Bielefeld
Survival Guide

The International Office provides support for international students, doctoral candidates and international researchers with matters such as enrolment, accommodation, visas, counselling, exchange coordination, allocation of scholarships, and German summer courses. Among many other things they also advise students, who are planning to go abroad. They should be one of your first points of contact!

The International Office also runs the International Mentoring Programme, which matches international students with mentors, who will be able to help with all sorts of matters regarding you settling at Bielefeld university.

The AStA (Allgemeiner Studierendenausschuss) is the elected student government at Bielefeld University and represents the interests of all students. It advocates for students in university committees, supports political participation, and works to improve study conditions. The AStA also coordinates student-led initiatives, autonomous departments, projects, and working groups.

AStA offers various services including social and legal counselling, support with BAföG and financing questions, guidance for international students, and help with administrative or housing issues. It also manages the semester ticket framework, supports student initiatives, organizes events, and provides information on student rights and campus life.

AK Asyl is an independent organization that supports refugees and other people with a migration background. They cooperate with the AStA but are not part of it. While their counseling for residence law can be found at the university, they also have their main office in the city at Friedenstraße 4, 33602 Bielefeld.

AK Asyl offers various counseling services:

• Residence Law Counseling: Social and legal counseling for students at Bielefeld University and HSBI
• Asylum Proceedings Counseling: Legal counseling about the asylum proceedings
• Local Counseling: Social and legal counseling for people with uncertain residence permits such as Duldung and Aufenthaltsgestattung or without papers
• Psychosocial Counseling (PSZ): Counseling and transfer to therapy programs for trauma, displacement and torture survivors
• Medical Aid for Refugees: Support especially for people without papers in the search for medical aid
• Counseling for Unaccompanied Minor Refugees (UMF): Counseling for unaccompanied minor refugees

ESN Bielefeld (Erasmus Student Network) is a student-run organization that supports international students and promotes intercultural exchange. ESN organizes events, trips, meetups, and community activities to help students connect, make friends, and experience student life in Bielefeld and beyond. They also run buddy programs, where local students support incoming international students with questions about academic life, housing, culture, and everyday challenges. ESN works on a volunteer basis and is part of the international ESN network with sections across Europe.

ViSiB - More information coming soon.

The ZSB (Central Student Advisory Service) offers counselling on choosing a degree programme, organising your studies, doubts about studying, exam anxiety and other personal or study-related issues.

The ZAB supports students with disabilities or chronic illnesses, for example with compensation for disadvantages, barrier-free study organisation and assistive devices.

FSZ - More information coming soon.

PunktUm - More information coming soon.

Career Service - More information coming soon.

• Approximately 344,000 inhabitants.
• Districts: Brackwede, Dornberg, Gadderbaum, Heepen, Jöllenbeck, Mitte, Schildesche, Senne, Sennestadt, Stieghorst.
• Good transport network: Siggi bikes, e-scooters; university easily accessible by tram and bus.
• Approx. 10 minutes from Bielefeld Central Station to the university by train.

• Base rent (Kaltmiete): approx. 5.78–10.30 € per m² based on the rent index.
• Operating/ancillary costs to landlord: Approx. 2.17 € per m² (e.g. rubbish collection, water, caretaker, garden maintenance, council tax, stairwell cleaning, sewage, heating).
• Additional costs (not payable to landlord): broadcasting licence fee, electricity, gas, internet.

Accommodation options are usually either a room in a shared flat or your own flat.

In a shared flat (WG), you have your own room and share the common areas (bathroom, kitchen, living room) with other flatmates. Shared flats are very common in Bielefeld. They are an affordable option and allow you to quickly get in touch with other people.

Rooms/flats can be unfurnished, partially furnished or furnished. In Bielefeld, rooms/flats are usually unfurnished or partially furnished. You will therefore probably need to buy furniture.

Flats are offered by private landlords, commercial providers or non-profit organisations (e.g. Studierendenwerk).

If you pay the semester fee at Bielefeld University and are registered as a student/doctoral candidate, you can apply for a place in a student dormitory. You may even do so before you arrive in Germany. As proof of matriculation, you can upload your letter of admission or letter of invitation to the website of the student dormitory.

The following student dormitories are available in Bielefeld:

• Studierendenwerk
• BGW
• Campus Westend
• Rotunda Westfalica
• Hollensiek
• Studentenwohnen

You can find current private rental offers in Bielefeld on the following commercial and external search portals:

• WG-Gesucht
• Neue Westfälische
• Westfalen Blatt
• Immoscout

You may also try finding private rental offers via the WhatsApp groups of the ISR and the ESN.

If your studies or research stay in Bielefeld is limited in time or you only want to book short-term accommodation for the first few weeks of your arrival, the following guest apartments are available for international academics on the campus of Bielefeld University:

• Boarding House Campus
• ZiF (Center for Interdisciplinary Research Guest Apartments)

Reservation requests and bookings for guest apartments in the ZiF are made via the host institution/AG and via the ZiF. The ZiF apartments are not available to employees of Bielefeld University.

Additionally, the following hotels, hostels and holiday apartments are available in Bielefeld:

• Hotels
• Jugendherberge
• Ferienwohnung
• Airbnb
• Immoscout (filter "befristet" and "zur Zwischenmiete")
• WG-Gesucht (filter "befristet" and "zur Zwischenmiete")

A housing association is a legal entity and usually owns several properties. They do not operate profit oriented. As a tenant, you become a member of the housing association, acquire shares, can voice your own ideas and help shape processes in various areas at meetings. Housing associations have waiting lists for apartments. Therefore, you should register as a person interested in renting at a housing association as soon as you arrive in Germany.

The following housing associations exist in Bielefeld:

• Freie Scholle
• BGW
• LEG
• GSWG Senne
• GBB Brackwede

• Accept the offer from the shared apartment/landlord as soon as possible.
• Arrange an appointment with the landlord and, if needed, the previous tenant to sign the tenancy agreement, receive the key, and obtain the landlord’s confirmation (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung).
• Pay the deposit and set up a monthly standing order from your account to pay the rent.
• Register electricity, gas, and internet with external suppliers (you can directly ask neighbours and/or previous tenants about possible suppliers).
• Register/change your new address at the registration office within 14 days after moving in.
• Inform all institutions about your new address (e.g., university, banks, insurance companies).
• Consider whether you need furniture or other household items and, if so, buy them.
• Ask friends and colleagues for help with the move.

In Bielefeld, in addition to traditional shops, there are also many opportunities to buy furniture and other household items second-hand and thus at a lower price:

• Recyclingbörse
• Brockensammlung Bethel
• Flea markets
• Kleinanzeigen (ehem. eBay Kleinanzeigen)

If you are buying a large piece of furniture, you can ask the seller if they can deliver it to you for a fee. If delivery isn’t available, renting a van is another option.

Tenancy law is very complicated. If you have any problems when or while renting an apartment, you can get legal advice. Possible examples of problems that may arise include:

• You do not receive a service charge statement (Nebenkostenabrechnung) or it is incorrect.
• Your rent increases.
• Your tenancy contract has been cancelled.
• Your deposit is not returned.
• You have mold in your apartment.

It is therefore important that you get legal advice and find out about your options:

• AStA Bielefeld (General Students’ Committee)
• Verbraucherzentrale (Consumer Advice Centre)
• Private lawyers for tenant law
• Mieterschutzbund / Mieterbund OWL (tenants' association) – membership against a monthly fee gives you information and legal support.

• Private landlords and roommates in Bielefeld usually want to meet prospective tenants in person. Finding an apartment from abroad is often difficult or impossible; consider booking a hostel, hotel or holiday apartment for your first month.
• Meeting a landlord: be professional, polite, punctual and prepared (bring documents).
• WG-Casting (meeting possible future roommates): be yourself, friendly and laid-back; try not to oversell yourself, but appear reliable, responsible and tidy.
• Beware of online scams; never transfer money before you have seen or inspected the apartment.
• Consider liability insurance and/or household insurance; they cover damage to the flat and your belongings.
• Landlords care what you’re doing in Bielefeld and how you’ll finance the rent; include a brief self-introduction.
• If you have a tenancy agreement, pay rent on time; for defects, inform the landlord and allow repairs—don’t just withhold rent, or you risk termination.
• Most buildings have house rules (quiet hours, cleaning of common areas); read them early and ask your landlord or neighbours if unsure.
• Parties/barbecues may be fine depending on the neighbourhood; for larger, potentially noisy parties, notify neighbours in advance to avoid issues.

Signing up for the International Mentoring Programme will provide you with a student at Bielefeld University as a mentor, who may help you with the process of finding accommodation, picking up your keys, meeting your landlord, inspecting possible apartments, etc.

You may also always contact the International Office and the ISR for further help and information.

Most housing websites are in German; use a browser add-on to translate pages into English. For emails to landlords, consider writing in German with tools such as DeepL.

It may also be advisable to look for housing in the areas and cities around Bielefeld.

Living in student accommodation can also be an attractive option for students with children. At Wertherstraße 148, a hall of residence run by the Studierendenwerk, single parents with children are given priority.

If you are looking for a nursery, there are three nurseries run by the Studierendenwerk in the immediate vicinity of the university and the Studierendenwerk halls of residence.

Contact: Family Service.

Several student residences run by the Studierendenwerk Bielefeld have barrier-free flats or apartments.

If you would like to apply for a barrier-free place in a student residence, we recommend contacting the Studierendenwerk's housing and room agency in advance to clarify your personal needs and possible available options.

Halls of residence run by other providers and the general housing market also offer barrier-free housing options. If you already have a flat and need to make adjustments, you can contact the housing advice service at Bielefeld City Council for support.