Arrival, general information and 'first steps' in Kassel

A guide for the students of the International Masters Programme Global Political Economy (GPE)

Contents:
University registration fee
Public transportation
Arrival
Overview: first steps
Health Insurance, Registration at University of Kassel, Registration in Kassel, Visa
Internships
Language courses
Workshops
Other Relevant Information:
      Medical doctors
      Travel agencies
      Internet providers
Contact and further information

Tuition Fee

Every student is required to pay a registration fee about 210 Euro per semester which includes the costs of public transport within the region.

Access to the computer rooms and library of the University is only possible once you have made this payment and are registered. Therefore, in the first few days of your arrival you will have to pay a small amount of money to use an internet-café for internet access. We will provide you with some information about internet-cafés close to the University.

Public Transportation

From October 1st 2009, which is the official start of the winter term in Kassel, public transportion will be covered by the 'Semesterticket' (student ticket for public transportion), that you will receive as part of your registration fee to the University of Kassel. The 'Semesterticket' allows students to travel within the North Hessia region and to Göttingen at no extra cost.

Arrival

A workshop to welcome you to Kassel and provide you with general information on the programme, health insurance, registration at the University of Kassel, a tour of the campus and help with other administrative tasks you have to complete will be offered in the beginning of semester.

Most of you will arrive at Frankfurt International Airport. From there you will need to take a train to Kassel, which takes about 1.5 hours.

The trains to Kassel leave from one of the terminals within the Airport. Please go to the information desk at the Airport in order to get directions to the ticket office for the trains (there are also usually detailed maps of the terminal available). There you will be able to find out detailed information on how to get to Kassel and which train to take. Usually, some of the attendants speak quite good English but it is also a good idea to have every thing you want to know, such as your destination at Kassel, written down. Trains from Frankfurt to Kassel leave approximately every 60 minutes. When buying a train ticket, please state your destination as "Train Station Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe". A one-way ticket costs approximately 35 €.

In order to plan your transportation better, please use Deutsche Bahn's website: http://www.bahn.de/international/view/en/index.shtml, for transportaion in Kassel use www.nvv.de .

It is not uncommon to be asked to prove your identity in Germany, e.g. when showing your Semesterticket on the train or when dealing with public officials. This may seem strange if you are not used to it, but in practice it is unproblematic. However, please remember to carry your passport or residency permit (with a photo) with you when you travel around. (This is normal in Germany - German citizens are also required to identitify themselves!)

Overview -first steps

Getting started for your studies and your stay in Germany involves a long list of administrative issues that need to be dealt with. The following list will give you an idea of what needs to be done - and in which order.

Please note that to get all this done will take two or three weeks!

1. Register with the local authorities and receive an "Anmeldebestätigung"
2. Get health insurance
   - if you are under 30: get a health insurance with a "state" insurance company - normally the AOK
   - if you are over 30: get a private health insurance and get a letter from the AOK (called "Befreiungsbescheinigung")
3. Register with the University :
   - for registration with the University you need to have health insurance
   - fill in the pink sheet and attach certification of your health insurance and - if you are over 30 - attach the letter from the AOK ("Befreiungsbescheinigung")
   - we will hand this in for you, after a few days you will receive a payment slip for the University: you will need to transfer the amount stated or pay the money to University account in cash (paying it in cash will cost a little extra, normally 5 €, but will be faster). Make sure that you get a stamp on the payment slip or some kind of written confirmation that you have paid in the money
   - give this paper with the stamp or proof of payment back to us, we will hand it in for you and will in turn receive your student identity card and your student ticket for public transport (Semesterticket). This will take a few days.
4. Get a residency permit
   - you need to be registered with the University in order to get a residency permit !
   - you need to bring with you: passport, one passport photo, letter of acceptance from the University, tenancy agreement, evidence of financial support (scholarships or bank account balance), evidence of health insurance, Anmeldebestätigung, student identity card (Studentenausweis)
   - we can try to arrange appointments for you, but sometimes it takes weeks to get an appointment, in this case you should go there early in the morning and wait for your turn
5. get an email account (if you do not want to continue to use your private email) and internet access from the University
6. inform us of your new email address, student identity number (Matrikelnummer) as soon as possible

Health Insurance, Registration at the University of Kassel, Registration in Kassel, Visa

Health Insurance

Before you can register at the University of Kassel you will need a certificate showing you have health insurance. In some cases your current health insurance may be acceptable but most of you will need to obtain health insurance here in Germany . The programme organisers cannot supply detailed information about different providers of health insurances, as this is a question of legal issues. Your health insurance needs will depend on your age, existing coverage etc. However, we will help you to obtain your insurance - or to find out whether you need insurance - within the first days of your arrival. You can also get the health insurance before you arrive here, which will make things easier.

Those of you who are older than 29 years will need to take a private health insurance.

Registration at the University of Kassel

Registration at the University of Kassel is necessary in order to receive your student identity card which will provide you with access to public transport, the internet, and other student privileges. Before you can register at the University you will need to prove that you have current health insurance (see information under "Health Insurance").

You can register at the Studienservice (student service) which is located within the university campus. You will need to bring proof that you have health insurance, your academic certificates or certified copies of them and other relevant documents. After a few days you will receive a payment slip from the University. You will need to pay the registration fee of about 210 € at a local bank which will then provide you with a receipt to show to student services.

Address:

Studienservice (student service)
Mönchebergstr. 19

Office hours: Mondays-Thursdays 1pm - 3pm. Please talk to Mrs Ernst.

Please bring with you:

•  A certificate of your health insurance

•  Proof of your academic qualifications: diploma/Master certificates or certified copies of them and other relevant documents

Registration in Kassel (Einwohnermeldeamt)

Registering with the local authorities is one of the first things you must do after your arrival. By law, people in Germany need to register their residence with the local registration office (Einwohnermeldeamt) which is usually part of the town hall (Rathaus). You should register within seven days of your arrival in Kassel .

Please note that this registration of your residence in Kassel (Einwohnermeldeamt) is not the same as getting your Visa/Residence Permit at the Immigration Office (Ordnungsamt). You need to do both (see information under Visa/Residence Permits). In fact you will need this registration form (Anmeldebestätigung) when you apply for your residency permit or Visa. Hint: it is a good idea to carry this form or a photocopy of it with you at all times as you may need to show it to various authorities.

Address of the Einwohnermeldeamt (local registration office)

Rathaus (City Hall), Obere Königsstraße 8, 34117 Kassel

Office hours

Mondays 8.00 am - 4 pm,
Tuesdays 8.00 am - 12.30 pm
Wednesdays 8.00 am - 6 pm
Thursdays 8.00 am - 4 pm
Fridays 7.00 am - 12.30 am

Visa / Residency Permit

Most of you will initially receive a three-month tourist visa to enter Germany. This will depend on which country you come from and you should start your Visa application process as soon as possible as it can take some time. However, for your stay in Germany you will need a residence permit covering a period of one year. To get this you need to apply for residence permission at the local Immigration Office, called the "Ausländerbehörde" (Office for Foreigners) at the Ordnungsamt in Kassel .

Please bring along your passport, two passport photos (Biometrische foto-German standard for visas), evidence of purpose of stay (e.g. your official letter of acceptance into the Master's Programme and/or student card; There is no alternative to the student card, a visa is not issued without the official letter of acceptance) tenancy agreement, evidence of financial support (bank balance or proof of scholarship), evidence of health insurance and proof (your Anmeldebestätigung) of the registration with the local registration office. In most cases there will be a cost of approximately 50 €/60 € (one and two years accordingly) for the residence permit. Unfortunately, it is not possible to set an appointment. Hint: arrive early and allow plenty of time as it can be very busy.

Address of " Ausländerbehörde" (Office for Foreigners, Ordnungsamt Kassel)

Ausländerbehörde, Ordnungsamt Kassel
Kurt-Schumacher-Straße 29, 34117 Kassel

Office hours " Ausländerbehörde"

Internships

Those of you who will do an internship outside Germany will probably need a Visa and an additional health insurance (together this costs approx. 50 €). The Visa and additional health insurance need to be organised and paid for by yourself a few weeks before the start of the internship.

Language Courses

The English language course will start at the end of September and continue until mid-October. The language course will be offered to all GPE students, in two different groups according to students' level of English. Thus, the course will offer teaching for those who need to improve their language skills and at the same time, selected articles from the reading lists of the Required Courses of the programme will be read and discussed. There will be time for questions and discussion.

Workshops on academic writing / reading and Theories

These workshops are designed to give an introduction to the methods and standards of academic reading and writing as well as into some basic theoretical approaches you will come across in your studies.

Other relevant Information: doctors in Kassel , travel agencies, internet providers

List of doctors in Kassel

General Practitioners

•  Frau Dr. med. Anja Mayerhöfer, Holländische Straße 75, Tel: 0561-895544
•  Herr Dr. Martin Erdmann, Obere Königsstrasse 21, Tel: 0561-779738

ENT doctor (ear, nose and throat)

•  Herr Dr. Berger, Wolfsschlucht 2, Tel: 0561- 14538

Gynaecologist

•  Frau Dr. Veronica Fross, Friedrich-Ebert-Strasse 71, Tel: 0561- 16418

Dentist

•  Herr Dr. B. Müller, Königsplatz 55, Tel: 0561- 17433

Travel agencies

Travel agency - where the University of Kassel usually books tickets and where you might want to book tickets as well:

Internet Providers

This is just a selection of internet providers, in case you wish to get internet access at home. Internet access is often not provided in the rooms offered by the Studentenwerk.

• Arcor AG & Co. KG
  Alfred-Herrhausen-Allee 1
  65760 Eschborn
  
  www.arcor.de email: info@arcor.net tel: 0800 - 10 70 220 or: 0 53 41 - 301 44 44 

• 1&1 Internet AG , Elgendorfer Str. 57 , 56410 Montabaur www.einsundeins.de ,
  email: 1und1@verivox.de tel: 0 53 41 - 551 95 44 

• T-Online International AG, Waldstrasse 3, 64331 Weiterstadt
  www.t-online.de , email: kundenservice@t-online.de, Tel: 0 53 41 - 40 91 931

For further information or comments please contact:

Co-ordinator Global Political Economy Programme (GPE) at the University of Kassel.
ma-gpe@uni-kassel.de

University of Kassel , Department of Social Sciences (FB 05)
Nora-Platiel-Straße 1
Room 3106B
34127 Kassel
Germany

Tel.: +49 (0) 561-804 3743
Fax: +49 (0) 561-804 3464