First things first: the visa procedure

The experience of the last semesters has shown that the first big hurdle is the visa. I know that the visa process can take a long time, and for some of you it might take much longer than expected. So please start your visa application as soon as you have the admission letter!

NEW since 1st January 2025: you can now apply for short and long-term stay visas online!
The website of the international portal lets you create a user account and submit the available applications online after logging in. The same data is requested as for an analogue application. You can attach the required evidence or supporting documents as pdf documents. If it's open for your country (the list is being extended), the visa office then checks if it's complete, requests any corrections and arranges an appointment with you to submit the biometric data. For legal reasons, the identity check, the photos and fingerprints and the payment of the processing fee must still be carried out on site at the consulate/embassy. Thanks to the online prep the appointment will be a lot shorter and more efficient - and I hope they'll get more visas ready in time.
Online applications are not mandatory. Applications can still be submitted in person at the local diplomatic mission abroad.

Visa appointments

Some of you seem to be struggling with the notoriously overbooked visa offices around the world. My offer is that I can try to intervene at the visa offices in your embassy if you allow me to forward your key data: the reference number you got for the waiting list and your passport number. For data protection reasons, I need your written consent to do this, e.g. as e-mail. Please note that this is only a service for our international students here at the BGU department!
Also make sure you are well prepared for the visa interview: have at least basic knowledge of Germany and Karlsruhe, KIT and your study programme. If you can’t answer the simplest of questions then the visa officer may doubt your intention to come here to study and could reject the visa application.

Financial proof

You need to show you can finance your studies with either please ask your German embassy which form of financial proof is required):

• a Blocked Account with €11904 (as of September 2024) with a max. payout of €992 per month. This is is obligatory as non-EU member to get a visa and to serve as minimum living cost during the first of the two years.
• or a documents from your parents certifying their income and financial assets
• or someone with permanent residence in German who can guarantee the Alien Registration Office to cover your expenses
• or a bank guarantee
• or a scholarship award notification from a recognised scholarship provider

Controversial issue: Double study fee as visa regulation

I get a lot of applicants from different countries complaining about having to transfer the study fee for two semesters instead of one. Your KIT-admission letter asks for the fee for one semester only. Your consulate/embassy asks for two semesters' worth. This is due to the way they interpret the law: you need to provide sufficient funds for one whole year. One part is the Blocked Account, the other is the study fee for one year. Which is the study fee for two semesters, i.e. 3000€. There's no way we can influence their interpretation (I've tried several times) and unfortunately you'll have to go with what they say as they are the office issuing your visa. Depending on how the two semesters' worth is booked here you will get the second half reimbursed or carried over to the next semester.

Your visa application mentions a different uni

It is ok to enter Germany with a visa that mentions a different university than the one you want to go to. As long as it's a visa for studying. For example: you apply for several unis, get admitted to RWTH Aachen, apply for the visa, get a later admission from KIT but have RWTH mentioned in your visa. This should not be a problem if both admission were for study programmes / studying.

Timeline after the visa application

Once your visa application leaves the embassy/consulate's visa office there is a so-called 'Schweigefrist': they will normally issue a visa after a prescribed period of three weeks and two days (= Schweigefrist / period of no objection), provided no objection has been received from the visa office in Karlsruhe. However, this is the minimum period of time required for the processing of the application.
Don't despair if it takes a while. Once you have everything else sorted out, you will be ready when the visa is issued. And talking about issued visas:
Make sure your contact details are up to date. Some applicants got phone calls when their visa was ready but had changed their phone number or weren't checking their phone.

If you want legal certainty on the details, the Federal Ministry of Justice has an English version of the "Act on the Residence, Economic Activity and Integration of Foreigners in the Federal Territory Residence Act".

New: bringing your spouse over to Germany

Please switch to the dropdown menu at the top for 'resident students' for more on this.

Let's base the calculations on the summer semester 2025 and start with

the fees for non-EU citizens

Each semester will cost a €1500 study fee plus just over €200 semester fee for administration, Studierendenwerk (the institution that runs the dining halls & cafeterias, students halls/housing, counselling, etc.) and student union (covering for students' concerns). So round about €1700 per semester. Say your masters course takes a regular four semesters then multiply that by four which brings the total cost up to around €6800.
In addition, you need a Blocked Account with €11904 (as of Sept. 2024) with a max. payout of €992 per month. This is is obligatory as non-EU member to get a visa and to serve as minimum living cost during the first of the two years. Let's double that to around €24000 as you'll be here for two years. This will probably barely cover your costs and you might need to plan extra money in for your travel to and from Germany and excursion expenses. 

Summed up we get a grand total of round about €31k for two years, i.e. four semesters for a master degree, a bachelor degree would come up to about €46k for six semesters. Consider adding an extra semester or two just in case you run into (normal) delays.

The semester fee is adjusted each semester and will increase by a few Euros. The €1500 tuition fee remains constant.

Details on the fees are listed on this page at the International Students Office and there's more on 'financing your studies' further down this page.

The estimated cost of living is approximately around 960 € per month - close to the amount allowed out of the blocked account.

* Radio License Fee

“ARD ZDF Deutschlandradio Beitragsservice” is a joint organisation of Germany's public broadcasting institutions (radio and TV). Everyone who registers in Germany is required to pay these fees (Rundfunkbeitrag) even if you are not a German citizen. However, if you live in shared accommodation, not everyone has to pay – one residence means one fee. Students often benefit from that rule, since they are able to share the fee with their flatmates. You will get a letter concerning the licence fee after having registered at the registration office (Einwohnermeldeamt).

Cash declaration

Please note the maximum amount of cash that can be brought into Germany. If you exceed this limit, i.e. bring more cash, you must declare your amount to customs!

If you are admitted to a study programme that requires a language certificate, you will need to provide proof when you enrol. It is compulsory for the visa application if the admission letter does not state that your language certificate has been approved.
If you need a certificate or have a certificate under par and have not uploaded anything to your application, you'll have a small note in your application portal starting page. In any case, please do not take the test at the very last minute. If the admission regulations require a TOEFL with 90 points, then 88 points are not enough and you will not be enrolled. The same goes for IELTS results: falling slightly below the requirements with, for example, a 5 in one part is not good enough. There is no tolerance range.

Also make sure your test result is still valid. For example, IELTS and TOEFL results have an expiry date as they are only valid for two years.

And because it's often ignored: There is no possibility to submit test results after enrolling. If you come to KIT and want to enrol, you must have a sufficient test result. And please remember: getting an appointment might not be straight forward. And the time till your test result is announced can take up to four weeks after the actual test.

Experience shows: Don't underestimate the timeline for the language certificate.

If you can't enrol then you won't be able to register in the online campus system, file for class assignments, etc. If left too late, you'll also get in trouble for being here on a student visa and not being able to register as student. That and not being a student leaves you without the financial advantages of being able to file for a dorm, student tickets, reduced dining hall prices and other goodies.

Accept your study place! This comes at no cost. Once you start the enrolment process, you secure your place at KIT, more options open up and you can push your deadlines back a few weeks, making it easier if you arrive a little late.
You can then enrol even before you receive your visa (this changed in early 2023)!
If you fully enrol then you can arrive at any time during the semester.

The International Office has a great page on what you need to prepare. The way to get there is through the mouseover drop-down menu: Start with the KIT International Office https://www.intl.kit.edu/english/index.php and follow the top menu Incoming Students -> Degree-Seeking -> Prior to Studies and then ->Enrolment.

Best hint: This list with 12 to-dos is essential and will help you through your first steps. And it's concisely packed in a handy PDF.

KIT's International Office has lots of other helpful advice online - I hope you've already found it (e.g. the preparation page).

Try to find accomodation before you get to Karlsruhe. Hotels and short-lease apartments are very expensive if you arrive and need a place to stay at short notice.

Already apply for housing at the Studierendenwerk - they run the bigger student dorms in Karlsruhe.
And also use their web pages to search for private housing offers as the student dorm rooms are likely to be taken. The private offers are mainly local places within a decent range around Karlsruhe and the offers are updated daily. So keep your eyes on this list over several weeks.
Here's a list with abbreviations used in housing ads that should help you understand them.

Remember Karlsruhe has a great tram & bus system that has good connections to the surrounding areas. Commuting twenty to fifty minutes isn't unusual for a cheaper room on the outskirts or catchment area of Karlsruhe -> go to transportation and have a look at the KVV map and get an idea of how far out you can look. Anywhere within the wider district of Karlsruhe has a connection into town. Here's the map of the district. Also think about the possibilities you have if you get yourself a JugendticketBW ticket: commuting from Pforzheim/Baden-Baden/Offenburg/Bruchsal/Vaihingen(Enz) or anywhere along the local train lines (REx, IREx, MEXx) to Karlsruhe.

Other helpful links to dorms in Karlsruhe:

• Augustin-Bea-Haus (ABH) and Reinhold-Schneider-Haus (RSH)
• Insterburg
• Hans-Dickmann-Kolleg - HaDiKo
• Domus7
• Hermann-Ehlers-Kolleg - HEK
• Hans-Freudenberg-Kolleg - HFK
• Hans-Wolfgang-Heidland-Haus
• Kolleg am Ring - KaR
• The House of CO Karlsruhe
• O11 dorm
• International Department Hostel
• Familienheim Karlsruhe eG

Two other private portals are:

• https://www.studenten-wg.de

• https://www.wg-gesucht.de

And if all else fails and you find yourself without anywhere to stay then the AStA and Studierendenwerk have a so-called 'Notunterkunft', an emergency shelter. We're talking about a huge sports hall with camp beds and you need to bring your own sleeping bag and sleeping mat. Read their web page for details. Warning: This is only offered at the very beginning of the semester !

You will soon notice that almost all locations on campus (especially Campus South (CS), the main campus in town) have a building number, not an address. Sometimes even the lecture halls are numbered or at least they have a name. The best way to find your way round is to ask the students around you. The building numbers are all listed on the campus map, and once you find the building, you will often find a map inside pointing to the different lecture halls or rooms. 3-digit numbers probably specify the floor first.

For example, "CS10.81, R305" would be on Campus South, building 10.81 is the old Civil Engineering building at Otto-Ammann-Platz, 305 = third floor, room 305.

There's also a treasure map on how to find the KIT student service desk in building 10.11. It's on our page for resident students -> see the dropdown menu at the top for resident students.

When should I preferably arrive?

The year is split into two semesters. Summer semester lasts from April to September and the winter semester from October to March. So technically the semester starts on the 1st April and the 1st October. The lecture periods are shorter as to leave time for exams, study papers, rest, etc. Lectures start about two weeks into the semester but every semester starts with an orientation phase for new students. The International Students Office, the student representatives and other units have "Welcome Days" or an "O-Phase" (Orientierungsphase - I guess you can understand the German word) with guides on how to study and what to start with. As this is highly recommended we suggest that you arrive in the first weeks of April/October to make sure you don't have to dive in straight away with lectures in a system you haven't got your head round yet. You will need time to adapt to the uni system and life here in Germany.

Which leads us to the question: what happens if I arrive late? And how late is too late?

• the order in which you do it. Otherwise you'll waste time waiting at the offices just to be sent away for not having the right documents.
• do you live in the city of Karlsruhe or in the surrounding area, i.e. outside the city limits? Outside the city limits, the district office is responsible. If you are not sure, ask your landlady/lord. Some larger district towns have their own offices - either a Rathaus (town hall) or an outpost. This has the advantage that you might get an appointment faster than in Karlsruhe or it's simply a walk-in procedure.
  Here's a link to a map of the town of Karlsruhe with all the parts that belong to it (Stadt or Stadtkreis Karlsruhe).
  And here's a link to the map of the district of Karlsruhe (Landkreis Karlsruhe) with all larger towns that will probably have their own town hall for registering.
• some offices have an online booking system for appointments. Often enough you won't find an appointment for the next few weeks. In that case try logging in and booking between eight and nine o'clock in the morning. Some people cancel their appointment at the last minute which leaves you with the opportunity to jump in and grab that place.

Authorities

As you already know, authorities at different levels all have their own way of working. Some can be quite stubborn, others want yet another form filled in. But most are friendly. If you get stuck, feel free to come our office and I'll see how we can work things out.

Please remember to have ID on you at all times and preferably a copy of your visa status. If, on the odd chance, you do get stopped and checked by the police, you should be able to identify yourself. And despite open borders around Europe, always have your documents on you when you cross borders  (I can't emphasise this enough).

Everyday life

KIT has special offers for international students who are struggling with everyday life here in Karlsruhe. There is a lot of help available and I would encourage you to reach out if you feel like things are getting too much for you.

Favourites are the new International Student Hub  at Berliner Platz (Kaiserstrasse 14), building 01.90. and the renowned international buddy programme at the International Students Office. The buddy programme organises meetings like the International Café where you can meet other students from all over KIT in a friendly atmosphere, inform yourself of all sorts of topics on student life and generally take your mind off work. They also offer board game evenings and excursions to nearby sights and places around the Black Forest. All of this is highly recommended! For more information, check out their website and log in to their programme in ILIAS to register for the events and get regular updates.

KIT often has small events or meetings for students who are having problems adapting to life here. Rest assured that you're not the only one struggling and reach out for help.

If you feel you need a more personal advice because you are stuck in your studies, have  financial trouble or an expiring residence permit then you can contact the Welcome group. And you are always welcome to stop by our office, sit down and tell me what is bothering you, and we will find a way to resolve it over a cup of tea.

Trains

The DB - Deutsche Bahn runs most trains in Germany and you can book tickets online. Be aware that early-booking discounts are often bound to a specific train. Karlsruhe's main train station has fast links to almost all major cities with none or one stop, depending on the time of day. DB trains schedules are updated live online (the DB-app is handy). And when you book you'll see if they expect the train to be full. Reserving a seat can come in handy, too, but will cost extra.

Other train services run locally and are often integrated into the DB online schedules and booking system.

Trams & busses

You'll often see the abbreviation ÖPNV = "öffentlicher Personennahverkehr" which translates as "public transportation".

The Karlsruhe Transport Association KVV (Karlsruher Verkehrsverbund) organises local public transport with its trams and busses around Karlsruhe and the region. It reaches half way to Heidelberg and down south towards Freiburg, from Heilbronn in the east to the French border an across to Rheinland-Palatinate in the west. It offers a high train frequency with operating times between 5am and midnight. Here's a link to the network map for the trams and bus services to give you an idea of how far the system reaches.

The stops relevant for BGU students at Campus South are Kronenplatz and Durlacher Tor. Both have an underground ("U" after the name) and overground stop.

Tickets

The Studierendenwerk provides KIT students with a basic student ticket for the KVV network. This lets you travel during off-peak hours and at weekends. So €17.50 (as of WS 24/25) of your semester fee goes towards this - so it's already included in your semester fee.
In addition, there are other offers aimed at students:

(*) Anyone who cancels before a one-off notice period of 12 months must pay the difference to the Deutschlandticket (see FAQ on the KVV website).
last updated: 4th April 2025

KVV basic student ticket, semester ticket and connection ticket

The basic student ticket allows students with a student ID and KVV certificate to travel on the entire KVV network free of charge from Monday to Friday from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., as well as all day on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. Get your KVV certificate in the Campus Portal under Study Certificates. The digital certificate is also valid.
The ticket is provided by the Studierendenwerk and is financed in combination with the semester fees. As of winter semester 24/25  €17.50 of the semester fee goes towards this, whether you use it or not. This basic amount can be offset against the student card, a KVV semester ticket. But for anyone under 28 the price is only just below that of the D-Ticket JugendBW which will give you a wider travel range. Connecting tickets are also available from surrounding transport associations, which can be booked in addition to the Student Card. However, the cost of the Studikarte + connecting ticket always exceeds that of the Deutschlandticket / D-Ticket JugendBW.

Beware: not all DB trains can be used with it. The express trains and long-distance trains are not included! If you have the time though, you can travel across Germany with local transport. Remember to carry proof, i.e. your student card & ID!

Bicycles

Cycling is healthy, fun and you get to see a lot of nature and the surrounding area. The cycling path network is well developed and is constantly being expanded. And there are plenty of places to park bicycles in Karlsruhe's bicycle-friendly city centre.

The Karlsruhe area has lots of Nextbikes - those are bike you can rent for short trips. You book them online on the spot and can leave them anywhere in the designated area (see the website for more). They, too, have cargo bikes and some are e-bikes. The app shows you where the nearest bikes are and let's you book ahead. The student union has a contract with NextBike which means that for only €2,50 per semester you can use NextBikes for free for the first 30 minutes. Click the link for more details.

Helmets are not yet mandatory for cyclists in Germany. Nevertheless, it is advisable to wear a helmet when cycling.
Please be aware that the long pedestrian zone in Karlsruhe is a no-bike zone and they do have officers enforcing the rules and issuing on-the-spot fines. And traffic lights are for cyclists as well. Check the road traffic regulations (in Germany the StVO) for details - here's a link to a short version PDF in English published by the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport.

Scooters

Several firms have e-scooters scattered around Karlsruhe's inner city area. There are no-go zones and slow-go zones in the pedestrian zones. The apps will tell you more.

Cars

AStA, the student union, offers rental cars at good rates for students. There are also local and the usual global rental car services. Please be aware of the regulations for foreign driving licences and the German road code StVO (short version in English).