Health insurance(private or public health insurance) is compulsory for all students in Germany. For more information about the health insurance, please click here or mack an appointment at the International Office.
If you are funded or supported by a partner organization of the DAAD, the DAAD is offering an affordable combined health, accident and liability insurance for you and your accompanying family members. For more information, please consult the DAAD website.
In Germany, all residents are required to register at the local registration offices (Bürgeramt/Einwohnermeldeamt) within one week after their arrival.
In a first step, you have to present yourself at the local registration offices (Bürgeramt/Einwohnermeldeamt) with a valid passport and/or visa, proof of health insurance and your new address (e.g. by presenting your rental agreement).
In a second step, you should apply for a residence permit at the local Alien department (Ausländerbehörde) within the first three months of your stay in Germany.
To apply for a residence permit, you must submit the following documents to the responsible foreigners authority office within the first three months of your stay in Germany:
More information can be found on the websites of the German Federal Foreign Office as well as on the "Study in Germany" Website.
International researchers, including doctoral candidates, have the option of obtaining a residence permit for research purposes. The requirement is the proof of a monthly minimum income of approx. 1800 €, covered by a scholarship or an employment contract. This facilitates the procedure for issuing a residence permit. In order to apply for a residence permit for research purposes, a hosting agreement must be concluded in advance between the University of Ulm and you.
After your acceptance as a doctoral candidate by the doctoral committee, you have to enrol at the Registrar's Office.
As a enrolled student at the University of Ulm, you must currently pay the regular semester fees.
Doctoral researchers who have already been accepted by their faculty before the 30th of March 2018 are not obliged to enrol.
Doctoral researchers with a working contract (>50%) at Ulm University may be exempted from enrollment. In this case, a written statement has to be submitted to the doctoral office.
You can find the online enrolment here.
The doctoral student status associated with enrollment entitles you to the following benefits amongst others:
If you don't speak German yet, you shouldn't worry because there are several ways to learn the language in Ulm!
First take a look at the list of language courses offered by the University of Ulm. You can find them here.
There are also German courses at the Volkshochschule in Ulm that take place regularly. Current course dates can be found on this page.
Alternatively, there are also private language schools in the city. You can learn more on this page. Please note, however, that the course dates at private schools are not coordinated with the beginning of the semester at Ulm University. Therefore, you should register in time, because the number of participants is always limited.
On this page you will find all the information you need about your finances and banking in Germany.
Details on opening a bank account, credit cards, payments etc. will make your first days in Germany easier!
If you are employed, pension insurance is generally mandatory by law. The state-regulated pension insurance is taken directly off your gross salary. Employers and employees are charged with half of the contribution. As this process is automatic, the employee do not have to do anything. The employer is responsible for signing you up to the appropriate health insurance company, which in turn will proceed with signing you up to all other agencies within the social security.
Usually, scholarships are exempted of the obligation to contribute to the social insurance.
The state pension insurance is part of the social security system in Germany as in most other EU/EEA countries. Additional coverage might be provided through other types of pension savings or insurances you will be affiliated with or contribute to during your entire career. To keep track of who will pay your pension later, it’s vital to distinguish between the different sources and the respective pension schemes. To get basic knowledge watch the introductory video of the www.findyourpension.eu website.
For more information please visit the "Find your pension" website.
At the beginning of your research project at Ulm University, we would like to extend an invitation to arrange an individual orientation meeting.
In addition to a general introduction, we explain the first steps in Ulm and answer individual questions.
Please use the contact details above for scheduling an appointment.
