Wissen. Was praktisch zählt. Guide for Exchange Students at Westfälische Hochschule Campus Recklinghausen. International Office Room B3.0.

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1 Guide for Exchange Students at Westfälische Hochschule Campus Recklinghausen International Office Room B Regina Klauke Campus Recklinghausen Neidenburger Str. 43 August-Schmidt-Ring 10 D Gelsenkirchen Recklinghausen Tel +49 (0) Fax +49 (0) regina.klauke@w-hs.de

2 Standort Recklinghausen

3 Table of Contents Semester dates page 4 Examinations page 5 How to get to Recklinghausen page 6 Office for International Students page 7 Getting enrolled page 8 Accommodation, Rental Contract page 9-10 Transportation page 11 Health Insurance page 12 Liability Insurance page 13 Registration Office page 14 Immigrations Information Office page 15 VISA and Residence Permit page Bank Account page 18 Television and Radio page 19 Sports & Leisure page 20

4 Semester dates Summer semester 2016 Start of semester 01 st March 2016 Start of lectures 21 st March 2016 End of lectures 15 th July 2016 End of semester 31 st August 2016 Winter semester 2016/2017 Start of semester 01 st September 2016 Start of lectures 19 st September 2016 End of lectures 03 th February 2017 End of semester 28 th February 2017 Please schedule your arrival in Gelsenkirchen the week before lectures start. This will allow you to settle in and complete all necessary formalities. Please note that your arrival could be a problem during weekends.

5 Examinations Examinations are taken as follows: summer semester: over a period of two weeks past the end of lectures winter semester: over a period of two weeks past the end of lectures In order to take examinations you have to register online via our QIS HIS system. You will obtain your password when arriving in Recklinghausen. The exact examination deadlines will be published on the department s homepage in due time.

6 How to get to Recklinghausen The Westfälische Hochschule, campus Recklinghausen is comprised of three buildings. The faculties of Business Engineering and Applied Natural Sciences are located in building 1. Building 2 is the mensa, cafeteria and library. In building 3 you will find the faculty of Business Law, the Language Centre and the offices of all three faculties. More information about the campus Recklinghausen is provided on the website: Standorte There are several airports near Recklinghausen such as Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Köln-Bonn, Weeze and Münster-Osnabrück. Trains to Recklinghausen leave about every hour from the airport. Information about train connections is issued by Deutsche Bahn AG, the national rail company ( and information as to bus/coach travel is available from Verkehrsverbund Rhein Ruhr, the Rhein Ruhr transport system (

7 Office for International Students We will be happy to support you before, during and after your studies in RecklinghausenGelsenkirchen. We are responsible for your application, your accommodation and your Letter of acceptance. To conclude, we help you to prepare your stay in Gelsenkirchen. During your stay at our university, you will be integrated into academic and study life by tutors who will also assist you with all necessary formalities in the beginning.

8 Getting enrolled Please note: It is essential that you bring the following items with you during your registration, failure to do so could result in an unsuccessful enrolment. Registration takes place in the Office for International Students (Room B4.0.04) after your arrival. 1. Passport and visa (non EU-members), copy of passport 2. Two recent passport photographs (with your name written on the back) 3. Certificate of valid health insurance (EU health insurance card or certificate from a German insurance company). We hand out to non EU-members an application form for a German health insurance at the time of your arrival. 4. Student ID or certificate of enrolment from your home-university For ERASMUS-students 5. Learning Agreement/Training Agreement, Confirmation Letter of arrival/ departure Upon registration students need to pay a tuition fee of currently 302,22. This fee includes the NRW ticket which allows you to use public transportation (tram, bus und trains) for free within NRW. We recommend you to pay it before your arrival so you can use the ticket at once.

9 Accommodation Hostel Wodanstraße, Wodanstraße 7a-f, Gelsenkirchen The village is comprised of several houses each containing 2, 3 or 4-room apartments. It is situated in the part of town Gelsenkirchen-Erle in a very central position with local amenities only approx. 300m away. You will get the keys of your room from your tutor or the keys can be collected in the caretakers office during his opening hours: Monday-Friday between 09.00am and 11.00am (Phone: ). There are also washing-machinesand dryers within the student village. Residence Düppelstraße, Düppelstr. 12, Gelsenkirchen There are two double and five single rooms. There are several bath rooms and a big kitchen. The residence is 10 minutes away from the Westfälische Hochschule Gelsenkirchen. Akademisches Förderungswerk Bochum (AkaFö). Contact Person: Mr. Dennis Bauch Tel.: In case of damages or other problems in your room please ask the caretaker.

10 The rental contract Those students who do not wish to accept the offer of accommodation in the hostel are expected to find their own accommodation in the private sector. However, as we do not provide lists of suitable rooms for rent and acceptable accommodation at moderate prices it is difficult to find in Gelsenkirchen, we recommend you to accept the offer of place. As the number of applications normally exceeds the number of rooms for our exchange students we recommend you to reserve space early. The rental contract runs for the duration of one semester or the academic year, including semester breaks. Your accommodation can only be rented for 6 or 12 months. It is not allowed to cancel your contract and to leave earlier. The rental contract runs from 1 st September to 28/29 th February in the winter semester and from 1 st March to 31 st August in the summer semester. The total rent per room is approx per semester. You have to provide a down payment of 800 by 15th February/15th August for your reservation. The rest has to be paid by 1st Mai for the summer semester, by 1st November for the winter semester. You do not have to pay a deposit. When you sign the Application for Accommodation the landlord (Akafö) will contact you by with further details.

11 Transportation You can use your Semesterticket on all buses, trams and trains for free in North Rhine-Westphalia two weeks after payment the tuition fees. From Recklinghausen central station you can take the bus number 230 or 232 to get to Recklinghausen Campus in August-Schmidt-Ring 10. Get out at the bus stop and walk the remaining 5 minutes to Westfälische Hochschule. You can also walk from the central station to Westfälische Hochschule (10min.).

12 Health Insurance During your stay in Germany a sufficient health insurance cover is required. Students from countries within the European Union only need to present their EU health insurance card. If you come from a country outside of the European Union, you need a travel insurance for the first 4 to 6 weeks of your travel to Germany. This travel insurance must have a cover amount of After your arrival in Germany you have to take out a German student`s health insurance which costs approx. 80 per month. The Office for International Students will be happy to assist you with the application procedure. Please don t take out private health insurance in your home country for the whole period of your stay in Germany. This kind of insurance will not be accepted and you may have to pay cash for medicine, medical treatment and stay in hospital.

13 Liability Insurance We highly recommend that all students take out liability insurance (e.g.: Haftpflichtversicherung) to cover any accidental damage caused to other persons or property during their stay. This is not required by German law but is nevertheless strongly advised.

14 Registration Office Opening hours: Mon, Tue, Wed 8.00 am pm Thu 8.00 am pm Fri 8.00 am pm Sat 9.30 am pm In Germany you are obliged to get registered as a resident at the local Registration Office within one week once you have a permanent address. Please remember to bring with your passport (and, if applicable, your visa). When you leave Germany you have to go to the Residents Registration office and cancel your registration. Address Rathausplatz Recklinghausen Room 0.05 Stadthaus A

15 Immigrations Information Office, Zeppelinallee 4 (Ausländerbehörde) Opening hours: Mon, Wed, Fri Thu Closed on Tuesdays Address Rathausplatz Recklinghausen 8.00 am pm 8.00 am pm Once you have arrived and registered with the Residents Registration Office you must go to the Immigrations` Information Office in order to apply for a residence permit ( Aufenthaltstitel ). Students from EU countries may be exempted from this rule. Please remember to bring the following documents: your passport (and, if applicable, your visa) your registration certificate ( Meldebestätigung ) issued by the Registration Office copy of your certificate of study letter confirming financial support from parents or scholarship of at least 670 Euro per month copy of your health insurance certificate

16 How to apply for a VISA Usually, foreigners (from non EU-countries) need a visa to enter Germany. For stays longer than 3 months you need a residence permit (Aufenthaltserlaubnis) in addition. You must apply for a student visa for in your home country of origin before you move to Germany. After the immigration you have to apply for a residence permit at the Immigrations Information Office (Ausländerbehörde). Please make sure, NOT to apply for a tourist visa. USA, Israel, Brazil or South Korea Students from so called positiven Drittstaaten such as the USA, Israel, Brazil or South Korea can enter Germany without a visa. However, they have to get their stay legitimized by the Immigrations Information Office (Ausländerbehörde) in Germany. Thus, they need to apply for a residence permit ( Aufenthalterlaubnis ), usually.

17 How to receive a VISA To receive a visa (usually for the purpose of studying) which permits immigration to Germany, you must document your financial background. Thus, you must prove to the German embassy in your country of residence and to the city of Gelsenkirchen that you are able to finance your stay in Germany. The approximate value is 8040 per year, which corresponds to 670 monthly. You can document your financial background by: starting a blocked account Sperrkonto with a value of at least Note, that the amount depends on the duration of your stay. If you stay for six months, you will only have to put 6 x 670 in the blocked account. The blocked account will allow you to take out 670 per month max. presenting a formal commitment ( Verpflichtungserklärung ) of a third party (such as your parents) stating to support you with at least 670 per month. The formal commitment must be presented to the German diplomatic representations. presenting documentation of an acknowledged publicly financed scholarship (such as DAAD or from your home university) which supports you with at least 670-, per month or comparative proves of income (e.g. salary).

18 Bank Account Payments from foreign bank accounts are quite expensive. So it is more advisable to open a bank account from a German bank to pay the student s fee and the rent for your accommodation. You will need your passport and your letter of admission to open a bank account. There are several banks in Recklinghausen e.g. Sparkasse Recklinghausen, Herzogswall 5 Volksbank Recklinghausen, Kurfürstenwall 7 Deutsche Bank Recklinghausen, Königswall 24 To open a bank account you will need your passport and your course-enrolment slip (or the letter of admission).

19 Television and Radio For the use of your private radio and television sets you must pay broadcast fees, which are set of the GEZ (fee introduction center). The fee amounts 52,50 for three months. The registration you find in the Internet :

20 Sports & Leisure Time The Westfälische Hochschule offers a variety of (free) sport opportunities. These are displayed on the blackboard from AStA. If you are interested, contact the sport-representative in the student union: In Recklinghausen there are many ways to enjoy your free-time: sport- and leisure centres, wave pools, saunas, solariums, tennis-courts, cinemas and theatre. For more information on cultural- and free time activities, visit the tourist office in the city centre of Recklinghausen. You can also obtain information on the following web site: