Incoming students
Welcome to Hamburg!
Here you will find all the information that is important to you if you want to study as an exchange student for one or two semesters at the Institut of Geography, Universität Hamburg.
Before you can be enrolled at Universität Hamburg you have to apply to the International Office of the Institue of Geography. Here we compiled all the necessary information for you. Please read all information sheets and forms carefully. If you have any questions, please contact the International Office.
We wish you an interesting, exciting, productive, and insightful time in Hamburg!
General Information for Incomings
Semester dates
The winter semester officially lasts from 1 October to 31 March.
The summer semester officially lasts from 1 April to 30 September. Here you will find information on the exact lecture period in both semesters.
Letter of Acceptance
After being nominated by your home university we can send you the letter of Acceptance.
Online Registration and Enrollment via STINE
Besides you have to register and enrol online using STINE, otherwise you cannot sign up for the courses etc. of the Universität Hamburg. The registration period for applicants taking up their studies in the winter semester lasts from 1st June until 30th of July and for summer semester from 15th November until 30th of January.
Dispatch of documents to Hamburg
Then please send the document you will receive at the end of your STINE online application form (severall pages) signed to sonja.kanemaki"AT"uni-hamburg.de. According to your health insurance you will have to apply for a " M10-2 Meldung "Versicherungsstatus - es liegt keine Versicherung vor" at an insurance company in Germany. Please contact us for assistance and needed documents.
Semester fee
To study in Hamburg you have to pay a semester fee. The amount of the fee can be found here. You can do the money transfer after your arrival in Hamburg. The semester fee covers your student identity card and allows you free use of public transport in Hamburg. Those cards will be sent to the International Office (address see below) and will be handed over to you after your arrival in Hamburg.
Living in a student dormitory
If you would like to live in a student dormitory, then please fill out the dormitory application (on PC), attach a photo and send this to us (address below).
Please be aware that you have to write in full months (for example 01.10 until 31.03.), it is not possible to rent a room for half a month (like 15.03. until 20.07.). The monthly rent for a furnished single room costs around 300 EUR (including internet and running costs for water, electricity and heating).
After arriving you have to pay an additional security deposit/ bond of 300 EUR, which you normally get back after your stay.
Please send your applications to: sonja.kanemaki"AT"uni-hamburg.de
Please be aware: Even if we try to find a place in a dormitory for every student, this is not always possible because there are only a limited number of dormitory places available. We do appologize for this!
Learning Agreement
We also need a Learning Agreement from you, that lists all courses you would like to attend during your exchange semester at the Universität Hamburg. You can find all offered courses in the “Vorlesungsverzeichnis” in STINE. As the gernal study structure and courses offered normally does not change, you can have a look at the “Vorlesungsverzeichnis” of past semesters to get an idea what courses are usually offered. How to find the offered courses will be explained in the following.
Selection of courses
Please create your Learning Agreement (with a minimum of 30 ECTS) based on the information provided above. Take into consideration that we only offer a limited number of courses in English at the Faculty of Education, so you need an intermediate level of German (B1/B2) to study here.
Please note that there are also courses offered in English. If you are interested, please contact us. We will send you the list of courses before the semester starts.
You will find our course catalogue on the platform STiNE, under the sections faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Science - Fachbeeich Erdsystemwissenschaften - A. Geographie.
Information Central Exchange Program
Central Exchanges Program: Information for Incoming Students from Partner Universities.
Information for Incoming Freemovers
International students have the option of studying as Exchange Students if there is an agreement with the home university or as Freemovers at the Institute of Geography.
Degree programs and courses
Please first determine if your degree program or desired field of specialization with the appropriate courses is offered at our Institute.
The majority of courses are offered in a similar format each year. Please ask your home university in advance if the courses will be recognized after your stay abroad.
Submitting an enrollment application
You can submit an informal registration application before the start of the relevant semester (1 October for the winter semester and 1 April for the summer semester of the relevant year).
In your application, please indicate which semester you would like to enroll for and in which degree program you would like to attend courses. Please also indicate your postal address in Germany and your email address. If you do not yet have a postal address in Germany, you can use the address of your supervising instructor at the Faculty.
Please include this additional proof with your application:
- Proof of current enrollment in the respective degree program at your home university (current confirmation of enrollment or transcript of records as well as written confirmation of enrollment)
- Written confirmation that you have a supervisor at Universität Hamburg for the duration of your stay as a Freemover (including degree program and semester)
- If available, proof of sufficient German language proficiency
- If available, proof of adequate health insurance coverage (you can also submit this proof after your arrival in Germany)
- Your curriculum vitae (including date and place of birth)
Please send your application to the address below:
Contact: sonja.kanemaki@uni-hamburg.de.
Dormitory room
- If you would like to apply for a room in a dormitory, you can do so here. Should you have additional questions on searching for an accommodation, please contact us.
Registration to the courses
Please create your Learning Agreement (with a minimum of 30 ECTS) based on the information provided above. Take into consideration that we only offer a limited number of courses in English at the Faculty of Education, so you need an intermediate level of German (B1/B2) to study here.
Please note that there are also courses offered in English. If you are interested, please contact us. We will send you the list of courses before the semester starts.
You will find our course catalogue on the platform STiNE, under the sections faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Science - Fachbeeich Erdsystemwissenschaften - A. Geographie
Funding
International students can apply to numerous organisations for a scholarship, for example to DAAD, to party-related foundations or business-affiliated institutions. You can find information on scholarships in the DAAD scholarship database.
Checklist for First Semester Students
Welcome to Universität Hamburg
How does studying work? What are the next steps? Find all crucial information to get your studies off to a perfect start here.
Have you thought of everything? For a quick overview go to our checklist quickly!
Go to CHECKLIST
German language courses
If you want to attend a German course during your exchange semester, please take into consideration that there are two different types of courses: Intensive Courses (before the semester starts) and Semester Courses (with different registration periods).
- You can find all information (don´t miss the application deadlines) and the online application form for German as a second language courses on this site.
It is highly recommended to attend an intensive German language course. The language courses during the summer semester start in March and courses for the winter semester start in September. If you want to sign up for a language course, please contact the International Office.
For further information regarding your stay in Hamburg we recommend you this site.
Check out our PIASTA: Program International for All Students and Alumni
University to help Refugees
Universität Hamburg would like to help people forced to flee their homelands and discontinue their studies by paving their way towards regular university study. Faculty members, students, and staff of Universität Hamburg were involved in the development of the #UHHhilft program. The comprehensive modular concept has been offered since the winter semester 2015/16 and provides refugees with information, advice, support, lectures, language courses, and subject-specific classes.
We also offer support for students with a refugee background who are enrolled at the University of Hamburg.
Please feel free to inform yourself about our program and fill out our registration form!
Please have a look here!
Students from Ukraine and Russia can find help here!