Before coming to Germany

Your home university can nominate you for a study exchange at the HSB. On request, your institution will provide you with information about the application and candidate selection procedures. Once you have been nominated, we will contact you by email. 

1. Find the contact person / exchange coordinator for the HSB at your home university.
2. Check the exchange conditions and which study programme you can choose at the HSB.
3. Your exchange coordinator at your home university nominates you for an exchange semester / year at the HSB.
4. You will receive a link to our online application form.

Once you've been successfully nominated by your home university, the HSB will send you information about the application process.

• Use the grade converter to convert your final school grade from abroad to the German grading system. Enter the result in the corresponding field in the online application. 
• We will check your application and issue your admission letter, if you fulfill all our requirements.

Application period:

• March 1 - June 30: for the fall/winter semester (October - March)
• November 1 - January 31: for the spring/summer semester (April - September)

HSB offers a simple and timesaving online-enrolment.

• Step 1: Apply for enrolment in CampInO
• Step 2: Pay the semester contribution

The International Office will provide you detailed information in time through our application portal.
Only if you have paid the semester contribution within the period prescribed you will be enrolled. You can find up-to-date information concerning the semester contribution here. Important: exchange students pay a reduced amount, which is 50€ less!
In case you have questions, you can always contact the International Office.

Please note: The semester contribution (Semesterbeitrag) is payable by deadline once every semester. This is not a tuition fee, but a contribution towards our semester ticket and social facilities and benefits. Holders of our student ID are entitled to budget-priced meals in the canteens, for instance.

Our counselling centre ‘Inclusive Studying’ of the Central Student Counselling Office supports and advises you on questions about studying with a health impairment.

Students wishing to discuss details and claiming compensation for disadvantages should contact the International Office as early as possible.

Get to know all the current semester dates including lecture periods and breaks.

HSB offers an orientation week where our exchange students will obtain their student ID, semester ticket and the certificate of enrolment. Find out about the dates and programme.

HSB's English stream, course offerings in English and German language classes: Check here your study options

Your HSB coordinators in DIOs of our five faculties' will assist you in all faculty- and programme-related matters, e.g.:

• learning agreement,
• course choice and registration,
• certificate of arrival,
• letter of confirmation,
• transcripts of records.

Take part in our orientation week before the start of lectures. Learn important facts about HSB and your studies, meet new people, make friends from all over the world and have fun!

Check here for the programme.

A German bank account will enable you to manage regular payments, such as rent and insurance, much more easily. Most banks provide free current accounts for students. In order to open a current account in Germany, students require the following documents: 

• Passport,
• Student ID or enrollment certificate,
• Confirmation of city registration, 
• Tax ID.

Open a bank account without residence registration and/or tax ID:

Sometimes you need a current account before you have received the tax ID. Most banks require you to submit a city registration when you open an account. WISE is an option to open an account without the need for a city registration or tax ID. Open your account right away. City registration and tax ID can be submitted later!

Important:
Remember that larger payments will be required at the beginning of your stay (first rent payment, room deposit, personal liability insurance, health insurance, etc.). Make sure that you keep an eye on the balance of your newly-opened bank account.

The all-in-one solutions:

• All-OK: blocked account - free travel insurance + German health insurance with AOK.
• Expatrio value package: blocked account + free German bank account (automatically connected to the blocked account) + German health insurance with TK.
• Fintiba plus: blocked account + free German bank account (automatically connected to the blocked account) + free travel insurance + German health insurance with Barmer.

Big adventage: no residence registration certificate or tax ID is required to open. These can be submitted later!

For the enrolment at the HSB, exchange students are required to have a valid health insurance that is equivalent to the German statutory health insurance, i.e. unlimited coverage of all treatments (incl. dental, psychological and pregnancy care). The health insurance must be valid for the whole duration of your stay.

When applying for a visa and for getting enrolled at HSB, you always need a proof of sufficient health insurance. 

Who needs to prove health insurance?

• All HSB exchange students!

Why is health insurance mandatory?

• According to German law, it is mandatory to have sufficient health insurance during your studies in Germany. This is an enrollment requirement!

What to do?

• After receiving the Letter of Admission, every exchange student must contact a German health insurance company quickly. The International Office will send you contact details.
  Be sure to let them know that you will be studying at HSB (Hochschule Bremen City University of Applied Sciences) in the upcoming semester.
  For those who need a visa: Complete this step immediately as the visa process takes a very long time. Check the German visa navigator, if you need a visa. 

What happens after having contacted one of the health insurance advisors?

• The insurance company will check your status/ documents and send an electronic confirmation to HSB if everything is in order and they can confirm that you are properly insured.

There are different approaches depending on which country you come from. The health insurance advisors will explain how to proceed.

• Coming from the EU and holding a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)? 
  The health insurance policies from EU countries are usually valid in Germany, but your status must be confirmed by a German health insurance company. This is a quick and simple procedure. In general, students from the European Union (in possession of an European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) are sufficiently insured.
   
• Coming from an EEA country, Switzerland or the UK? Or from a country that has a social security agreement with Germany?
  
  The health insurance of the EEA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway as well as Switzerland and those from countries that have a social security agreement with Germany is usually also valid in Germany. This also applies to UK students who hold a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC).
   
• Coming from a non-European country and having a (private) insurance. Is it sufficient or is a German health insurance policy mandatory?
  
  Students from countries outside the EU generally have to be insured with one of the German health insurance companies. In most cases, foreign insurance cannot be recognized. Talk to the insurance advisors about this.
  A public German health insurance policy costs about 110 € a month and is offered to all students under 30 years.

Important notes:

1. Health insurance coverage must be guaranteed throughout your studies at the HSB.
2. If EU or EEA-students take on a part time job or a paid internship in Germany, they must be insured with a German health insurance!

Older than 30 years?

As a rule, students who have reached the age of 30 can no longer be compulsorily insured in the student health insurance scheme (exceptions may be possible!). If you are 30 years or older we recommend getting insured with a private health insurance provider.

Questions? Ask the International Office.
 

In any case, contact a German health insurance advisor!

When applying for a visa, proof must be provided that you have sufficient funds to study in Germany.
For details, please also visit the official Study in Germany website.
A proof of sufficient health insurance is mandatory, too.

Depending on where a student comes from, a visa may be required to enter Germany.

Learn more here!

All students enrolled at HSB are automatically insured against accidents they may have on their way to and from the university, on the entire premises of the university as well as during university-organised events.
Please keep in mind that this insurance does not cover private activities. On an excursion, for instance, your free time will count as private activity.

A little inattention, a moment of forgetfulness, and the result can be major damage with high consequential costs. Whether it's your friend's damaged cell phone, the red wine stain on your neighbor's sofa, or the pedestrian you hit with your bike, anyone who causes damage is liable for it - for an unlimited amount and for life. "Anyone who injures the property, health or life of another," says the Civil Code, "must pay compensation."
If other people are injured and permanent damage is the result of the accident, claims for damages can even run into the millions. These private liability risks are often underestimated.
Private liability insurance comprehensively protects you and your family members against third-party liability claims and the resulting financial consequences. Although not mandatory, we highly recommend getting liability insurance for your stay in Germany. Prior to your trip, you should check with your home insurance provider to see whether you are covered in Germany. If not, you should consider applying for additional insurance.

Studying abroad is a really fun and unique experience. However, some critical and unexpected situations cannot always be avoided. This quick check list and guide may serve as an impulse for you to make sure you are doing everything you can to stay safe.

With this in mind: Have fun, enjoy your time in Bremen and take good care of yourself!

Be prepared for your study abroad experience at HSB

Our accommodation service for exchange students can assist you with finding a place to live.

The accommodation database Into Rooms offers furnished rooms and is exclusively accessible for our exchange students. All apartments in Into Rooms are checked by the International Office and are offered by trusted landlords. Shared apartments, single flats or rooms in a family home are available. The monthly rent ranges from 400 to 600 euros.

You will automatically receive an email with your personal login data for Into Rooms after the end of our application period (beginning of July for the winter semester and mid-February for the summer semester).
Log in, scroll through the listed offers, choose the one(s) you like most and get in touch with the landlord(s). Start your search for accommodation as soon as possible, before the best offers are gone.
We strongly recommend you to make use of our service! It's safe and the rooms are checked by us.

Questions? Contact the International Office’s accommodation service at intorooms@hs-bremen.de.

Be careful with offers outside of into rooms! In recent years, students have repeatedly fallen victim to fake accommodation offers and deposit scams on external websites. Do not make any deposit payments before your arrival in Bremen, except to landlords in Into Rooms.