Good to Know
Are you new to Germany and the University of Halle? Or have you been here for a while and have questions or need support?
Whether you are looking for accommodation, financial support during your studies or the best places to meet new people, we have collected the most important information about studying and living in Halle on this page.
Please note: This page is especially aimed at international students. We update the information regularly and are also happy to receive additions or suggestions for improvement, just send us an email.
Useful General Information on Studying and Living in Halle
A detailed compilation of the most important information (German and partly English), especially for first-year or newly arrived students, can be found on the Welcome Portal of the university.
Further detailed information (German and English), especially for international students, can be found on the website of the International Office. At the beginning of your studies, it is important to register with the city of Halle (Saale), which you should do as early as possible. Health insurance is also essential, as international students cannot enrol without it.
The Student Council (StuRa) publishes up-to-date information (in German) on university policy. The most important information, which is especially relevant for international students, is translated into English on the Facebook page of the Referat für Internationales (person responsible for international matters at StuRa).
After your arrival in Halle, you should also get your own Hausarzt (primary care physician) as soon as possible. As general practitioners, they are responsible for all medical problems. But, if necessary, they will refer you to a specialist. You are free to choose your Hausarzt (as long as he/she accepts new patients): The best thing is to call and ask if you can be accepted as a patient. In case of acute problems, however, you can also go to the “Sprechstunde” (consultation) without an appointment.
We are currently compiling a list of multilingual medical practices and psychological support services:
Karen Bley-Renning
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Klaus Kappen
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Jörg Klimaczewski
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Psychiatrists
Dr. med. Gabriele Adler
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Dr. med. Thomas Arndt
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Dr. med. Veronika Hackel
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Psychotherapists
Dipl.-Psych. Tobias Feiereis
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Dipl.-Psych. Nadine Sandring
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Dipl.-Psych. Susan Giersdorff
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Dipl.-Psych. Susanne Sachse
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Dipl.-Psych. Conny Henneberg
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Dipl.-Psych. Ute Annett Walliser
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Dipl.-Psych. Barbara Weihrauch
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Counselling Offers
At the University of Halle, there are several counselling options offered by different contact points. Some are specialised in certain topics, but you can also go to many of them with general questions or concerns. Here you can find an overview of the counselling offers:
You can find an overview of other counselling services and support bodies outside the university here (compiled by the Office for the Prevention of Discrimination and Sexual Harassment).
Do You Need Financial Support?
Financial difficulties can arise for very different reasons and often through no fault of your own. For (international) students who are enrolled at the University of Halle, there are several possibilities to receive financial support in different amounts, depending on the context in which you need it. The Referat für Internationales (StuRa), with the support of Dr. Petra Bebert, has compiled an overview for you (as of April 2021):
You need financial support…
for a very specific purpose
Short notice financial help: temporary payment of rents, health insurance, allowance
Depending on your needs, but linked to a specific purpose
Application for financial assistance + documents for verification of necessity and student status
- Financial aid for additional study-related needs, e.g. health insurance
- Grants for books
- Free meals
- Depending on your needs, but linked to a specific purpose
- Grants for books: max. 50.00 € per semester
- Free meals: Free lunches in canteens worth 1.90 €
Respective application + documents for verification of necessity and student status
in the form of a loan
Student loan: Quick and unproblematic financial support in emergency situations
1000 €, application for increase possible (repayment: 25€/month, starting three months after last loan payment)
Informal application + documents for verification of the necessity and student status
Non-interest-bearing loan to secure your degree
Up to 853 € per month for a maximum of 12-months
Certification of the examination office that you will finish your studies within the maximum of 12 months + Admittance to the final examination within 4 semesters after the end of the maximum funding period
repeatedly for several months
Financial aid from the Ecumenical Emergency Fund of the Diakonische Werk to foreign students from so-called developing countries
Monthly grant, depending on your needs
Application for aid from the emergency fund + verification of necessity and student status
Bridging aid from the Smirnoff estate for students from Eastern European countries
Monthly grant, depending on your needs
Application for a grant from the Smirnoff estate + verification of necessity and student status
Who to contact for consultation
Torsten Eckert – Student Services
Tel.: +49 345 6847520
sozialberatung@studentenwerk-halle.de
Gritt Eisenkopf – International Office Uni Halle
Tel.: +49 345 55 21535
gritt.eisenkopf@international.uni-halle.de
Student Council (StuRa)
Tel.: +49 345 55 21411
buero@stura.uni-halle.de
Tips for Finding Accommodation
Finding accommodation, especially if you are moving to Halle from abroad, is not that easy. It is important to know that in Germany, compared to other countries, there are far fewer dormitory places that are provided exclusively for students by the university or Student Services. Many students therefore look for accommodation privately.
Some students live alone in their own flat, usually in smaller one- or two-room appartments. Many, however, live in shared flats (WGs), because it is not only cheaper but you also get to know new people more quickly.
If you are looking for a room in a shared flat, you should consider the following:
For many flat-sharers, it is important to share an active community life as flatmates, i.e. it is expected that you regularly engage in social exchange and do things together (such as cooking together in the shared kitchen). In contrast, so-called Zweck-WGs (“purpose shared flats”) are initially only used to save costs by sharing a flat. Thus, most flatmates in a Zweck-WG are not interested in an active community flat life.
When looking for a flat, you should therefore pay attention to the type of shared flat you would like to move into and clearly communicate your ideas about living together when getting to know each other or during WG-Castings.
Where to find accommodation
As already mentioned, the Student Services Halle also offer a limited number of dormitory places. These are available as single flats or as rooms in shared flats and have the advantage that they are furnished and all utilities such as electricity, heating, water and TV connection are already included in the rent. Internet is also included, as you have a direct data network connection via the university network.
However, you must apply for a dormitory place as early as possible on the website of the Student Services. Applications for the winter semester must be submitted by 31 August and for the summer semester by 28 February of the current year.
Did you know?
Everyone living in Germany has to pay the licence fee (Rundfunkgebühr).
It covers all costs for public broadcast like TV or radio.
All local and international students are affected by this regulation – regardless whether they have a TV set / radio or not.
If you live in a WG, you can share these costs with your flatmates.
Language Support
New country – new language. Unfortunately, German is not exactly known for being particularly easy to learn. At the same time, communication is often only possible in German, especially when dealing with authorities. But even if you have already learned the language, studying or dealing with German bureaucracy may involve some difficulties. Here we have collected a few support options that can help with these challenges.
Getting to Know People
A good opportunity to meet new people are the sports courses of the University Sports Centre. It offers a wide range of different courses every semester.
Please note! These courses are very popular and you often have to be quick to register in order to get a place in the course of your choice, so it is best to find out well in advance at the beginning of each semester when enrolment for the courses begins.
In Halle there are also many different Stammtische (regulars’ tables) where you can socialise by talking to others in either a particular language or in several languages and get to know them in the process. You can find an overview of the different regulars’ tables here.
Or you can become part of one of the Student Council’s (StuRa) working groups, which are concerned with specific topics. We for example, the working group Arbeitskreis Internationales, want to enable international students to take an active part in the student community and university policy and increase representation by raising our voice, but also enter into critical exchange about internationalisation processes within the university (e.g. in relation to multilingualism).