The Orientation Programme is designed to help all international students settle in Germany. It supports them in finding their way around the German higher education system, overcoming bureaucratic hurdles, and organising their day-to-day student life at THWS.
Published on 21 August 2026
How does health insurance actually work? How do I register for exams? And why are there so many differently coloured bins?
These may seem like obvious things to many German students. For international students, however, they are everyday challenges. This is precisely where the Orientation Programme comes in: it is designed to help international students at the Technical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt (THWS) settle into their studies and their new country.
Navigating bureaucracy and the higher education system
From German bureaucracy to university structures – all of this can feel overwhelming at first if you’re used to different systems in your home country. “We want to explain to students the steps they need to take before and after their arrival,” explains Aylin Chaban from the International Office. She supports international students through the Orientation Programme.
Ertugrul Kiyici is one such international student and took part in the Orientation Programme before starting his full-time degree programme. He has been studying Mechatronics at THWS in Schweinfurt since 2023 and is originally from Turkey. “Bureaucracy in Germany is very difficult,” he explains.
The aim of the programme is to make it easier for international students to settle into their studies in Würzburg or Schweinfurt. The aim is for students to receive all the relevant information, if possible, before they arrive or before their studies begin, enabling them to start their studies with greater peace of mind.
The programme also helps to ease the workload for Aylin Chaban and her colleagues at the International Office. Without the Orientation Programme, the International Office team would be faced with the same questions many times a day. The Orientation Programme allows many of these to be clarified in advance. “The administrative burden would be enormous if we had to arrange individual appointments,” explains Chaban.
Open to all: target audience, participation, and organisation
All international students at THWS are eligible to take part. This means that both Erasmus and exchange students from non-EU countries can participate in the sessions. Furthermore, the programme is not dependent on the duration of study. It therefore makes no difference whether international students are coming to Germany for just one semester or whether they are completing their entire degree here. They can all take part in the programme.
The programme is not compulsory, but “if someone misses the whole thing, they’ll naturally be completely lost,” explains Chaban. Students who miss the programme then send Chaban and her colleagues lots of e-mails. Experience also shows that these students are generally much more stressed when they arrive in Germany.
The programme takes place via Zoom sessions around two weeks before the start of the semester. This has become the norm since the coronavirus pandemic. Before 2020, the sessions were held exclusively in person. However, at the time of the sessions, many students are still waiting for their visas or have simply not yet moved to Germany. “Full-time students in particular often have to wait a long time for their visas and are unable to be there in person,” explains Chaban. The Zoom sessions ensure that anyone interested can take part. As a result, they also lead to a higher attendance rate and fewer enquiries outside the sessions.
Sessions packed with answers: content of the Orientation Programme
The programme comprises a multi-stage information programme consisting of three main sessions, each lasting two hours.
The first session covers everything to do with studying at THWS. Here, the various THWS portals, exam registration and key contacts are introduced. “They assume that the International Office is responsible for all aspects of their studies,” says Chaban. “That isn’t the case, but they can’t know that.”
The second session clarifies all legal issues and provides an insight into everyday life in Germany. Chaban explains, for example, how to register with the authorities or take out health insurance, how tenancy agreements are structured, and what different support services are available both within and outside THWS.
The third session offers intercultural training. This covers German customs, potential cultural differences and things to avoid, as well as everyday topics such as waste separation. Chaban makes it very clear to the students: “Be prepared for the fact that many things will be different.”
There are also two further sessions, featuring an introduction to the library and an overview of the THWS Campus for Language Proficiency. There, students can take part in German or English courses.
Beyond your studies
Once the semester has started, there are further support services available. A weekly tutorial provides an opportunity to clarify any questions that may arise during the semester. These sessions are also held online and last around 90 minutes. They cover a review of key topics and offer assistance with exam registration, illness, travel or everyday queries.
When most students are on campus, the International Office also organises in-person events outside the Orientation Programme. These include, amongst other things, a welcome event, city rallies and leisure activities organised by the THWS International Student Club. The aim of these events is to help international students settle in and to facilitate socialising.
The fact that this is necessary is also evident in everyday student life. “It can be difficult to make friends in a new country,” explains Aylin Chaban. Students on English-taught degree programmes, in particular, often have little contact with their German fellow students. As a result, international groups tend to form amongst themselves quite quickly.
However, not everyone manages to make friends quickly. Some students can feel lonely – especially at the beginning. That is why it is important to create specific opportunities for students to meet: “We need to provide a platform where students can get to know one another.” Otherwise, loneliness can also affect their studies. “If you’re lonely and frustrated, you won’t feel like attending lectures.”
Ertugrul also reports that such initiatives can make a difference. “At the end of the programme, all of us – that is, the international students – were invited to a dinner,” he explains. There, he met a Bulgarian student with whom he remains friends to this day.
For him, the Orientation Programme was therefore not only a help in dealing with bureaucracy and higher education structures structures – but above all an important step towards settling into his new daily life.
This article was written as part of the master's programme in Trade Journalism and Corporate Communication.