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Arrival
Arrival day for Fall 2024 is Tuesday, August 20, 2024.
If you would like to arrive before the official arrival date, you must find alternative accommodation, for example the Hostel, or a hotel in Marburg (recommendations provided on request).
Arrival by plane, and train to Marburg
Destination airport: Frankfurt am Main International Airport (FRA)
If you arrive at Terminal 1:
Pick up your checked baggage.
Follow the signs to the Regional Train Station (Regionalbahnhof).
Buy a train ticket to Marburg an der Lahn (max. EUR 20) in the Travel Center (Deutsche Bahn Reisezentrum).
Take the S-Bahn to Frankfurt Main Train Station ("Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof") (approx. 10 - 15 min.). All trains departing from platform 1 (Gleis 1) of the Regionalbahnhof go to the Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof.
Change trains to go to Marburg, following the itinerary given to you by the Deutsche Bahn Reisezentrum.If you arrive at Terminal 2:
Pick up your checked luggage.
Take the "Skyline" or the shuttle bus to Terminal 1 and proceed to the Regional Train Station (Regionalbahnhof).
Buy a train ticket to Marburg an der Lahn (max. Euro 20) in the Travel Center (Deutsche Bahn Reisezentrum).
Take the S-Bahn to Frankfurt Main Train Station ("Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof") (approx. 10 - 15 min.). All trains departing from platform 1 (Gleis 1) of the Regionalbahnhof go to the Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof.
Change trains to go to Marburg, following the itinerary given to you by the Deutsche Bahn Reisezentrum.
Train to MarburgThe train ride from Frankfurt's Main Train Station ("Hauptbahnhof") to the Marburg Hauptbahnhof lasts roughly one hour. In order to find the train suitable for you, please visit the website of the German railway company, "Die Bahn".
Please pay attention that some trains are being divided on the way to Marburg (at the stop "Giessen"). Only one part will continue on to Marburg. So, make sure you are in the right part when you board the train in Frankfurt.
Whatever you do, do not board the train without a valid ticket! You will be fined, no exceptions. Also, please do NOT exit the train at the Marburg South train station ("Marburg Süd"), but continue on to the next stop, which is the Marburg Lahn Main Train Station ("Hauptbahnhof").
Once in Marburg
On arrival day, please wait at or come to Marburg's Hauptbahnhof. We will pick you up at the station. Be on the lookout for someone bearing the IUSP sign. If you do not see anyone right away, do not panic, and just wait for a moment.
Please arrive at the Hauptbahnhof in Marburg prior to 4 pm (16 hrs).
If you want to find us by yourself: Our registration office will be at the "Center for Near and Middle Eastern Studies", address: Deutschhausstrasse 12, 35037 Marburg.
Should you need to contact us (when dialing from within Germany): 0151 - 70.42.10.02. (WhatsApp messages also possible!)Orientation / First days in town
We have organized an Orientation Program that will help you cut some red tape, such as filling in visa and city registration forms, activating your university email account, and simply finding your way around Marburg.
Please see our example schedule for the first six weeks in Marburg (PDF).
Checklist
Living in Marburg
Accommodation
You will have a single room in one of the university dormitories. Since Marburg has a historical center with mostly small, traditional houses, there is little space to accommodate the large number of students in the center of town. That is why our dorms are situated outside the city center and can easily be reached by local bus lines or also by foot. Both female and male students live in the same dormitory.
Internet and Telephone
Almost all dormitory rooms are equipped with internet access. So please accept the fact that there might be the odd room without.
You will not have telephone, or television in your room. In some cases, those services can be ordered, but not in all. So that you can phone and text locally, and also so that you can be contacted by phone by your family and friends back home, we recommend the purchase of a pre-paid cell phone after you arrive here in Marburg.Equipment
In the dorm room there is a laundry washing facility, and there are common bathrooms, showers and kitchens. Please be prepared to bring with you or purchase upon arrival a set of plates, silverware, cup, bowl, kitchen towel, sponge for your own use. The dormitory kitchens are actually supposed to be equipped with these items; sometimes, however, fellow students take them to their rooms, and the utensils remain there longer than they should. You will also find laundry rooms in every dormitory building. Bed sheets will be provided, but you will need to bring your own towels with you.Assignment
You will receive your room assignment on arrival day. These assignments are a service by our colleagues of the dorm department (Studentenwerk). The IUSP team has no influence on where participants are being placed. This is subject to availability.
Accommodations are covered by the program fee. Private accommodations cannot be organized through the IUSP.Meals
There are no meal plans at German universities.
There are several cafeterias in university buildings where you can purchase beverages and snacks. In town there are several snack bars, bakeries and fast food facilities.
Also, breakfast is available in the bistro in the nearby university cafeteria (Mensa). Lunch and dinner are served in the Mensa as well, where prices range from approx. EUR 2.50 to 4.50 for a full meal. The bistro and the Mensa are located in the student services center (Studentenhaus).
Please note that there are no cafeterias in the dormitories.
Included in the program fee is a small meal subsidy/food allowance: upon arrival you will be given a cafeteria debit card, and the card will be credited with EUR 50 per month. It can be used in the university facilities (cafeterias, the Mensa) to pay for food. We will explain to you how to go about using the card.
