General information about living and studying in Heidelberg
This webpage provides links to detailed information for IMPRS students and applicants. Most of the information is already distributed on the IMPRS webpage, and is summarized here.
Suggestions and corrections are welcome. Please, help us to keep this up-to-date.
General issues
On the right column you find collected information about what to do before coming to Heidelberg and information about living in Heidelberg/ Germany.
After your arrival in Heidelberg, you have to arrange for the following:
- your working contract
- your bank account
- your accommodation
- your health insurance
- registration at the city authorities
- registration at the Department for Physics and Astronomy (respectively the HGSFP, Heidelberg Graduate School for Physics) for PhD studies
- enrollment at Heidelberg University
Accommodation:
There are two main options: either you look for a room in a shared flat, which in German is called Wohngemeinschaft (WG), or for a flat of your own, which is usually more expensive.
This is all on the private market, however, there are also dorms for students in several areas of the city.
1.) Apartment search
2.) Room search
Health insurance:
If you have a contract then you pay automatically part of your health insurance. If you have a stipend you need to get a health insurance by yourself. Here is an illustrated health dictionary (pdf) provided by the DSW (Deutsches Studentenwerk).
Detailed information about the above topics and also about registration at the city authorities, admission, enrollment, etc. can be found under "Academics" and at the IMPRS student internal pages: https://www.imprs-hd.mpg.de/66356/Login-IMPRS-students (login details provided by IMPRS).
After your PhD examination:
1) Here is some information of things to do before and after your PhD examination - kindly provided by Steve Boudreault.
2) With a PhD degree from a German university you may extend your visa if you are looking for a job in Germany.
3) If you are un-employed, you may get un-employment money (if you had an un-emplyoment insurance connected to a work contract). Do not forget to register as early as possible (as soon as you know about your un-emplyoment) at the authorities - the "Bundesagentur fuer Arbeit" in Heidelberg.
