Studying in Münster

There are many good reasons to study in Münster. The internationally renowned universities and the strong economy, historical city and attractive nightlife all exercise a strong appeal on overseas students. And last but not least, over 100 million people around the world speak German.

International Offices

The number of overseas students at Münster’s universities is growing continually thanks to globalisation and internationalisation. Around 3,400 young foreigners are currently studying at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster (University of Münster, WWU) alone. The universities promote international exchange and deliberately invite overseas students to study in Münster via support programmes.

The universities also help their overseas guests to organise their studies and life in their host country quickly and smoothly, so that they can concentrate on their education. The WWU, the University of Applied Sciences, the Catholic University of Applied Sciences North Rhine-Westphalia and the Academy of Fine Arts have all set up international offices for this purpose. These inform overseas students about the range of degree courses on offer, admission, registration and study fees, and help them to find flats and language courses.

University of Münster
International Office, Schlossplatz 3
ph. 02 51 / 83 222 15

• international.office(at)uni-muenster.de
• www.uni-muenster.de/InternationalOffice/en/index.html
• The university's international centre is called "Die Brücke" ("Bridge"). It is part of the International Office. The Brücke promotes internationality and international dialogue. It advises foreign students and doctoral students, and provides support in matters of accommodation, bureaucracy and everyday issues.
  www.uni-muenster.de/DieBruecke/en/

University of Applied Sciences in Münster
International Office, Hüfferstraße 27
Tel. 02 51 / 8 36 41 02

• en.fh-muenster.de/internationaloffice/index.php
• The office offers foreign students a range of services, including a welcome service and workshops concerning life and culture in Germany.
  en.fh-muenster.de/internationaloffice/incomings/international_students.php?p=2

Catholic University of Applied Sciences North Rhine-Westphalia
International Office – Cologne head office
ph. 02 21 / 77 57-313

• international(at)katho-nrw.de
• www.katho-nrw.de/katho-nrw/internationalisation/?L=1

Academy of Fine Arts Münster – College of Visual Arts
International Office at the Study Office, Leonardo Campus 2
ph. 02 51 / 83 61-102

• nienhaus(at)kunstakademie-muenster.de
• www.kunstakademie-muenster.de/international/

Semester charge and semester ticket

Universities usually levy a semester charge upon initial registration and subsequent re-registrations. This charge currently amounts to 239 euros (University of Münster, UAS: 233 euros). This charge is not related to study fees, but is a contribution to the public facilities offered by the university. It also covers the semester ticket, which allows students to use public transport, e.g buses and regional trains in North Rhine-Westfalia for the entire semester free of charge.

Living costs

The majority of students have between 650 and 700 euros per month at their disposal, the individual need depends on the amount of extra expenses incurred, such as those for literature and leisure activities. The semester charge is not included in this amount. The renowned online newspaper DIE ZEIT compares living costs in German cities. According to this survey, Münster ranges in the middle of the table with an average of 775 euros per month (2015).

Obligation to register

The registration law in North Rhine-Westphalia stipulates that each instance of moving into, moving out of or changing one's place of residence must be registered with the local authorities ("Anmeldung", "Abmeldung" or "Ummeldung") within one week. By law, a furnished room or place to sleep is also considered a "place of residence". The municipal Citizens' Affairs Office and the district administration offices issue registration forms.

• See "Residence permit"
• and "Registration formalities" for further information regarding registration formalities and residence permit.

Health insurance

Students from the EU require a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). This, or its predecessor (form 128), are required in order to be able to take advantage of health insurance services. Other overseas students must take out an overseas health insurance policy which is valid in Germany, or register with an official German health insurance fund. The monthly student charge is around 80 euros.

Living

• It is often difficult to find a flat, particularly in a foreign country.
  Helpful information is provided at:
  www.uni-muenster.de/en/living/accomodation/index.html

The first port of call for those looking for a room or flat is the Münster Student Union (Studentenwerk), which rents students cheap accommodation in halls of residence. Overseas students can apply for places online in advance from their home countries. If a room is free, the student union sends the tenancy agreement directly to the students. It is very important that applicants check their post and e-mails regularly, as otherwise the room will be rented to someone else. Tenants can transfer the rental deposit, a standard security precaution for landlords in Germany, while still in their home countries. The rent is paid to the student union by direct debit each month. The tenant organises a direct debit authorisation for this purpose. This means that tenants authorise the student union to debit the rent from a bank account of their choice each month. As this is only possible from a German bank account, overseas students are required to open an account upon arrival.

• Wohnraumverwaltung des Studentenwerks Münster (Student Union Münster - Accommodation Administration), Bismarckallee 5
  ph. 02 51 / 83 79-5 53
  wohnen(at)studentenwerk-muenster.de
• www.studentenwerk-muenster.de/en
  Consultation times: Tuesdays - Thursdays from 9 am-12 pm and Thursday afternoon from 1-3 pm
  By telephone: Mondays - Thursdays from 8:45 am-3:00 pm, Fridays from 8:45 am-12:00 pm
• In addition to the student union, other private and ecclesiastical sponsors offer reasonable accommodation in halls of residence. The International Student Accomodation Association rents out rooms in houses which used to belong to British army members.
  www.muenster.org/wohnheime
• Sharing a flat with others is very popular with many students. Renting a shared flat is usually more expensive than living in halls of residence. For further information on flat-hunting, see "Housing market".
• The municipal housing office provides advice particularly for students:
  www.stadt-muenster.de/wohnungsamt/wohnungsvermittlung/studierende.html

Bank account

Those renting a room in a hall of residence require a German bank account in order to pay the monthly rent. Overseas students wishing to open an account must provide proof of the following: a permanent address in Münster, a student ID or a corresponding certificate confirming their student status. Students from the EU receive a free account from all banks.

University Sports Service

The university sports service offers all students in Münster a very extensive, reasonably priced sport programme from A for athletics to Y for yoga. Students don't pay any basic costs – they only have to pay for the individual sport courses. Students are issued with a university sport semester ticket upon registration (either online or in person in the University Sports Services Office).

• University Sports Service, Leonardo-Campus 11
  ph. 02 51 / 8 33 83 90
  hochschulsport(at)uni-muenster.de
• www.uni-muenster.de/Hochschulsport/en/