German YearGuide for GJU students
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GJU German Year · unofficial guide

Your German Year,
city by city.

All 126 host universities in one place. For each one: campus and city videos, estimated rent and price ranges, trusted housing links, local events, and the paperwork that gets you through the year.

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The Altmarkt square and St. Georg church in Schmalkalden

Featured guide

Hochschule Schmalkalden

Open the full guide

126

host universities, from Aachen to Zwickau

16 + 10

German states + partners abroad

1,900+

campus, city and region videos

61

everyday prices, adjusted to each city

Student toolkit

InternshipsHousingSurvival mapHidden rulesComparisonsBudget travelIngredient guideSurvival guide

Explore by region

Where in Germany will you live?

Every state has its own feel, prices, festivals and transport network. Pick a state to see all its host universities, videos, events, costs and housing links together.
All regions
SH2Schleswig-Holstein host universitiesHB2Bremen host universitiesHH2Hamburg host universitiesMV2Mecklenburg-Vorpommern host universitiesNW18North Rhine-Westphalia host universitiesNI7Lower Saxony host universitiesST6Saxony-Anhalt host universitiesBB4Brandenburg host universitiesBE3Berlin host universitiesRP10Rhineland-Palatinate host universitiesHE9Hesse host universitiesTH6Thuringia host universitiesSN7Saxony host universitiesSL2Saarland host universitiesBW18Baden-Württemberg host universitiesBY18Bavaria host universities

Pick a state

16 states, 116 campuses

Darker tiles have more GJU host universities. Tap a state for its universities, videos, events, costs and housing links.

fewermore

The year at a glance

Do these in order

This checklist comes from the Schmalkalden Survival Book and works in every host city. Tick items off in the survival guide; your progress is saved in this browser.
  1. 01Before you flyVisa, blocked account, insurance, dormChecklist
  2. 02Week 1Keys, Anmeldung, student card, bank, SIMChecklist
  3. 03First monthResidence permit, learning agreementChecklist
  4. 04Semester 2Your internship in a German companyChecklist

Student toolkit

Everything else you need to survive the year

Internships, halal food, the rules nobody tells you, the best bank and SIM card, cheap weekend trips and the apps to install before you fly.
Internship hubEmployers by region, career fairs, tipsOpen Survival mapHalal food, Deutschlandticket, airportsOpen Hidden rulesTorrents, waste sorting, quiet hoursOpen ComparisonsBanks, mobile plans, health insuranceOpen Budget travelBorder trips and cheap weekendsOpen App directoryApps to install before you flyOpen Ingredient guideE-numbers, gelatine, hidden alcoholOpen

Costs

The same monthly budget, very different months.

Rent decides your budget. A WG room in Munich can cost three times as much as one in Schmalkalden, while groceries, the semester ticket and health insurance cost about the same everywhere.

Open the budget planner Housing links
Typical WG room per monthDorm range shown in green
  • München€650–850
  • Hamburg€520–700
  • Frankfurt€520–700
  • Berlin€520–700
  • Köln€520–700
  • Stuttgart€520–700
  • Nürnberg€420–560
  • Hannover€420–560
  • Leipzig€420–560
  • Erfurt€340–460
  • Schmalkalden€230–350

Watch before you go

Campus tours from students who were there

Every university and host city has its own playlist of campus tours, dorm room tours and city guides, filtered so that every video is about that place.
Video library

16 states

Find your region

Baden-Württemberg18 unis

Engineering heartland between the Black Forest and Lake Constance

Bavaria18 unis

Alps, lakes, castles, and the most host universities in the German Year

Berlin3 unis

The capital: start-ups, history, and the largest Arab community in Germany

Brandenburg4 unis

Lakes, pine forests, and calm campuses around Berlin

Bremen2 unis

A small city-state of harbours, Hanseatic brick and aerospace

Hamburg2 unis

Germany's gateway to the world: port, canals and the Elbphilharmonie

Hesse9 unis

Frankfurt's skyline, the airport you land at, and green university towns

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern2 unis

Baltic beaches, chalk cliffs and a thousand lakes

Lower Saxony7 unis

From the North Sea islands to the Harz mountains, home of Volkswagen

North Rhine-Westphalia18 unis

Eighteen million people, Cologne Cathedral and the Ruhr's reinvented industry

Rhineland-Palatinate10 unis

Castles on the Rhine, vineyards, and Roman Trier

Saarland2 unis

Small, French-flavoured and very friendly

Saxony7 unis

Baroque Dresden, creative Leipzig, and the cheapest big-city rents in Germany

Saxony-Anhalt6 unis

Bauhaus, Luther and the Harz mountains

Schleswig-Holstein2 unis

Between two seas: Baltic and North Sea, Lübeck and Flensburg

Thuringia6 unis

The green heart of Germany: Thuringian Forest, Weimar and Wartburg

Built from the GJU host-university list

The language, GPA and fee notes on every university page match the GJU host-university list for 116 German and 10 international places. Always confirm before you choose.

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