Getting Started

Residential accommodation offered by Studentenwerk Dresden, the student service organisation, is the best way to live with fellow students and enjoy short distances to the university at reasonable cost. You will find all useful information on the student dormitories, their equipment and locations, on applying for a room and all contacts here:

http://www.studentenwerk-dresden.de/wohnen/

However, you can also choose from a wide range of so-called shared apartments and rooms in Dresden. Rooms in shared apartments are often furnished and rented out for short periods of time as well. See the list of useful links below for your search for the best accommodation:

www.wg-gesucht.de
www.studenten-wg.de
www.cybersax.de

If you cannot find the apartment you like right away, you can live in a hostel first:

Mondpalast Dresden
Lollis Homestay
City-Herberge
Jugendherberge Rudi Arndt
A&O Hostel

Please find more information that will help you search for a new home here .

• If you are interested in pursuing a degree program at TU Dresden, please read more about the application process.
• Foreign applicants from non-EU countries who are treated equally to Germans according to the Saxon Study Place Regulation of June 15, 2020, § 1 Scope, please apply according to the application instructions for applicants from EU countries who are in principle treated equally to Germans. Please submit proof of equality with your application documents.
• If you are interested in studying for only one or two semesters at TU Dresden, please check the infopage for exchange students.

If you are interested in pursuing a degree program at TU Dresden, please read more about the application process.

If you are interested in studying for only one or two semesters at TU Dresden, please check the infopage for exchange students.

Applicants from China and Vietnam, who wish to apply for studies in Germany, need to submit a certificate issued by the Academic Test Centre (APS).

The APS office will check your documents. As part of this checking procedure you may be invited to an interview. Subsequently, a certificate is issued (APS Certificate) that is required for applying at German Higher Education institutions as one of the admission requirements. This certificate states that the documents handed in are genuine and that the applicant has obtained sufficient (academic) achievements to apply to a German university. It is necessary that applicants always submit the original APS certificate when applying to a university.

Click on the links below to find information about the various APS procedures:

• Information for Chinese applicants
• Information for Vietnamese applicants

Before you come to Germany, you need proof that you have sufficient funds for your stay (often when applying for a visa). The required amount is around 10.236 EUR for one year and is considered a guarantee that you can finance your studies. For example, you can provide proof by submitting evidence of your parents' income, a bank guarantee, a recognized scholarship or a security deposit in a so-called blocked account. Check with the German embassy or consulate in your country about the conditions.

Many international students use a blocked account to finance their studies in Germany. The money deposited into the account cannot be withdrawn until after you have arrived in Germany. It is important to request the documents in good time.

Information on the blocked account:

Auswärtiges Amt

DAAD

study in germany

Fintiba

German Student Insurance

In this buddy program, students from Dresden look after international students so that they can easily adjust to everyday university life in Dresden.

The AEGEE Dresden team establishes contact between German and international students at TU Dresden and other universities in Dresden. The aim is to help international students to feel at home in Dresden and encourage international exchanges.

Buddy-Program

Officially certified copies of your certificates, both in their original language and corresponding translations in German or English, must be submitted with your application.

The certification confirms that a copy (duplicate) is identical with the original in terms of content. Directly certified copies must always be submitted. A simple copy of a certified document will not be accepted.

Official certifications can be obtained by any public authority in the Federal Republic of Germany that holds an official seal. Examples of this include:

• City administration (registration offices, local authorities)
• Courts
• Notaries

Certifications from student organizations, lawyers or public accountants cannot be accepted.

The following authorities abroad are authorized to issue official certifications:

• Diplomatic representation of the Federal Republic of Germany
• Agencies in the respective countries that are authorized to issue official certifications
   

What does an official certification contain?

© TU Dresden

As you can see in the example, the official certification must at least contain:

• an annotation that attests that the copy/duplicate matches the original (attestation clause)
• the signature of the authenticator and
• the mark of the official seal. An official seal usually contains an emblem. A simple text stamp is insufficient.

If the copy/duplicate consists of several individual pages, it must be verified that each page comes from the same certificate. It is sufficient if only one page is provided with an attestation clause provided that all pages are stamped over (e.g. in overlapping layers) so that part of the official seal print appears of each page (see illustration at the top left of the example).

Of course each page can also be certified separately. If this is the case, please make sure that your name is on each copy of the original. If it is not specified on every page, it must be incorporated in the attestation clause together with a note about the type of certificate.

If both sides of the copy contain information, the attestation clause must refer to both sides (e.g. “This is to certify that this copy (front and reverse side) corresponds to the original”). If this is not the case, the front and back pages must be certified separately.

TU Dresden cannot recognize the document if the certifications do not meet the aforementioned requirements. There is no legal claim to the return of the documents.

• As a student at TU Dresden you can change your postal address yourself after moving, online in the student portal.
• You do not need to further inform the International Office.
• Please do not forget to register your new address at the City of Dresden’s citizens’ office (Bürgerbüro)

A change of degree program is when

• the degree program,
• the envisaged degree or
• type of degree program (part-time/full-time course)

is changed. This also affects students that have successfully completed a program (e.g. bachelor degree) and want to then do a second program (e.g. master’s degree).

Please read about how and when you have to apply for a change of program.

Generally the same admission and selection requirements apply for the application as for those who have not yet studied anything. Any previous time you have spent studying does not count as a waiting period if you apply for a course of study with restricted admission.

Enrolling in a new course of study or changing subject is normally only possible at the beginning of the upcoming semester.

In accordance with Section 18 Higher Education Act in Saxony, a change of program is not possible if there are grounds for refusal, particularly if the applicant:

• has not passed the required examination for completion of the selected course of study (Higher Education Act in Saxony Section 18, 6)
• has not produced the performance record in the selected course of study or a course with the same specialized orientation as prescribed in the examination regulations (Higher Education Act in Saxony Section 18, 7)

You can find a list of all important contact persons in the International Office under "About us".

If you have any general questions regarding the organization of your studies or the application process, you can also contact the ServiceCenterStudies.

Due to the current situation, it might prove difficult to gather all application documents on time or even posting them by mail might be a challenge. We have compiled a FAQ with all the most pressing questions regarding the issue.

The Cultural Office supports students in getting to know the country, the people and in socializing by offering a a broad cultural and leisure program.
To find out more please see the website of the Cultural Office at the International Office.

There is a contact for exchange students in every faculty. They provide you with support in the following areas:

• Advice on specific student projects
• Help with selecting courses and creating your timetable
• Signing the leaning agreement
• Information on the faculty’s examination registration procedure
• Information on preparing the transcript of records and its issuance, where necessary

Please check the list of contacts for contact details.

The ERASMUS-Initiative at the TU Dresden is a student association that organizes events, parties and excursions for international students at TU Dresden. Please see their website to find out more:  ESN Dresden

The financing of studies in Germany is an important question for many, especially since the financing in Germany can sometimes be very different from your home country.

At TU Dresden, there are usually no tuition fees for studying. Nevertheless, you need to think about the funding of your living costs (rent, food, books, insurance, clothing, etc.) before you apply. Especially also, since non-EU citizens have to prove for their visa that they have the financial means to study in Germany.

The Deutsche Studentenwerk has produced a good explanatory video about this:

Information about scholarships at the TU Dresden can be found under Scholarships.

Both international applicants and German applicants with a foreign school leaving certificate have to pass a university entrance language test for programs taught in German. A corresponding language certificate must be submitted with the application.

Information about the required language skills

Students from EEA (European Economic Area) Countries

Please have an international health insurance card (EHIC – European Health Insurance Card) issued by your health insurer in your home country. With this card, you must register with a statutory health insurance company after your arrival in Dresden. There you will receive a certificate stating that you are not extra covered by statutory health insurance in Germany or that you are not required to take out insurance. You must submit this certificate to the International Office.

Students from other countries

Students that are not from EEA countries and are under 30 years old must be insured at a statutory health insurer in Germany (costs around € 80 per month).

Please note! Travel health insurance from your home country is not accepted! Please only take out travel health insurance for the period of your arrival or for additional events during your stay in Germany!

IMPORTANT NOTE in relation to the current Corona pandemic

Students from Non-EU countries who could not enter Germany due to the current situation and are currently only studying digitally (not beeing in Dresden) are not obliged to take out insurance with one of the statutory health insurance companies in Germany. However, it should be noted that the obligation to have health insurance when entering Germany in the current semester is retroactive for the entire semester, so that retrospective payment for the whole semester would become necessary.

Students in the introductory course or during the orientation semester and students over 30 yo

Students over 30 years old are no longer obliged to submit proof of health insurance to the university. However, students that are required to have a visa must verify their health insurance at the immigration authorities. Joining as a voluntarily insured person at a statutory health insurer or taking out a recognised private comprehensive health insurance is required.
Please find out from the immigration authorities what kind of insurance is recognised.

Further Information

overview of private health insurance companies

overview of public health insurance companies

More information about health insurance for international students

Deutsches Studentenwerk - Information about health insurance

In the Tutor Program, current students (tutors) help international students. There is at least one tutor per faculty. They look after both, students in that faculty that want to obtain a degree at TU Dresden and exchange students (they are only in Dresden for 1-2 semesters).

The aim of the tutor program is to provide foreign students with support both before and during their studies. They give especially intensive support at the beginning of studies at TU Dresden. It does not matter if this involves new students or those who have been here for a while.

• With the application for your exchange program at the TU Dresden, please create a Learning Agreement/Study Plan for your study project (form Learning Agreement).
• The Learning Agreement must be signed by the coordinator of your exchange program at your home university and submitted with your application documents.
• After receipt of your application at the TU Dresden, your study project will be checked for feasibility by the responsible coordinator of the department.
• As a guideline for the amount of credits to be earned, 20 - 30 ECTS per semester apply. Deviating from this, individual requirements can be agreed upon with the home university and the responsible subject coordinators at the TU Dresden.
• If you would like to do research, study or project work at the TU Dresden, please mention this in the Learning Agreement. Please find your own supervisor at the corresponding institute.
• If you have special questions about the courses offered, the choice of a topic for a research project or project work or the acquisition of ECTS points, please contact the ERASMUS contact person of the desired field of study.
• For the selection of courses, please refer to the course offerings or the module descriptions of the desired degree program. The module descriptions can be found in the appendix/at the end of the respective study regulations, in the module handbooks or in ECTS Course Catalogues.
• State the exact titles of the desired courses/modules, with course numbers if available. If you would like to participate in courses of neighboring disciplines, please note this in your study plan with the exact details.
• The language of instruction at the TU Dresden is generally German, in some disciplines individual courses are offered in English. If you have questions regarding the language of instruction, please contact the respective ERASMUS contact person or the lecturer.
• In the overview, the courses that are offered entirely in English are marked.
• Please note: The final course catalogs of upcoming semesters and the course schedules will be published shortly before the beginning of the semester. The study plan may have to be corrected at the beginning of the semester after the final lists appear.

• Every student has the option of taking a limited leave of absence from studies for good cause in accordance with Section 12 Admission Regulations of TU Dresden (ImmaO).
• Further and comprehensive information about leave of absence

We recommend opening an account at a Sparkasse or a bank, when enrolling. You need the following documents to open an account:

• Passport or ID card
• Registration confirmation from the residents’ registration office
• Letter of admission for a degree program or student ID

For international applicants, whose command of German is still insufficient, TU Dresden offers free courses (the so-called Propädeutikum or Preparatory Course) as preparation for the DSH exam. Please read our information page about the program and the application requirements.

To continue as a registered student, each student must re-register for the following semester, before the current semester comes to an end.

Re-registration is carried out by paying the semester fee via bank transfer from your account. Please check all further information including the current amount and deadlines.

• Are you an exchange student and want to find out about the conditions in your host country before you come?
• Are you coming to TU Dresden from abroad to study/do a PhD and want to clarify any questions about the city and university before you come?
• Are you a graduate and want to contact international alumni?

Ask someone who knows their way around: More than 450 TUD alumni are there for you as regional ambassadors.

Registration at the registration office

If you move into an apartment or room (student dormitory, shared flat) in Dresden, you must register with the local registration office within two weeks. If you are a foreign national and are registering in Dresden for the first time, please go to the Central Registration Office Altstadt to do so.

Please check the  address and office hours of the Citizens’ Service Center. Please bring along the following documents for registration or re-registration:

• passport or national identity card
• tenancy agreement with the student service organisation (Studentenwerk) or the landlord stating your exact address

Please do not forget to also inform TU Dresden of your new address after moving house. For this purpose, please use the function “change of address” in the Studierendenportal.

Foreigners‘ registration office

Students from EU countries do not need to apply for a residence permit with the foreigners‘ registration office Dresden.

• EU nationals and citizens of EEA countries can apply for a written confirmation (Freedom of Movement Certificate) of their right of residence in Germany with the foreigners‘ registration office (Law on Freedom of Movement pursuant to § 2 FreizügG/EU).
• Please read up on on the Freedom of Movement Certificate and download the application form if necessary.

Students from non-EU countries are required to apply for a residence permit with the foreigners‘ registration office within 3 months after entering the Federal Republic of Germany. If your stay does not exceed 3 months, it suffices to register with the residents’ registration office.

• Foreigners‘ registration office’s information on documents and downloadable applications
• Foreigners‘ registration office’s information, e.g. address and office hours (the foreigners‘ registration office is right next to the residents’ registration office)

Government service telephone number 115

Call 115 to obtain information on public administration service, such as registration of a new address, registration and re-registration of vehicles, application for a resident parking permit etc.

Further information on the central government service telephone number.

Re-application

If you had already applied in a previous semester at TU Dresden and had received a notification/admission, but were unable to start your studies, you have to hand in a new application within TU Dresden's application platform. Re-application must be made within one year of the semester of issue of the last admission letter.

Please send your application form within the deadline for the requested degree program with the following documents to the International Office:

•    printed and signed application form
•    copy of the last letter/notification of TU Dresden
•    if necessary, proof of current German course (e.g. DSH revision course or TestDaF-course)
•    if necessary, other documents required by your desired program (only required if you want to change your degree program with the re-application)

Address:
Technische Universität Dresden
Akademisches Auslandsamt
01062 Dresden

"selma" means self management. It is the portal of TU Dresden for students and applicants.

If you are already a student at TU Dresden, you can use it to download personal documents (e.g. enrollment certificates, application form for leave of absence, exmatriculation or request for refund). You can also change your personal data, like your address, on selma.

All regularly enrolled students have to pay a student semester contribution every semester. The contribution is not a tuition fee but a levy for the Studentenwerk, the student council and the so-called semester ticket.

All students can use the services of the Studentenwerk and the Student Council and have the possibility with the semester ticket to use buses, streetcars, suburban trains and regional trains in Dresden or in Saxony for free.

The semester contribution must also be paid by students who come to the TU Dresden as part of an exchange program or a double degree program.

Please inform yourself about the re-registration and the respective current semester fee.

Applicants with foreign higher education entrance qualifications/school leavers' certificates that are not considered equivalent to the German Abitur have to attend a preparatory course at a Studienkolleg before starting their studies. By taking the course they acquire a subject-specific university entrance qualification. For further information please go to Studienvorbereitung (university preparation).

The TU Dresden strives for a low-barrier design of the studies as well as the study environment (see Inclusion). If your health is impaired (disability or chronic illness), there are often special questions and topics concerning your studies. Numerous support and counseling services are available to help you participate in your studies on an equal footing with your chances.

[Termination of Enrolment]
[Semester Ticket Refund]
[Library]
[Residents’ Registration Office]
[Health Insurance]

Termination of enrolment

At the end of your study period, you must terminate your enrollment with TU Dresden. Please use the student portal Studierendenportal. You have to fill in the form for your termination (Exmatrikulation), send it online AND print it out. Please send the form by regular mail to the International Office or come to the Service Desk during opening hours.

• You can terminate your enrollment in advance, e.g. when your departure date has been determined.
• After successfully having terminated your enrollment, you will receive a confirmation of your termination of enrollment.
• Please read about the legal basis for this requirement.

Semester Ticket Refund

• If you terminate enrollment during the semester, you can apply for a proportionate refund of the prepaid semester ticket. You can apply for a refund with the student council Studentenrat.
• Please fill in the Application  for a refund and hand it in at the Studentenrat.

Library

• Make sure you bring back all books and other media you borrowed from the library.
• Before you depart from Dresden, please terminate your library membership in the SLUB.

Residents’ Registration Office

• Before leaving Dresden, please notify the Resident'Registration Office and de-register.
• You can find information about moving within Germany here.

Health Insurance

• In case you have bought health insurance in Germany, you should consider canceling your policy.}
• Submit your certificate of withdrawal from the student register to your insurance provider for this purpose.

The TestAS (test for foreign students) refers to a central, standardized scholastic capability test for foreign applicants. The test was developed by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and is administered in licensed test centres around the world. The TestAS result gives applicants from abroad information about where they stand in comparison to other applicants. Good test results mean an improved chance of getting a place to study at a university in Germany.

At TU Dresden the TestAS result will be taken into account as an additional proof of qualification as part of the admission procedure. Places on programs with a restriction on admission will be assigned to foreign students from non-EU countries within the framework of a selection process. Applicants that successfully take the TestAS get a bonus compared to other applicants with otherwise identical aptitude, which increases admission chances.

You will find information about how to register and the TestAS centres on the TestAS homepage. You can also look at example exercizes on this page.

Exams/Earning Credits

During non-degree studies, it is intended that you complete the required work and sit for the examinations that were agreed on in your learning agreement.  

• Each faculty has its own procedures concerning the registration for examinations and/or registration to participate in seminars/lectures. Please check their specific requirements, if registration for classes is necessary.
• If you have further questions at the beginning of your study period, please do not hesitate to contact the tutors (of your department), the ERASMUS contact person or the examination office responsible for your subject.

Transcript of Records

The faculties issue Transcripts of Records (documenting credits earned at the TU Dresden).

• The procedure for issuance of transcripts varies among the faculties. Credits attempted will either be listed on the Transcript of Records form, signed in the faculty, after the end of your stay in Dresden. In some faculties, transcripts will be issued at the examination office.
• The following sources can give you more information: your tutor (of your department), the ERASMUS contact person or the examination office responsible for your subject.

Please note:

• Every student must pick up the transcript him/herself!
• The TU Dresden will NOT automatically send your transcript to your home university.
• If your exam grades are not yet available when you leave, please make arrangements with the proper office to have your transcript sent to you.

Officially certified copies of your references or documents must generally be submitted in German or English and must have been issued by a publicly appointed and sworn translator. (Certificates that have been issued in English do not have to be translated again).

The translation must be stapled together and stamped with the copy of the original, so that it can be clearly seen that they belong together.

You will find an online database on the Federal Association of Interpreters and Translators (BDÜ) website in which you can look for a publicly appointed translator.

Please also note that an officially certified copy of your original certificates (in the original language) must be submitted regardless of this translation. You will find more information under the point ‘certification’.

TU Dresden cannot recognize the document if the certifications and translations do not meet the aforementioned requirements. There is not legal claim to the return of the documents.

No tuition fees are currently charged for a first degree program at TU Dresden.

• Fees may be charged as part of a second degree program or for long-term students.
• In addition, tuition fees are charged for some advanced degree programs. The fees to be paid in each case are mentioned in the course descriptions in the study information system of the TU Dresden (SINS).

However, the tuition fees are not to be confused with the semester contribution. All regularly enrolled students must pay a student semester contribution each semester.

If you want to attend a language course or study in Germany, you will usually require a visa.

This does not include EU citizens and citizens from certain non-EU countries. You will find an overview of the states exempt from the visa requirements on the Federal Foreign Office pages. Citizens from these countries only need a residence permit for study purposes. This residence permit must be applied for within three months of arrival at the relevant immigration authorities.

Citizens from all other countries have to apply for a visa in their home country with a German representative – the embassy or a consulate.
There a three different kinds of visa:

•    Language course visa
•    Applicant visa
•    Student visa

Please do not travel to Germany with a tourist visa under any circumstances. Converting a visa for the purpose of studying or learning the German language is not possible after arrival!

Prerequisites for a visa

We recommend that you get information regarding specific conditions and prerequisites as early as possible from the German embassy or consulate of the Federal Republic of Germany in your home country because there are particular provisions for each country and the processing time can be lengthy (up to 3 months).

You usually have to meet the following conditions for a visa:
You must have enough financial resources for the entire duration of your stay in the Federal Republic of Germany to cover your livelihood as well as the costs of the language course/studies. Evidence for this must potentially be produced at the embassy or consulate.
All necessary application documents must be complete. Please gather all information about the required documents at the respective responsible embassy or consulate general.
 
1. VISA FOR ATTENDING A LANGUAGE COURSE (LANGUAGE COURSE VISA)

A language course visa only authorizes you to attend a language course and cannot usually be converted into a visa for the purpose of studying. If you do not want to exclude the option of studying in Germany after the language course, you must indicate this in your visa application!

A special prerequisite for a language course visa is the confirmation from a German language school regarding registration on a language course, which must include at least 20 hours of lessons per week. There are several language schools in Dresden that meet these requirements and will issue the corresponding confirmation of registration for the embassy.

A visa is initially issued for 3 months and can be extended by the immigration authorities in Germany for a further 9 months. The residence permit for attending a language course will be issued for one year at the most.

2. APPLICANT VISA

If you have not yet been admitted, you can get an applicant visa, which is usually valid for 3 months and can be extended by a maximum of 6 months in Germany. In this period you must provide evidence of either direct admission to a course or a conditional acceptance on to an introductory course for foreign students or a preparatory German course/introductory course.
An applicant visa therefore entitles you to attend a language course as preparation for your studies.

The prerequisite is that you have a school leavers’ qualification (secondary level 2), which entitles you to study at a German university or attend an introductory course for foreign students. You can find out whether your school leavers’ qualification meets these conditions in the DAAD database.

Please bring all documents, such as your school leavers’ certificate and, if available, university certificates, which you need for your admission request, both the original and the certified translation, with you to Germany in order to avoid any delays when applying at a university.

3. STUDENT VISA

If you have already been approved for studying at TU Dresden, you must then apply for a student visa at the German embassy or consulate in your home country.

Applicants from countries for which there are no visa requirements for traveling to Germany (see above) only require a residence permit for the purpose of studying. This residence permit must be applied for within three months of arrival at the relevant immigration authorities.

You will find an overview of the visa requirements on the Federal Foreign Office’s website.