The team "Offers for Refugees" coordinates the offers for prospective students and international teachers and is happy to advise on all questions about studying and the recognition of teaching degrees.

The team "Pathways to the University of Vechta" advises enrolled students from Ukraine and (prospective and current) exchange students.

Please do not hesitate to contact us! You can find the contact details here.

If you are not sure who is the right contact person for your enquiry, simply write an email to international.office@uni-vechta.de.

We are happy to support (prospective) students (bachelor's and master's programmes) as well as (prospective) students in the adaptation course for foreign teachers with regard to an application for the Deutschlandstipendium (website in German). Please feel free to contact Lea Sophie Schmidt (lea-sophie.schmidt@uni-vechta.de) for support.

The International Office successfully applied for funding for scholarships for Ukrainian students and teachers by the DAAD-programme "Zukunft Ukraine – Stipendienprogramm für Geflüchtete aus der Ukraine an deutschen Hochschulen". Information can be found here (website currently in German only).

Students (Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes or adaptation courses) with a residence permit according to § 24 are also  entitled to BAföG (funding according to the Federal Training Assistance Act), according to current government plans. Ms Schmidt is happy to answer any questions.

According to our information, exchange students (who are not entitled to BAföG) with a residence permit according to § 24 can receive benefits according to SGB II.

For exchange students from our partner university in Luzk (Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University) scholarships are available to a certain extent. If you have any questions regarding these scholarships, please contact Dr Frauke Schumacher (frauke.schumacher@uni-vechta.de). In addition, we strive to apply for scholarship funds for Bachelor's and Master's students as well.

The DAAD, the Volkswagen Foundation and other institutions offer scholarships for refugee and at-risk students, PhD students and scientists. You can find further details here. Many of these scholarships require a nomination by the host university. If you are interested in a bachelor's or master's programme at our university and would therefore like to be supported by us through a nomination and/or in the application process, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Ukrainian students of the University of Vechta who are in financial need are also welcome to contact the International Office so that we can search for possible solutions together.

The International Office provides advice and support on all questions regarding bachelor's and master's programmes (including study options, admission requirements or the transfer of credits from previous studies abroad). If you are uncertain whether your certificates meet the requirements for admission to a degree programme at the University of Vechta, we are happy to check the certificates in advance.

Apart from applying for degree programmes, students from Ukrainian universities can also enrol as exchange students at our university (even at short notice).

The International Office offers a so-called "Back to School" programme for teachers who would like to learn about the recognition procedure for their teaching qualifications in Lower Saxony and the options for working as a teacher in Lower Saxony.

For persons who cannot prove their Ukrainian qualifications (e.g. university degrees, vocational qualifications) due to flight, there is currently the possibility, under certain conditions, to obtain an electronic self-disclosure via the website of the state database EDEBO. At the same time, for persons who cannot prove their Ukrainian school-leaving qualifications, it is currently possible, under certain conditions, to obtain the information available in EDEBO on this proof of education from the state enterprise "Inforesurs". Details can be found here (in German, under the items "Einholung einer Selbstauskunft über die Bildungsbiografie" and "Informationsbeschaffung bei fehlenden Nachweisen von Schulabschlüssen (Stamd April 2022)"): https://anabin.kmk.org/no_cache/filter/bildungswesen.html?tab=first&land=37

In cases where it is not possible to obtain such information (e.g. because the certificates are not recorded in EDEBO), the procedure for university access despite certificates lost due to flight applies:

Prospective students who due to their flight from Ukraine are unable to present a higher education entrance qualification because they no longer possess the relevant certificates can prove their eligibility by taking a placement examination. This examination takes place at the University of Vechta. Its content depends on the study programme that students wish to apply for.

If due to the circumstances of your flight you can only present simple copies of your certificates, a plausibility check of the educational biography and, depending on the documents, possibly an examination is necessary in order to apply.

Details on the procedure and the contact details of the International Office can be found here. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions!

The Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany (Kultusministerkonferenz) has passed a resolution regulating access to higher education for refugee pupils and students from Ukraine (persons granted residence for temporary protection according to § 24 of the Residence Act) who were unable to complete their school or university year in a regular manner (https://www.kmk.org/fileadmin/Dateien/pdf/ZAB/Hochschulzugang_Beschluesse_der_KMK/220405_KMK_Beschluss_Hochschulzugang_Ukraine.pdf , in German).

According to these regulations, those affected should not suffer any disadvantage due to their flight, even if they are unable to provide evidence of all regularly required state examination achievements. The current assessment proposals for access to higher education with Ukrainian secondary school leaving certificates are applied.

The University of Vechta offers an alternative to attending the Studienkolleg Hannover for refugees who wish to study at the University of Vechta and who do not have a direct university entrance qualification (but do have an entrance qualification for the Studienkolleg) based to their foreign secondary school certificate.

Details can be found here. If you have any questions, please contact the International Office.

The auditing studies offer the possibility to attend individual courses at the university and, under certain conditions, also take examinations. This can be useful in order to gain an insight into a study programme or to attend courses if the German language skills required for admission to a regular study programme have not yet been obtained.

If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Maria Goldberg (maria.goldberg@uni-vechta.de).

Information about the German intensiv courses for refugees with academic background offered by the international office can be found here.

The International Office successfully applied for funding for scholarships for Ukrainian students and teachers by the DAAD-programme "Zukunft Ukraine – Stipendienprogramm für Geflüchtete aus der Ukraine an deutschen Hochschulen". Information can be found here (website currently in German only).

The University of Vechta has a long-standing and active partnership with the Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University in Luzk, which includes promoting student and teacher mobility and carrying out joint projects.

The one week training "Reach out!" in June 2024 is aimed at (prospective) teachers (primary and lower secondary) from Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova and Germany.

The topics of the training are intercultural education, international networking of schools, racism-critical teaching and democracy education.

The training, organised by the International Office, is supported by the DAAD with funds from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

The project "Tandem international - gemeinsam mehr bewegen" (2022-2024) is funded by the DAAD programme "Ostpartnerschaften" ("Eastern Partnerships"). It is implemented by the International Office together with the Ukrainian partner university in Luzk, Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University. The project focuses on intercultural learning and collaborative teaching. In addition to teacher and student mobility, it includes the organisation of a study module "Ukraine: Literary and Intercultural Perspectives" in which students from Luzk and Vechta discuss both current voices in contemporary Ukrainian literature and intercultural issues.

The University of Vechta and the Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University in the Ukrainian city of Luzk have had a partnership for many years. Regular student exchanges and joint projects, among other things, have led to diverse and close contacts. Due to the Russian war against Ukraine, the students and teachers in Luzk are currently facing special challenges. In order to support them, the International Office of Vechta University has acquired third-party funding in the DAAD programme "Ukraine digital: Ensuring academic success in times of crisis", which aims at enabling Ukrainian students to continue their studies.

Within the framework of the project Ukrainian students at the partner university in Luzk receive scholarships. The aim is to contribute to the students' ability to continue and finance their studies despite the war. Many of the students have to compensate for their own loss of income - or that of their parents - and are confronted with rising rents and living costs. The majority of them are also involved in voluntary work, for example in caring for and accommodating Ukrainians who have fled.

Furthermore, teaching assignments for additional online seminars are awarded to lecturers at the University of Luzk in order to strengthen the online teaching offer of the partner university. In addition, workshops for Ukrainian lecturers will be offered which focus on tools and methods of online teaching.

The project is funded by the DAAD with funds from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

The International Office organizes international movie nights (Unikino Vechta) on a regular basis. In the winter semester there was a focus on Ukrainian films. With the support of the Ukrainian Filmfestival Berlin, the following to films were screened on campus: "The Earth is blue as an orange" and "Atlantis" (in Ukrainian with English subtitles). Details can be found here.

The project "Sprachnetz"  ("Language Network") of the Centre for Teacher Education is a service learning project. In this module, students support the learning process of young people with migration or refugee experience. The aim of the project is to support children and young people with migration/refugee experience in their learning process as well as to promote intercultural competence and the handling of heterogeneous learning groups by linking practical and theoretical elements.

In addition, networking is of enormous importance for the project. On the one hand, the students are meaningfully integrated into existing structures at the university and in the district of Vechta, and on the other hand, the support measures and structures can be further developed together with various actors. To this end, the relevant structures at the university and cooperation with external partners are expanded through a working group that meets regularly.

The International Office regularly informs about new offers (e.g. German courses) for prospective students and teachers with a refugee background at the University of Vechta.

The free newsletter is aimed at all interested counselling centres, volunteers, (prospective) students and teachers with a refugee background.

If you would like to receive the newsletter, please send a short email to Dr. Katrin Schumacher (katrin.schumacher@uni-vechta.de).

Sport is colourful, diverse and it connects - regardless of origin, appearance or religion. Under this motto, the student initiative (facebook website in German) of the same name ("Sport ist bunt" / "Sport is colourful") was founded in Vechta to do sports together with refugees in Vechta. Sport creates a place where people with different background can meet and work off their energy together in games and have fun in the community. The group is always happy to welcome new members!

Once you have arrived in Vechta, you are welcome to seek advice from the City of Vechta and, if necessary, assistance with applications!

Contact at the town hall (Department of Social Services, Senior Citizens and Integration):
Ms Freese (04441 886 5003)
Mrs. Pölking (04441 886 5010)

Registration with the city of Vechta
You are obliged to register with the city of Vechta after 3 months at the latest, stating your current address. Irrespective of the legal obligation to register, there is always the possibility to register voluntarily before three months have elapsed. Registration may be necessary in order to claim certain benefits.

Residence title according to § 24
The duration of stay with this residence title is initially one year and can be extended up to a total of three years.

social benefits according to SGB II
From 1.6.2022, persons with a residence title according to § 24 are entitled to social benefits according to SGB II (from the jobcenter).
If enroll in a study programme, it is generally not possible to receive benefits under SGB II. However, students (Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes or adaptation courses) with a residence permit according to § 24 are entitled to BAföG (funding according to the Federal Training Assistance Act).

According to our information, exchange students (who are not entitled to BAföG) with a residence permit according to § 24 can receive benefits according to SGB II.

If you live in another town in the district of Vechta, please contact the respective town hall.

last updated: 17.03.2022, source: Information from the city of Vechta / updated: 20.06.2022

The Network for Traumatised Refugees in Lower Saxony offers free psychological counselling (also for children and teens) in Hanover, Oldenburg and Osnabrück, among other places. Counselling sessions can be held in German, English or (with the support of interpreters) in many other languages (including Ukrainian).

The flyer is also available in Ukrainian.

The Studentenwerk also offers psychosocial counselling, which is open to all students of the University of Vechta.

Deutsche Welle (DW), the international broadcaster of the Federal Republic of Germany, offers news in Ukrainian.

The Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR), with its daily "Ukrainian Germany Minute" in Ukrainian, provides news and information especially for Ukrainians in Germany.

ARD's Tagesschau is available with Ukrainian subtitles.

Lower Saxony offers persons from Ukraine who have already worked in their country of origin as a teacher or in another pedagogical-educational field the opportunity to apply for a pedagogical employment at a school in Lower Saxony as part of an unsolicited application.

Employment can initially only be for a limited period of time and exclusively for pedagogical employment.

Details can be found here. (last updated: 07.04.2022)

A recognition process is necessary for employment as a regular teacher. The "Back to School" programme of the University of Vechta offers support regarding this process.