Arrival, introductory and beginning of the studies

Tenancy agreement and housing provider confirmation

When you move in, you will receive the co-contract and a housing provider confirmation from the landlord, which you must present when registering at the Citizens' Registration Office. It is best to print out this confirmation and have the landlord sign it when you move in.

Bank account
You will need an account at a German financial institution to pay bills or your rent. Once you have opened an account (also called a giro account), you will receive an EC card. With this you can also make cashless payments in most stores as well as withdraw money from ATMs. If you work in Germany, your salary will also be transferred to your German bank account.

The Student Secretary’s Office needs some time to complete your registration. You will then receive notification of enrolment in digital form with further information about transferring the semester fees and paying for the CampusCard and the introductory events.

You can enrol before or after you arrive. However, enrolment can only be fully completed once you have an address in Germany and have proof of health insurance.

Students are charged semester fees each semester (covering administration fees, the Student Services Organisation, the semester ticket, the General Students’ Committee or AStA). You can discover the exact amount, payment deadlines and formalities related to the semester fees here: Semester fees

You should make sure that you transfer the semester fees to the University of Kassel’s account within 14 days of receiving your notification of admission. Otherwise, your enrolment will be cancelled and your place will be given to another prospective student.

Since bank transfers from abroad are subject to fees, you should transfer the semester fees after receiving your visa.

The CampusCard is your student ID for the entire duration of your studies. It is also your semester ticket and has other functions: it acts as your library card, culture ticket, payment card in refectories, copy card, etc. More information is available here:  CampusCard

Once you have successfully enrolled, you will receive a university account. It is already set up; you just need to activate it. Your university account is your main access point to online services:

• your e-mail account
• access to the eCampus {including HIS-POS, Moodie, etc.)
• access to the university Wi-Fi network
• for registering at PC workstations in the computer pool rooms.

Information from the IT Service Centre (ITS) (CampusCard, e-mail system, wlan, university network, software...)

Orientation week

You will learn a great deal about living and studying in Kassel, the campus and get to know many other international students and the Welcome Centre tutors during this week.

The introductory events will answer the key questions about the structure of your degree course. You will obtain tips and advice about organising your studies and about how the course will proceed. The timetables are created during this time. And you will already get to know your future fellow students and the campus. So: do not miss it!

You can find the semester dates at the University of Kassel here: Semester and class times

You can obtain more information about applying for and extending your residence permit at the visa information department (Student Secretary’s Office) for international students and prospective students