The International Office offers a Welcome and Orientation Program for new international students (several days) before the actual start of the lecture period. This program helps students not only to navigate the complicated bureaucracy and formalities needed to go through in order to study in Germany, but also to become familiar with the city and the region.
This program will guide you, step by step, through all of the things you need to do to live and study in Germany. These steps include university matriculation, reporting to the local Residence Registration Office, opening a German bank account, and signing up for health insurance. There are also tours and excursions which help students get to know their new surroundings, as well as university staff and each other.
From our experience, the Welcome and Orientation Program contributes significantly to a smooth start at the university. Participation is therefore highly recommended for foreign students. Unfortunately, international students who arrive afterwards will have to complete many of these tasks on their own.
The Welcome and Orientation Program for the winter semester takes place three weeks before lectures begin. Usually this is the second week of September. The remaining two weeks of September are reserved for the intensive German language courses.
The Welcome and Orientation Program for the summer semester takes place in the first week of March. The remaining days before the beginning of the semester are again reserved for the intensive German language courses.
You can find itineraries from the previous and upcoming Welcome Week in the download area below. You can also find our Welcome Brochure, which contains detailed information about living and studying in Weingarten. The brochure is updated before the beginning of each semester. New international students receive a printed version upon arrival.