Guide for Incoming Exchange Students
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Guide for Incoming Exchange Students 1 Dear exchange student, Welcome to Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover and thank you very much for your interest in studying here. We are looking forward to welcoming you to Hannover! You will find any information you need in this guide. For further questions, please do not hesitate to contact one of the addresses which you will find on the following pages. This guide is written for exchange students who will study at Leibniz Universität Hannover for a limited time, either as an incoming exchange student under the terms of an agreement or as a visiting student from any other university all over the world studying as a so-called free mover for one or two semesters in Hannover. Please note that both exchange and visiting students have to be enrolled at their home university during their stay in Hannover. 3 Content Part I: General 3 Hannover 4 Arrival Infomation 5 Leibniz Universität Hannover 5 International Office 6 Part II: Information Before your Arrival 8 Dates and Deadlines 9 Application 9 Language Competence and German courses 10 Accommodation 11 Time of Arrival 12 Part III: First Steps After Arrival 13 Enrolment / Welcome Reception 14 Orientation Days 14 Language Requirements 14 Health Insurance 15 Accident and Liability Insurance 16 Bank Accounts 16 VISA and Residence Permit 17 City Registration 18 Work Permit 18 Useful Contacts 19 ECTS 21 Finding your Classes 22 Part IV: Before Leaving 23 ...don't forget to 24 Part V: Your Life in Hannover / General Information 25 Food 26 Cost of Living 26 Library Facilities 26 Leisure Time 27 Study with Children 29 Shopping Hours 30 Trams and Trains 30 ERASMUS Student Network (ESN) 30 Recreation, City and Culture 31 4 Part I: General 5 Hannover - about the City and how to Get There Hannover, the capital of Lower Saxony, is not only the economic, scientific and cultural centre of the region. In 1990, after German Reunification, Hannover has moved to the centre of Europe. Hannover is connected by direct express train services with eleven state capitals and over 60 large cities in Germany, thus a brilliant location for international business and trade. The city‘s clean appearan- ce supports this role furthermore. Some of the largest and most important trade fairs in the world are hosted by Hannover. The famous computer and industrial trade fairs (CeBIT and Hanno- ver Messe) take place at the Messegelände, and it was also the location of the world exhibition EXPO 2000. The programmes of the opera, the theatres and festivals offer excellent enter- tainment as well as invaluable food for thought. Friends of music may choose from classical concerts, the Jazz Club and many more. For the museums, come and see yourself! Just like a green lung, the city forest stretches through the entire city and provides ideal conditions for recreation and sports activities for its 520,000 in- habitants. This is complemented by the city lake Maschsee as well as the Royal Gardens of Herrenhausen, a cultural heritage of baroque glamour. In fact, half the city‘s area consists of green gardens, woods and water. To find out more about the Old Town, the flea market, Skate by Night or the Sprengel Museum, please have a look at: www.hannover.de 6 Arrival information Upon arriving in Hannover, there are several ways to get to the university. The easiest way is to use public transportation from either the main station or Kröpcke, since these are located in the city centre. What is more, the trains of public transportation directly stop in front of the main building of the univer- sity. If you need further information on how to get to the main station, how to use public transportation or how to get to the university by car, please follow the link below: www.uni-hannover.de/en/service/wegweiser/anfahrtsbeschreibung/index.php Leibniz Universität Hannover The university is the second largest higher education institution in Lower Saxo- ny. Students can choose from more than 90 disciplines. Our range of subjects reaches from science and engineering, to arts, humanities, and social sciences through the fields of law and economics. This wide choice allows plenty of indi- vidual combinations. The university also offers subjects that few other German universities do, such as International Horticulture and Earth Sciences or master programmes in Water Resources, Environmental Management (WATENV) and European Law. By participating in international mobility programmes, like for example ERASMUS+ or ISEP, and by offering our students recognition of credits, we strongly support our students who wish to study abroad for one or two seme- sters. Studying at Leibniz Universität Hannover also provides you an extensive recrea- tional offer. The „Zentrum für Hochschulsport“ (sports centre) offers more than 106 sports courses and is awarded as the best in Germany in 2012. Those inte- rested in music can join the university choir or the Big Band. The Studentenwerk 7 cares for the hungry ones. The university canteen is one of the best in Germany. You can find further information about Leibniz Universität Hannover, the study programmes and much more at: www.uni-hannover.de . Faculties and Institutes Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover consists of 9 faculties: Faculty of Architecture and Landscape Sciences Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geodetic Science Faculty of Economics and Management Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Faculty of Humanities Faculty of Law Faculty of Mathematics and Physics Faculty of Mechanical Engineering Faculty of Natural Sciences Each faculty subdivides into institutes and chairs. According to your studies at home you are allocated to one of the numerous departmental coordinators who can help you with all questions concerning your studies. International Office The International Office (IO) coordinates the ERASMUS+programme as well as other international exchange programmes and partnerships with universities worldwide. The International Office is the contact for all foreign students. The IO files the applications and administers the grants. Each department, and with bigger departments each individual institute, has an Fachaustauschkoordinator (exchange departmental coordinator). They are responsible for: 8 - academic contact with the partner university and/or respective departmental coordinators - academic support for incoming exchange students (selection of lectures, modules, courses, etc.) - advice on academic issues A list of all international exchanges with partner institutions of Leibniz Univer- sität Hannover can be found at: http://www.international.uni-hannover.de/exchangepartneruni.html?&L=1 For information on contact details of the departmental coordinators, the num- ber of exchange places and duration, please contact: Dott. Francesco Ducatelli: [email protected] 9 Part II: Important Information before your Arrival 10 Dates and deadlines for academic terms The German academic year is divided into two semesters: the winter semester starts on October 1st and ends on March 31st, the summer semester starts on April 1st and ends on September 30th. Lectures during the winter semester usually start mid-October and end mid-February, during the summer semester they start at the beginning of April and finish at the end of July. Field trips and exams usually take place during the semester holidays. At the beginning of each semester, that is at the beginning of October and April, an Orientation Week is held for all new international incoming students participating in exchange programmes (registration with the International Office). http://www.uni-hannover.de/en/aktuell/semestertermine/index.php Application The first step, if you plan to study at Leibniz Universität Hannover as an inco- ming exchange student, is to apply to the programme manager at your home university. Once you have been selected and nominated, you will receive the link to our online application procedure. Please ask your programme coordinator at home to nominate you via moveonnet: https://www.moveonnet.eu/mymoveonnet/enomination You can also find the online application forms and further information on the internet at: http://www.international.uni-hannover.de/austauschstudium.html?&L=1. Please, keep in mind that your language competence is also part of the appli- cation form. Should you use a different form, e.g. by your own university, we might ask you for extra proof. 11 You are accepted at Leibniz Universität Hannover as soon as you receive the signed Learning Agreement form and the acceptance letter from us. Please note: There are deadlines for applications within the exchange pro- grammes. Therefore we kindly ask you to send us your application not later than 31st May for the winter semester and 15th December for the summer semester, in order to ensure a duly processing of your application. Language Competence and German Language Courses Before the semester starts a four-week intensive German language course is offered on different levels for incoming exchange students in March and Sep- tember: - Elementary level (A1, A2) - Intermediate level (B1, B2) The course includes 80 tuition hours (4 weeks with respectively 20 hours) and optional grammar training in a computer lab. With regular attendance as well as successful examination proof, the partici- pants have the possibility to earn 4 ECTS points. More information on the intensive language course can be found here: http://www.international.uni-hannover.de/index.php?id=182&L=1 The Fachsprachenzentrum (FSZ) will also offer language courses during the semester which are highly demanded by international students. 12 Accommodation You should make arrangements for your accomodation as soon as you have been accepted as an exchange student by our university. The International Office offers an accomodation service which will help you finding a room or appartment. E-mail: [email protected] If you want to use our accommodation service, please fill in the accomodati- on form (see below).