International Master's students who require a letter for their visa application to submit to the embassy can request this document from the WiSo Student Service Point (WiSSPo). The certificate is intended to speed up the visa process and help ensure that students arrive in time for the start of the semester.

Please email the WiSSPo by contact form after you have completed your enrollment successfully. We will then send you the letter as a PDF by email.

To help you settle into university life and your new home in Cologne, we are introducing a Buddy Programme for international first-year Master's students for the first time in winter term 2026/27. We are excited to launch this new initiative and look forward to gaining valuable experiences together with you.

Starting in September, you will be contacted by email by a student buddy from Cologne. Your buddy will support you during your first months after enrollment, answer questions about student life, and help you get to know the university and the city.

09.09.2026 | 10:00-11:30 am (Europe/Berlin) | online via Zoom

In this important KLIPS info session, we will explain how to register for courses and exams in KLIPS and how to create your schedule. So this event is essential for you studies. Please make sure you attend if you did not complete your Bachelor’s degree at the WiSo Faculty.

The event will take place online; you will receive the Zoom login details in your WiSo Welcome Letter, which will be sent to your S-Mail address after enrolment.

For WiSo Bachelor’s graduates, attendance is optional. You can find all the important information and screenshot guides on how to book KLIPS here.

After you have enrolled, you will receive an email to your university email address (S-Mail) with information on how to register for a German course at A1 level. The course is organised by the WiSo Faculty and is free of charge for participants. As the number of places is limited, registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

This course is a great opportunity to build a strong foundation in German, including basic Business German skills. It will also help you navigate everyday life in Germany and connect more easily within an academic and professional environment.

Please register by emailing from your s-mail to wiso-germancourse(at)uni-koeln(dot)de stating your name, matriculation number, Master's programme.

Essentials for International Master's Students at the UoC
 

Be sure to check out our preliminary programme in September for international first-year students if you are not yet familiar with our university and the German higher education system. The programme comprises five online events and includes important tips and short, topic-specific German courses.

The website and registration for the courses can be found here.

The first in-person networking meeting is scheduled to take place on 10 October 2025 as part of the City of Cologne's town hall welcome.

The series of events will help you get off to a successful start in your studies!

We are looking forward to starting the WiSo Master Welcome Week together! There is an exciting programme to ensure a successful start to your studies. In addition to important information about the degree programme and examination regulations, the focus is on networking and getting to know your fellow students.
 

01. & 02.10.2026: Master's orientation phase of the student council WiSo

Discover the campus and university life together with fellow students and experienced students from the WiSo student council. The following programme items are planned:

• Get to know your fellow students
• Campus tour
• Tips on studying from experienced mentors
• Presentation of the offers and services of the WiSo student council
• Fun and party
• Campus rally

Please note: Registration with the WiSo student council is required for the MO phase via this link.

Please register for the first part of the event (10.30 am–12.15 pm) via Anny: https://anny.eu/services/registration-master-welcome

05.10.2026: Official Master Welcome by the WiSo Faculty

We welcome you to the WiSo Faculty. Our Vice Dean of Studies gives an insight into the WiSo values, we introduce our WiSo services and provide essential tips for starting your studies.

10:30-11:00 a.m., lecture hall I (WiSo high rise)

• Start to the WiSo Welcome Week
• Introduction by our Vice Dean of Studies Prof. Dr. Michael Overesch

11:00-11:45 a.m., lecture hall I WiSo

• Presentation of WiSo services and advising offers
• Important information and examination regulations for a successful start to your studies

11:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m., lecture hall I WiSo

• “Alumni insights” with Mathias Lievenbrück

  Mathias Lievenbrück studied Business Administration at the Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences, specialising in Finance, and graduated in 2012. He then began his professional career as an investment banker in the Corporate Finance division at Deutsche Bank. From 2015, he worked as a consultant specialising in consumer goods and retail at McKinsey, before moving to FOND OF in 2020. Since 2023, he has been Managing Director of the FOND OF Group, which comprises the brands Alvi, Affenzahn, ergobag, satch, Aevor and pinqponq.

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12:15-13:15 p.m., lunch break

• e.g. University's canteen ("Mensa"), E-Raum (in main builing, basement), WiSo cafeteria (in WiSo extension building)

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12:15-4:00 p.m., Foyer in WiSo high rise

• Info fair - Get to know these institutions
  • WiSo services: International Relations Center (ZIB WiSo), WiSo Career Service, WiSoAlumni
  • Student Initatives e.g.: WiSo Buddy, PIM & CEMS Club, FEMpowerment Ass., Enactus, Cologne Social AI Club

1:15-2:15 p.m.: Meet your Academic Director (1/2)

• Business Administration - Accounting & Taxation | Prof. Dr. Michael Overesch | seminar room 5.14 (WiSo high rise, 5th floor)
• Business Administration - Corporate Development | Prof. Dr. Dirk Sliwka | seminar room 6.13 (WiSo high rise, 6th floor)
• Business Administration - Marketing | Chair of Prof. Dr. Werner Reinartz | lecture hall XVIII (main building)
• Economics | Prof. Michael Krause, Ph.D. | Aula 2 (main building)
• Economic Research | Prof. Dr. Johannes Münster & Helge Braun, Ph.D. | seminar room S243 (WiSo extension building, 1. floor)

• Health Economics | Prof. Dr. Daniel Wiesen | lecture hall XIa (main building)

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2:30-3:30 p.m.: Meet your Academic Director (2/2)

• Business Administration - Finance | Prof. Dr. Dieter Hess | lecture hall VI (main building) | Hörsaal VI
• Business Administration - Supply Chain Management | Prof. Dr. Nicolas Fugger | Aula 2 (main building)
• Economic Education | Prof. Dr. Detlef Buschfeld & Dr. Benno Göckede | lecture hall XVIII (main building)
• Information Systems | Dr. Philipp Mazur | lecture hall XII (main building)
• International Management (CEMS MIM) | Alexandra Overath & Philipp Sperber | lecture hall I (WiSo high rise)
• Sociology: Social and Economic Psychology | Prof. Dr. Detlef Fetchenhauer | seminar room S241 (WiSo extension building, groundfloor)
• Sociology: Social Research | Prof. Dr. Clemens Kroneberg | lecture hall XIa (main building) 

Important information for students of the Master's programmes MSc Business Analytics & Econometrics: 
The Master's programme MSc Business Analytics & Econometrics is organising its own Introduction Week from 05-09 October 2026. Therefore, this degree programme is not represented at the ‘Meet your Academic Director’ session.

All new foreign students and visiting academics are invited to the Cologne City Hall. It starts with an official welcome on behalf of the City of Cologne and a representative of the Cologne universities, followed by a "come together" in the atrium with information stands and a light snack.

Welcome Reception:
Friday, 09 October 2026 at 5:30 pm at the Cologne City Hall, 50677 Cologne.

City Tour for free:
09 October 2026 before the welcome, Meeting point at KölnTourismus, Kardinal-Höffner-Platz 1, 50667 Cologne.

Registration:
Please fill out the online form further down on this website.

12.10.2026 | 9 a.m.

The Rector of the University of Cologne, the Vice-Rector for Teaching and Studies and the General Students' Committee (AStA) welcome all first-semester students to the start of their studies. Afterwards, the AStA will distribute the first-semester bags as gifts at the Albertus-Magnus-Platz. Information about the event will be linked here.

For our international students, please note:
The welcome of the Rector will be held in German language, but you are of course welcome to participate in the event or just drop by and get to know the University a bit better.

Do you have a last-minute question or need support as you begin your studies?

Simply join our telephone drop-in session for first-year Master's studentsduring the first week of lectures, 12–16 October 2026, daily from 9:00 to 10:00 am, by calling +49 221 260 1481 10.

The Student Advisors at the WiSo Student Service Point will be happy to help.

The WiSo Career Service and the Center for International Relations (ZIB WiSo) provide an overview of your options for studying abroad and international career during your degree programme.

• When: Thu, 22.10.26 from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
• Where: Online via Zoom

Advance registration is required here (link).

From your 2nd semester onwards, you have the opportunity to take a German course (levels A2–C1) offered by the Department of German as a Foreign Language (DaF) at the University of Cologne. A limited number of course places are funded by the WiSo Faculty. To qualify for this funding, participants must attend at least 80% of the course sessions.

Before the placement test at the beginning of 2027, you will receive an email to your university email address (S-Mail) with all information about the registration process and participation requirements.

In the meantime, you are welcome to make use of the other German learning opportunities listed on our website (Upgrading your studies - International students - German courses). Please also use the offer during the programme inter-connect in September by the UoC, which is also free of charge.