Living and studying in Ludwigsburg

1. In order to study in Germany, you need a permanent address for your place of residence. As soon as you have been accepted by the LUE, you should look for a place to live, as this can take some time. You should have found a permanent place of residence before you come to Germany, as only then can you apply for a residence permit.
2. You should also make sure that you can easily get to the LUE from your place of residence. There are inexpensive semester tickets for LUE students (under “Tickets for school pupils, apprentices, students and young people”) for the entire public transport system in the Stuttgart area (VVS). You can find the entire route network of the VVS rail system here. There you will find places of residence from which you can easily and quickly reach the LUE by train. The LUE stop is called Favoritepark.
3. The General Student Committee (AStA) of the LUE regularly updates a list of available rooms and apartments near the LUE as well as the addresses of the dormitories. Both lists can be requested by email (buero(at)asta-phlb.de). 
4. The following housing options are available:

       Dormitories

• As a student in the Stuttgart area, you can apply for a room in one of the Studierendenwerk's many dormitories. To apply for all dormitories, click on this link.
• There are various dormitories with furnished rooms in the Ludwigsburg student village right next to the PH. These vary in size and can be part of shared flats. Further information and cost details can be found here.

      Shared flats (WGs)

• There are many shared student flats in Ludwigsburg and the surrounding area. You can find a large selection of rooms in shared flats on the many shared flat portals on the Internet (e.g. WG-Gesucht, Studenten-WG, etc.) or on the AStA housing list. 

      Apartments

• Apartments are good if you prefer to live alone. You can also look for apartments for new shared flats.
• You can also find a small number of apartments via the shared flat portals on the Internet or on the AStA apartment list. However, most apartments can be found via real estate portals on the Internet or in the apartment advertisements in local newspapers.

• To study in Germany, you need a fixed address for your place of residence. You must register at the residents' registration office in your place of residence within two weeks of your arrival. If you need a residence permit, you must apply for a residence permit to study at the Foreigners' Registration Office in your place of residence (you can do this here for Ludwigsburg). 
• If you are a citizen of an EU and/or Schengen country, you do not need to apply for a visa or residence permit. It is sufficient if you register your place of residence at the residents' registration office after your arrival. 
• If you are a citizen of another European country (e.g. Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, United Kingdom) or a country with visa-free entry to Germany (e.g. Australia, Brazil, El Salvador, Honduras, Israel, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, South Korea, USA), you do not need to apply for a student visa before entering Germany. After your arrival, you register your new place of residence with the Residents' Registration Office. Within three months of your arrival, you must apply for a residence permit to study at the immigration office in your place of residence.
• All other nationalities must apply for a student visa at a German consulate or embassy in their home country before entering Germany. After entering Germany with a valid visa, you must still apply for a residence permit to study at the immigration office in your place of residence.
• If you need a student visa to enter Germany, you can do this at the German embassy in your country or at a consulate. You can find a list of German missions abroad here.

• Everyone must have health insurance in Germany. You will need health insurance to enroll at the university.
• If you are under 30 years of age, you can register with a statutory health insurance fund.
• Students over the age of 30 only have the option of taking out private health insurance.
• International students from EU countries, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iceland, Israel, Liechtenstein, Morocco, Macedonia, Montenegro, Norway, Switzerland, Serbia, Tunisia and Turkey are not required to take out additional health insurance due to their public insurance. In addition, they should check with their health insurance provider to find out what benefits they are entitled to after their arrival in Germany, as there is a possibility that the health insurance provider from their home country will not cover all costs in Germany.

This video by the Servicepoint for Intercultural Competence of Deutsches Studierendenwerk explains requirements and options for financing studying in Germany for international students. It explains legal restrictions in the area of working a part-time job, and provides practical tips for planning your studies in Germany.

Please note that the budget for living expenses has increased to 992 Euro per month in October 2024.

• DAAD scholarship database: https://www.daad.de/en/studying-in-germany/
• Protestant Student Union  / Scholarships for refugees: https://www.evstudienwerk.de/bewerbung/gefluechtete/unser-stipendium.html
• Heinrich Böll Stiftung: https://www.boell.de/en/foundation/scholarships
• Friedrich Naumann Foundation: https://www.freiheit.org/scholarships-friedrich-naumann-foundation-freedom
• Friedrich Ebert Stiftung: https://www.fes.de/studienfoerderung/information-in-english
• Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes: https://www.studienstiftung.de/en/
• Stiftung der Deutschen Wirtschaft: https://www.sdw.org/das-bieten-wir/fuer-studierende/studienfoerderwerk-klaus-murmann/ueberblick.html

Job regulations for international students in Germany:

In its information brochure “Job regulations for international students in Germany”, which you can download here, the German Studierendenwerk explains important legal principles for working in Germany, which you should bear in mind, especially with regard to your residence permit.

Job opportunities at LUE:

• Language Support Centre - Tutor jobs for native English speakers
• Student and research assistants at Ludwigsburg University of Education (wesbite only available in German)
• AStA Job and AStA Tutoring Exchange (website only available in German)

• As temporary help in restaurants or with delivery services (may also be possible without any knowledge of the German language, especially in the gastronomy of the home country)

You are not alone! In addition to the International Office team, who are there to support you, there is also the option of having someone at your side as a ‘buddy’! A buddy is a volunteer student at Ludwigsburg University of Education and your first point of contact who will help you with any questions or challenges that may arise during your studies abroad. A buddy could even become a good friend with whom you can plan activities outside the university and who will help you to familiarise yourself with German culture. We encourage you to email incomings(at)ph-ludwigsburg.de if you would like to have a buddy by your side.

If you have already successfully completed a teacher training course in your home country, please enquire about the recognition of partial examination results at:

Regierungspräsidium Tübingen
Department 7 School and Education
Department 73 / Recognition Office
P.O. Box 2666, 72072 Tübingen
Street: Konrad-Adenauer-Str. 40
The Recognition Office is available Monday to Friday from 8.00 am to 1.30 pm. The exact telephone numbers can be found on the website.

This office will check the extent to which partial examinations from the degree course completed in your home country can be recognized for the degree course you are now pursuing. You can submit the notification from the Regierungspräsidium Tübingen as part of your application to the university together with an application for credit transfer. Please clarify the procedure with the Student Affairs Office before applying.

Further information can also be found on the website of the Examination Office.