After admission information for exchange students
AFTER ADMISSION
Admitted for an exchange semester: What's next?
This information is for exchange students with an admission letter issued by the International Office. If you have an invitation letter from a faculty supervisor but no admission letter, please contact us by email: exchange.incoming@uni-due.de
Important Information
Important Dates
Semester dates for the academic year 2025/2026
Winter semester 2025/2026: 01.10.2025 - 31.03.2026
Orientation: 06.10.2025 - 13.10.2025
Lecture period: 13.10.2025 - 06.02.2026
Winter Holidays: 20.12.2025 - 04.01.2026
Exams: Ask faculty coordinators for dates
Summer semester 2026: 01.04.2026 - 30.09.2026
Orientation: 03.04.2026 - 12.04.2026
Lecture period: 13.04.2026 - 24.07.2026
Whitsun holidays: 26.05.2026
Exams: Ask faculty coordinators for dates
Important factors for your travel plans
- In what format (online or in person) will my classes and events be held? (Ask your faculty coordinator)
- If applicable: Will it affect my Erasmus+ grant if I travel to Germany at a later date? (Ask the person responsible at your home university)
- When can I move into the residence hall?
- When will my exams be held? (Ask your faculty coordinator)
- Will I have time to travel after my exams?
Next steps: December/January
- Check the visa regulations and apply for a visa if you need one. Please note that it may take quite a long time for your visa to be issued!
- Get information about health insurance.
- You can apply for a room in a student residence hall.
Please note that, due to the limited number of rooms available in the residence halls, you should apply as soon as possible.
Next steps: Feburary
- Contact a German statutory health insurance provider (Krankenkasse) and ask about an M10 notification so that you can enrol at a university in Germany.
- UDE should receive the M10 notification from the insurance provider by 16 Feburary 2026 at the latest so that your enrolment can be completed.
- A tutor from ISAAC (International Student Activity and Assistance Club) will get in touch with you and introduce themselves by email around the middle of February.
Next steps: March
- A volunteer buddy will get in touch with you and introduce themselves by email around the middle of March.
- After your enrolment: if you want to attend an IwiS language course, you must first take an online placement test. Then you can register for a class that is the right level for your language skills. (You can find the registration deadlines here. You will need your University ID to register.)
Next steps: April
- Attend the Welcome Week (for more information, check out ISAAC on social media and the Moodle Orientation course that goes with the Welcome Week).
- Lectures start on 13 April 2026.
- If you have been allocated a room in a student residence hall, the earliest possible date you can move in is usually the third working day of the month. If you have any additional questions, please contact the Studierendenwerk or your residence hall’s caretaker.
Visa
Citizens of EU countries
Citizens of EU countries or Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway do not need a visa to enter Germany.
Citizens of non-EU countries
You can use your Letter of Admission to apply for a visa for study purposes at the German embassy in your home country.
Important: Do not enter Germany on a tourist visa! Tourist visas are only valid for three months and cannot be extended or changed to a student visa.
Visa Requirements
Non-EU citizens who have a residence permit
If you are a citizen of a non-EU country and you have a valid residence permit for study purposes issued by an EU country, you may not need to apply for a visa. In this case, please send a copy to the International Office by email.
Accommodation
In Germany (unlike other countries), admission to study at a higher education institution does not mean that you are automatically offered a room in a student residence hall. That means that you need to find a place to live on your own.
There are various options for finding a room or flat:
Student residences
There are student residence halls in Essen, Duisburg and Mülheim, but they are not managed by the University.
If you would like to live in a student residence, you must submit a separate application to the Studierendenwerk. Further information and details about the application process are provided by the Studierendenwerk.
Please note:
- Rooms in the residence halls are allocated on a first come, first served basis.
- You are not guaranteed a room.
- Exchange students are usually assigned shared accommodation.
- Tenancy agreements usually start on the first day of the month, but these accommodations are not usually ready to be moved into before the third working day of the month.
- You cannot change or withdraw from such an agreement.
The Studierendenwerk has a very helpful FAQ section.
Private housing market
You can, of course, also look for a furnished room, flat or shared flat (Wohngemeinschaft or WG) on your own.
Useful links for your search:
http://www.immobilienscout24.de/de/finden/wohnen/index.jsp
http://www.studenten-wohnung.de/
Key words related to accommodation:
http://www.uni-due.de/scies/accommodation.shtml#glossary
http://www.uni-due.de/imperia/md/content/diversity/illu_wohnheimwoerterbuch.pdf
Health Insurance
Health insurance is mandatory for all students. It is not possible to enrol at a university in Germany without proof of valid health insurance.
The International Office cannot verify insurance documents; we accept only digital confirmations sent by German statutory health insurance providers. The options available to you are listed below. Ask any statutory health insurance provider (Krankenkasse) about confirmation so that you can enrol at the University of Duisburg-Essen. You may be asked for UDE’s code: H0000277.
A summary of health insurance information and contacts at several statutory health insurance providers is available here. The contacts are intended as an aid, not a recommendation; you are free to contact any other statutory health insurance provider in Germany.
You should arrange your health insurance confirmation "M10" by 16.02.2026 in order to complete enrolment before the start of the summer semester.
European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)
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Students from EU countries should get an EHIC. It needs to be valid for the entire length of your stay at UDE. In addition, you still need to get confirmation from a German statutory health insurance provider in order to enrol at UDE. The insurance provider will send a digital confirmation (M10 notification) to the International Office free of charge.
AT11
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Some students from Turkey may be able to apply for an AT11. It needs to be valid for the entire length of your stay at UDE. In addition, you still need to get confirmation from a German statutory health insurance provider (M10 notification) in order to enrol at UDE. The insurance provider will send the M10 notification to the International Office free of charge.
Private Insurance
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If you have neither an EHIC nor an AT11, you can also take out private health insurance.
Please note: The plans available through private health insurance providers can vary, and you usually have to pay for medical treatment up front. You can then request reimbursement later. If you choose this option, please get information from the insurance provider about important requirements.
You must still send proof of insurance to a statutory health insurance provider in order to get the confirmation you need to enrol at a German university. The insurance provider will send a digital confirmation (M10 notification) to UDE’s International Office free of charge.
Statutory Health Insurance
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You may wish to get health insurance from a German statutory health insurance provider. The costs for students under the age of 30 usually come to around 125 - 150 euros per month, and you normally have to pay for the entire semester.
You can choose any statutory health insurance provider and ask about the confirmation required for your enrolment at UDE, which will be sent directly to the International Office free of charge.
Enrolment
Confirmation from a statutory health insurance provider for the summer semester 2026 must have been received by 16 Feburary 2026 so that you can be enrolled during the course of the month. We strongly encourage you to complete your enrolment by the end of March to ensure that you receive all your access information for UDE’s online platforms and you can register for language courses.
Once we have received proof of insurance from the statutory health insurance provider, it usually takes up to 14 working days for your enrolment to be completed and we can send you all your documents.
Student services and student body fees
All students (including Erasmus+ students) are required to pay student services and student body fees each semester. As soon as you have enrolled, we will send you information about how to pay these fees. The student services and student body fees come to €349.80 for the summer semester 2026.
More information (in German) about the student services and student body fees
Semester ticket
Starting at the beginning of the semester and as soon as the University has received your student services and student body fees (which takes about three working days), you can use the semester ticket (Deutschlandticket). To do so, you can download the myUDE (https://www.uni-due.de/myude/) campus app. You can usually download the semester ticket a week before the semester starts, but it will not be valid until 1 April 2026.
More information about the semester ticket
Student Identity Card
All students receive a student ID card as soon as their enrolment is complete and UDE has received their student services and student body fees. Your student ID card is also your library card and canteen (Mensa) card, and it can be used at the self-service stations as well for functions like printing out enrolment certificates or bank transfer slips or to make changes to your address.
This ID card is the property of the University of Duisburg-Essen and may never be used by anyone else. When you are removed from the register of students, the card is automatically rendered invalid and must be returned to the International Office.
More information about the student ID card (in German)
University ID
All students who are newly enrolled at UDE receive a personal user name and a password. This user name is your University ID (Uni-Kennung) and you need it to make use of the University`s IT and online services (WiFi, PVs, LSF course catalogue, regristration for language courses and exams, etc.).
If you have any questions about your University ID or UDE’s IT services or if you have forgotten your password, you can contact an e-Point.
More information about the University ID
Enrolment certificate
Once you are enrolled and the University has received your student services and student body fees, you can use your University ID to download a copy of your enrolment certificate (Studienbescheinigung) in HISinOne.
You may be asked to present this enrolment certificate to a health insurance provider, your bank or the Studierendenwerk.
Log in to HISinOne to download your enrolment certificate.
Moodle Orientation course
Once your enrolment is complete and your University ID has been activated, you can use the Moodle Orientation course. It will give you helpful information about student life and the Welcome Week. If you are not yet fully enrolled but you already have a buddy, you can ask your buddy to visit the Moodle course for you and forward the information to you.
Assistance
Administrative matters
The International Office can help you with questions related to administration or tell you who to contact in case you are not sure where to get help.
Just send us an email.
Academic matters
Your faculty coordinator is the first person you should ask if you have any questions related to academic matters, such as the Learning Agreement, course selection and requirements for classes.
Accommodation
If you are applying for a room in a student residence hall, you should contact the Studierendenwerk.
Ask another student
The International Student Activity and Assistance Club (ISAAC) is run by UDE students to help international students have a great time in Germany.
A tutor will contact you by email in mid-February and introduce themselves.
Exchange students are usually assigned a UDE buddy. Your buddy will contact you by email in mid-March and will be particularly helpful during your first weeks at UDE.