Information for American Students

for students at OSU (as of July 15th 2024 – subject to change)

On this page, students coming from Oregon State University to Universität des Saarlandes – Saarland University (UdS) can find detailed information on how to proceed.

Application

The application for Saarbrücken is done at OSU by the local coordinator, Brady Gibbons brady.gibbons@oregonstate.edu

Coming to Saarbrücken

Coming to Saarbrücken and UdS, you will find the German university system rather different from the American one.

A certain degree of independence is required when studying at Saarland University. As a student, you are rather free to put together your schedule by selecting the corresponding courses. You will also need to register for courses and exams by yourself.

Furthermore, Saarland University, like most universities in Germany, does not have tuition fees. Due to the agreement between OSU and UdS, you will only need to pay the “semester ticket”, which covers a ticket for public transport all over in Saarland, and a personal accident, theft and liability insurance. These fees amounts to 177,70 € in WS2024/25. Student service fee, student body fee and administration fee are waived for you (find here further information).

Before you come to Germany, you must establish two bank accounts:

You will have to demonstrate that you have enough funding for your entire stay (934 EUR/Month). The best solution is to open a blocked bank account (Sperrkonto). You will have to deposit 934 EUR x number of months you will stay in Germany. Further information. Some providers allow you to establish a blocked account from outside Germany.
You will also need to open a normal bank account (Girokonto), because the blocked account cannot be used for all everyday transactions. Two possibilities for on-line accounts are WISE banks (subject to change).

Should you have any questions, we would be happy to assist you!

You can contact either Dr. Soldera: f.soldera@matsci.uni-sb.de or EUSMAT: office@eusmat.net

Registration at the UdS

Once you have been accepted for the ATLANTIS program and you have received your admission letter (Zulassungsbrief), you can register as a student of the Saarland University through the SIM Portal as “new student”. The required fee (see above) should be paid in advance. Deadline for registration is the 30th of September.

Credit Hours at UdS

In general, there is no fixed amount of credit hours (ECTS Points) you must register for. We recommend that you earn at least 36 ECTS during your time at UdS, which is well below the average (local students should obtain 60 in one year). You should take advantage of the fact that all courses at UdS are free of charge. So the more ECTS you get here, the less you will have to pay back in the U.S.

Language courses

Preferably your German language proficiency level will be at the B2 level when you arrive.

The International Study Center – Internationales Studienzentrum Saar (ISZ Saar) – offers many different German language courses free of charge during the semester.

Additionally, it offers intensive German language courses in September and October.
The costs for such courses for ATLANTIS students are ca. 180€ for four weeks. Up to 5 ATLANTIS students per year are exempt from these costs. Consult your OSU advisor for details.

Visa or residence permit

Current information for applying for a student visa or a residence permit can be found at the website for German diplomatic missions in the United States: Missions USA. We strongly recommend that you proceed as follows (subject to change):

Travel to Germany and enter with your U.S. passport, declaring that you are here to study. Instead of entering on a Visa, you will apply for a Residence Permit within 90 days of arrival in Germany (see Nr. 3 below).
Register as a resident: upon arriving in Saarbrücken, you must register at City Hall within 14 days (Anmeldung in Bürgeramt): How to register
Apply for your Residence Permit: after you have registered at City Hall, you must apply as soon as possible for your Residence Permit at the Immigration Office (Ausländerbehörde): How to apply for residence permit

In order to get support, please contact the Welcome Center of the Saarland University.

Insurance

OSU GO requires you to have their (U.S.) health insurance while studying at UdS. In order to receive the necessary exemption from compulsory German insurance (Befreiung von der Krankenversicherungspflicht), which is required for registration at UdS, you will have to provide the following documents to the EUSMAT office:

Signed formular for the “Befreiung” (please contact EUSMAT office to get the current one)
Certificate of your OSU health insurance with coverage information.
Copy of passport

When you receive the Exemption Certificate by e-mail, you must upload it to UdS registration system (SIM Portal).

Costs at UdS and Saarbrücken

You will have to pay a semester fee of 177,00 € (for WS2024/25) each semester (subject to change). You are exempted from paying the student service fee, student body fee, and administration fee.

Monthly living expenses in Saarbrücken

Depending on your lifestyle, you will need approximately 700€ – 850€/month in Saarbrücken.

Accommodation: Approx. 300 – 450€
Food: Grocery shopping is relatively cheap in Germany, given the high number of discount supermarkets, approx. 100 – 150€.
- Lunch at university: 2,80€ – 4,00€
- Eating out (Main course): < 10€ for fast food/bistro, 7 – max. 20€ regular restaurant.
- There is an obligatory TV license fee (“Rundfunkbeitrag”) in Germany which is paid per residence. It’s currently 17,50€/month.
Transport: A semester ticket for public transport within the Saarland is included in your registration fee.
Leisure: about 100€ (cinema, going out, sports)
Nightclub admission: 8-15€
Don’t forget to include the costs of personal expenses such as cosmetics, clothes, phone, books, etc.

Housing in Saarbrücken

In general there are two options: You can either rent a room in a student residence or you can find your own private apartment.

Student Residence

For assistance in finding student housing, please refer to the information of the Welcome Center. The application deadlines are as follows.

Application Deadline	15th July
Winter term
Summer Term
Price Range	280€ – 350€
Security Deposit	“Kaution” The amount of the deposit is usually one month’s rent.

Helpful Downloads und Links

Important documents for your studies in Saarbrücken include the following regulations: Prüfungsordnung, Studienordnung and Modulhandbuch. These can be downloaded from following link.

Application Form

Application Form

Partner Links:

Links for International Students:

Universität des Saarlandes – International Office (information for arriving students)

Language Courses:

Center for foreign languages at UdS (courses during the semester)
Intensive language courses (intensive german language courses in September or October)

Visa:

OSU Health Insurance:

http://studenthealth.oregonstate.edu/internationalplan/