Organization of the Stay
Once your study visit to TU Dortmund University has been confirmed by the cooperating department, you should start planning your stay as soon as possible. To help you with this, you will find information on important topics relating to your stay below.
Language preparation: Even if you may not necessarily need German language skills for your courses, they are always helpful for your stay in Germany. One way to improve your German language skills before you arrive is, for example, the free online language training offered by duolingo.
Intensive German language course at TU Dortmund University: The zhb - Department of Foreign Languages at TU Dortmund University offers a free 4-week intensive German course for exchange students at language levels A1-B2 in September and March. Students who successfully complete the course can earn 7 ECTS credits. The courses take place Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 13:00. Absence from the course is only possible on two days in total. If you are interested, please contact the International Office.
Cultural preparation:
On the following pages you will find information about Dortmund, the Ruhr area and "the" German culture.
Sufficient health insurance cover is required by law for exchange students in Germany in order to be enrolled at a German university. It is also strongly recommended that you take out private liability insurance.
Citizens of EU Countries
Exchange students from EU member states can usually use their insurance from their European home country. The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) serves as proof of insurance coverage. In addition to the EHIC, it is recommended to take out a travel health insurance.
Citizens of Non-EU Countries
You can only be enrolled at TU Dortmund University if you can prove that you have sufficient health insurance coverage (students from Turkey can usually do this by means of document A/T-11)! You can assume that a German statutory health insurance will cover almost all medical costs. You are free to choose your statutory health insurance provider (Techniker Krankenkasse, for example, has an office on TU Dortmund University’s campus). Currently, the price for students including long-term care insurance is about 140 - 146 EUR per month.
Health Insurance during the German Intensive Course
If you participate in the German Intensive Course in March or September, you have to take out a (travel) health insurance in your home country for this month, as you are not yet an official student of TU Dortmund University at this time, and therefore the German insurance is not yet active! Otherwise you are not insured during the German Intensive Course!
Students over 30 Years of Age: Exchange students who are older than 30 years of age must acquire a private (German or international) health insurance that meets the legal requirements. It is not possible to acquire a statutory health insurance in Germany.
Excemption from Statutory Health Insurance
An exemption from the statutory health insurance is only possible if you can present proof of sufficient private (German or international) health insurance for the time of your studies at TU Dortmund University. Insurance policies from abroad usually do not meet all requirements!
Further information on health insurance can be found on the website of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).
You will find the handbook "First Aid: An Illustrated Health Dictionary" published by the Deutsches Studierendenwerk in German and English here.
Please note that it is your responsibility to inform yourself early enough about the visa and entry requirements for the Federal Republic of Germany, as they apply to you individually. The following cases can be classified:
EU Nationals: Students with an EU citizenship do not need a visa to enter and study in Germany.
EU Residence Permit: If you do not have an EU citizenship but already have a residence permit for study purposes in another EU country, you can apply for the necessary residence permit at the Foreigners Registration Office in Dortmund after your arrival (please arrange an appointment with the immigration office at visastadtdode and attach a copy of your national passport, visa, and entry stamp; the waiting time for an appointment is approximately 3-4 weeks).
Non-EU Nationals: Students without EU citizenship need a residence permit to study in Germany.
Nationals of certain third countries also need a visa to enter Germany. Please check on the website of the Federal Foreign Office whether you need a visa to enter Germany or not.
Visa Requirement for Germany (Yes)
If there is a "Yes" next to your country of citizenship in the table, you must apply for a visa in your home country to enter the Federal Republic of Germany! To apply for a visa at a local embassy/consulate, please request an invitation letter from your academic advisor, which you have to include with your visa application.
Please apply for your visa early! Please inform yourself about the visa requirements that apply to you with the local German Embassy/Consulate. You can find an overview of the German Missions abroad here.
No Visa Requirement for Germany (No)
Only if there is a "No" and "(1, 3)" or "(1, 4)" next to your country of citizenship in the table, you do not need to apply for a visa in your home country for your studies in Germany! You can enter the Federal Republic of Germany without a visa and apply for a residence permit for studying in Germany at the immigration office of the City of Dortmund within 90 days (please arrange an appointment with the immigration office at visastadtdode and attach a copy of your national passport, visa, and entry stamp; the waiting time for an appointment is approximately 3-4 weeks).
You are usually responsible for finding and booking accommodation, but you can ask your academic supervisor if they can help you with this.
You can find an overview of different accommodation options here. General information on what you should bear in mind when looking for private accommodation can be found in this Housing Guide.
If you are interested in a room in a hall of residence at the Studierendenwerk Dortmund, your supervisor can clarify with the Studierendenwerk Dortmund whether a room is available during your stay. The rental prices for short-term rentals are up to EUR 500 and an additional deposit of EUR 700 is required to finalize the reservation. Please note that the minimum rental period is usually four months and that shorter rental periods can only be offered on request in exceptional cases. The contact person for your academic supervisor at the Studierendenwerk Dortmund is Ms. Sandra Nierth.
During your stay at our university, you will be enrolled as a program student.
Further information on the process and the required documents can be found on this website.
Enrollment brings the following benefits:
- Accident and liability insurance for events that occur in connection with the internship
- discounted prices in the campus cafeteria
- reduced admission to museums
- reduced prices for university sports courses
- "Student" status in Germany
- the "Deutschlandsemesterticket" ticket, which allows free travel throughout Germany in the respective semester (excluding the use of express trains).
There are no tuition fees for enrollment, but there is a semester fee of approx. 300 EUR per semester. The winter semester begins in October and ends in March, the summer semester begins in April and ends in September. If you are not staying at TU Dortmund University or in Germany for a full semester, you can apply to the AStA for a pro rata refund of the fee for the Germany semester ticket (part of the semester fee) at the end of your stay.
From Dortmund Central Station, you can reach TU Dortmund University in just a few minutes on the S1, which runs every 20 minutes.
Dortmund Central Station is also connected internationally by various train and bus connections.
The nearest airports are Düsseldorf International Airport (DUS) and Dortmund Airport (although Dortmund only has limited international flights). However, there are good train connections to Dortmund from most German airports (such as Frankfurt, Berlin, Hamburg or Amsterdam in the Netherlands).
When you enrol, you will receive the Deutschlandsemesterticket, which allows you to use public transport (with the exception of high-speed trains) throughout Germany (more information on this can be found above under "Enrollment").
If you come to Dortmund before the start of the semester, e.g. to take part in the German Intensive Course, you can use one of the following tickets.
Deutschlandticket
If you are not enrolling, we recommend that you buy the Deutschlandticket. This ticket allows you to use public transportation (with the exception of high-speed trains) throughout Germany. The Deutschlandticket costs EUR 58 per month and is a subscription that must be actively terminated at the end of your stay. The Deutschlandticket can be purchased online or on site at a Deutschebahn Service Center anywhere in Germany.
Four-trip ticket (4-trip ticket)
If you do not live far from your workplace, a four-trip ticket may be sufficient for your needs. It costs between EUR 14.70 and EUR 75.60 and is valid for four journeys, each of which costs slightly less than the normal price. You can purchase all tickets in 5 different price categories, depending on how far you want to travel within the VRR area. Further information is available at one of the DSW 21 Service Centers (one Service Center is located near Dortmund Central Station: Kampstraße 46, 44137 Dortmund) or online.
If you want to leave the Ruhr area by express train, there are some special tickets available on the VRR website.
Here you will find three helpful links for timetables and all other transport-related questions:
To make contact with other students, we recommend attending events organized by the Erasmus Student Network Dortmund (ESN): https://dortmund.esn-germany.de/