Information for international master students

Depending on your home country, one of the first and most important steps to take before coming to Bamberg is to apply for a visa at a German embassy or German consulate in your home country. Please keep in mind that not everyone needs to apply for a visa. You can check for yourself if you need one.

You need to read up about regulations and deadlines as early as possible if you do need to apply for a visa in your home country.

Additional information about visa can be found on this website.

Please note that the University of Bamberg cannot contact embassies or consulates to inquire about your status.

Bamberg lies in the north of Bavaria, and is the 5th biggest city in Franconia with a population of around 80 000 people. The old town of Bamberg was awarded UNESCO world heritage site in 1993.  

Bamberg is a popular place to live, not just for students. Consequently, it is advisable to look for accommodation as soon as you know that you want to persue a study programme.

There are multiple dormitories in Bamberg, specifically designed for students. After you receive your admission, you have the opportunity to apply for a dorm room. Please keep in mind, however, that each dormitory holds a waiting list; meaning that even if you apply, a dorm room cannot be guaranteed.

Dorm rooms are furnished. However, you need to buy your own cutlery, sheets and bedding.

If you decide to look for private accomodation, please also do so as soon as possible.

There are multiple hotels and youth hostels in Bamberg in case you need a temporary accomodation.

More information about accomodation can be found on this website.

Bamberg offers good public transportation and can be reached from Würzburg and Nuremberg via train and bus. Aiports Nuremberg, Frankfurt and Munich also offer fast connections to Bamberg train station.

Public transport within the city is organized via busses run by Stadtwerke Bamberg. As soon as you have validated your student ID, the ID automatically becomes your semester ticket -  meaning you do not have to buy tickets while using the busses in the city. You can find more information about your semester ticket on the website of the Studierendenwerk Würzburg.

It is beneficial to download the App of the Verkehrsbund Bamberg. It shows you connections and possible delays in real time.It also allows you to check out the public transportation in other cities belonging to the Verkehrsbund.

Bamberg has a great variety of shops and supermarkets to choose from. Supermarkets close at 8 pm at the latest and are not open on Sundays or bank holidays. In total, Bavaria has 13 bank holidays:

• 1st of January – New Year`s Day
• 6th of January – Epiphany
• Good Friday
• Easter Monday
• 1st of May - Labor Day
• Ascension Day
• Pentecost
• Corpus Christi
• 3rd of October – German Unity Day
• 1st of November – All Saints´ Day
• 25th of December – Christmas Day
• 26th of December – Boxing Day

Please note that some bank holidays do not have a specific date, but change yearly. Please plan accordingly.

To enrol at a German university, you need to have health insurance – without it your enrolment cannot be processed, so please make sure to read up on the regulations on this website ahead of time.

If you do not have a bank account within the SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area), you need to open one. There are multiple banks situated in Bamberg that you can choose from; however, it is also possible to use an online bank. Please have a look at this website for more information.

Every person living in Germany has to have a registered address. Within two weeks after your initial arrival in Germany you need to register your address in the Citizen Registration Office. In case you move, you also need to register your new address.

You can make an appointment online. You need to calculate a potential waiting time so make sure to book an appointment ahead of time. Additional information and where to find the Citizen Registration Office can be found on this website.

If your home country is not situated within the EU and your visa does not cover your whole stay here in Bamberg, you need to get in touch with the Aliens Registration Office. Approximately eight weeks before your visa or residence permit expires, you should book an appointment. Please contact this e-mail address:

abh(at)stadt.bamberg.de

You are kindly asked to only write one e-mail. Please also calculate potential waiting time and keep the e-mail you sent.

More information concerning the Citizen Registration Office can be found on this website.

The broadcasting fee is a solidary fee to support the public-service broadcasters.

As soon as you have moved into your flat/dorm room you need to pay this fee. This fee has  to be paid per flat/dorm room. If you live in a shared appartment it only needs to be paid once. The costs currently are 18,36 € per month.

Please note that if you do not register, you will need to pay a high penalty. Thus, we advise you to register your flat/dorm room in time.

You have succesfully applied at the University of Bamberg – now you need to enrol to become an actual student of the university.

All necessary information can be found on your admission letter. Please follow the steps accordingly within the given deadline. In case you have questions about your enrolment, please get in touch with the Academic Registrar’s Office (studierendenkanzlei(at)uni-bamberg.de or master.studierendenkanzlei(at)uni-bamberg.de).

After your succesful enrolment you will receive your student ID. However, before you can use it you need to validate it. This can be done here:

• Stairwell in Markusplatz 3 in front of TB2
• Entry of the TB 4 at Heumarkt 2
• Entry of the TB 3 at Feldkirchenstraße 21
• Entry of Weberei 5, next to the elevator

The ID can only be validated for one semester and is thus only valid for this specific semester.

Your ID has multiple functions. For one, the ID is your semester ticket. With it you can use busses within the city and the county.

Additionally the ID serves as your library card. You need it to loan books from the various libraries.

Lastly, your student ID can be used to pay for the different services from the Studierendenwerk Würzburg such as cafeterias.

In case you loose your student ID, you need to immediately let the Academic Registrar’s Officeknow. You will have to apply for another one and pay a small fee.

New Student Orientation events are designed to help you with your first steps here at the university. They are normally held in the last week before the lecture period begins. There are workshops with general information about how to plan your course schedule, FlexNow or the Virtual Campus. There are, however, also workshops specifically designated for your field of studies. Please make sure to take advantage of both!

Please note: no matter what study programme you are part of, you have to design your own schedule. A schedule is not given to you.

The University of Bamberg works with three different websites to structure student life.

UnivIs holds the complete course selection for each semester. This website allows you to plan your course schedule. You do not have to make an account; the website is open to everyone. Please note, however, that it is only available in German.

For the course and exam registration you need to use FlexNow. You can log in with your BA-number and respective password (received upon enrolment). With this website you can register for your chosen courses and their respective exams. Please note that there might be different deadlines for courses. After the exam period you can find here the results of your taken exams. FlexNow is available in both English and German.

You can find a more detailed instruction on this website.

In case you have problems with the de/- registration in FlexNow, you can find more infomation and contact information on this website.

The Virtual Campus is an e-learning platform used by lecturers to upload materials for their courses. To use this website you need to make an account. It is best if you do this before the first week of the lecture period. This platform will accompany you for the remainder of your studies at the University of Bamberg.

A very important institution at the University of Bamberg is the IT-service. On this website you can find detailed information specifically designed to help you with your first steps at the university.

The University of Bamberg holds six different departmental libraries. You can find them here:

•   Departmental Library 1 (Theology & Philosophy): An der Universität 2

• Departmental Library 2 (Human Sciences & Education): Markusplatz 3

• Departmental Library 3 (Social Sciences, Economics and Business Administration): Feldkirchenstraße 21

• Departmental Library 4 (Humanities): Heumarkt 2

• Departmental Library 5 (History and Geography): Am Kranen 3

• ERBA-Library (Computer Sciences, Communication Science, Art & Music):An der Weberei 5

The website of the library serves as a stepping stone to the various services offered. Additionally, it is recommended to participate in an introductory library session.

The University of Bamberg is situated all over the city. To navigate the different locations the university offers an overview on this website.

You can find more information about the various study programmes offered by the University of Bamberg on this website.

If you want to keep your status as a student, you have to re-register each semester. In due time you will receive more information about this via an e-mail sent out by the Academic Registrar’s Office.

To plan your time accordingly, you can find an overview of upcoming semesters on this website.

It is possible that authorities (aliens registration office, bank, etc.) need an enrolment certificate. You can download this document yourself. You have register with your BA-number and the respective password.

If you have questions concerning centrally organised exams, registrations for final theses, you should contact the examinations office. The office is divivded into three parts:

• Section 1 - Faculty of Social Sciences, Economics and Business Administration and Faculty of Information Systems and Applied Computer Science

• Section 2 – Faculties of Human Sciences and Education, and the Humanities

• Section 3 - Teacher Training and Magister degree programmes, bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes in Vocational Education/Social Pedagogy and Social Services, master’s degree programme in Heritage Conservation, university of applied sciences degree

Each semester the Language Centre offers a great variety of classes you can choose from. This includes not only German on vaying levels of proficiency, but also Italian, Spanish or Japanese.

The Language Centre of the University of Bamberg also offers another service: the Writing Centre. This is open for master students and doctoral students who are writing scientific teyts and have questions concerning style, sentence structure or citation technique. You can find more information on this website.

Students with a disability can get in touch a specifically designed contact point. You can find more information on this website.

The University of Bamberg has two canteens, and four cafeterias, depending where you are currently located. The website of the Studierendenwerk Würzburg shows you where to find the various locations as well as current meal plans.

The athletics centre of the University of Bamberg offeres a variety of sports classes each semester. The courses are in high demand so please make sure to register in time.

Music plays an important role at the university. For over 15 years, the university offers the programme "Musik in der Universität (music in the university)". This semester's choices include Johann Sebastian Bach, Michael Haydn, and Pjotr Tschaikowsky.

In cooperation with the regional IT-centre Erlangen, the University of Bamberg offers IT-classes for students. The classes change each semester and can help you with issues such as OpenOffice or how to format your term papers.

The university offers a variety of theatre groups. It is up to you which one you would like to join - do you want to act on Italian, English or German. You can find more information on this website. 

You can find the event calender of the University of Bamberg on this website.

Many students finance their studies by working a part-time job. For finding a potential job you can use the website of the Bundesagentur für Arbeit.

Feki.de also offers a section where you can search for job opportunities.

Additionally, the University of Bamberg offers in cooperation with the Agentur für Arbeit office hours in which you can ask questions about applying for and finding work.

The Faculty Information Systems and Applied Computer Sciences offers a career center specifically designed to help students studying within this field.

The Deutsches Studierendenwerk has designed an info sheet (76.0 KB)which can help you overcome potential stumbling blockes while looking for a part time job.

Studierendenwerk Würzburg offers students of the University of Bamberg psychological counselling for various issues. You can find more information on this website.

In case you need legal advice, the Studierendenwerk Würzburg offers free and confidential consultations. More information can be found on this website.

There are also other opportunities to further educate yourself outside of the university. The community college Bamberg offers classes in areas such as languages, society or health. The programme is updated twice a year.

In Germany waste has to be separated(794.1 KB). The system differentiates between

• Paper

• Plastic

• Organic waste

• Residual waste

Yellow bags can be picked up in different locations.

Please note that if you do not separate waste accordingly, your waste bins might not be picked up.

Germany has a so-called deposit system. Glas and plastic bottles can be returned to supermarkets.

Hiking in Franconian Switzerland, kayaking in the Regnitz or relaxing in a beer cellar - Bamberg has a lot to offer.

The city holds many nooks and crannies to relax. Different parks such as Hainpark or Erba-park are situated within the city.

The city also is home to a variety of sports clubs: all in all over 90. From American Football to Yoga, there is something for everyone.

Various theatre groups play on different stages within the city. Bamberg also has a cinema.