Living in Oldenburg
Contact
Exchange coordination, Summer Course
Advisor for international exchange students (during their stay in Oldenburg)
Office hours
Availability by phone
Mondays: 9 -12 a.m. and 14-15.30 p.m.
Thursdays: 14 p.m.-15.30 p.m.
Online office hours
Tuesdays: 9.30 a.m.–10.30 a.m. in our virtual meeting room (BigBlueButton)
Office hours in presence
Tuesdays: 14.00 p.m.-16.30 p.m. (SSC)
Thursdays: 10.00 a.m.-12.30 p.m. (SSC)
Living in Oldenburg
Good to know: especially at the beginning of your exchange studies in Oldenburg, there are many new details about everyday life. Below, we have put together some helpful information. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
Accommodation / housing
The Studierendenwerk Oldenburg (SWO) offers affordable accommodation in student housing facilities [link leads to a German website with an overview of housing facilities in Oldenburg. Click on "mehr…" and then choose the tab "English". Or click on "Bildergalerie" for pictures]. Exchange students in need of accommodation should fill out the application for accommodation and send it directly to the International Office along with the application for registration as an exchange student.
Please do not come to Oldenburg without suitable accommodation. The University cannot support you in this matter!
Tipps und Tricks zur Wohnungssuche und zum Leben und Wohnen in Oldenburg
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Presentation: Student housing Information on living in Oldenburg for international students -
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Where to look for accommodation A list of links for finding accommodation in Oldenburg and the surrounding area.
Bank account
In order to open a bank account, you will need the registration form of the city of Oldenburg ("Meldebescheinigung"), as well your personal ID card/passport and an enrolment certificate. Usually, bank accounts in Germany are free of charge for students up to 27 years of age, but it’s best to ask anyway. In most banks, you need an appointment to open an account.
With your EC-card, you can withdraw cash at the ATM and make cashless payments free of charge. As an EU citizen, your home bank account is usually sufficient for your stay in Germany and you do not need to open a German bank account. For non-EU citizens, the opening of a German bank account is required.
Don’t forget to terminate your account after your stay in Germany or else account maintenance fees might be demanded from you.
Bicycle / traffic rules
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.
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)
CampusCard
When enrolling at the University of Oldenburg, students receive their student ID card, which is a CampusCard. It can be used as a payment card in the mensa and for other services offered by Studierendenwerk, as well as a “key” for the library’s lockers. It is no longer valid as a semester ticket. In the following semesters, after paying the semester contribution, you will receive an e-mail asking you to validate the card. The validity date for the student ID on the card will be extended.
Deposit system
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)
Electricity
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.
Emergency telephone numbers
- Police: 110
- Fire service: 112
- Ambulance: 112
- Poisoning (poisoning information centre in Göttingen): 0551 / 19 240
- Urgent medical care services (Ärztlicher Notdienst): 116 117
Getting here / travel
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
Health insurance
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.
Illness / doctor's appointment
In Germany, if you fall ill, you usually go see a general practitioner („Hausarzt“).As a rule, you have to phone in advance to make an appointment in advance. With your German health insurance, the consultation is free of charge.If you have a European card (EHIC), you should ask about the billing options beforehand: with some doctors you first have to pay the treatment costs yourself and the money is reimbursed by the health insurance company in your home country. Many doctors also bill the health insurance company in your home country directly.
You can also make an appointment directly with a specialist, although the waiting time is usually a few weeks or even months.
If you get sick on the weekend or during public holidays, you can visit the emergency medical assistance service (“Notdienstpraxis”) in the Auguststrasse 16. It is open until 10 p.m. on a daily basis.
Should you be involved in an accident or are taken severely ill, it is advised that you go to the emergency room of a hospital. If you cannot get there on your own or if it is too risky to do so, call the emergency hotline 112. The hospitals’ emergency rooms are open 24 hours a day.
Internet / eduroam Wi-Fi
All students are provided with wireless internet access in public university areas (lecture halls, seminar rooms, main library, and cafeterias) via eduroam. If your home university also provides eduroam, you can use our Wi-Fi with the login data of your home university.
Liability insurance ("Haftpflichtversicherung")
In Germany it is very common to have liability insurance ("Haftpflichtversicherung"). This insurance covers the cost of damages you accidentally cause to persons and/or other persons’ belongings, this includes damages to rented accommodation. According to German law (BGB §823), you are personally liable with your entire income and savings for all damages caused by you, unless you have liability insurance. We strongly encourage all international students to take out liability insurance because otherwise they may face very large financial demands if they cause damage to anybody or anything. Such costs will not be covered by the exchange programme of the University of Oldenburg. You are personally liable.
Licence fee (broadcasting fee, "Rundfunkbeitrag" or "GEZ")
In Germany the licence fee ("Rundfunkbeitrag") must be paid by every household. Every flat must pay a monthly amount of EUR 18.36 which can be splitted between flat mates. If you do not pay the fees you will receive a written reminder and possibly a foreclosure. This could lead to problems getting a visa/ residence permit if you wish to return to Germany in the future.
Medication / Pharmacy
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:
Opening hours
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.
Public holidays
German national public holidays are declared by statute and celebrated throughout the Federal Republic. This includes paid leave for most employees (some are required to work on public holidays), as well as businesses staying closed on these days. The same business and opening hours apply on public holidays as on Sundays. Other holidays such as Epiphany (Heilige Drei Könige or Dreikönigstag) on 6 January or All Saint's Day (Allerheiligen) on 1 November vary from state to state, but are not public holidays in Lower Saxony, where only the national public holidays are celebrated.
List of public holidays
The following public holidays are observed throughout Germany:
- New Year: January 1st
- Good Friday: Friday before Easter
- Easter Sunday/Easter Monday: End of March/beginning of April
- International Labor Day: May 1st
- Ascension Day: May/June (40 days after Easter)
- Pentecost: May/June (50 days after Easter)
- German Reunification Day: October 3rd
- Christmas Eve: December 24th (starting in the afternoon)
- Christmas: December 25th and 26th
- New Year's Eve: December 31st (starting in the afternoon)
Registration with the City of Oldenburg
You have to register with the City of Oldenburg citizens' office within a week after your arrival. This requires your passport/ ID card and a written confirmation from your landlord in Oldenburg ("Wohnungsgeberbestätigung").
Upon registration, you will receive a Certificate of Residency ("Meldebescheinigung"). Please keep it — it is important (e.g. for opening a bank account).
Students who move their main residence to Oldenburg are entitled to a welcome bonus of EUR 100 from the city of Oldenburg.
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Proof of residential address in German ("Wohnungsgeberbestätigung")
Religion
Freedom of faith, conscience, and creed, including the unhindered practice of religion, is guaranteed by article 4 of the German Basic Law (Grundgesetz). There are more than 160 different religious communities in Germany which all contribute to the country's religious diversity. The City of Oldenburg has a variety of churches and houses of worship including Protestant and Roman Catholic churches, free churches, Islamic, Jewish, and New Apostolic places of whorship and other religious communitites. About 48 percent of religious group members in Oldenburg are Lutheran-Protestant (evangelisch-lutherisch), making it the most common religion in the city, followed by Roman Catholics at 15 percent. The remaining 40 percent are members of other religious communities or are not affiliated with any religious group.
Residence permit / Visa
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.
Semester ticket = D-Ticket
The semester ticket has been turned into a Germany ticket in the winter semester of 2024/25 and is now valid throughout Germany on local public transport (as well as some exceptions on long-distance transport). To access the digital ticket, all you need is your StudIP login data: Link zum Semesterticket. It is valid for the entire semester - i.e. for six months (October 1st - March 31st or April 1st - September 30th).
Smoking ban
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
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.
Tschüss! Departure
Before your departure, you should take care of some formalities:
- Accommodation: Please arrange an appointment with the “Studierendenwerk” to hand over your room keys (this should be done at least two weeks before moving out of the dormitory). The “Studierendenwerk” will give you a confirmation, you will need the confirmation for de-registering with the City of Oldenburg
- Bank account: If you opened a German bank account, do not forget to close it. Else, account maintenance fees might be demanded from you.
De-registration with the City of Oldenburg
When you finally leave Oldenburg, you will need to de-register at the City of Oldenburg's Citizens' Office. In Oldenburg, you can deregister by email. Please complete the deregistration form and send it together with a legible scan of your identity card or passport to: buergerbuero-mitte@stadt-oldenburg.de
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De-Registration form (in German)
Tutors & buddies: support in daily life
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
Waste separation
Germans attach great importance to environmental protection. We separate and recycle waste using a waste separation system that includes different coloured bins: blue for paper, yellow for plastic, black for general waste and green for organic waste. Waste separation is a serious issue in Germany, so please be careful about what you put in which bin.
Plastic and packaging materials are also collected in yellow recycling bags (Gelber Sack). You can get these recycling bags for free at some supermarkets or city authorities. To get the bags, you need coupons (vouchers) that are issued by the City of Oldenburg.
Supermarkets often provide small boxes for the disposal of packaging materials and non-rechargeable batteries.
Public containers for the disposal of waste glass and old clothes can be found at various locations in Oldenburg, as well as recycling depots for harmful substances, garden waste or electronic waste.
Waste Collection Calendar for the City of Oldenburg - enter the name of the street you live on. The Waste Collection Calendar will be displayed and can be downloaded.
Explanation video: Waste separation (in English with German subtitles)
Weather
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.
Working alongside your studies
Students are permitted to work alongside their studies. If you are a student from a non-EU country, you are allowed to work 140 full (8 hours) or 280 half (4 hours) workdays per year. Prerequisite for this is a valid residence permit. This regulation does not apply to contracts with the university. Students from EU member states have no restrictions regarding working periods.