Welcome page for international students

If you have any questions regarding admission and visa, please contact Patrik Stör

The FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg is not able to offer special accommodation for its students and neither operates any student accommodation facilities, nor is it allowed to act as an estate agent.

There is, however, a detailed guide with tips and advice on housing and apartment hunting, how to find somewhere to live and five tips on how to find accommodation while studying, as well as further information specifically directed towards international applicants. All of this can be found here.

Due to the topicality of the problem:
Offers for shared rooms at prices of 400€ and more per person are overpriced and usually a scam offer! Recently, we have heard from many students who distribute numbers from landlords of such offers via What’s app communities or similar: Do not accept these offers!
Network in these groups to find a shared flat together if necessary and rent a suitable apartment for this purpose (please think about it – with 3 people you can rent a 3 or 4 room apartment for 1200€ and still only pay 400€ per person in the end, and that with a reputable landlord).
A hotel room or vacation apartment (german: Ferienwohnung) booked for the long term (more than 14 days) is also cheaper for bridging the gap than such shared room offers.
Another option would be to rent an interim flat (german: Zwischenmiete) as a temporary solution. When students spend a semester abroad, they understandably want to keep their accommodation, but as they are not on site during this time, they rent it out temporarily. So keep an eye out for such offers, for example on the notice boards at FAU, student networks or online classified ads (german: Kleinanzeigen).

Here you will find an overview of the most important connections and distances in the vicinity of FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg:

In order to be enrolled at the FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg – or any state-approved university in the Federal Republic of Germany for that matter – you are legally required to have statutory health insurance. This also applies to students enrolled at a Germany university that do not usually live in Germany.

Because of this, we have a dedicated website with detailed information of how to register for health insurance and how to obtain the proof of insurance necessary to sign up at the FAU together with answers to many of the frequently asked questions that arise in this context.

While there is only one semester fee which includes services fees for each student, we highly recommend finding solutions to all your financial problems not just before starting your studies, but also before moving to Germany. The FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg does not have any funding available to support international students with their living costs or other expenses. For this reason, international students often receive either scholarships from their home country, the German state or use their own funds to finance their lives and studies. If you do not currently have a scholarship, the DAAD website can be a good place to start searching!

Financial problems can cause huge problems in the long run that will not only affect your quality of living, health and mental wellbeing, but also your academic performance. For this reason, the FAU has a website dealing with the costs of studying which provides rough guidelines regarding monthly expenses, answers some frequently asked questions and also lists some of the options available regarding scholarships. Please note, however, that the list of the approximate costs of living is based on a study from 2021. It is primarily intended as a guide and estimate of the minimum funds you will need during the entire course of your studies!

We would like to take this opportunity to draw your attention to the following:
A blocked account only needs to have funds for the period of validity of the first visa. However, as we know that it is very difficult to find a job without a basic knowledge of German, please make sure that you are able to access one year’s reserves as an absolute minimum upon entry, or even better, reserves that cover the duration of your studies.

It is always a good idea to have some basic knowledge of German before you start studying at FAU, even if you are enrolled on an international degree program. If you have not already started a German course, there are also opportunities to shorten the waiting time until you receive your visa, e. g., by taking a language course.
A free offer (also on other topics) compiled by the Bavarian universities can be found here:
OpenVHB

Welcome Day 24.04.2025

This introductory course takes place exclusively in presence. It is offered at the beginning of each semester and is mandatory if you want to successfully complete your studies at FAU. If you arrive in a semester that is already in progress, take part at the next possible date!

Together you are less alone…
Studying poses individual challenges for everyone. It is an additional challenge when you have to find your way in a new environment and make new contacts. There are various ways to get to know the new environment and make new contacts in order to arrive well in Germany, in the Franconian region and at FAU.
A good first attempt is our Welcome Day, which we offer especially for the students of our teaching unit. At the same time, we can also recommend the Welcome Week for international students at FAU.

However, as your life should not only revolve around studying, there are many other opportunities to make contacts and pursue common interests in order to create a good balance.
You can find an overview of opportunities here:
Meet and connect with new people | FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg

Enrolled students should also take note of the SSC’s offer via StudOn.

For any further questions, advice or more information, check out the website of the Student-Service-Center of the learning unit of Mathematics and Data Science. The Student-Service-Center – or SSC for short – is the best place to contact if you have any issues or questions that are not fully addressed or answered on the university’s websites and also provides counseling for personal issues.