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International Office
The picture shows the Mathetower and cherry blossoms in the foreground. © Nikolas Golsch​/​TU Dortmund

Living in Dortmund

TU Dortmund University and the city of Dortmund offer numerous cultural, sports and academic programs. On this page you will find information and tips about campus life, practical everyday matters as well as German courses and networking opportunities.

Everyday Life in Dortmund

Public transport: In Dortmund and the Ruhr area there are many different buses, subways and trains. The following pages provide an overview of the connections and the current timetables:

Semester ticket: Doctoral students, enrolled at TU Dortmund University, have access to a semester ticket for public transport in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Job-Ticket: TU Dortmund University offers employees the opportunity to obtain a Job-Ticket (only in German). The Job-Ticket is a monthly ticket for the public transport in Dortmund at a reduced rate.

Validity of foreign driver's licenses: You can obtain information on the validity of foreign driving licenses from the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport.

Recognition of driver's licenses: If you would like to have your driver's license recognized, please make an appointment at the Citizens' Services of the City of Dortmund.

 

Schools & compulsory education: In Germany, school attendance is compulsory for all children starting from the age of five or six. If you have children of school age, please register them at a school in Dortmund. The City of Dortmund offers an overview of the various schools (only in German).

Vacation care: At TU Dortmund University, there is a vacation care for children aged six to 13 during the school vacations.

Childcare: Starting from the age of one, children are entitled to a childcare place in Germany. You can find more information about childcare on the pages of the Family Service of TU Dortmund University.

Arranging school and daycare places: The Family Service of TU Dortmund University offers support in finding school and daycare places in the surrounding area of the university and in the entire Dortmund area.

Additional information can be found on the following websites:

Health insurance: Information on health insurance can be found on our Before Arrival and After Arrival pages.

Health Dictionary: This dictionary from the German National Association for Student Affairs explains important vocabulary on the topic of health in Germany.

Emergency: If you have a medical emergency, you can call the Europe-wide emergency number 112. If you have a psychological emergency or an acute crisis situation, you can contact the Psychiatric Emergency Ambulance in Dortmund Lütgendortmund (only in German).

Emergencies at TU Dortmund University: General information can be found on the central pages of TU Dortmund University.

Emergency pharmacies: In case of an emergency, there are pharmacies in Dortmund that are open around the clock. You can find an emergency pharmacy near your location with the help of this search engine (only in German).

On the following pages you can find current information about the Corona pandemic and protective measures:

Re-registration of residence: If you move within Dortmund, you must re-register your residence within two weeks. For this you need a personal appointment at the City of Dortmund.

You must bring a completed landlord's confirmation ("Wohnungsgeberbestätigung"/"Wohnungsgeberbescheinigung") and all your identification documents. The re-registration of your residence can be done at any of Dortmund's Residents' Registration Offices ("Bezirksverwaltungen"), and appointments (only in German) can be made online ("Einwohnermeldeangelegenheiten" > "Ummeldung innerhalb Dortmunds" [indicate number of persons] > "Weiter" > Click to confirm the documents to be brought along > "Ok" > Select location and date etc.).

Important note: If accompanying family members are also moving, the re-registration must be made for each person. If you are moving to a new apartment within Germany but outside of Dortmund, you must notify the registration office in your new place of residence.

Re-registration with other contact points:

When moving, please inform relevant contact points in good time so that they are aware of your new address. Those contact points can include:

  • the Corporate Center Human Resources of TU Dortmund University
  • scholarship provider (if applicable)
  • electricity and gas providers
  • internet and mobile phone provider
  • broadcasting fee (only in German) 
  • health insurance and other insurance providers (liability insurance etc.)
  • banking institution

In addition, it might be convenient to order a forwarding service (only in German) from Deutsche Post.

More information can be found on our page "Before Leaving". 

You must apply for the extension of your residence permit at the Immigration Office (only in German) in due time. Usually, you will be invited by mail to the appointment required for this purpose.

You will receive an overview of the documents to be brought along with your appointment invitation.

Further information (only in German)

Events and Networking Opportunities

Welcome Services: Current events of the Welcome Services can be found on our website.

International Office: The events of the International Office can be found in the event calendar of the International Office.

Events of TU Dortmund University: You can find more events of TU Dortmund University in the event calendar of the university (only in German).

Office of Research Support Services: The Office of Research Support Services advises on funding opportunities, project and research data management and offers a variety of educational events.

Graduate Center: The Graduate Center at TU Dortmund University is the central service facility for young scientists. It provides support in the form of interdisciplinary advice, qualification and networking.

Research Academy Ruhr: In the Research Academy Ruhr (RAR), the three main universities in the Ruhr region bundle supraregional offers for supporting young scientists.

Center for Higher Education: The continuing education area of the Center for Higher Education (zhb) offers a wide range of advanced training courses, workshops and colloquia with a research focus.

The Staff Unit Equal Opportunities, Family, and Diversity at TU Dortmund University provides advice on childcare and offers various events.

University Sports: The University Sports (HSP) of TU Dortmund University offers a comprehensive range of different sports. A sports card is required to participate in the program.

Gym: The campus gym Fitnessförderwerk (FFW) of the HSP is accessible for students and employees.

Occupational Health Management (BGM): For employees of TU Dortmund University, the Occupational Health Management (BGM) additionally offers various programs and advanced courses, such as first-aid classes or mobile massages.

The Sustainability Office of TU Dortmund University is committed to more sustainability in research, administration and teaching. TU members can contribute in a variety of ways.

Dortmund has a lot to offer - diverse cultural offers, over 500 sports clubs and, as Germany's second greenest major city, inviting parks:

Campus Life

UniAccount: The UniAccount is required at TU Dortmund University to use the campus-wide wifi and other online services and portals.

UniMail: UniMail is the e-mail provider of TU Dortmund University that can be used by all TU members as a mailbox with an associated e-mail address.

Corona Portal: In the Corona Portal, TU Dortmund University provides information about the current covid protection measures of the federal and state governments as well as the regulations at TU Dortmund University

TU App: The TU App is available for Android and iOS and offers, among other things, daily information on events, the sports program as well as the gastronomy on campus. In addition, the app can be used as a digital ID card and a navigation device on campus.

News: You can find the latest news about TU Dortmund University on the website of TU Dortmund University or in the TU app.

TU Dortmund University on social media:

Office of Research Support Services: The Office of Research Support Services advises on funding opportunities, project and research data management and offers a variety of educational events.

Graduate Center: The Graduate Center at TU Dortmund University is the central service facility for young scientists at TU Dortmund. It provides support in the form of interdisciplinary advice, qualification and networking.

Staff Unit Equal Opportunity, Family and Diversity: The Staff Unit Equal Opportunity, Family, and Diversity supports families and parents at TU Dortmund University with consultations and its Family Service. They also provide a wide range of support and information on topics such as diversity, gender equality and opportunities.

DoBuS: The Division of Disability and Studies (DoBuS) in the Center for Higher Education (zhb) offers advice and support for TU members with disabilities or chronic illnesses.

Psychological Student Advisory Service: The Psychological Student Advisory Service is a service facility of TU Dortmund University for students and employees. It provides support in difficult life situations and offers individual meetings, group counseling sessions and workshops.

Overview of all counseling centers

There are seven canteens and bistros at TU Dortmund operated by the Studierendenwerk Dortmund (only in German). The Studierendenwerk provides an overview of the daily offerings.

At TU Dortmund University there is a central university library (UB) on the North Campus and three departmental libraries, which offer a total of around 1,700 workstations for staff and students. You can search for literature and access online media via the library's Catalog Plus.

All information on opening hours and services of the individual libraries can be found here:

In addition, there are many other work and study spaces on campus.

The IT & Media Center (ITMC) helps employees and students of TU Dortmund University with all matters concerning wifi, software or IT support. In addition, equipment and media technology can also be borrowed from the ITMC.

To the ITMC

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