Incomings Biochemistry
Dear exchange students, we are very pleased that you are spending your exchange at the University of Hamburg. You may have many questions before and during your stay abroad about the organisation of your studies or internship and about everyday life in Hamburg. With this information we hope to be able to give you some helpful answers. Please read the information on this page carefully so that your stay is properly prepared. General information can be found on the website of our Office of International Affairs.
Studying
The first step for studying Biochemistry at the University of Hamburg is your nomination by your home university, which is usually done by your departmental coordinator.
Registration at the University of Hamburg
If you are studying and attending lectures at the University of Hamburg, enrolment is mandatory. Enrolment at the University of Hamburg is only possible for entire semesters:
Winter term: 01.10 - 31.03
Summer term: 01.04 - 30.09
The semester fee is currently € 335.00. ERASMUS students pay a reduced fee of €285.00. This includes a ticket for public transport (bus, train) for the entire duration of 6 months. All students at the University of Hamburg have to pay this ticket, regardless of whether they are ERASMUS students or not. If you would like to live in one of the student residences, accommodation is only available for enroled students.
You can enrol via the University's online application portal. Please read the enrolment instructions for exchange students carefully for your online application.
You can enrol from 1 June to 15 September for a winter term and from 1 December to 15 March for a summer term. When registering online, please fill in the address of your ERASMUS program-coordinator for Biochemistry (Patrick Ziegelmüller) as postal contact and enrol for Erasmus (not Bachelor or Master).
You will need the following documents when enroling:
- Your printed online application
- Proof of health insurance
- A letter of confirmation from your professor/program supervisor/ERASMUS coordinator
Please read the information on health insurance.
After enroling please register in the Mobility Online Database of the University of Hamburg. Please enter Erasmus SMS as exchange programme.
Visas
If you want to know whether you need a visa to enter Germany, take a look at the list of countries requiring visas from the Federal Foreign Office.
Please apply for your visa in advance at the relevant German foreign representatives abroad, as processing can take between 2 and 3 months!
Important note: please note that a three-month Schengen visa (tourist visa) cannot be extended for study or research purposes in Germany!
Further information on the visa:
Accommodation
Studierendenwerk Hamburg currently provides 26 housing facilities for 4,400 inhabitants. All rooms are furnished and rent including utilities starts at EUR 230. This rather inexpensive type of accommodation is much desired, however. We strongly recommend that you apply at least four months before your planned moving date! These rooms can only be rented for a full term (6 months).
The request form for a room in one of the student residences has to be completed including a photo. Please print and sign it and sent it via email to your ERASMUS program-coordinator for Biochemistry (Patrick Ziegelmüller). There are only a few rooms available and we cannot promise that your application will be successful! Deadline is 1 June for the winter term and 1 December for the summer term.
You will find numerous communal housing cooperatives, housing companies and private landlords in Hamburg. Check out the following online real estate portals for vacancies:
Do you want to be a roommate rather than rent your own apartment? Online you will find several portals and exchange platforms for shared housing:
Be cautious of websites that advertise with commission-free flats, glossy photos and utopian cheap rents: This are often fake offers. Always be suspicious of landlords who are supposedly based abroad and want money before you've even seen the flat.
Courses
For visiting lectures, you need to speak German, at least level B2. Most lectures at Hamburg University are held in German! An overview of lectures in biochemistry for Bachelor/undergraduate (PDF) and Master/graduate (PDF) students are available. Further modules in the fields of biology and chemistry can also be chosen and can be searched for online.
Make sure that your choice is approved by your academic advisor/coordinator at your home university so that the courses you take during your exchange period will be recognized when you return home.
Language courses
If you want to learn German during your stay in Hamburg, take a look at our language courses.
Welcome to Hamburg
If you would like to get to know other foreign students, you can register for our Piasta welcome week, attend our intercultural events and apply for our Buddy program.
ERASMUS program-coordinator for Biochemistry
If you have general questions about your stay in Hamburg, you are welcome to contact the ERASMUS program-coordinator for Biochemistry:
Patrick Ziegelmüller, PhD
University of Hamburg
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Martin-Luther-King-Platz 6
20146 Hamburg
Germany
E-Mail: patrick.ziegelmueller"AT"uni-hamburg.de
Phone ++4940/42838 2843
ERASMUS code
The ERASMUS code for Hamburg University is D HAMBURG01
Traineeship
If you apply for a internship/lab-project, English language is sufficient. Please organise your lab internship yourself. Find a project, a working group, make contacts and arrange a time period yourself.
Registration at the University of Hamburg
As an ERASMUS student you have to register in the Mobility Online Database of the University of Hamburg. Please enter Erasmus SMP as exchange programme. Please do not submit this application until you have a commitment for a project and the specific time period for it.
If you do a traineeship at the Universitry of Hamburg, enrolement is not necessary and in some cases not recommended.
Drawback of enrolement:
- Payment of of €285.00 for ERASMUS students.
- Enrolement is only possible for full terms. If your internship is for example from January to July, you have to enrol for winter and summer term (winter term: 01.10 - 31.03, summer term: 01.04 - 30.09)
Benefit of enrolement:
- You can apply for a room in the student residences (but only for full terms!)
- You get a student ticket for public transport for the full term. If you are not enroled, you don’t get a student ticket for public transport. However, you can get a discounted Ticket an HVV when you are not enroled.
Enrolment at the University of Hamburg is only possible for entire semesters:
Winter term: 01.10 - 31.03
Summer term: 01.04 - 30.09
The semester fee is currently € 335.00. ERASMUS students pay a reduced fee of €285.00. This includes a ticket for public transport (bus, train) for the entire duration of 6 months. All students at the University of Hamburg have to pay this ticket, regardless of whether they are ERASMUS students or not. If you would like to live in one of the student residences, accommodation is only available for enroled students.
You can enrol via the University's online application portal. Please read the enrolment instructions for exchange students carefully for your online application.
You can enrol from 1 June to 15 September for a winter term and from 1 December to 15 March for a summer term. When registering online, please fill in the address of your ERASMUS program-coordinator for Biochemistry (Patrick Ziegelmüller) as postal contact and enrol for Erasmus (not Bachelor or Master).
You will need the following documents when enroling:
- Your printed online application
- Proof of health insurance
- A letter of confirmation from your professor/program supervisor/ERASMUS coordinator
Please read the information on health insurance.
Visas
If you want to know whether you need a visa to enter Germany, take a look at the list of countries requiring visas from the Federal Foreign Office.
Please apply for your visa in advance at the relevant German foreign representatives abroad, as processing can take between 2 and 3 months!
Important note: please note that a three-month Schengen visa (tourist visa) cannot be extended for study or research purposes in Germany!
Further information on the visa:
Accommodation
You will find numerous communal housing cooperatives, housing companies and private landlords in Hamburg. Check out the following real estate portals for vacancies:
Do you want to be a roommate rather than rent your own apartment? Online you will find several portals and exchange platforms for shared housing:
Be cautious of websites that advertise with commission-free flats, glossy photos and utopian cheap rents: This are often fake offers. Always be suspicious of landlords who are supposedly based abroad and want money before you've even seen the flat.
If you enrole at the University of Hamburg, student residences are also available. Studierendenwerk Hamburg currently provides 26 housing facilities for 4,400 inhabitants. All rooms are furnished and rent including utilities starts at EUR 230. This rather inexpensive type of accommodation is much desired, however. We strongly recommend that you apply at least four months before your planned moving date! These rooms can only be rented for a full term (6 months).
The request form for a room in one of the student residences has to be completed including a photo. Please print and sign it and sent it via email to your ERASMUS program-coordinator for Biochemistry (Patrick Ziegelmüller). There are only a few rooms available and we cannot promise that your application will be successful! Deadline is 1 June for the winter term and 1 December for the summer term.
Research Projects
Most important: Please organise your lab project yourself. Find a project, a working group, make contacts and arrange a time period yourself.
You can complete your internship in any biochemical research group at the University of Hamburg and associated research institutions. You can choose from the following:
In the following table you find some selected research groups. If you have questions regarding the research projects, used techniques, lab equipment etc. please feel free to ask the goupleader directly:
Language courses
If you want to learn German during your stay in Hamburg, take a look at our language courses.
Welcome to Hamburg
If you would like to get to know other foreign students, you can register for our Piasta welcome week, attend our intercultural events and apply for our Buddy program.
ERASMUS program-coordinator for Biochemistry
If you have general questions about your stay in Hamburg, you are welcome to contact the ERASMUS program-coordinator for Biochemistry:
Patrick Ziegelmüller, PhD
University of Hamburg
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Martin-Luther-King-Platz 6
20146 Hamburg
Germany
E-Mail: patrick.ziegelmueller"AT"uni-hamburg.de
Phone ++4940/42838 2843
ERASMUS code
The ERASMUS code for Hamburg University is D HAMBURG01