Pre-Departure Information
Planning Health Coverage
Financial Planning
Getting in the right frame of mind and mood
Ready for departure? – Final Packing Checklist
Planning Health Coverage
Health insurance is compulsory for all Heidelberg University students.
You must either have sufficient health insurance coverage from your country of residence or take out health insurance in Germany.
When deciding whether to bring health insurance coverage from home, you should carefully check the coverage and terms of payment or reimbursement stated in your contract. Some policies do not cover all situations or may reimburse you only for the amount that a procedure or treatment would have cost at home, which could be much less than the cost in a foreign country. You should also bear in mind that your insurance company at home will probably not pay any medical costs up front. You will probably be required to gather documentation of the costs incurred and file a re-imbursement claim after the fact. It is therefore a good idea for all students covered by a home insurance company to have a source of emergency funds such as a credit card at their disposal.
Since German student health insurance coverage starts from the time of university registration only – and never before September1st / March 1st respectively - we strongly recommend students to take out extra insurance coverage at home for the journey to Germany and for the period between arrival and registration.
Financial Planning
On average, the cost of living and studying in Heidelberg comes to about € 670 per month.
The following is a breakdown of expenses that you might have on a monthly basis:
| Rent (for a dorm room) | € 180-300 |
| Health insurance (with state health insurance provider) | € 78 |
| Mensa meals (approx. € 3.50 for a warm meal) | € 95 |
| Public transportation (with Semesterticket) | € 23 |
| Studentenwerksbeitrag | € 11 |
| Groceries | € 65-110 |
The following list is meant to give you an idea of what you might pay in Germany for some typical ´necessities‘:
| a (German) newspaper | € 1.10 - 2 |
| movie admission | € 1.50 (university-sponsored movies) - 7 |
| a liter of milk | € 1 |
| a loaf of bread | € 1.50-2.50 |
| a bar of soap | € 0.50 and up |
| a haircut | € 15-35 |
| a beer (in a pub) | € 2-3.50 |
| a meal (in a pub) | € 8-15 |
| postage for a letter within Germany | € 0.55 and up |
| postage for a letter to North America | € 1.70 and up |
| a train ticket to Frankfurt |
€ 25 (without a discount) |
| a train ticket to München | € 60-75 (without a discount) |
| used bike | € 40 and up |
In order to receive a residence permit, you need to present to the Ausländerbehörde (local foreigner’s registration office) a statement of financial support proving that you have at least € 670 to live on for each month of your stay. This can either be a bank statement, a notarized parental letter or a scholarship certificate.
Getting in the right frame of mind and mood
Many students‘ motivation for going abroad is to learn another language, to get to know a different culture, and to see a new part of the world. Getting to know a different culture often involves experiencing many differences in customs, behaviors, values and beliefs, which, while fascinating, can also challenge the way you have seen the world. In order to minimize the effects of culture shock and to ease the adjustment process, it is important for you to prepare in advance for your time abroad by gathering information and impressions of what awaits you. One way in which this can be done is by contacting students from Heidelberg or other Baden-Württemberg universities currently studying at your home university. In this way you may be able to find a contact in Heidelberg before you arrive.
Another way to prepare for your trip is to read about international events in newspapers. German newspapers are for example: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (http://www.faz.de), Süddeutsche Zeitung (http://www.sueddeutsche.de) and the weekly newspaper Die Zeit (http://www.zeit.de). For current information on Germany, you can also visit: http://www.deutschewelle.de.
It is important for you not only to be familiar with the culture that you will be entering but also to know your own culture. Knowledge of the customs and beliefs as well as the history and politics of your country can help prepare you to understand your reactions to the differences you come into contact with, in addition to help you cope with possible stereotypes and questions you encounter from Germans.
Students who would like to get a better insight into the German way of life may be interested in a short stay with a host family during their period of studies in Germany. These stays are arranged by Experiment e.V. and are offered in the Christmas break (two weeks) and at Easter (two weeks). Applications have to be handed in 6 – 8 weeks before the intended stay. For further information please visit www.experiment-ev.de.
Ready for departure? – Final Packing Checklist
The following is a short list of items – ranging from the necessary to the useful - that we recommend you to bring:
- Passport (with visa for those students who need a visa before arriving, see section Residence Permits)
- Zulassungsbescheid from Heidelberg University
- Financial statement (bank statement, parental letter, etc.)
- Documentation on Health Insurance (if you bring insurance from home)
- Student Identification, preferably an International Student ID card
- Prescription medicine and prescriptions (Make a note of not just the brand name but also the scientific name. This will make it easier to find an equivalent.)
- Clothes. Students in Germany tend to dress fairly casually. Jeans or skirts are fully acceptable for every day wear. In summer, the temperature in Heidelberg is around 25°C; winter temperatures only rarely fall below freezing. You should come prepared for wet weather; rain is more common than snow and is heaviest during winter and spring.
- Linens. You can buy pillows, duvets and sheets at your residence.
- Sleeping bag (in case you arrive to late to purchase pillows, duvets and sheets immediately)
- Bath towels are not provided by the residence.
- Toiletries. You might want to bring enough of your usual toiletries for the beginning of your stay. Since Germany has a good selection of all such items, shipping or bringing large amounts of toiletries is not necessary.
- Appliances. Germany‘s electricity runs on 220V. You may need an adaptor and converter for any appliance brought from home. For standard items students from the UK need only buy a different cable when they get to Germany.
- Mobile phone. If you wish to purchase a mobile phone in Germany, you will either have to sign a contract for two years or buy a mobile phone with a PrePaid Karte. PrePaid cards do not have a minimum duration and can be topped up according to your needs. We recommend you to check with your phone company at home whether you can use your own mobile with a German PrePaid card. Please keep in mind that international phone calls from German mobile phones are very expensive.