Department of Biology

Have you been admitted?

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Congratulations!

You applied for a place at Ulm University and have been granted admission. This page has information for students admitted to the master study programme Biology.

After admission

If you want to join us, follow the steps reported below:

STEP 1: Accept the place in the Master programme!

If you accept the place in the Master programme Biology, first of all fill and sign the Letter of Acceptance and send it to international.biology(at)uni-ulm.de until May 31st 2026 at the latest.

STEP 2: Take actions to get your visa!

Try to get an appointment for your visa immediatly after accepting the programme. Visa problems are the most prominent reason why students cannot join our study programmes. More information below.

 

STEP 3: Enrolment 

Please find the required documents and relevant information regarding the enrolment process at the Enrolment after Admission page you received in your letter of admission. 

Pre-master Course

Please note that you have to participate in the Online Pre-master Course Biology (PMC) before the start of the master programme, and the passing of the PMC is required for final admission. The Pre-master Course can be completed online from home.  Find more information concerning the PMC on the following page:

Pre-master Course Biology

Contacts Life Sciences

Dr. Stephanie Wittig-Blaich
study coordinator

M25/4411
international.biology(at)uni-ulm.de
+49-(0)731-50 21259

Links/Downloads
For international programmes:

 

Fees Overview

Information for the Embassy

... after admission

Make an appointment!

If you accept your admission to one of our Master programmes, please make an appointment at the German Embassy in your country to apply for a student visa immediately.

Please be aware:

  • It can take up to 3 months for your Visa to be issued
  • Visa problems are the most prominent reason why students cannot join our study programmes
  • Your admission is only valid for the winter semester you applied for, and your start in the programme cannot be postponed by one semester
Embassies

Please find more information on German embassies and Visa issuing at the following links:

Documents

To apply for a visa for study purposes you have to present the following documents at the embassy:

  • Admission letter which will be send to you by e-mail only (e-mail attachment, facsimile; you will not receive a hard copy of the letter)
  • Proof of previous study
  • Proof of financial resources (see below)
  • Proof of (travel) health insurance
  • Valid Passport
  • Biometric passport photos
  • If an additional document from Ulm University is needed, please dowload the "Information for the Embassy" file available in the "Download" box on the right column.
Proof of financial resources

This is to ensure that you have enough financial support to stay in Germany for at least one year. Income or assets of around 10,300 Euro are usually required per year (approx. 860 euro per month). Inquire at the German embassy in your country about how you should provide proof that you have sufficient financial resources. In principle, several types of proof are possible:

  • Proof of parents' income and assets
  • Scholarship from a recognized scholarship foundation
  • Security on a blocked account
  • Bank guarantee
  • Someone whose place of residence is in Germany agrees to assume the costs for you
Residence Permit

A student visa is usually valid for three months. For the period thereafter, you must apply for a residence permit for study purposes to the local authorities for foreigners (Ausländeramt or Ausländerbehörde) in Ulm.
The residence permit for study purposes generally does not allow you to work. This means that you cannot finance your stay by paid employment. Students are allowed, however, to work up to 120 days per year, during the breaks between the semester lecture periods.  

Please note that you will need a room and a rental contract in order to obtain a residence permit, so it is of vital importance that you follow the instructions to secure yourself a room.

Please find detailed information about fees here.

We strongly recommend all international students to use the room reservation service provided by the Coordination Office. It is very difficult to find furnished rooms or apartments in Ulm and the Coordination Office cannot give assistance in finding private accommodation or home stays!
Please find more information in the section "Dormitories and Room"below.
If you would like the coordination team to reserve a room in a student dormitory for you...
  • please check the right box in the Letter of Acceptance before sending it back to your coordinator: Please note: we can only arrange a room for you with priority if we receive the notice that you do want a room before 10th June!!
  • confirm your room reservation by paying the room deposit in the amount of 1080 € to Ulm University by 30th June. If we have not received any payment by then, the preliminary room reservation will be cancelled. PLEASE also send us a screenshot after you made your payment to speed things up. This deposit includes first rent (rents may vary due to assigned room), 600 € deposit, 70 € bedding sheets, 20 € administration fee. Your first monthly rent will be deducted from this deposit

 

Information for the payment:

 

  • Account owner: Studierendenwerk Ulm
  • Bank name: Sparkasse Ulm
  • Address: Hans-und-Sophie-Scholl-Platz , 89073 Ulm, Germany  
  • National routing number 63050000      
  • IBAN: DE56 6305 0000 0000 0144 81    
  • BIC:SOLADES1ULM
  • Purpose of the transfer: (First Name, Family Name, Study Program short)
Fees...

Studierendenwerk Ulm charges

  • a one-time fee of 20 € for every new contract issued
  • a one-time fee of 70 € for purchasing bedding (pillow & blanket) if needed

These fees are included in the 1080 € deposit. 

If you are assigned a room...

you will receive your "Housing Acceptance" per e-mail. Please print out the letter and read all the information carefully. You must then sign the Housing Acceptance form and return the form to the Coordination Office within 1 week.

  • If you are unhappy with the assignment, you may refuse the room; however, you will then have to make your own housing arrangements; no alternative offer will be provided.
  • If you accept the room, the Coordination Office will sign a contract with Studierendenwerk in your name. You are now liable for the rent payments for the full duration of the lease as specified in your housing assignment. After arrival, you have to co-sign the room contract and will receive your own copy.
  • The Housing contracts will be made for 6 semesters. You are free to cancel your contract and look for a new room at the end of a semester, please note that you have to give at least 3 month notice.
  • Hausinfo provided from Studierendenwerk Ulm
  • Rental conditions - excerpt from the German Allgemeine Mietbedingungen

...before leaving for Germany

  • Collect your visa document from the embassy
  • If required by the embassy, please open a blocked account.
  • Collect your personal documents and please bring them with you at the "Fill out Form" and enrollment date (see Orientation Week plan):
    - High school-leaving certificate (original document + copy), certified translation if not in English
    - Bachelor degree certificate and transcript of records (original documents + copy), certified translation if not in English
    - APS certificate for the bachelor degree (only students from China, Vietnam)
    - TOEFL or IELTS test score report - if needed. Don´t enter Germany without a valid test score. You will not be allowed to enroll at Ulm University without it.
    - Biometric photos
    - Passport

We will organize a pick-up service for you. We will put you in contact with a senior student that will meet you at Ulm main train or bus station and bring you to your dormitory. Therefore it is important that you fix your travel plans (plane, train or bus) well in advance and let us know in due time.

  • Information and booking of tickets with Deutsche Bahn (German railway), www.bahn.com/en/view/index.shtml.
  • Inform us about:
    - Date, time and German airport at which you will arrive
    - Date, time you arrive in Ulm by train or bus
  • Please be aware: we need this information at least one week before your arrival. If you contact us on the day of your Arrival, we will not be able to have somebody picking you up at Ulm main station

All international students participating in our Master programmes must complete a German course.

We will organize German courses on different levels for you. Since you either might already have some knowledge of German or might be a beginner, we need to know more about your language skills. Therefore we now ask you to take an online placement test and send your test result to your coordinator via e-mail.

  • Total beginners: if you do not have any knowledge of German at all, please send an e-mail with the information “A1 - total beginner”, no need to take the online placement test.

  • Students who attended German courses before: if you already attended a German course please take the online placement test at the following link: https://www.cornelsen.de/sprachtest/1.c.3493399.de
     
    1. Type in your name to start the test
    2. Leave “test option” to “Deutsch als Fremdsprache” (German as a foreign language)
    3. Enter at what level you want to take the test (A1? A2? B1?).
      Overview of language levels
      A1 – A2 (Niveaus A1–A2): Elementary language use
      B1 – B2 (Niveaus B1–B2): Independent language use
      C1 – C2 (Niveaus C1–C2): Competent language use

      If you are not sure about your language skills and don´t know what level suits you, you can take the test at two different levels.

    4. Choose the language of test questions

    5. Start the test. Each test will take about 15 minutes to complete.

 

►   Please send your test result latest by 15th of August to your coordinator: we need to know your level (e.g. A1) and your result in per cent (e.g. 82%).

Please arrange a travel Insurance covering your medical expenses for the first 4 to 6 weeks.

... after arriving in Ulm

A senior student will meet you at Ulm main train or bus station and bring you to your dormitory.

At the beginning, you have to pay for each trip on a bus or tram (single trip approx. 3 €), or buy a whole day ticket (Tageskarte, approx. 6 €). Later you will be able to buy a semester ticket.

Up to date information on the Orientation events will be available at the International office.

For information about tickets for local public transport for students please check the links reported below:

Health insurance is compulsory for everybody in Germany. All statutory health insurance funds are obliged to insure students until the 14th semester and up to the age of 30. Insurance rates for students are currently around 88 €/ month. If you turn 30 you can continue to be insured through a statutory health insurance fund by paying a higher rate.

  • At Ulm University most students are insured with statutory health insurance.
  • There are also private health insurance companies in Germany. Please be aware: Being insured with a private insurance company means that you have to pay all bills for medical treatment and medication yourself in advance and claim for reimbursement from the company later.
  • If you have a private health insurance, you will not be able to switch to the statutory health insurance scheme during the course of your studies. NO assistance is provided in case of private health insurance.
  • When you are from a country not belonging to the European Union you should purchase a travel health insurance in your home country which will cover medical treatment during the first weeks after your arrival in Germany.
  • Additional information on the International Office website and DAAD Website.

Please be aware that you have to register your place of residence at the registration office of your respective city (Ulm, Neu-Ulm...) within two weeks of your arrival.

Additional Information

Your coordinator and the Studierendenwerk (students services) will try to organize a room in a dormitory of Studierendenwerk for you, if you tick the appropriate box on the “Letter of Acceptance”.
Rooms will be distributed on a first-come first-served basis according to the date a student´s deposit payment is received by the Studierendenwerk Ulm accounting department (see "Room Reservation" above).

  • Please be aware that student´s rooms both on the private market and in the dormitories owned by Studierendenwerk are much sought-after. It is virtually impossible to find a room shortly before start of the semester.
  • The price for a dormitory room varies between approximately 260 and 400 € per month depending on the room and the dormitory.
  • The monthly rent includes fees for heating, water and electricity and W-LAN.
  • You can not make a reservation for a room in a particular dormitory or for a room with a specific monthly rent.
  • Changing dormitory room is possible only at the end of a semester.
  • For more information on Studierendenwerk and dormitories: www.studierendenwerk-ulm.de
  • Rooms on the private market are usually more expensive than those let by Studierendenwerk. We cannot give any assistance in finding a private room.
  • You can move into your room at the earliest August .
Dormitories:
  • Dormitories are located either within walking distance to the university or near the city centre. All have good connections to the campus by public transportation.
  • Dormitories are coed and most of the rooms have no bath of its own. Kitchen, bathroom and toilets are shared by a few students.
  • Dormitory rooms are furnished with bed, table, chair and book shelf.
  • Kitchens are equipped with electric stove, refrigerator and sometimes pots for cooking. You might have to buy your own cups and plates.
  • Laundry facilities are available but no cleaning service is provided and you will be responsible for cleaning your room yourself. In addition, you must participate in common duties such as keeping the kitchen and bathroom clean, which you share with your floor-mates.

  • Information on scholarship programmes can be found at the German Academic Exchange Services (DAAD): www.daad.de/deutschland/stipendium/en/.
    Typically, students will have to apply for a scholarship one year ahead of time. Ulm University does not offer any additional stipends or scholarships for incoming students.
  • On-campus work for students: The most common method of financial support for foreign students from the second semester onwards is a part-time students jobs. These so called HiWi jobs are provided eithr by the University or by the professors teaching in our master programmes and their research groups. Ask and talk about it with supervisors and tutors in lab courses and seminars.

If you want to/have to withdraw from the study programme, please inform us as soon as possible.

Please find information about refund of fees here.

Reimbursement of room deposit:
whether and up to which amount the deposit (less transfer fees) can be reimbursed depends on the date you announce your withdrawal:

  • if you want to cancel you rental contract please let us know 8 weeks before your contract starts. We cannot guarantee that the full deposit will be reimbursed if we receive a cancellation afterwards.