Application, admission and enrolment
for Erasmus/ Short-term Students
In order to become a short-term student (e.g. ERASMUS) at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Cologne, you need to go through the application process at your home university first. Please note that we only accept students from universities, faculties and departments that we hold an exchange agreement with.
Nomination
As soon as your home university has selected you for a mobility, you will be officially nominated to the University of Cologne. Once we have reviewed your nomination, you will receive an e-mail with further information about the registration process at UoC and the next steps.
Admission
Application for Admission
You then have to apply for admission to the University of Cologne through the online application portal KLIPS 2.0. Please pay attention to the application periods (deadlines):
- Winter term or full academic year: May 15 until July 15
- Summer term: November 15 until January 15
A step-by-step guide on how to apply for admission will be sent to you via e-mail beforehand.
Admission
You can track the status of your application in your KLIPS 2.0 applicant account. As soon as your application has been processed, you will receive an e-mail notification and can download your letter of admission from KLIPS 2.0.
Enrolment
After your admission, please follow these three steps to enrol at the University of Cologne:
- Pay the social fee: Pay the social fee by bank transfer as soon as possible. You will find the bank details in your applicant account in KLIPS 2.0.
- Request electronic reporting of your health insurance status: If you are under the age of 30, please contact a German statutory health insurance company and either buy insurance there or have your foreign or private health insurance policy approved and confirmed. Following your request, the company will electronically report your health insurance status to the University of Cologne. For further information on the reporting procedure, click here.
- Upload the application for enrolment: As soon as your payment of the social fee has been registered your health insurance status has been reported (both processes may take up to two weeks!), you can download the application for enrolment in KLIPS 2.0. Please sign the application and then upload it back to your KLIPS 2.0 account.
Student Account
Once you have completed your enrolment, you will receive an automated e-mail from the University of Cologne with a PIN number. Please use this PIN number together with your matriculation number to activate your electronic student account (instructions).
Your student account (username and password) gives you access to all the university's online services (KLIPS, ILIAS E-Learning, S-mail, Wi-Fi etc.) and IT facilities (computer workstations at the Regional computing center, software etc.).
University E-mail Address (S-mail)
Along with your student account, you will get a university e-mail address ("S-mail") consisting of your username and the ending "@smail.uni-koeln.de". Please note that many official e-mails from the University of Cologne will be sent to your S-mail address! Make sure to regularly check your S-mail inbox through the Webmail system of the University of Cologne.
Student ID
After you have completed your enrolment, you can download your student ID from KLIPS 2.0. To do so, please log in to KLIPS 2.0 with your student account login details and click on "Certificates". There you can download your certificate of enrolment. On the 2nd page of your certificate of enrolment you will find your student ID.
Semester ticket
The semester ticket is your digital ticket for public transport throughout Germany (regional and local trains and buses, no intercity trains). It is valid from October 1 to March 31 in the winter semester and from April 1 to September 30 in the summer semester. The price of the semester ticket is included in the semester fee that all students must pay upon enrolment.
After your enrolment, an activation and download link for the semester ticket will be sent to your S-mail address. If you follow the link, you will have to enter the login details of your student account and can then download the semester ticket to a wallet app on your mobile device.
Please note that the semester ticket is only valid in digital form (e.g. as a download in your wallet app) and may not be printed. A screenshot is not permitted either. In the event of a ticket inspection, you will need to show the digital ticket on your mobile device and your ID card/passport.