Winter semester 2022/23

For the 2022/23 winter semester, the semester fee is €285.56 and is made up as follows:

Social contribution €72.50 Semester ticket €213.06

Summer semester 2023

For the summer semester 2023, the semester fee is €292.52 and is made up as follows:

Social contribution €72.50 Semester ticket €220.02

Before starting your studies at UW/H...

... the first semester fee must be transferred before enrolment, as proof of transfer is an enrolment requirement. In addition, the Application of Membership and Payment Information must be completed. There you can choose whether the payment of the following semester fees to the Hochschulwerk should be made by bank transfer or direct debit.

From the 2nd semester...

... the following rules apply

    Payment by bank transfer should always be made to the specified bank account by the following dates at the latest:

•         for the summer semester by 30.04.
•         for the winter semester by 31.10.

    If you have agreed to a direct debit, this will always take place at the following times:

•         for the summer semester: beginning to middle of May
•         for the winter semester: beginning to middle of November

    You will receive an e-mail approx. 10-14 days before the direct debit is due to take place, informing you of the upcoming direct debit.

We will be happy to issue you with a certificate for your HSW semester fees for your tax return.

However, please note the following:

• The certificate will be issued upon your request. All certificates are created manually and can therefore not be produced and sent without being requested.
• The document is created as a PDF and sent by e-mail.
• Since the tax return is always submitted retroactively for the previous year, contributions for the current year can only be claimed in the following year. For this reason, we always issue the corresponding certificates for a complete year only at the beginning of the following year.
• We only issue certificates for complete years, as the preparation of certificates for individual semesters represents an enormous amount of additional administrative work.
• If you need a certificate for the HSW semester fees for the previous year, please send us an email.

Attention! We can only certify fees that are charged by the Hochschulwerk. You can obtain a certificate of your tuition fees from the student union (Studierendengesellschaft).

The semester ticket, which currently costs €36.67 per month, remains unchanged under the existing conditions and will continue to be processed by the Hochschulwerk.

From May 1, 2023, the DeutschlandTicket will be introduced nationwide.

• For a small surcharge on the NRW-SemesterTicket you can use public transport nationwide.
• The surcharge of €12.33 is optional and can be ordered with the SemesterTicket if desired.
• As with the DeutschlandTicket, the surcharge is also a subscription that can be canceled monthly.
• The surcharge is sold exclusively via the RIDE Campus web app and is available after a one-time registration.
• Billing is via PayPal, credit card or direct debit.
• If you are only traveling in NRW, the SemesterTicket is sufficient as before. If you want to be mobile outside of NRW, you have to subscribe to the surcharge.
• In addition to the SemesterTicket, the photo ID and the barcode of the surcharge must be presented during the ticket inspection.
• Taking people or bicycles with you is not included in nationwide use.

Here is the link to the RIDE Campus web app: https://abo.ride-ticketing.de/app/login?partnerId=b220f8b48b53b8b77266e015153d5b1b

A new solidarity model for students is being worked on nationwide.

• From the winter semester 21/22, the semester ticket will only be available in the "SeTi" app.
• You can download it for Android here and for iOS here.
• Or/and print it out here and carry it with you in paper form.
• The access data for activation will be sent to you by the BIT support team by email shortly before the start of the semester or shortly after successful enrolment.
• Follow us on Instagram for an explanatory video on how to activate the ticket with the access data.
  If you have technical problems (e.g. with the activation), please use the feedback function in the app, send an email to BOGESTRA or contact BOGESTRA by phone at +49 (234) 303-2444.
• For all other questions or if you do not receive any feedback, we will of course be happy to assist you!

• With the semester ticket, you can use most public transport in the NRW area (NRW-Verbundraum) free of charge around the clock. FAQs/exceptions can be found here.
• From Monday to Friday from 7 p.m. and all day at weekends and on public holidays, you can take one additional person with you free of charge in the VRR area (VRR-Verbundraum) (note: not the entire NRW area).
• You can use all buses, underground trains, trams, suburban trains and local trains of Deutsche Bahn AG at no additional cost - unfortunately not 1st class and ICE/IC.
• The ticket is valid from 01.04. to 30.09. for a summer semester and from 01.10. to 31.03. for a winter semester.
• You can only receive the ticket if you are enrolled as a first-time student at a university in the Ruhr Area. Guest and secondary students do not receive the semester ticket.

The following applies equally to all students - including doctoral students.

Exemption from the semester ticket is possible under the following conditions:

• The student is abroad for the entire semester or is staying outside NRW for his/her studies and can present a certificate of exemption from the semester ticket obligation.
• The student has neither the semester nor the home address in NRW and can present a certificate of exemption from the semester ticket obligation. 
• Severely disabled students who are entitled to free transport or who are unable to use local public transport due to their disability (and provide proof of this with a current token).
• All students who are on a semester break

Procedure

Please use the form Bescheinigung über die Ausnahme von der Semesterticketverpflichtung to apply.

• The application must be approved by the head of your faculty at Witten/Herdecke University or the doctoral supervisor in the case of doctoral students with signature and stamp.

• The above-mentioned approval must be obtained by you, the applicant.

• Reasons such as 'I am not staying in NRW' or 'I will not be staying in NRW' require proof (e.g. official confirmation of registration or, in the case of a PJ outside NRW, confirmation from the employer). A simple declaration of intent is not sufficient.
   

• Please then submit the form with the required information and evidence to the head of the faculty or doctoral supervisor/doctoral supervisor and ask for it to be forwarded to Hochschulwerk once approval has been granted. This can also be done by e-mail. Prompt processing is important here, as we cannot refund the ticket fees retroactively. Every month that has already begun will be invoiced by the transport company BOGESTRA and must therefore be paid in full.
• The exemption from the semester ticket obligation does not include the social contribution. This is due every semester, except during a semester of leave.
• Please refrain from applying if none of the above conditions apply to you, as this will only lead to unnecessary administrative work. The above-mentioned reasons are stipulated in the contract. Anything beyond this will be rejected by the transport company.

• During a semester of leave, you are free to decide whether or not you want to receive the semester ticket. Please give us a short message if you do not need it. An informal message to our e-mail address is sufficient. Otherwise, we assume that you would like to continue to use it for a fee.
• Please note that you must inform us in good time, as the semester ticket cannot be cancelled retroactively.

The social contribution is a flat-rate compulsory contribution that all students (first-time students, second-time students and doctoral students) at a German university have to pay to the respective student union before each semester.

Students at Witten/Herdecke University pay this contribution to Hochschulwerk Witten/Herdecke e.V..

The social contribution is used for services that serve the association's purpose (Vereinszweck) and thus benefit the student body. These include, among other things, the services of the social committee, the management of the catering facilities, the support of cultural projects, the provision of university merchandise and the organisation of university sports.

If the social contribution has already been paid to the HSW and you were exmatriculated retroactively to the end of the previous semester, the social contribution can be refunded. In this case, please inform us by sending us a short email.

This only applies to completed studies with an exmatriculation date of 30.09. or 31.03. where the payment of the social contribution for the following semester has already taken place. In the case of exmatriculation during the semester, the social contribution is not refundable.

During a semester of leave, the social contribution is not due.

BAföG applications for students at the University of Witten/Herdecke are processed by the Akademische Förderungswerk at the Ruhr University Bochum. Here you can also get advice and information on financing your living costs.

You can also submit your BAföG application online.

Students in financial need can also turn to the Social Welfare Committee of the Hochschulwerk Witten/ Herdecke e.V. for an interest-free loan.

The Akademisches Förderungswerk at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum is responsible for advising students at the UW/H on financing options such as BAföG, scholarships and loans during their studies.

Other ways of obtaining loans apart from the Social Committee are, for example: Daka, KfW, Bundesverwaltungsamt (Federal Office of Administration).

If you are looking for scholarships, you can find an overview of all scholarships for gifted students on the page StipendiumPlus.

The Witten University Outpatient Clinic (Uniambulanz Witten) offers general practitioner care and evidence-based naturopathy.

If you have mental health problems, the psychotherapeutic outpatient clinic at Witten/Herdecke University (Centre for Mental Health and Psychotherapy) can help you.

In addition, the A-Coaching Team offers systemic counselling for crises and problems.

The Social Welfare Committee can best be reached by mail.

IBAN: DE 44 4525 0035 0000 7025 14

You can find all contact details for the Hochschulwerk here.

IBAN: DE70 4525 0035 0000 0966 69