Welcome Sessions for International Degree-Seeking Students

Congratulations on your admission to Osnabrück University! To help you get off to a smooth start, the International Office offers you a choice of five Welcome Sessions which will take place on:

• Wednesday, 1 April, 10:30–12:30, 02/E03, Seminarstraße 19 a/b
• Wednesday, 8 April, 10:30–12:30, 19/124, Neuer Graben 27
• Monday, 20 April, 10:30–12:30, 02/109, Seminarstraße 19 a/b
• „ Wednesday, 6 May, 10:30–12:30, 19/124, Neuer Graben 27
• „ Monday, 18 May, 10:30–12:30, 19/124, Neuer Graben 27

During the Welcome Session, you will receive your welcome pack and an introduction to Osnabrück University and the services we offer. This includes explaining formalities such as collecting your Campuscard, registering with the authorities, applying for a residence permit, taking out health insurance, and opening a bank account. We also cover aspects such as housing, part-time work, scholarships and volunteering. After a final Q&A session, our student tutors will give you a short tour of the campus and city, and accompany you to the dining hall for lunch. The information below may be useful if you wish to complete some of the formalities before your Welcome Session.

After following the instructions in your enrolment letter about uploading a passport photo, you can collect your Campuscard from the Info-Point, Neuer Graben 27 (StudiOS building) and validate it. This card acts as your student ID card, library card and canteen payment card all in one! You can also upload your DeutschlandSemesterticket on to your smartphone using the app stated in your enrolment letter.
For more details, see   Campuscard.

All newcomers to Osnabrück should register their new address with the Citizens’ Office (Bürgeramt) within two weeks of arrival. Please   book an appointment online well in advance. 

If needed, first switch the language setting to English. Then click »Bürgeramt« (Citizens’ Office), »Registration Matters«, »Registration«, and then »Continue«. Select a time for an appointment on a day that suits you. Enter your personal details and check the privacy boxes. After clicking the blue button »Book appointment«, you will receive an email from    timeacle GmbH Co. & KG with your official appointment ticket. Please go to the Citizens’ Office at the Stadthaus at the time of your appointment with the following documents: appointment ticket, ID card/passport and Wohnungsgeberbestätigung (housing provider confirmation)

Students who wish or are required to open a bank account (with the Sparkasse Osnabrück, for example) will be given assistance from one of our student tutors. You will need the following information and documents:

• passport
• registration certificate from the Citizens’ Office (Meldebescheinigung)
• mobile number
• email address
• German tax ID (if not yet available, please submit to the bank at a later date)
• US-American students only: taxation no. (TIN)
• Russian and Iranian students only: residence permit

If you enter Germany without a visa and your stay exceeds three months or if you enter Germany and your visa expires before the end of your stay, you are required to apply for a residence permit.
Students from EU Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland do not require a visa or residence permit.
To apply online for an appointment to obtain your residence permit,   please click here. 
Click on »Online-Dienst Aufenthalt: Ausl. Studierende« to access the portal, which is available in eight languages. Please scan and upload the necessary documents onto your laptop or smartphone before you start the process:

• passport
• certificate of enrolment
• proof of health insurance
• proof of sufficient funding (bank statements, blocked account, declaration of commitment, scholarship)
• registration certificate from the Citizens’ Office (Meldebescheinigung)
• current residence permit (if applicable)

Switch the language setting to English (or whichever other language suits you), then read the information provided in the section »Studying at a university or doing a doctorate«. Select whether this is your first application for a residence permit for educational purposes or whether you would like to have your residence permit extended. Enter your postal code to make sure that the Ausländerbehörde Osnabrück is responsible for your request (students resident outside of Osnabrück must register instead with their local town hall). You will then have the option of registering a user account or continuing »without logging in«.

Then simply answer the questions and upload your documents as required, step by step. Make sure you enter the correct email address – it will be used by the Foreigners’ Authority to contact you to arrange an appointment.

Several weeks or months after applying, you will be offered an appointment with the Foreigners’ Authority. Please bring the following to that appointment:

• A biometric passport photo with a light background
• €100 in cash (ERASMUS/DAAD scholarship holders are exempt from this payment)
• Your passport

Venue: Building 94 (Westerberg Campus, Nelson-Mandela-Str. 4), Room E01

Although your chosen program may be taught entirely in English, you will get more out of your stay in Osnabrück if you can speak some German. It will make everyday activities such as shopping or going out easier and allow you to expand your circle of friends. We therefore strongly recommend that you attend one of the many German as a Foreign Language courses offered by the Language Center (starting from 13 April).

To ensure that you are placed at the right level, the Language Center offers two placement tests to choose from on 24 March and 2 April. No registration is required, but it is advisable to create a personal account on   www.onset.de beforehand and bring your login details with you on the day of the test.

Only students with previous knowledge of German but no proof of their level need take this test. You will be placed on the appropriate course based on your test score. The test is not necessary for complete beginners or for students who have already passed a German language test (e.g. TestDaF, DSH, telc or Goethe-Zertifikat), who will be placed based on their test results.

For more details, see the information provided by the    Language Center.

During this week, some faculties, departments and programs provide a subject-specific induction for their new students, both German and international. You will learn more about the university, your faculty, the city, how to register for courses, etc. This is your chance to get to know other new students in your program, as well as more advanced students. Learn from their experiences!

Host: Mira Hazzaa

(Link will be announced here shortly.)

Host: Matthias Laubenheimer

  Please click here to enter the virtual conference room (no registration required).

Please note that the university and the majority of shops will be closed.

Venue: 19/124 (StudiOS Building, Neuer Graben 27)

Host: Teresa Gehrs & student tutors

A great opportunity to meet other new international students and chat over a cup of tea/coffee and biscuits. Simply drop by whenever it suits you. With complements of the DAAD, with funding from the Federal Foreign Office.

Venue: Barenteich, Osnabrück (see  minigolf-osnabrueck.de)

Host: Teresa Gehrs & student tutors

Meeting point: “Barenteich” busstop. The bus line M2 (going in the direction of Landwehrviertel) departs from Neumarkt platform A2 (   see here for a map of platforms at Neumarkt ) at 13:06. It’s a 16-minute ride from Neumarkt to Barenteich (13 stops). Please check a map to see whether you can approach Barenteich more easily on foot or by bike from your place of residence. For other times, check the   VOS timetable.

Cost contribution: €2 (payable in cash on the day. Ideally in coins!). The remaining cost will be covered by funding from the DAAD