Enrolling at the University
Nomination
As soon as your home university has selected you for a mobility, you will be officially nominated to the University of Cologne. Once we have reviewed your nomination, you will receive an e-mail with further information about the registration process at UoC and the next steps.
Admission
Application for Admission
You then have to apply for admission to the University of Cologne through the online application portal KLIPS 2.0. Please pay attention to the application periods (deadlines):
- Winter term or full academic year: May 15 until July 15
- Summer term: November 15 until January 15
ERASMUS students can find a step-by-step guide on how to apply for admission in the online portal UKI. Students of other exchange programmes will receive instructions via e-mail from the Center for International Relations.
Letter of Admission
You can track the status of your application in your KLIPS 2.0 applicant account. As soon as your application has been processed, you will receive an e-mail notification and can download your letter of admission from KLIPS 2.0.
Enrolment
After your admission, please follow these three steps to enrol at the University of Cologne:
- Pay the social fee: Pay the social fee by bank transfer as soon as possible. You will find the bank details in your applicant account in KLIPS 2.0.
- Upload a portrait photo: Upload a recent quality portrait photo of yourself to KLIPS 2.0. It will be printed on your electronic student ID card (UCCard).
- Request electronic reporting of your health insurance status: If you are under the age of 30, please contact a German statutory health insurance company and either buy insurance there or have your foreign or private health insurance policy approved and confirmed. Following your request, the company will electronically report your health insurance status to the University of Cologne. For further information on the reporting procedure, click here.
After transferring the social fee, you will receive an e-mail with a PIN number to activate your electronic student account (see below).
Activation of Student Account
Once your payment of the social fee has been registered (this can take up to two weeks!), you will receive an automatic e-mail from the University of Cologne with a PIN number. Please use this PIN number together with your matriculation number to activate your electronic student account (instructions).
Your student account (username and password) gives you access to all the university's online services (KLIPS, ILIAS E-Learning, S-mail, Wi-Fi etc.) and IT facilities (computer workstations at the Regional computing center, software etc.).
University E-mail Address (S-mail)
On top of your student account, you will get a university e-mail address ("S-mail") consisting of your username and the ending "@smail.uni-koeln.de". Please note that many official e-mails from the University of Cologne will be sent to your S-mail address! Make sure to regularly check your S-mail inbox through the Webmail-system of the University of Cologne.
UCCard - Student ID
After paying the semester fee, uploading your picture and reporting of your health insurance status, you can pick up your student identity card (UCCard) at the Service Point of the International Office (SSC building) or have it sent by post to your German or Benelux address as entered in KLIPS 2.0. If you have any questions about receiving the UCCard, please directly refer to the Service Point at
The UCCard is an electronic chip card with several functions:
- student ID card
- ticket for public transportation in Cologne (KVB) and in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) valid from October 1 to March 31 (winter semester) or from April 1 to September 31 (summer semester)
- prepaid card in the canteens of the student services (Kölner Studierendenwerk)
- library card for the main library (Universitäts- und Stadtbibliothek/USB)