Information for new students - Winter semester

Information for new students in the winter semester 2026

At the Faculty of Engineering, the lecture period for the winter semester 2026 will begin on 19 October, 2026.

Therefore, as a newly admitted student, you should start all the necessary procedures from your side to ensure that you will be able to reach Freiburg in October. The orientation week for new Bachelor and Master students will be held from 13 – 15 October 2026 (see "Orientation for new undergraduate students in the winter semester 2026" and "Orientation week for new postgraduate students in the winter semester 2026").

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myUFR-App

The central university app "myUFR" serves as a practical companion during the introductory phase as well as throughout your studies. It contains a lot of information and helps users to plan the orientation week and other events as well as to create checklists. It can also be used to find extracurricular events, contact persons, cafeteria schedules, and much more. Make sure to install it on your phone.

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Pre-courses for new undergraduate students (Bachelor)

The student council offers a pre-course in programming from 5 - 9 October. In addition, they offer a pre-course in mathematics from 12 - 15 October, 2026. More information can be found soon on the website of the student council (Fachschaft).

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Orientation for new undergraduate students in the winter semester 2026

The orientation day for new undergraduate students of the Faculty of Engineering will take place on 16 October 2026. On that day, students will be informed about their respective study programs, study plans, examination regulations and also get some practical tips from the student council. A detailed schedule is available here.

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Orientation week for new postgraduate students in the winter semester 2026

The orientation week for new Master students will take place from 13 - 15 October, 2026 and includes the following sessions:

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Course Booking (or: Course Registration) and deadlines

You should register online for each course (lecture, excercise, lab course, seminar etc.) you want to take in the first semester. It is recommended to do this after having attended the orientation meeting to make sure you know which courses you can or have to select. Instructions on how to do this can be found here. Please keep the deadlines for course booking in mind.

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UniCard (Student ID Card)

A few days/weeks after enrolment, the university will send you a letter with your student ID card (called UniCard). You can find out which features the card has on the UniCard website. If you should not yet live in Germany when enroling, the UniCard will be sent to the Student Service Center (Sedanstrasse 6) where you can pick it up once you arrive in Freiburg.

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University User Account

After enrolment you will also receive information about your user account for the central IT services. You will need this user account to, for example, book your courses, register for exams, and more. You can find more information about the university user account here.

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Faculty User Account (TF-Account)

All students of the Faculty of Engineering need a faculty user account (TF-Account) in addition to the university user account. You need the "TF Account" to receive the emails which are sent by the faculty's office of student affairs (i.e. examination office, study advisors, program coordinators etc.) to all students of the Faculty of Engineering. You also need the TF Account to use the computers, printers and scanners in the computer labs for students in building 076.

Depending on when they enrol, all new students at the Faculty of Engineering will receive an email shortly before or after the start of lectures, containing their username and an initial password. The username consists of the first seven letters of their surname and the first letter of their first name. If you do not receive an email, please contact the pool managers using the contact form. Further information can be found here.

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User Account for the University Library

The UniCard also serves as your library card for the University Library (UB) and its branches (including the Faculty Library at the Faculty of Engineering). However, before using the library for the first time, you must a) register online and b) have your library account activated. You can register online here.

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WiFi

As a student of the University of Freiburg, you have access to the WiFi network, "eduroam", which is available on the university's campuses all over the city as well as at other universities in Europe. Instructions on how to install this WiFi network on your mobile phone and computer can be found here.

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Semester Ticket

The semester ticket enables you to use all means of public transport in Freiburg and surroundings for the duration of one semester. The semester ticket for the winter semester is valid from 1st October to 31st March, while the one for the summer semester is valid from 1st April to 30th September. Even if you don't have a semester ticket, your UniCard (plus certificate of enrollment and passport or other ID with photo) allows you to travel for free every night from 7:00 p.m. onwards (but only if you have downloaded a so-called “19-Uhr-Nachweis”.

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Semester dates and teaching periods

On the university’s website, you can see when the lecture period begins and ends, and which holidays and public holidays are scheduled. It’s best to bookmark the page straight away. But be careful! The exam period varies from faculty to faculty. At the Faculty of Engineering, it falls during the lecture-free period (see the next section, ‘Exams’). You should bear this in mind when planning your holidays.

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Examinations (exam periods, registration and de-registration, FAQs)

• The dates of the exam periods as well as the deadlines for exam registration and de-registration vary according to department. The ones of the Faculty of Engineering can be found here.
• We have summarized all questions regarding examination law, e.g. repeat regulations for examinations, withdrawal from examinations due to illness, recognition of achievements, etc. under our FAQs. You can find them here.

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Information for new students on the university website

You can also find further useful information for first-year students on the university’s website.

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Slides and videos from the orientation sessions for Master students

After each session for new Master students, you will find the slides and videos here.

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Living in Freiburg - The first steps

A comprehensive list of To Dos after arriving in Freiburg can be found here.

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