A Warm Welcome to New International Students at RWTH Aachen University!
Among the 8,000 students who will begin their studies at RWTH Aachen University in the coming winter semester, there are over 2,000 students with an international background. In the winter semester 2019/20 the International Office will welcome new international students with a newly-conceived Welcome Week to give the new arrivals the best possible start at RWTH Aachen.
The Welcome Week takes place from September 23 to 27, 2019 and begins with an official welcome and kick-off event in Audimax. The new students will receive important information about studying and living in Aachen as well as a mini intercultural training in preparation for German culture. During the official welcome Professor Ulrich Rüdiger Rector will present the 2019 DAAD Prize for particularly dedicated international students.
All Welcome Week participants will be presented with a colourful wristband to help them meet new friends and to support networking:
- blue for degree students
- green for exchange students
- orange for Welcome Week helpers
The new students will be able to recognize each other quickly and are also more visible to the university community as new arrivals. The goal is to promote a welcoming culture in Aachen and at RWTH and ease social integration.
During the week various information sessions and presentations are on offer, which are tailored to the specific needs and interests of international students. Organisational, subject-specific and visa-related topics are explained in detail by the relevant experts. There is a Freshers’ Fair and Global Village to introduce the international student associations and central RWTH services. External partners such as the Immigration Office of the Städteregion and the Citizens’ Service of Stadt Aachen, the central Aachen library, the Katholische Hochschulgemeinde and the Evangelische Hochschulgemeinde are also present to offer advice and support. At the Freshers’ Fair students can also meet their student councils.
Campus tours of the central areas, library tours, sport, intercultural workshops, a country evening and various social events make up a colourful and diverse programme.
RWTH students, who support the International Office during the Welcome Week, can have their activities recognised as a component within the Certificate International programme.
Here you can find the complete Welcome Week programme.