The lecture period of the summer semester begins on Monday, 19 April. University President Professor Michael Weber and Daniel Uhrmann, head of the student representative body (Studierendenvertretung - StuVe) welcome the new students via video message. In response to the ongoing corona pandemic, the semester begins mostly digitally. Laboratory courses, exams and special events for first-semester students can take place on campus in compliance with appropriate hygiene protocols.
In the summer semester of 2021, 286 students will start into a new phase of their lives at Ulm University. Among them are 70 classic first-semester students who are enrolled at a university for the first time. Most bachelor's students are starting a degree programme in Computer Science or Dentistry, while Industrial Biotechnology is the most popular master's programme. 23 young people have opted for the orientation semester, which prepares them for their studies in one of the MINT areas (mathematics, information technology, natural sciences, technology) at the University.
A total of around 9630 students will be enrolled at Ulm University at the start of the 2021 summer semester. Only about one third of all undergraduate programmes at Ulm University actually start in the summer semester. This is why the number of students is lower in the summer than in the winter semester – experience also shows that the final numbers change during the first few weeks. The proportion of foreign students is 12.4 percent and is thus constant.
Teaching staff have built on their experience from the last two semesters under pandemic conditions to continuously improve and enhance online teaching. Especially courses without practical components, such as lectures, continue to take place online. Laboratory courses and exams can be held in person on campus. Small groups, hygiene protocols and digital contact tracing with the KNAppUU app are an important part of the concept to keep everyone safe.
University President Professor Michael Weber and Daniel Uhrmann, head of the student representative body StuVe, recorded a video to welcome the new students to the University. This will be available online at the start of the lecture period on Monday, 19 April. 'We haven't just moved the courses online, we also replicate the social component online as much as possible as this is such an essential part of university life. We strongly encourage you to make use of the possibilities that are available, be it in the form of online chats or a video conference. Form your own virtual study groups and get together. Because studying at university, especially in times of a pandemic, is of course also in large parts about personal responsibility and self-discipline,' Professor Michael Weber encourages the students. The StuVe offers a virtual 'Uni Forum', among other things, and a website where student groups or units can present themselves.
The various departments will hold individual in-person events for the new students to show them around campus and to help them to get to know fellow students and lecturers. 'Our experience shows that students have coped very well overall with studying under corona conditions. The numbers of exams taken have stayed the same and the exam results have not declined compared to previous years; they have even been a little bit better,' says Professor Michael Weber. Studying at Ulm University is therefore safe and good support is ensured even under pandemic conditions.
Information on studying under corona conditions
Text and media contact: Daniela Stang