LIVING IN PADERBORN
Paderborn offers a friendly and safe environment to study and live.
Paderborn is surrounded by a charming countryside and is a lively cultural center with theatres and cinemas, concerts from classical to jazz, a vibrant arts scene, clubs and entertainment, museums - including the word’s largest computer museum - art galleries, and a wide variety of sports and recreational activities, from water sports, horse riding and indoor carts to parachuting and paragliding. The culinary offerings range from traditional cooking to cozy student pubs, bars, and bistros.
Paderborn's favourable geographical location in the heart of Germany is an ideal starting point for discovering the country and its people. Well-known and popular destinations such as Cologne, Berlin and Munich can be reached easily. Trips to nearby cities such as Münster, Detmold, Osnabrück, Soest and Hameln are also highly recommended.
Things to know
As a student, you are welcome to participate in university sports Hochschulsport. This is a good opportunity to both keep fit and get in touch with other students.
The University of Paderborn has a large gym, a running track as well as a golf course and several tennis courts. The sports programme includes many different types of courses, such as dance, fitness, yoga, Zumba, tennis, golf, American football, etc.
Registration is required for all courses before the beginning of the semester. Some courses are particularly popular with students, so you should register as soon as possible.
Also make use of the numerous offers outside the university, e.g. the Paderborn swimming pools, the Ahorn sports park or visit one of the games of the Paderborn professional football club SC Paderborn 07 or the Untouchables Paderborner Basketball Club e. V.
The good news first: At Paderborn University, there are no tuition fees!
However, exchange students, like all other UPB students, have to pay an amount called the Semesterbeitrag (approx. 350 EUR each semester). This includes the Semesterticket, which allows you to use local public transport in North Rhine-Westphalia.
The monthly costs for your stay in Paderborn are around 900 - 1.000 EUR - but to be on the safe side, you should allow for a little more, e.g. for activities, etc.
When planning your budget, you should also include expenses for purchases (dishes, cutlery, bed linen, etc.) and an amount of cash for your first days in Paderborn.
Timeline for payments:
- Before your arrival in Paderborn your first rent and the deposit for your room should first be transferred.
- Your Semesterbeitrag should be transferred at the latest at the start of the semester.
- Your monthly rent must be paid at the start of each month.
- For Non-EU-Students, there are additional monthly costs for health insurance.
The following overview should give you a general idea of the average monthly expenses (in addition to semester fees, deposit, health insurance) of a student in Paderborn:
Rent | 350 - 420 EUR |
Food | 200 - 250 EUR |
Free time | 150 - 150 EUR |
Miscellaneous (books, clothing, travel) | 200 - 180 EUR |
Total | 900 - 1.000 EUR |
