Welcome Centre
The Welcome Centre is here to help you settle in at Kleve or Kamp-Lintfort, both with your studies and in your day-to-day life. Our Students4Students tutors are students themselves, so they know exactly what questions and challenges you might face when you first arrive.
They will help you with organisational matters, show you where to go for support, assist with forms or dealing with the authorities, and offer tips on living and studying in Germany. The Welcome Centre also offers programmes such as language tandems, introductory events and other networking opportunities.
In short: the Welcome Centre is here for you, so that you can find your feet and feel welcome right from the start.
Contact details and service hours: Welcome Centre
Digital
The Welcome Centre is also available online via the Virtual Student Service Point (VSSP) during the following times:
During service hours, you can access the VSSP as follows:
- Go to this link.
- Enter your name and email address.
- Session password: Study1
- Click on ‘Join now’.
- Follow the instructions on the screen.
Brief general information
If you are new to Germany, there are a few administrative tasks you will need to complete. These include, for example:
- Registering with the authorities
- Questions regarding visas and residence permits
- Orientation on campus
- Attending induction events
The Welcome Centre will help you understand the most important steps to take after your arrival and answer any questions you may have about getting started in Germany.
You can also find further information in our guide for prospective students from abroad.
There is plenty to organise outside the university too. This includes, for example, finding accommodation or getting to grips with everyday life.
Here you’ll find information on:
- Finding accommodation and student housing
- Life in and around Kleve and Kamp-Lintfort
On the Consumer Advice Centre’s website, you’ll find various checklists designed to help you navigate everyday life, for example on topics such as insurance and mobile phone contracts.
With the socio-cultural online self-assessment, you can explore what it is like to study in Germany and specifically at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences, and find out whether your expectations match reality. It contains an interactive mix of self-assessment questionnaires, informative texts and videos. To ensure the most accurate results, you should find a quiet place to work, take your time and answer as truthfully as possible.
Arriving means meeting people: use our events calendar to find out about everything happening on campus, from introductory sessions and workshops to cultural and sporting activities. You can also follow us on Instagram for the latest news, a glimpse of campus life and updates on last-minute events.
Freshers’ Day (Summer semester) and Freshers’ Week (Winter semester) orientation events are particularly helpful: here you can get to know fellow students and key contacts, receive important information for starting your studies, and quickly make friends.
Whether you’re feeling lonely, have questions about your studies, need guidance or want to discuss something else, make use of our confidential counselling services!
Residence Permit Support (in Kleve only)
General information
Important: This service is only available at the Kleve Immigration Office. Please check first whether Kleve is the relevant office for you. If you are registered in Duisburg or Wesel, for example, you cannot use the Residence Permit Support here. For assistance with other authorities, please email the Welcome Centre; we will then assess how best to support you.
Every Wednesday, the Kleve Immigration Office has special consultation hours exclusively for students of Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences. Students4Students tutors from the Welcome Centre are on site to assist you. Please book an appointment online in advance via the Immigration Office’s ticketing system. Please note that this service is only available on Wednesdays. You can also arrange an individual appointment on another day with the Immigration Office.
Booking & Confirmation
After registering, you will receive an email containing a confirmation link. Even if the online system displays an error message, the booking is valid as soon as you have received and confirmed the confirmation email containing the link. Without confirmation, the appointment will be cancelled.
Provisional Residence Permit
You may need a provisional residence permit until your residence permit is issued. Payment can be made on site in cash or by debit card (credit cards are not accepted).
Binding nature of appointments & eligibility
Appointments are binding. If you do not cancel the appointment in good time, or if you are late or fail to attend, you will no longer be able to use the service in future. This service is only available to currently enrolled students (not to those who have withdrawn from the university) and only for your own matters; appointments for family members (e.g. spouses) cannot be booked via this service. If you are unsure whether you are eligible, please contact the Welcome Centre in advance.
Submitting/collecting documents
If you simply wish to submit or collect a document, please do not book an appointment via the Welcome Centre. In such cases, the Immigration office often arranges its own appointments by post or email.
Required documents
Below you will find a list of documents required for initial applications and renewals.