Welcome First-semester students,
We want to help make the start of your studies as pleasant and easy as possible, despite the corona-related circumstances and limitations. On this page, we've compiled the most important information.
The HAW Hamburg Student Center wishes you success in your studies!
FAQs about starting your studies
Admission offer received | What do I need to do to accept my study place?
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If your degree course takes part in the dialogue-oriented service procedure (Hochschulstart), you first need to accept the offer at hochschulstart.de (this is the case for most Bachelor's degree courses; for others you can ignore this step).
Now you can accept the offer online via myHAW. You will also find the letter of acceptance as a downloadable PDF in your myHAW application account. This letter explains which documents we need you to send us so that we can enrol you. You will also find the bank account number for payment of the semester contribution.
Certificate of enrolment | Where do I get the documents I need for the BAFöG (student financial assistance) office?
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In the semester documents you receive by mail directly following your enrolment you will find information about accessing your myHAW account, which you can then use to log in as a student. Under 'My degree' and 'Study services' you will find the downloadable certificate of enrolment and the certificate for your BAFöG application.
If you haven't received your semester documents yet and therefore don't have the necessary information to log into EMIL, MS Teams, Zoom, etc., please contact the course instructor or tutor so that they can provide you with an alternative way to access these tools.
Semester ticket | When and where do I get my semester ticket and student ID card (chip card)?
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The Student Admissions and Registration Office will send you your semester ticket together with other important information once you have enrolled. First-semester students will receive a preliminary paper ticket with their documents. You will need to exchange it for a student ID card (chip card), which is also your semester ticket, at the Chip Card Services Office.
Please be sure to let us know your new address as soon as possible if you move in the interim. You can use our contact form to do this.
Preliminary courses for technical degrees | When and where do they take place?
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You can find information about our preliminary courses under the 'Students' tab on your degree course's webpage or here.
The viaMINT online learning environment provides supplementary video-based interactive preliminary courses (in German only). You can use them to prepare independently for your studies.
Orientation week | Where do I find information?
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You can find information about your orientation unit here. You will also receive information via email from your department.
Winter semester 2022 | How will the beginning of the semester be different as a result of the corona pandemic?
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Our Coronavirus updates page is updated on a regular basis. In the 'Studies and teaching' section you can find current information about the summer semester.
Your department will also let you know how the orientation week will be organised given the exceptional situation.
Online tools | Where do I find the necessary programmes, etc.?
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You can find the central Online Services page here. HAW Hamburg students can use some programmes at no cost. These include Microsoft Office 365 Education, Microsoft Azure Dev Tools for Teaching and an antivirus programme. All the necessary information and the installation guidelines are provided on these pages.
In order to attend online courses you need to have a digital device with access to the Internet. You can access Wi-Fi on the HAW Hamburg premises once you have set it up. Teaching sessions take place primarily over MS Teams or Zoom. We recommend that you familiarise yourself with the tools in advance. A camera and a headset with a microphone should ideally be part of your equipment. You will be informed if you require additional hardware or software for your particular course of study.
Course catalogue | Where do I find it?
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Please go to your degree course page (overview of courses) and click on the the 'Students' tab. There you'll find lots of important information related to your degree, including the course catalogue.