Welcome Guide for International Students
Dear international students,
Welcome at the Ernst Abbe University of Applied Sciences Jena. On this page, you will find useful information on the start of the semester.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the International Office.
Semester information
The academic year at the EAH Jena consists of two semesters: winter and summer semester. The academic year begins at the start of the winter semester (1 October) every year. The semesters are divided into three phases: lecture period, examination period and semester break.
Summer Semester 2025
| Administrative period | 1 April 2025 – 30 September 2025 |
| Arrival days / moving into the residence | 31 March – 1 April 2025 |
| Lecture period | 1 April – 12 July 2025 |
| Days without lectures | 18 – 21 April 2025 (Eastern) 1 – 2 May 2025 (Labour Day and bridging day) 29 – 31 May 2025 (Ascension Day and bridging days) 9 June 2025 (Pentecost) |
| Examination period | 14 July – 2 August 2025 |
| Semester break | 3 August – 30 September 2025 |
- A more detailed overview of the semester dates can be found at: Semestertermine (eah-jena.de)
Once per semester, every student of the EAH Jena has to pay a so-called semester fee, which amounts to €288.65 for the Summer Semester 2025. The semester fee includes your student’s identity card as well as your semester ticket with which you can use all local and regional public transportation services in Germany free of charges. You can either transfer the semester fee from abroad before your arrival, or from your newly opened German bank account after your arrival in Jena.
The semester fee consists of the following items:
| Semester ticket (incl. Germany ticket) | €176.40 |
| Culture ticket | €4.25 |
| Student council of the University of Applied Sciences Jena | €8.00 |
| Association for student affairs in Thuringia (Studierendenwerk Thueringen) | €85.00 |
| thoska ‒ student’s ID card | €15.00 |
| Total amount | €288.65 |
- Information on how to pay the semester fee can be found at: semester fee (eah-jena.de)
Health insurance coverage is compulsory in Germany. For the time of your study stay in Jena, you have to take out a health insurance policy. Citizens of the European Economic Area (EEA) do usually hold a European Health Insurance Card, which is also valid in Germany. You must have your health insurance recognised in Germany. For this purpose, you visit the service centre of a statutory health insurance company in Germany and present your European Health Insurance Card.
Non-citizens of the EEA are obliged to take out a statutory health insurance policy in Germany. All statutory health insurance companies in Germany charge the same basic amount for students. It amounts to around €120 per month. If you already have private health insurance or would like to take out private health insurance, you must have it recognised by a statutory health insurance company. If the private health insurance is comparable to a statutory health insurance, you will receive an "exemption from compulsory health insurance". This exemption is also recognised by the university.
In the city centre of Jena, you find branches of several statutory health insurance companies like AOK, BARMER, DAK, TK etc.
Please note: The health insurance coverage does usually start on the first day of the new semester, either April 1st or October 1st of the year.
- More information: Health insurance - DAAD
If you sign up for the free tutor programme of University of Applied Sciences Jena, you will be assisted by one of our Welcome Tutors during your first weeks in Jena. The Welcome Tutor will, if possible, pick you up at the train station in Jena, accompany you to the appointments with the authorities, assist you with the enrolment at EAH Jena and help you with general questions.
- Read more on our Welcome Tutors at: Support & Counselling (eah-jena.de)
Our tutors will guide you through all the important steps after your arrival in Jena (see picture).
Enrolment at the EAH Jena
You can do the enrolment online in the Campus portal of the EAH Jena.
Enrolment Documents
The certificate of enrolment is available in German (page 1) and English (page 2) and confirms your enrolment in the summer semester at the EAH Jena, starting 1 April 2025.
In the document "Account data" you will find your personal access data for your student account at the EAH Jena. These access data are valid for all internet services of the university. For your own security, please change your initial password immediately after logging in for the first time. Follow these instructions to change your password: eah-jena.de/password-aendern.
Student ID Card - THOSKA
The THOSKA (Thüringer Hochschul- und Studierendenwerkskarte) is your student ID card at the EAH Jena. The THOSKA has the following functions:
- Student ID card and culture ticket
- Library pass (use of photocopier, book lending)
- Cashless payments in dining halls and cafeterias (can be toped up with €10 to €100)
- Access authorisation to buildings, labs, seminar rooms and parking area
- Use of washing machines in dormitories of Studierendenwerk
- Re-registration resp. validation of student status
Deutschland semester ticket and Culture Ticket
The Deutschlandsemesterticket is valid for one semester and allows you to use the following means of transport throughout Germany free of charge:
- Local public transport (tram, city bus, commuter train, metro)
- Regional trains operated by Deutsche Bahn and most private railway companies
- Intercity and regional buses
Not included in the Deutschlandsemesterticket are long-distance trains (IC/ICE), long-distance buses (e.g. Flixbus) and taxis.
To download the Deutschlandsemesterticket, you must first install the MeinJena app on your smartphone and register in the app. You can find detailed instructions for downloading the Deutschlandticket here:
Important: Students who have already authenticated themselves for the Deutschlandsemesterticket in the previous semester must repeat this process each semester.
All students at Ernst Abbe University Jena who are re-registered (or enrolled) with the regular semester fee for the summer semester 2025 will receive the Deutschlandsemesterticket in the summer semester 2025. However, a new personal ticket number is issued each semester and ticket numbers from previous semesters lose their validity at the start of the semester and can no longer be used. You should therefore (if you have not already done so) order your Deutschlandsemesterticket for the summer semester 2025 now so that you have a valid Deutschlandsemesterticket in time for the start of the semester.
The culture ticket is part of the semester fee and provides free entrance to the following cultural institutions:
- Theatre in Jena („Theaterhaus Jena“)
- Jena’s philharmonic orchestra („Jenaer Philharmonie”)
- Museums in Jena
Please note: Before visiting the cultural institutions, you will need to get an entry ticket first. The entry ticket can be obtained in the corresponding shops (e.g. Jena’s tourist office). The ticket will be free of charges if you present your THOSKA.
Web services at the EAH Jena
When you enrol at the EAH Jena, you will receive your access data (document "Account data") for the university's web services. You can access the most important web services via the EAH Jena homepage (www.eah-jena.de).
| Web service | Description |
|---|---|
| Eduroam | Eduroam is a free Wi-Fi service used by many universities and scientific institutions worldwide. In Jena, there is good coverage with eduroam especially in the city centre and on the campus of the EAH.
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| Library account | To borrow online and print media from the EAH Jena library or associated catalogues, please use your library account.
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| BigBlueButton | BigBlueButton is a browser-based tool for video conferences and online seminars, which is used by the EAH Jena for online courses. No software needs to be installed.
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| Campus portal | You can manage your student data (e.g. contact information) in the campus portal. You will also find your study certificates and proof of payment there.
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| My EAH | My EAH is the university's intranet. There you will find, for example, the pages of the departments and examination offices as well as IT resources.
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| Moodle | Moodle is a teaching and learning platform where you can enrol in your courses. Teachers provide you with presentations, scripts, readers or tasks via Moodle.
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| Self-service | You can use the self-service to register and de-register for your exams.
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| Webmail | When you enrolled at the EAH Jena, you also received an email address from the university. Please check your emails there regularly so that you do not miss any important information.
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| IT Portal | You can apply for free access to Microsoft 365 in the IT portal of the EAH Jena to download and use the MS Office applications (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint etc.).
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| IT Helpdesk | If you have any questions or problems with the EAH Jena's web services, you can contact the university's IT helpdesk.
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Timetable
To access the timetable (‘MOSES’), please use your login data, which you will find on the document "Account data" in the Campus Portal of the EAH Jena.
| Course type | Explanation | Sign in the timetable |
| Lecture ("Vorlesung") | Large groups, in the lecture hall or online, frontal teaching | V |
| Seminar | Medium-sized groups, in the seminar room, interactive, discussions | S |
| Lab practical ("Praktikum") | Small groups, in the lab, experiments | P |
| Tutorial ("Übung") | Small groups, practice of the subject matter with tutors | Ü |
The room numbers at the EAH consist of three components. The numbering follows the pattern: xx.yy.zz
- xx = House number
- yy = Floor
- zz = Room number
| Example | 05.00.04 | 03.02.15 |
| House | House 5 | House 3 |
| Floor | 0 floor (ground floor) | 2nd floor |
| Room | Room 4 | Room 15 |
Moodle is a teaching and learning platform where online seminars take place and where you can find teaching material for your courses. Some lecturers also use Moodle for course enrolment, others do not. This depends on the respective lecturer. To register for Moodle, please use your login data, which you will find on the document "Account data".
Sports courses in Jena
During the semester, numerous sports courses take place at both universities in Jena. You can book sports courses at the University of Applied Sciences Jena as well as at Friedrich Schiller University Jena. You pay a small participation fee to take part in the courses.
- Sports courses at the University of Applied Sciences Jena (Course booking from 25 March 2025, 18:00)
- Sports courses at the Friedrich Schiller Universität Jena (Course booking from 7 April 2025)