your academic literature.

All relevant offers for new students can be found on this overview website.

Further information about courses (which you can also participate in during the semester): www.ub.uni-tuebingen.de/kurse

The International Office offers courses for learning languages (both German and other languages) and workshops about intercultural communication. You can also inform yourself about opportunities for going abroad during the course of your studies.

The series "How to manage your studies" offered by the Student Counseling Service contains presentations, materials, and workshops on various topics that may come up during your studies, e.g. strategies for learning, methods for efficient time scheduling, preparation for exams, changing to a different study program...

There is also a parallel series "Study with a plan" for German students, which contains an event "Semester management" (in German) that is especially useful for new students at the beginning of their studies. It takes place during the orientation week.

There is also a special workshop "Semester management for students with a disability or chronic illness" (in German, with barrier-free access).
 Attention: This workshop takes place on 01 October 2024, even before the start of the lecture period!

An important skill at the university is academic writing. This is of course part of your regular study program, but some central facilities also offer courses and events on this topic:

• Writing Center
  Workshops, counseling and events around academic writing in German and English for students of all subjects
• Foreign Language Center
  Workshops on academic writing in foreign languages (other than German)
• Department German as a Second Language and Intercultural Programs
  Counseling on academic writing in German as a foreign language

How well do you know the special words that are used at the University of Tübingen? You can find out in this online quiz (in German) and in this glossary (from the Welcome Brochure 2020/21, also in German).

There are many options around the university to get involved in interesting topics alongside your studies, for example by joining social, political, religious or cultural groups. In addition to exchanging ideas and working on community projects, these student groups also offer a great opportunity to connect with other students on a personal level.

An overview can be found on the page Student groups and initiatives (in German).

Life at the university is more than just studying your subject. The University of Tübingen offers a wide range of additional events and workshops in the fields of society, culture, arts, and sports. Further information on the website "Campus Life".

You can find answers to many frequently asked questions here:

• FAQ for degree-seeking international students
• FAQ for international exchange students

If you have subject-specific questions about how to organize your studies, please contact the respective faculty course advisor.

Questions specifically regarding your role as an international student in Tübingen can be directed to the Welcome and Help Desk for degree-seeking international students or to the Incoming Team for international exchange students during the orientation week, and to the advisory and support services for international students during the whole semester.

If you have questions about teacher training degree programs (B.Ed./M.Ed.), please contact the advisory service of the Tübingen School of Education.

If you have questions regarding the organization of your studies or if you are experiencing difficulties, you can also contact the Student Counseling Service throughout the whole course of your studies. Their offers include individual counseling specifically for degree-seeking international students.

You can find an overview list of all contact persons for different topics that may arise during the course of your studies at the website “Advice and Information”.