DIY Bicycle Workshop

Students with a defective bike can get help in repairing their bicycle free of charge. The DIY bicycle workshop offers tools, small parts (normal store prices) and used parts. The bicycle self-help workshop is mainly run by students who are interested in bicycles.

Bicycle self-help workshop

Some important traffic rules: 

• cycle on the right
• use your ligths when it gets dark
• don’t cross a zebra-crossing with a bike
• don’t carry people on the back of your bike
• no cycling in the pedestrian area
• always lock your bike
• don’t use your phone on your bike (50,- Euro penalty)

A deposit of up to 25 Cents per bottle/can is charged for most carbonated beverages at supermarkets and convenience stores. When you return the bottles or cans at reverse vending machines, labelled Pfandrückgabe or Leergutannahme, you get your deposit back in the form of a coupon which you can either use to pay for your groceries at the respective supermarket or simply exchange for cash at the till.

Explanation video: deposit system in Germany (in English with German subtitles)

The national electric power transmission network (grid) in Germany uses the standard electrical voltage of 230 volt AC, 50 Hz. European standard plugs, or europlugs, usually fit all sockets. However, depending on your home country, a plug adapter or transformer (voltage converter) may be needed to connect your electronic devices to German sockets.

• Police: 110
• Fire service: 112
• Ambulance: 112
• Poisoning (poisoning information centre in Göttingen): 0551 / 19 240
• Urgent medical care services (Ärztlicher Notdienst): 116 117

The University of Oldenburg is located in Germany's Northwest, in the city of Oldenburg (Oldb). Public transport from the airports in Bremen (BRE), Hamburg (HAM) and Hannover (HAJ) is comfortable and effective.

An affordable way to get from Hamburg, Hanover or Bremen to Oldenburg is the "Niedersachsenticket" (Lower Saxony ticket). This ticket is valid in the regional trains (NOT in the IC, ICE and EC), buses, trams and subways in Lower Saxony, Hamburg and Bremen as well as in the buses in Oldenburg.

If you have already received your StudIP log in data and the semester has already started, you can use the semester ticket to travel.

Please note: When traveling by train be sure to book the tickets to Oldenburg (Oldb), NOT Oldenburg (Holstein)!

The following bus lines run from the central train station in Oldenburg to the University:

• 306 going to "Universität"
• 310 going to "Wehnen"
• 324 going to "Infanterieweg"

Getting to the UniversityTrain travel in Germany (DB – Deutsche Bahn)Bus timetables in Oldenburg (VWG)Public transport from Bremen to Oldenburg (VBN)University of Oldenburg on Google maps

If you want to study in Germany, you need health insurance. You cannot be enrolled without health insurance. There is statutory health insurance (GKV) and private health insurance. Which insurance can and may be taken out depends on various factors.

Health insurance - what do I have to do?

In Germany, you need a prescription from a doctor for many medications. Some non-prescription medications are also available in drugstores. Outside of regular opening hours, there is always one pharmacy on „Apothekennotdienst” (pharmacy emergency service) that is open around the clock: 

Pharmacy emergency service (Apothekennotdienst, in German)

In Germany, shops and stores are usually open from 9:30 to 20:00 Mondays to Saturdays, while shopping malls may close at 21:00 or 22:00. Supermarkets open at 7:00 or 8:00 and close between 20:00 and 24:00. Small shops may close earlier, around 18:00 or 19:00, and on Saturday afternoons. Please note that on Sundays shops and supermarkets are closed. Petrol stations, corner shops/convenience stores (Kioske) and bakeries open on Sundays and on public holidays, although bakeries generally close before noon.

Citizens of EU countries do not need an entry visa or residence permit.

Students from certain non-EU member states (e.g. USA) can enter Germany without a visa, but require a residence permit for study purposes. This residence permit must be applied for no later than two months after the date of entry. 

Students from most non-EU member states need an entry visa (student visa) to study in Oldenburg. This visa is issued by the German representation in your home country . Processing the application can take up to three months. To issue a student visa, the letter of acceptance from the University of Oldenburg, a valid passport and proof of financing are required. Normally the visa covers the entire period of stay. If this is not the case, a residence permit for study purposes must be applied for at least two months before the visa expires.

If a residence permit is necessary for study purposes, this can be applied for online at the Hochschulservice (Foreigners Office) of the city of Oldenburg. The prerequisite for issuing a residence permit for study purposes is proof that sufficient money is available for the stay.

How to get or renew your residence permit

According to Germany's non-smokers protection law (Nichtraucherschutzgesetz, smoking is banned in all public places, including shops, public transport stations (where it may be allowed in designated smoking areas), airports and sports and leisure facilities. As the federal states each have their own smoking laws, smoking may be permitted in cafés, bars and restaurants. In Lower Saxony, however, smoking is usually only permitted in clearly designated separate rooms.

Tipping in Germany is slightly different to some other countries, where tipping may be higher or not common at all. Germans usually tip 10 percent, which may be rounded up to an even number. We generally give tips at restaurants, cafés, bars and hairdressers and for taxi rides or (food) deliveries. It is also very common to pay cash rather than by credit card, even at restaurants, and also to pay separately. Waiters will ask you "Zusammen oder getrennt?", which means "together or separately?", and if the answer is "separately" ("getrennt"), they will figure out the sum for each customer separately. Again, this is very common, so there is no need to feel uncomfortable about causing any inconvenience. Please note that waiters and waitresses often stay at your table while you pay.

Our tutors provide all international students with support in practical and organisational issues concerning studying and daily life in Oldenburg.

Our buddy programme pairs you with local students, who help and support you especially in the early phase after arrival.n

Apply for the buddy programme

Oldenburg has a temperate climate with warm summers and mild winters. The climate is humid, temperatures reach up to 25 degrees Celsius in summer, sometimes even higher. Winters can be cold, it rarely snows. Rain falls all year round, in February and in autumn there can be heavy storms.