Studying in Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Ulm
A mid-sized city on the Danube where the university sits on a hill, a short walk from lecture hall to laboratory to canteen.
Ulm is a city of about 130,000 people on the upper Danube, on the border with Bavaria; the town across the river, Neu-Ulm, is already in another state. The city's own website says every tenth person here is a student, and the place is small enough that you learn it in a few weeks: the old town with the tallest church tower in Germany, the medieval fishermen's quarter on the river Blau, the parks along the Danube, and the university campus on the Eselsberg hill with its research institutes and a university hospital. Two universities teach in Ulm itself and a third across the river, so a student here is rarely far from engineering, computer science, natural sciences, medicine or business. If you want a big-city scene, Stuttgart and Munich are the nearest. If you want to finish a degree in a place where the lecture hall, the library and the canteen are within walking distance of each other, this is the kind of city that suits it.
- Nearest big airports
- Stuttgart about 80 km, Munich about 162 km
- Residence permit fee (first issue, student)
- EUR 100
- Student residence rooms
- From EUR 304 a month including utilities
Part 1
Living in Ulm
A river town that was rebuilt around its church
Ulm is first mentioned in writing on 22 July 854. Friedrich Barbarossa declared it an imperial city in 1181, which meant it answered to the emperor and not to a local prince. In 1805 Napoleon forced an Austrian army under General Mack to surrender here. In 1810 Ulm became part of the Kingdom of Württemberg, and its districts on the south bank of the Danube were split off as Neu-Ulm; that is why the river is still a state border today.
Bombing in 1944 destroyed more than 80 per cent of the medieval centre, so the old town you walk through is a mix of surviving lanes near the water and post-war and modern buildings around the Münsterplatz. The Minster survived. In 2024 the consultancy Prognos ranked Ulm the most liveable large city in Germany, which is a ranking, not a promise, but it fits what students tend to say: manageable, green, and easy to cross by bike or tram.
What to see in your first weeks
Most of these sit within a short walk of each other around the Münsterplatz and the Danube.
The tower is 161.53 m and the tallest church tower in Germany. The climb has a first platform at 70 m and a second level at 102 m; the tourist office lists an adult ticket at EUR 9 and a reduced one at EUR 6, and hours that are shorter in winter.
A compact permanent exhibition about the Einstein family and the Jewish community in Ulm, where Albert Einstein was born in 1879. His birth house was destroyed in the 1944 bombing; a small memorial marks the site on Bahnhofstraße. Entry is EUR 8, reduced EUR 6, free with the UlmCard.
Fischerviertel and the Metzgerturm ↗
The fishermen's and tanners' quarter lies where the Blau meets the Danube, with old timber-framed houses and the Schiefes Haus, listed as the most tilted hotel in the world. The Metzgerturm is a tower of the old city wall nearby.
A private collection of modern and contemporary art with works by Mark Rothko and Willem de Kooning. Museum Ulm has been closed for renovation since 17 April 2023, and part of its programme is shown here meanwhile.
Donauschwäbisches Zentralmuseum and the federal fortress ↗
The museum, about the Danube Swabians and the Danube region, stands a few metres from the river inside the Bundesfestung Ulm, built from 1842 to 1859 and today counted among Europe's largest fortress complexes.
A house with opera, drama and ballet, 815 seats, founded in 1641. Its Junge Ulmer Bühne reaches about 30,000 viewers a year, and Theater Ulüm is described as the only professional Turkish-language theatre in southern Germany.
The Danube, the parks and a day out
The river is the city's backyard. The Friedrichsau, a recreation area on the Danube about a 30-minute walk from the centre, has a zoo, festival grounds and allotment gardens, and the university's Botanical Garden covers 28 hectares and is a popular day-trip destination. Neu-Ulm, on the Bavarian bank, is a short walk across the river from the old town, so you can be in another state within minutes.
Wiblingen Abbey, a large former monastery in the Wiblingen district, is a good first trip out of the centre; the university's International Office has listed guided tours of it for its buddy programme. Friedrichshafen on Lake Constance is reachable in under an hour by train since the Südbahn was electrified in December 2021, according to the city's Wikipedia article.
Ulm in pictures
Getting around and getting away
Ulm's main station has twelve platform tracks and is the hub for the city, and the Wendlingen to Ulm high-speed line towards Stuttgart opened on 11 December 2022. Within the city the municipal company SWU runs trams and buses; it publishes a ticket and fare page, a live timetable and, from 2027, a new city network for Ulm and Neu-Ulm. Check the fare page for the current student options before buying a monthly ticket.
Stuttgart Airport is about 80 km away and Munich Airport about 162 km, so a flight home usually starts with a train. Consular offices for the countries below are in Munich, Frankfurt or Berlin; the section for your country says where.
Work and employers
Ulm calls itself the Wissenschaftsstadt (city of science): companies sit near the university and exchange staff and projects with it.
One of the five university hospitals in Baden-Württemberg and one of the city's largest employers, with almost 6,400 staff according to the German Wikipedia article on Ulm.
The same article names Deutz (diesel engines), Magirus, Ratiopharm, Liqui Moly, Ebner & Spiegel (a book printer with about 500 staff) and research and development at Mercedes-Benz Group.
Staying on after your degree ↗
After a successful degree the permit can be extended by up to 18 months to look for a job that fits your degree, during which you may work without limits, according to the city's foreigners office page.
What things cost
- Studierendenwerk room, cheapest listed (Heidenheimer Straße, Haus 1)
- EUR 304 a month, utilities includedsource
- Studierendenwerk room, Eselsbergsteige
- EUR 315 a month; apartment EUR 343source
- Studierendenwerk WG room for 4 or 6 people, Gutenbergstraße 6
- EUR 387 a month; small apartment EUR 461source
- Deposit and contract fee for a residence
- EUR 600 deposit and a one-time EUR 20 feesource
- First student residence permit
- EUR 100; renewals EUR 93 to 96source
- Minster tower ticket
- EUR 9, reduced EUR 6source
Figures are from the pages named; prices change, so check the linked page before you plan around a number.
Faith and communities
The 2022 census counts 28.2 per cent of residents as Roman Catholic and 20.0 per cent as Protestant; the rest belong to other communities or none. The city's Chancengerechtigkeit und Vielfalt office lists the mosques and other communities that welcome visitors, and the Rat der Religionen (council of religions) brings Christians, Jews, Muslims and Alevis together, for example at a multi-faith peace prayer each December.
The Jewish community has had a rabbinate in Ulm since 2000, at Weinhof 2. The Russian Orthodox parish has about 500 members and two churches, and DITIB Ulm, a Turkish-Islamic association, says it has been active since 1987. If you do not find your own tradition in this list, the nearest large communities are in Stuttgart and Munich.
Part 2
Student life in Ulm
Where you can study
Ulm University (Universität Ulm) ↗
Founded in 1967 as a medical and natural-science university and today the youngest state university in Baden-Württemberg, with about 10,000 students on a campus on the Oberer Eselsberg hill. It has four faculties: Engineering, Computer Science and Psychology; Mathematics and Economics; Medicine; and Natural Sciences. Lecture halls, institutes, the library and the canteen are within walking distance of each other, next to the Botanical Garden, and the city has a university hospital. Several master's programmes are taught in English; check each programme page for its language and admission rules.
International office ↗Ulm University of Applied Sciences (Technische Hochschule Ulm, THU) ↗
Began in 1960 as a state engineering school and has been called Technische Hochschule Ulm since 1 March 2019. It has two campuses, on Prittwitzstraße 10 and on Albert-Einstein-Allee 53/55, and six faculties: Electrical Engineering and Information Technology; Computer Science; Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Economics; Mechanical and Automotive Engineering; Mechatronics and Medical Technology; and Production Engineering and Production Management. It lists a Computer Science International bachelor, an Electrical Engineering and Information Technology bachelor and its master's programmes under English titles, plus a yearly list of courses taught in English; confirm the teaching language of a programme on its own page.
International office ↗Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences (HNU) ↗
Across the Danube in Bavaria: founded in 1994 as a department of Kempten University and independent since 1 October 1998. The German Wikipedia article lists about 4,200 students in summer 2026 and three faculties, Business and Economics, Information Management and Health Management, plus a centre for continuing education, all on one campus in Neu-Ulm's Ludwigsfeld district. It is in a different state from Ulm, so registration and the foreigners office there are Neu-Ulm's own; look at its own site for English-taught programmes before you count on one.
Student unions, services and groups
StuVe, the student union of Ulm University ↗
The Verfasste Studierendenschaft is the student representation of the university, with a student parliament (StuPa), a council of the subject-area student groups (Fachschaftenrat) and an executive. It runs a BAföG and social-advice desk, a bike workshop, events and a campus café. The office is at Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, room N26/320, open Monday to Thursday 9:00 to 13:00.
Student union (VS) of the Ulm University of Applied Sciences ↗
Every enrolled THU student is a member. The Student Council sits on university committees, runs the semester opening and the first-year orientation week, funds projects such as the Einstein Motorsport Formula Student team, organises ski trips and fields teams for the Einstein Marathon. Offices are at Prittwitzstraße (room C005) and Albert-Einstein-Allee (room S207); email vs@thu.de.
The student services organisation for Ulm and the other universities it serves. It runs 11 residences with 1,954 places across Ulm, Biberach and Schwäbisch Gmünd, six canteens, 14 cafeterias, and a counselling service with free legal advice, including on tenancy law.
Hochschulsport Ulm University ↗
University sport under the motto of moving together, with courses from acrobatics to volleyball booked online. The UNIfit gym is open Monday to Thursday 7:30 to 20:00, Friday 7:30 to 18:00 and Saturday 8:30 to 12:00. Facilities include Sporthalle Nord and a swimming hall at the Bundeswehr sports ground. Phone 0731 5022071. THU students get discounted training in this programme through their student council.
Buddy Programme, Ulm University ↗
Experienced Ulm students are paired with new international students or refugees for one semester, from paperwork to free-time plans, and many pairs stay in touch afterwards. Buddies also join events such as guided tours of Wiblingen Abbey.
ASSIST, senior volunteers for international students ↗
Experienced adults, called SeniorConsultants, support international students at Ulm University with cooking evenings, excursions around Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, city tours, German conversation practice with native speakers and a Christmas party. Contact assist@uni-ulm.de; its partners include the StuVe and the International Office.
International groups listed by Ulm University ↗
The International Office lists ERASMUS Ulm & friends, the Turkish Academic Network at the university and ASSIST, plus STUBE, a mentoring programme for students from Africa, Asia and Latin America who study for a degree in Baden-Württemberg.
Welcome events help new international students start, and FIT4U runs workshops to prepare for the job market, such as application training and networking sessions.
The interfaith council of Christians, Jews, Muslims and Alevis, active for more than ten years, with a multi-faith peace prayer each December.
Campus and study culture
The Ulm University campus sits on the Oberer Eselsberg, a hill north of the old town. The city describes the campus as a place where lecture halls, institutes, library and canteen are within walking distance of each other. The Technische Hochschule has its older site in the east of the city next to the former fortress walls, and a second campus on Albert-Einstein-Allee on the Eselsberg, so the two universities are neighbours on the hill. The city's student page says companies in the Wissenschaftsstadt give students contact with possible employers, in teaching and later.
At Ulm University the semester for exchange students starts on 12 October 2026 and the lecture period runs to 13 February 2027; the summer semester begins on 12 April 2027. An intensive German course runs in September before the winter semester. Degree students should read their own faculty's dates, which can differ.
Housing: dorm prices and how to get a room
- Heidenheimer Straße, Haus 1: room
- EUR 304source
- Eselsbergsteige: room / apartment
- EUR 315 / EUR 343source
- Hauffstraße 12: room
- EUR 322 to 336source
- Frauensteige 2: shared double room / apartment
- EUR 362 / EUR 388source
- Upper West Side: room in a WG / apartment
- EUR 367 / EUR 445source
- Gutenbergstraße 6: WG room for 4 or 6 / large apartment
- EUR 387 / EUR 502source
Studierendenwerk Ulm lists rents including all utilities. Each residence has a one-time EUR 20 fee on signing and a EUR 600 deposit, and stays are typically six semesters. At the time of reading, the rooms in Ulm and Biberach were shown as fully let, so apply early and plan a private-market search too.
Applying for a dorm room and help with housing
You apply online through the Studierendenwerk and the site recommends applying as early as possible so your preferences can be considered; the housing office answers on 0731 790 31 8000 or wohnen@studierendenwerk-ulm.de. Exchange students and students from partner universities go through the International Office, which reserves rooms for them; it cannot promise a room and, if you accept an assigned room, signs the contract in your name.
The Studierendenwerk also offers free psychosocial counselling, free legal advice including tenancy questions, and advice on studying with a child, with a disability or a chronic illness.
Food and sport
The Studierendenwerk runs canteens at Ulm University and at the Technische Hochschule among its locations, and counts six canteens and Mensarien, 14 cafeterias (eight serving meals), five snack vans and 32 vending cafes across all the universities it serves. The StuVe also lists a campus café, the Camppuccino, in the university forum.
For sport, the university's Hochschulsport has the UNIfit gym, halls and a swimming hall; the THU student council gets its students discounted training there. The THU has its own Formula Student team, Einstein Motorsport, and its students take part in the Einstein Marathon in teams.
Your first weeks: papers in Ulm
- 1
Before you fly
Start the visa early. Ulm University's International Office says an embassy appointment can take up to six weeks and approval another four to six, and that a tourist visa cannot be converted into a student visa after arrival. Citizens of a short list of countries including the USA, Canada, Japan, Australia and the UK may enter without a visa but need a residence permit if they stay longer than 90 days.
- 2
Within two weeks of moving in
Register your address at the Bürgerdienste, Olgastraße 66, 89073 Ulm (Melde- und Ausweiswesen, phone +49 731 161 3322). You normally appear in person with your passport or ID and the landlord's confirmation (Wohnungsgeberbescheinigung); book an appointment online first. You get a free registration certificate. If you live in Neu-Ulm instead, register with Neu-Ulm.
- 3
Before your visa runs out
Apply for the student residence permit at the Ausländerwesen of the city, Olgastraße 66, phone +49 731 161 3334. Online applications go through the service-bw.de portal with a service account. Bring proof of enrolment, proof of funds (for example a blocked account, a scholarship contract or a parental declaration), proof of health insurance, a valid passport and a photo. The fee for a first permit is EUR 100.
- 4
From your first semester
You may work 140 full days or 280 half days a year, plus student jobs at the university; a placement outside the course needs the foreigners office's extra approval. Tell the office at once if you change subject or university.
Where you come from matters here
Pick your home country: food, faith, community groups and the consulate that serves you, checked 21 October 2026.
🇮🇳 Living in Ulm as an Indian student
The city's directory of international associations lists no Indian association, so we can link none in Ulm. The Consulate General of India in Munich covers Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.
Consulate General of India, Munich ↗
Says it has jurisdiction over Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, handles passports, visas, OCI and attestation, and holds consular camps, one of them in Stuttgart in September 2026.
Online appointment, Consulate General of India Munich ↗
Appointments for consular services are booked through the consulate's website.
International groups at Ulm University ↗
Lists ERASMUS Ulm & friends, ASSIST and the STUBE mentoring programme, the closest thing to a community for newcomers from any country.
🇳🇬 Living in Ulm as a Nigerian student
No Nigerian association appears in the city's list of international associations. Passport matters go to the embassy in Berlin.
Neue Jakobstraße 4, 10179 Berlin. Passport submissions are accepted Monday to Thursday 10:00 to 14:00; appointments are booked on the Nigeria Immigration website and are free. A NIN is required for the enhanced e-passport.
Volunteers who support international students at the university with events, excursions and German conversation.
🇻🇳 Living in Ulm as a Vietnamese student
The city lists no Vietnamese association among its international associations. The embassy is in Berlin and the consulate general in Frankfurt covers Baden-Württemberg.
The official site; it announced that it began issuing electronic passports from 1 April 2026 and warns of scammers posing as embassy staff.
Consulate General of Vietnam, Frankfurt ↗
Kennedyallee 49 (Villa Hanoi), consular department at Rubensstraße 30, 60569 Frankfurt. The Foreign Office lists it as covering Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland.
🇧🇩 Living in Ulm as a Bangladeshi student
We found no Bangladeshi association in Ulm. The embassy is in Berlin, with an honorary consul general in Munich for Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.
Representations of Bangladesh in Germany ↗
The Foreign Office page gives the embassy at Kaiserin-Augusta-Allee 111, Berlin, and the honorary consul general in Munich, Residenzstraße 18, whose district is Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.
A Turkish-Islamic association at Herrlingerstraße 68, active in Ulm since 1987, with a mosque, religious classes, and a meeting place for Muslims and non-Muslims. Its community is Turkish in background; ask there which prayers and events are open to everyone.
🇳🇵 Living in Ulm as a Nepali student
We found no Nepali association in Ulm. The embassy in Berlin handles consular matters.
Guerickestraße 27, 10587 Berlin. Attestation of documents, visa, passport and the NRN ID; the consular desk promises a reply within two working days.
Buddy Programme, Ulm University ↗
A semester-long pairing with an experienced student for help with paperwork and free time.
🇵🇰 Living in Ulm as a Pakistani student
No Pakistani association appears in the city's list. The consulate general in Frankfurt serves Baden-Württemberg, and there are mosques in Ulm.
Consulate General of Pakistan, Frankfurt ↗
Provides consular services to Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Thuringia, Saarland and North Rhine-Westphalia; its site lists machine-readable passports and points to NADRA for identity cards.
A mosque and cultural association at Herrlingerstraße 68 with religious classes, a place to practise your religion and fast-breaking events in Ramadan. It is Turkish-run; for other communities see the city's list of Muslim associations.
IGBD Ulm, the Bosnian mosque ↗
At Auchterwiesenweg 21; it says it is mainly for Muslims from Bosnia, Sandžak, Kosovo and Macedonia but also welcomes other-language Muslims, for example from Turkey or the Arab world.
🇬🇭 Living in Ulm as a Ghanaian student
There is no Ghanaian association in the city's list. Ghanaian Presbyterians worship in Stuttgart, and the embassy is in Berlin.
Representations of Ghana in Germany ↗
The Foreign Office page gives the embassy at Stavanger Straße 17 to 19, Berlin; Ghana's honorary consul in Munich covers Bavaria and Saxony, not Baden-Württemberg.
Ghanaian and Cameroonian Presbyterian congregations, Stuttgart ↗
Presbyterian communities from Ghana and Cameroon meet in the Waldkirche am Kräherwald and the Rosenbergkirche in Stuttgart, with joint services at Easter and Whit Monday.
🇨🇲 Living in Ulm as a Cameroonian student
No Cameroonian association is listed in Ulm. Cameroonian Presbyterians meet in Stuttgart, and the embassy is in Berlin.
Ulmenallee 32, 14050 Berlin. Passports, consular cards and documents; the site is in English, French and German and offers appointment booking.
Cameroonian Presbyterian congregation, Stuttgart ↗
A community hosted by the Waldkirche am Kräherwald and the Rosenbergkirche in Stuttgart.
🇺🇸 Living in Ulm as an American student
US citizens may enter without a visa, but staying longer than 90 days to study needs a residence permit from the foreigners office. The US has a consulate general in Munich.
U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Germany ↗
The official site for the US embassy and consulates in Germany, with visa and citizen-services pages.
The page for the head of the U.S. Consulate General in Munich, the consulate nearest to Ulm.
🇨🇳 Living in Ulm as a Chinese student
Ulm has a Chinese school for children, and the nearest Chinese consulate general is in Munich.
Chinesische Schule Ulm/Neu-Ulm ↗
A Chinese-language school for children from 5 to 16 who want to learn Chinese as a mother tongue, listed in the city's directory of international associations.
Consulate General of China, Munich ↗
The official site with consular services; it is in Chinese and German, so check there which consulate serves your address.
English-taught programmes in Ulm
Soonest open deadline first. Every entry links to its official source.
- Master of Science in ChemistryUlm University · Ulmmaster15 Nov 2026Closing soon
- Master of Science in Chemical EngineeringUlm University · Ulmmaster15 Nov 2026Closing soon
- Master of Science in BiophysicsUlm University · Ulmmaster15 Jan 2027Open
- Master of Science in Biomedical EngineeringUlm University · Ulmmaster15 Jan 2027Open
- Master of Science in Quantum EngineeringUlm University · Ulmmaster15 Jan 2027Open
- Master of Science in Energy Science and TechnologyUlm University · Ulmmaster15 Mar 2027Open
- Master of Science in FinanceUlm University · Ulmmaster15 Mar 2027Open
- Master of Science in PhysicsUlm University · Ulmmaster15 May 2027Open
- Cognitive Systems (Master of Science)Ulm University · Ulmmaster15 May 2027Open
- Master of Science in Management and EconomicsUlm University · Ulmmaster15 Jul 2027Open
- Computer Science (CTS)Ulm University of Applied Sciences · UlmbachelorRollingApply anytime
- Intelligent Systems (ISY)Ulm University of Applied Sciences · UlmmasterRollingApply anytime
- Electrical Engineering and Information TechnologyUlm University of Applied Sciences · UlmbachelorRollingApply anytime
- Master of Science in Mathematical Data ScienceUlm University · UlmmasterSee sourceCheck source
- Master of Science in Molecular and Translational NeuroscienceUlm University · UlmmasterSee sourceCheck source
- Master of Science in Molecular MedicineUlm University · UlmmasterSee sourceCheck source
- Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence for Connected IndustriesUlm University · UlmmasterSee sourceCheck source
- Communication and Information Technology (Master of Science)Ulm University · Ulmmaster30 Sept 2026Deadline passed
- Master of Science in BiologyUlm University · Ulmmaster30 Sept 2026Deadline passed
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