EXCHANGE-COORDINATORS

UPCOMING EVENTS

The winter semester 2024/25 runs from 9th October 2024 (orientation meeting) to 15th February 2025.
Course Catalog and Lecture Periods

Public holidays:
3rd October (German Unity Day)
25th + 26th  December (Christmas)
1st January (New Year's Day)

German national public holidays are called „gesetzliche Feiertage.“ On the above mentioned days German organisations, businesses and doctors are generally closed,
but police stations and hospitals do not close, public transport is operating and supermarkets in main stations are open.

The International Office will be your main point of contact for non-academic issues before your arrival and during your time in Berlin.

For enrolment, please send the following documents as an e-mail attachment to your international office coordinator in charge of your exchange by the end of February (summer semester) or Mid-August (winter semester) at the latest:

• PDF of your ID or PASSPORT
• Proof of payment for the Semester Contribution - a bank statement or booking confirmation (see section "Semester Contribution").
• Provide us with a postal address preferably an address in Berlin (include the name on the postbox as c/o if necessary). The access details to your UdK account as well as access to UdK wifi will be sent to this postal address.

Enrolment is only possible with sufficient and confirmed health insurance coverage! (Please read carefully the section "HEALTH INSURANCE")

All students have to pay a mandatory contribution of is 254,60 € before enrolment. The contribution is for Student Social Services, the Student Union, and the German Semester Ticket (Deutschlandsemesterticket - DST).

Incoming exchange students in Art in Context have to pay a different amount, which will be communicated via email.

Please transfer the complete amount and send us proof of payment by e-mail as JPEG or PDF e.g. copy of bank statement (you can blank everything out apart from name, currency and transaction amount) or a booking confirmation.

Please be aware that outside the SEPA AREA, you have to pay all TRANSACTION CHARGES.

Payment must be made to the account of the UdK Berlin:

Name of beneficiary: Kasse der UdK Berlin
Address of beneficiary: Einsteinufer 43, 10587 Berlin
Bank: Berliner Volksbank
Address of bank: Wittestr. 30, 13509 Berlin
IBAN: DE 72 100 900 00 884 101 50 46
BIC/SWIFT: BEVO DEBBXXX
Option: “OUR“ (i.e. all charges borne by the originator)
Reason for payment: YOUR NAME, YOUR COURSE OF STUDY + EXCHANGE WINTER 24/25

There is NO POSSIBILITY to pay on arrival at the university by credit card or in cash!

Depending on your age, the university has to be notified that you have adequate health insurance coverage upon enrolment.

Students under 30 years old

Students under 30 years old must prove either that they have a statutory health insurance or that they are exempted from the mandatory statutory health insurance to enrol in a German university.

Prospective students from EU, EEA countries or Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Switzerland, Serbia, Tunisia, Turkey, and the United Kingdom

Students from EU, EEA countries or countries with which Germany has an agreement (Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Switzerland, Serbia, Tunisia, Turkey, and the United Kingdom) can get their home country statutory health insurance recognized in Germany.

For the recognition, please contact one of the German statutory health insurance companies (you can find a list at the end of this section). You will need your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC/ GHIC - UK only) or a certificate of entitlement (E-111, AT11, ATN11 or BH6 form) from your home country, the welcome E-Mail from UdK and an identification document (ID or passport). On contacting the health insurance company, please ask them to transmit your insurance status to the UdK Berlin electronically.

Important! The health insurance card/certificate has to be valid for the entire semester (or academic year) for which you wish to enrol.

Please note, if you work in Germany alongside your studies, your home country health insurance is no longer valid. You have to take out a German statutory insurance, which currently costs approximately 120 Euros per month.

Prospective students from all other countries

Statutory Health Insurance

Students who do not have an adequate coverage from their home country may obtain a German statutory health insurance (you can find a list of companies at the end of this section), which currently costs approximately 120 Euros per month. Once you have taken out a statutory health insurance, please ask the company to transmit your insured status to the UdK Berlin electronically.

Private Health Insurance

Students, who wish to bring a private health insurance from their home country or obtain a private health insurance in Germany, have to apply for an exemption from the statutory health insurance (Befreiung von der gesetzlichen Krankenversicherungspflicht). Please note that the insurance benefits must correspond to the minimum benefits of a German statutory health insurance.

To apply for an exemption, you have to contact one of the statutory health insurance companies (you can find a list at the end of this section). Important! Your health insurance has to be valid for the entire semester (or academic year) for which you wish to enrol. If your request will be approved, please ask the statutory health insurance company to transmit your insurance status to the UdK electronically. This is extremely important for enrolment, as without this step, the registration and examination office cannot proceed with your enrolment.

Please note, the exemption cannot be revoked; it is valid for the entire duration of your university studies in Germany.

You can contact any statutory health insurance company. Please choose a provider yourself and contact them directly.

Here you can find the complete list: https://www.krankenkassen.de/gesetzliche-krankenkassen/krankenkassen-liste/

Students over the age of 30

Prospective students over the age of 30 are not required to provide proof of insurance in order to enrol. However, it is compulsory for every resident in Germany to be covered by health insurance. Please inquire at your home country's health insurance, if you are coverd in Germany. Otherwise, you should obtain a German private health insurance.

Important! Students who have to apply for a visa to enter Germany usually need to present proof of health insurance for the application. Please check with the German Embassy or Consulate in your home country.

The semester contribution includes the German Semester Ticket (Deutschlandsemesterticket DST). This is a travel ticket, which is valid for all local and regional public transportation around Germany from 1st October until 31th March. EC (Eurocity), IC (Intercity) and ICE (Intercity Express) trains are not included.

Exchange students in Art and Context do not receive the German Semester Ticket.

Further Info:

Rückmeldung – Universität der Künste Berlin (udk-berlin.de)

Our course catalogue for the winter semester 2024/25 will not be published before the end of September 2024.

Probably your home university needs you to have your learning agreement signed and confirmed before the mobility. We suggest to choose modules or general lectures which can be ultimately defined in October. The agreement will be confirmed and signed by the student exchange coordinator from your course of study.

We have integrated the Online Learning Agreement (OLA) into our incoming procedures. OLA is a web-based tool, which enables the digital processing of your Learning Agreement. If your home university supports the OLA tool, please use the e-mail address of your student exchange coordinator.

For some students it is essential to have the exact study dates of your exchange at UdK Berlin confirmed.
Please ask your home university for the form and get it signed by the International Office. Please note that the confirmation cannot be issued BEFORE THE LAST WEEK of studies.

Contrary to the system at many other universities, there is no central registration of courses for exchange students at the UdK Berlin. For this reason, neither the International Office nor the Registration Office (IPA) has information on which courses you have taken while on exchange here.
In order to obtain a Transcript of Records, you must collect ECTS points (and grades if necessary) and the signatures of the professors or lecturers you are studying with on the Record of Courses. This form will be provided by the international office. You should start collecting signatures during the last weeks of the semester. After collecting all signatures the form has to be counter-signed  by the student exchange coordinator in your college. Please hand it in to the International Office afterwards.
Don’t wait too long however, as the teachers may not be available during the vacation period.

The Transcript of Records will then be issued and sent direct to your home institution within 5 weeks of the end of the semester.

Many programs at the UdK do not award grades. However, if you do require a grade, please speak to your professors at the beginning of the semester. Otherwise the German grading scheme is as follows:

The Studium Generale is not a separate course of study, but a cultural-scientific and interdisciplinary-artistic basic program integrated into bachelor and art diploma programs of the UdK Berlin.
In each semester there are a number of lectures, seminars and workshops of the Studium Generale to choose from. The courses in the field Cultural Studies offer multidisciplinary approaches to figures of thought, theories and methods. Interdisciplinary artistic practice and theory is the second focus of the Studium Generale. You can learn different art-specific thinking and behavior in interaction with students from other courses of study. A few are offered in English.

The Berlin University of the Arts has its own internet service, called O.A.Se. (Online Access Service).

Your internet access data as well as information on your personal UdK e-mail address will be sent by post to the address you provided us with on enrolment.

It’s important that you activate the UdK e-mail address within 42 days of receiving the letter from the O.A.Se since all future information from the registration and examinations office will be sent to this UdK e-mail account. There is wifi available in all UdK buildings. If you are registered with „eduroam“, you can use your eduroam access details. There is also an unsecure wifi connection which can be accessed with the UdK e-mail address.

Volkswagen-Bibliothek
Fasanenstraße 88, 10623 Berlin
Opening hours
Mon – Fri: 9 am – midnight, Sat: 10 am – midnight

Registration
Mon – Fri: 10 am – 6 pm, Sat: 10 am – 3 pm

Please visit the university library website for up-to-date information on opening and registration hours.

In order to take out books / CDs from the library, you need to register for a library card. The registration desk is to the right of the lending desk on the ground floor.
Please bring your >> student ID, your identity card or passport, certificate of registration of your >> local address and residence permit for non-EU students with you. There is no charge for students registered at the UdK Berlin.

Lockers
The library offers lockers to store your coats and bags. The lockers, however, require a padlock, which can be bought or rented at the bookshop in the foyer or you can bring your own.

The International Office offers free German language courses, which are aimed specifically at exchange students. 

Absolute Beginners A1
Mon, 5:00-7:30 pm (starting 14 October)
Bundesallee 1-12, room 343

Course book: Das Leben. A1.1. Kurs- und Übungsbuch. Cornelsen. (ISBN 978-3-06-121966-6)

Advanced beginners A1.2 and A2.1
Tue, 5:00-7:30pm (starting 15 October)
Bundesallee 1-12, room 343

Course materials will be provided by the teacher.

You can earn 2 ECTS for one German course if you attend at least 70% of the lessons. No marks/grades will be awarded for this course.

The Sprach- und Kulturbörse (language and cultural exchange), a student project of the Technical University Berlin (TU Berlin), offers German language courses that are not free of charge, but still quite cheap. These courses can’t be recognized as ECTS for your studies. Lessons and costs will be published approximately 6 weeks before the start of each semester.

You can also just go to one of the local Volkshochschulen (Community Colleges) in the district where you live. They offer language courses at favourable prices and you can get to know more people (not only students) that way.

The AStA (Allgemeiner Studierenden- Ausschuss) is the Student Union of the UdK Berlin
It represents the students in the administration, on various boards and in the faculties of the UdK Berlin. The AStA supports and coordinates student initiatives both within and outwith of the various colleges of the university.

The AStA usually holds meetings every week (Hardenbergstraße 33, Room 9), at which students can apply for project funding. Please visit the website for up-to-date information.
Foreign students in severe financial distress may also request financial aid.