Step-by-step guide for international exchange students

You will be nominated by your International Office. We will send you all the information and a link for the application. Application deadline is May 31 (winter) / November 30 (summer). Upload all documents you already have. Proof of health insurance (see step 2) and proof of finances are not mandatory at this point, but are necessary if you need to apply for your visa. Prepare these documents for the application:

• Letter of motivation (you are taking part in a selection process for a DAAD scholarship – usually 450 EUR per month)
• CV
• Scan of your passport / national ID
• Recent photograph for your student ID (35 × 45 mm)
• Previous transcript of records/grade sheets
• Proof of language proficiency (B2 in German or English) with a language level, score, and reference to an international framework such as CEFR or ACTFL.

Most German universities charge only an administrative fee per semester, known as the ‘semester fee’. At Mittweida University of Applied Sciences, you pay 107 EUR per semester. This does not include a public transport pass. Payment of the semester fee is a prerequisite for enrolment. You will find all bank transfer information here. If you have any problems with the transfer, please contact the International Office: incoming@hs-mittweida.de 

Booking a German student health insurance for the duration of the semester before arrival is the second condition for enrolment. We recommend public health insurance providers.  After registration, you will receive a provisional insurance certificate, and they will inform us about your insurance (M10 notification).

If you are 30 years or older, you unfortunately no longer qualify for public student health insurance. You must get your initial health insurance from a private insurance provider. If you decide or are required to purchase private insurance, you need to have it exempted by a public insurance provider. Contact the International Office for this step: incoming@hs-mittweida.de

If you are from the EU or Türkiye, you can use your local public insurance in Germany. Please upload the front and back sides of your health insurance card during the application. A public insurer must exempt you from the German public insurance requirement. Contact the International Office for this step: incoming@hs-mittweida.de

The best way to get to know other students is to live in the halls of residence. Take a look at the various accommodation options on our three campuses on Prof-Holzt-Str., Feldstraße and Am Schwanenteich. To secure a room or flat in our halls of residence, please apply ONLINE.

Apply now

Please apply as soon as you have received your letter of admission from us! Please note that the deposit of 450 euros and the first month’s rent must be paid before you arrive. If you are staying for just one semester, a short-stay flat-rate fee of 15 EUR applies. Your rent already includes Wi-Fi, heating, service charges and maintenance. The rooms are furnished but do not include bed linen, duvets or pillows. The halls of residence administration offers a starter pack for 45 EUR, which includes a duvet, a pillow and bed linen.

We recommend that you arrive between 9.00 and 17.00 from Monday to Friday, as the hall of residence administration team are on site during these hours. Key safes are also available – please make use of this option!

If you’d like to rent from a private landlord, please contact the International Office at incoming@hs-mittweida.de 

If you are an EU citizen, you do not need a visa to study in Mittweida. However, if you are not an EU citizen but are studying at a higher education institution in the EU, please contact us at: incoming@hs-mittweida.de. All others must apply for a long-stay visa (also known as: national visa / D visa / visa for stays exceeding 90 days). Please check the FAQ section of the Federal Foreign Office’s website, as well as the website of the German Embassy or Consulate in your home country, for information on the visa application process and the required documents.

Please apply for the visa using your letter of admission. You should receive your letter of admission in December (for the summer semester) or in June (for the winter semester). Please start your application as soon as we have sent you the letter. We want to avoid late arrivals at all costs.

Blocked account

To study abroad in Germany, the embassy requires you to provide proof of funds to demonstrate that you can finance your studies. It bases this requirement on the average monthly expenditure of students in Germany: 992 euros. For a one-semester stay, you must provide evidence of funding for 6 months. This means that a blocked account should contain at least 5,952 euros. If you are staying for two semesters or 12 months, the blocked account should contain at least 11,904 euros. Companies such as Fintiba, Expatrio, Care Concept, Coracle or Edubao can handle the entire process for you (including health insurance, a current account and travel health insurance for the visa application), but they do charge additional fees. 

Alternatively, someone you know in Germany can provide a declaration of financial support on your behalf. You can also submit proof of a scholarship, provided it amounts to 992 euros per month or more.

Mittweida is a small rural town. That means after you arrive at an airport, there will still be 2–3 trains ahead of you to reach Mittweida. Please keep that in mind when you book your ticket. We recommend travelling to the airports in Berlin, Leipzig, or Prague as they are the closest to Mittweida.

BER – Berlin-Brandenburg Airport: Book your train or coach ticket to Chemnitz and from there take the RB 45 or the CB 14 on to Mittweida.

LEJ – Leipzig Halle Airport (for connections via Istanbul): Book your train or coach ticket to Chemnitz and from there take the RB 45 or the CB 14 on to Mittweida.

PRG – Prague Václav Havel Airport: Book your train or coach ticket to Chemnitz and then take the RB 45 or CB 14 on to Mittweida.

Once you’ve opened a German bank account after your arrival, you can book the Deutschland-Ticket. The ticket can only be booked using a European IBAN. With the Deutschland-Ticket, you can use all regional trains, trams and buses for a monthly fee. Long-distance trains such as the ICE or IC are not included. Please don’t forget to cancel your Deutschland-Ticket before the 10th of the month if you no longer need it.

As you may have already noticed, studying in Germany involves a significant financial commitment. To help you plan ahead, we’ve listed the average monthly costs you can expect when living in Mittweida:

• Rent: 220–400 EUR per month
• Health insurance: 125 EUR/250 EUR (for students over 30)
• Canteen: 3–5 EUR per meal
• Free time activities: 10–20 EUR
• Public transport (optional): 63 EUR
• Broadcasting fee: 19 EUR

• Bank account fees: 2–10 EUR

Total: around 740 EUR per month

For information on internships and student jobs, check our Career Service Center. We recommend learning German as soon as possible, as many companies require employees to have basic German communication skills (B1/B2). However, there are exceptions.

Please ask your Student Buddy to collect you from Mittweida railway station. The station is not accessible. You will usually have to climb stairs to leave the station. Please bear this in mind if you are travelling with a lot of luggage.

You will be staying either in the hall of residence on the Prof.-Holzt-Str. campus, the Feldstraße campus or the Am Schwanenteich campus. It is about a 10- to 15-minute walk from the station.

Please note that the university facilities are not accessible at the weekend. On Sundays, most shops and supermarkets are closed. Please bear this in mind when planning your journey. You can drink the tap water in Mittweida without any worries – it is of excellent quality and this helps you avoid plastic waste.

The enrolment process at Mittweida University of Applied Sciences depends on your student status:

You will receive your personal login details and provisional password for your HSMW student account from the International Office before you arrive (provided you have completed Step 2 of Step-by-Step Guide 1!). After logging in for the first time, you must change your password and agree to several standard terms and conditions. Your student account will then be activated.

To enrol on courses, please download the HSMW app from the Play Store or Apple Store in advance and log in. Your Student Buddy can also help you with this. If you need assistance, please contact incoming@hs-mittweida.de.

In Germany, you are required to visit the Residents’ Registration Office within two weeks of your arrival; this is necessary in order to open a bank account.

 Mittweida Citizens’ Office / Town Hall, 09648 Mittweida

Please bring the following documents with you:

• Passport (with visa sticker) or identity card (for EU citizens)
• Tenancy agreement / landlord’s certificate
• Enrolment certificate (see step 2)

Book an appointment here

We recommend that you book an appointment via their website – please note that the website is only available in German and the staff also speak only German. One to two weeks after registering, you will receive your German tax ID by post.

You’ll need a German bank account for all your financial matters. You can choose online banks such as WISE, N26 or Revolut, or local banks in Mittweida, such as Sparkasse Mittelsachsen or Volksbank Mittweida eG.

You’ll need to book an appointment and have someone accompany you if you don’t speak German – please ask your buddy for help.

Please bring the following documents with you:

• Passport (with visa) or identity card (for EU citizens)
• Certificate of enrolment (see Step 2)
• Confirmation of registration + tax ID
• If available: scholarship award letter

During the first few weeks, you can withdraw cash using a Visa debit or credit card from your home bank; however, there are very few cash machines in Mittweida that accept these cards. Whilst card payments are possible in most supermarkets, they are still uncommon in many other places. In Germany, cash is the norm!

You have taken out student health insurance and it is now time to activate it. Your health insurance provider needs your bank details and your certificate of enrolment. You can activate your cover online or at a branch office. You will then receive your health insurance card.

In summary – please bring or upload the following:

• Passport (with visa) or identity card (for EU citizens)
• Certificate of enrolment (see step 2)
• IBAN (bank details, see step 4)
• Confirmation of registration (see step 3)

If you have a doctor’s appointment, you only need to show your health insurance card. You will not incur any costs or receive any bills for your medical treatment. However, there is a co-payment for prescription medicines, usually between 5 and 10 EUR.

If you fall ill, please go to a GP’s surgery first. There, you will be referred to a specialist if necessary.

Visiting the Foreigners’ Registration Office is a necessary step for all non-European students holding a 90-day entry visa (e.g. from the USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, Brazil, Ukraine, etc.).

The office is located in the town of Brand-Erbisdorf, around 50 km from Mittweida. To apply for your residence permit, please use the Foreigners’ Registration Office’s online system.

START APPLICATION

Please upload the following documents:

• Passport (with visa sticker)
• Proof of financial means (from the visa application)
• Confirmation of registration (see step 3)
• Certificate of enrolment (see step 2)
• Proof of health insurance (see step 5)

Make sure you apply for your residence permit within the first month of your stay in Mittweida, and take your buddy with you to the appointment.

At the end of the application process, you will be asked to book an appointment to provide your biometric data (fingerprints and photograph).

Please note that only a photographer in Mittweida is authorised to take passport photos for the Foreigners’ Registration Office. You can find more information here. You can also use the photo booth in the basement of the Foreigners’ Registration Office (€6 per photo), although it does not always work reliably.

If you need help with your visa extension, please book an appointment via incoming@hs-mittweida.de and we’ll walk you through the process (you should share your screen or come to the office).

✅Submit your marks

In order to issue your Transcript of Records, we need your marks and a course overview. Please ask your lecturers to send your marks to incoming@hs-mittweida.de.

✅Deregistration at the Town Hall

Please visit the Town Hall (as in step 3) to notify them of your departure.

✅Withdrawal from HSMW

Before you leave, apply to deregister via the Campus Portal. 

✅Health insurance

Inform your health insurance provider of your departure – particularly if your policy does not have a fixed end date. The notice period is usually one month.

✅Bank account

Close your German bank account before you leave to avoid unnecessary charges.

✅Broadcasting fee

Notify the contribution service of your departure to avoid any problems for subsequent tenants.

✅Deutschland-Ticket

Cancel your Deutschland-Ticket subscription before the 10th of the month so that you are not charged for the following month.