FAQ Benefits

• Students get discounts in our canteens 
• In addition, we offer snacks and special offers in our cafés that are dotted around the campus.
• The beergarden "Lichtwiesn" is beautifully located and food and drinks are low priced. An ideal place to meet in the summer with friends and fellow students.

Foodsharing - Gifting of well preserved food

• foodsharing Darmstadt has "fairteiler", where you can pick up or drop off food. Principal of the "Foodsharing-Fairteiler". Please take care of hygiene and make sure that the food is in good condition. There are "fairteiler" on every campus of the three colleges/universities in Darmstadt.
• They are located:
  • at the TU: the open room of the AStA S01/03 first floor (you will find a fridge there)
  • at the h_da: Schöfferstr. 8 building D13, ground floor, opposite of the library.
  • at the EHD: basement of the Walther-Rathgeber-Haus

• What's on and what's happening? The web app DAs Bonbon - bonbon.stwda.de is an event calendar that shows just that. First-semester students receive voucher codes for it, e.g. for discounted admission, free drinks, etc.
• most of our events are free of charge or available for reduced prices:
  • the Intercultural Tutors Team offers a variety of events every semester (culture, city trips, company tours, workshops and more)
• TUtor International offers game nights, learning German in a playful way, and culture evenings
• The students union executive committee also offers events and hosts different venues:
  • Schlosskeller
  • Schlossgarten/Bastion - Cafè, Bar and Garden with a small event program
  • Café in the "Glaskasten" (h_da)
• there are a variety of clubs and associations that you can be a part of. Be it theatre, music, gaining practical experience or just meeting people. Here are the groups of the TU Darmstadt and the h_da
• Students of the TU Darmstadt and the h_da can visit the state theatre in Darmstadt for free.
• Entrance fees for museums and theatres are cheaper for students in general.
• Sport: there is a comprehensive set of offers from the UniSportZentrum. Students can use a lot of offers for free or at reduced rates.
• Cinema: the Studentische Filmkreis has a great set of movies every semester. If you are looking for an even greater selection the cinemas in Darmstadt have a variety of movies on offer (especially the kinopolis has some screenings with contemporary movies in English). Tuesday is cinema day and you can view movies at reduced prices.
• Concerts organized by the "Evangelische Paulusgemeinde" are free: Paulusmusik.de
• We also promote cultural events that are offered from students for students. Financial aid is available at Kulturförderung.

• many banks offer bank accounts for free to students
• in some cases a visa-card might even be included
• Getting cash: inform yourself beforehand about how you are able to get cash with a specific bank account. Some banks have cooperations with supermarkets or gas stations, which will give you further options to local ATMs. Most banks will have an option on their homepage that will show you the closest possibilites to get cash.

Attention:

• if you are taking out more money than you have on your account the interest can be extremely high - sometimes 13% - and should therefore be avoided.
• if possible do not use ATMs that are not connected to your bank as you will have to pay several euros for every withdrawal.

• all Counselling services of the Studierendenwerk are free of charge for students from the TU Darmstadt and the h_da:
  • Social Counselling
  • Psychotherapeutic Counselling - Individual Counselling and Group Sessions
  • Legal Counselling
  • Counselling for study doubters - when the path is no longer clear
  • comeTOgether - advice from students for students
• Guidance regarding your studies:
  • TU Darmstadt:
    • Orientation and Counselling
    • Studying part-time
    • Studying with child(ren)
  • Hochschule Darmstadt (h_da):
    • Student Service Center
    • Family Office

Further services regarding counselling and guidance can be found here: Link Collection

• Many providers have special offers for students.
• Shared living is ideal for having a single account for the entire flat.
• There is a special rule if one of your flatmates is eligible for BAföG.

Languages

• Sprachenzentrum der TU Darmstadt - offers many different language classes
• Sprachenzentrum der Hochschule Darmstadt - classes for a variety of difficulties and languages

Intercultural Workshops

• of the Studierendenwerks Darmstadt are free of charge (we do not offer Intercultural Workshops in English at this time)

Workshops and Seminars

• the Intercultural Tutors Team offers workshops in its event program. Such as Excel and LaTeX...

• students can get better offers for notebooks and software. Furthermore, the universities/colleges can help you obtain software for free or at reduced rates. Ask your student representative or check with the technical department of the respective university/college.
• the association Computerwerk Darmstadt has an open workshop for electronics and gifts repaired devices to students in need. Participation and donations are very welcome.

• Shared living is advantageous, when it comes to TV and radio fees, as the costs can be shared among the flatmates. This does not work for rooms located on the same floor, however.
• An overview regarding this matter is provided here: studis-online.de
• If you are eligible for BAföG you can request that you do not have to pay the fees.

Second Hand and Shareconomy

• in the Kaufhaus der Gelegenheiten you can find furniture, cutlery, lamps and more
• There are Oxfam-Shops in Darmstadt and a list of Second-Hand-Läden  
• the clothing store "Schrankgeflüster" of the Red Cross
• in the Bessungen district there is a free store "Umsonstladen"
• You can also have a look at "free your stuff" on facebook

Flea Markets:

• Look out for flea markets you can have a look at upcoming ones on this page

Breaks during the study:

in our canteens we have set up family rooms. There you can withdraw with your offspring, change them, feed them, play with them ... Each room has a kitchenette with stove, microwave, kettle and refrigerator. Toys, table, armchairs and changing facilities are also available.
the forest landscape in the Mensa Stadtmitte: Otto-Berndt-Halle, 1st floor, back right
the aquarium in the Mensa Lichtwiese: first floor, compared to the cash machine, behind the spiral staircase

Food for the new generation:

Children of students get free supplements in our refectories: show your student ID at the cash desk and ask our staff for a children's portion plate

You need care for your child at short notice?

At Fluggis Abenteuer-Land students can have their child looked after free of charge. Both universities and the Studierendenwerk have booked a contingent for students there. We have described how you can take advantage of this offer on the Emergency Care page.

• Your bicycle can be fixed for free in the Fahrradwerkstatt of the AStA. There might also be a possibility to acquire a bike if you have not gotten one yet.
• the TU Darmstadt has set up three bicycle repair stations in the city. Anyone can use them to get his or her bike back on track. Pictograms explain how the station can be used.
  • City center: right in front of the entrance to the Herrngarten, which is closest to the Old Main Building.
  • at the Botanical Garden
  • Campus Lichtwiese
• you can use "call-a-bike" for free. They are dotted all over the city. How does it work? Check here: How to...

• the AStA of the TU Darmstadt cooperates with book-n-drive. After you have applied succesfully for the service you can open the reserved cars with your "Athene-Card".
• a lot of other rental companies have special offers for students.
• renting cars on weekdays is often significantly cheaper than during a weekend.
• some shops for furniture or tools also have offers along those lines

• Health Insurance: questions regarding health insurance are best directed to  Social Counselling.
• Liability Insurance: is a sound investment. It is sometimes a prerequisite for rental agreements. The cost is quite low with an average of 40 € per year.

• The semesterticket covers large parts of Hessen and you can travel for free in regional trains and public transportation. The AStA has provided the most important information here: important informationen
• If you are looking to travel outside of Hessen you should also check the bus companies. Their prices are often far below the prices for long train rides.
• traveling by train:
  • there are special offers for early booking
  • look out for group tickets, which often allow for much cheaper fares
  • try to avoid German holidays for your travels, as you will have to pay more for your tickets
  • if you are using the Deutsche Bahn often, you should think about getting a BahnCard. A BahnCard 25 or 50 will get you a discount of 25% or 50% on the ticket price. The BahnCard is cheaper for travellers aged 26 and under.

• there are also special prices for students. Some online research is definitely useful.
• the ULB and the Stadtbibliothek havea lot of newspapers (daily and subject oriented). They cannot be taken out, but are freely available inside of the libraries. There are also offers regarding ebooks and other media.
• some daily newspapers can also be found in cafés in Darmstadt (normally only in German though, great way to train your language skills)

Heinerleih

At Heinerleih (made up of "Heiner" - the name of the inhabitants of this part of Darmstadt - and "leihen"), the motto is borrow-rather-than-buy.

Accordingly, for a deposit you can borrow many useful things that you don't need all the time and that not everyone owns or needs to own.

There are: Household appliances, tools, baking tins, raclette utensils and much more,

Even browsing the online catalogue to see what's available for loan is fun: https://www.heinerleih.de/

The shop is located in the "Zucker" in the Liebfrauenstraße in the Martinsviertel district.

Umsonstladen (Free Shop)

In this nice neighbourhood shop, you can give away things that are in good condition and that you no longer need, and you can also take something for yourself. Active people from the Post Office district run the shop, accept donations and decorate the shop.

This makes the offer a colourful mixture of

decoration, small household appliances, (children's) toys, children's books, picture books, bags, Tableware...

The current opening hours can be found on the website of the "Umsonst-Laden".