Leisure and Social Life
Whether you want to meet fellow students, find a new hobby or make new contacts in Bochum - this overview will help you!
Every semester we offer a mentoring program for international students. Students from higher semesters (mentors) support international students (mentees) in their first semester at Bochum University.
Registration and further information can be found HERE.
In WiSe23/24 the application deadline is 25.09.2023.
The Akademisches Förderungswerk has a great partnership program that brings international students together with citizens of Bochum. Each student can get a sponsor with whom he/she explores the city and its surroundings, cooks together or gets accompaniment at doctor's visits. Often, the local mentors are older than the students and thus a valuable cultural exchange can take place.
Click here for the program: BeComing Friends
The students of the AStA team are there to help you in many areas. They organize summer parties and events, have a social counseling service, and you are welcome to stop by the AStA living room (B01.31-33) to chat.
HERE is the link to their website.
Sports are offered at many universities.
As a student of the Bochum University of Applied Sciences you can participate in the courses offered by the Hochschulsport at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum:
https://buchung.hochschulsport.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/angebote/aktueller_zeitraum/
The prices are mostly moderate. Some courses are very popular and quickly booked up, so ask about registration deadlines.
Every month I send out a circular mail with an overview of interesting cultural and international events in Bochum. If you want to receive the mail, please register at welcome(at)hs-bochum.de.
Via Bochum Marketing you can find information about events in and around Bochum, suggestions for your free time and cultural tips: https://www.bochum-tourismus.de/#c26191
Outside of campus
What does Bochum have to offer?
Bochum is located in the centre of the Ruhr region. That means endless cultural and leisure opportunities in the immediate vicinity at affordable prices. You're guaranteed never to get bored here!
Housing
Bochum is a cool mix of history and modernity in the Ruhr region. Here you will find everything from trendy lofts to cosy flats in old buildings. The neighbourhoods have their own vibe - from the trendy Bermuda3Eck district or Ehrenfeld to green oases in Wiemelhausen.
1. AKAFÖ
The AKAFÖ is the central contact point for student housing. The AKAFÖ residences offer a wide range of housing options for students - both in Bochum and Heiligenhaus.
Further information can be found on their website: www.akafoe.de/wohnen
2. Private student accomodations
Bochum also has private halls of residence run by non-profit organisations (mostly church-affiliated), most of which have joined together to form the "Arbeitsgemeinschaft Bochumer Studierendenwohnheim in gemeinnütziger Trägerschaft" (which translates to something like Working Group of Bochum Student Residences in Non-profit Sponsorship).
Further information can be found here: www.wohnheime-bochum.de
3. The free housing market
You can find many interesting housing offers on the Internet and in the daily newspapers. It is also worth taking a look at the university notice boards.
Housing adverts:
- wg-gesucht.de
- immo.muensterlandzeitung.de
- immobilienscout24.de
- studenten-wg.de
- immo-suche.net
- immowelt.de/suche/bochum/wg
- waz.immowelt.de
- www.meinestadt.de
- kleinanzeigen.lokalkompass.de/_/q/Immo-Kompass/m3 (for Heiligenhaus)
Local housing companies:
- Gemeinnütziger Wohnungsverein zu Bochum
- VBW - Vereinte Bochumer Wohnstätten
- Bochumer Wohnstätten Genossenschaft eG
- Vonovia (ehem. Deutsche Annington und GAGFAH)
- Sparbauverein Heiligenhaus
- Baugenossenschaft Bochum eG
- Baugenossenschaft "Heimat"
- Gemeinnützige Baugenossenschaft 1924 eG, Bochum-Querenburg
- Wohnungsbaugenossenschaft Wattenscheid eG
- Gemeinnützige Wohngenossenschaft Gelsenkirchen und Wattenscheid eG
- Hattinger Wohnstätten eG
- Dortmunder Gemeinnützige Wohnungsgesellschaft mbH
- GFW Gesellschaft für Wohnungsbau mbH, GE-Rotthausen
- Vivawest GmbH (ehem. Evonik Wohnen & THS)
- WSG Wohnungs- und Siedlungs-GmbH
After moving in, you need to register with the residents' registration office within one week.
Before that, you should decide whether Bochum or Heiligenhaus will be your first place of residence in the future. Specifically, this means that Bochum/Heiligenhaus is the future centre of your life and that you spend at least 183 days a year there. If this is not the case, Bochum/Heiligenhaus can become your secondary residence. (In Bochum, a second residence tax of approx. 12 per cent of the basic rent is due).
In addition, the Rundfurnkbeitrag (a broadcasting licence fee, which finances the public broadcasting media channels in Germany) must be registered or re-registered for each new household. If you receive BAfÖG, you can be exempted from the fee.
Night life - lost in the Bermuda Triangle
Bochum's pub district offers everything you need for students who want to turn night into day! From pubs, restaurants and a supermarket with long opening hours to karaoke and shisha bars, everything can be found in the BermudaDreieck.
Clubbers also get their money's worth: a large number of clubs with different music genres can be explored in the Bochum city area.
The 2-hour party on Tuesdays is particularly recommended. Most discos also open their doors on Thursdays for an exuberant party.
Here you can find further information:
Events
Shortly before the start of the summer holidays, "Bochum Total" transforms the city into Europe's largest free festival for rock and pop. There is also always something going on in Bochum thanks to many other events.
- https://www.bochumtotal.de
- https://www.bochumer-musiksommer.de
- https://www.extraschicht.de/home/
- https://www.zeltfestivalruhr.de
- https://kemnade-family-and-friends.de/
- https://www.bermuda3eck.de/stuehle-raus/
- https://hopfenseidank.de/events/hopfenfest-bochum/
- http://maiabendfest.bochumer-maiabendgesellschaft.de
Recreation
The local recreational areas in Bochum include the remodelled former industrial areas, the Bochum city park, numerous green spaces and lakes (e.g. the Kemnader reservoir), meadows and forests along the Ruhr.
Bochum surprises with lots of greenery. Thanks to the many small and large parks, you can go jogging, inline skating, cycling, simply relax in the sun or have a barbecue with friends in one of the parks.
Industrial culture route
The "Route of Industrial Heritage" connects the individual sights and towns throughout the Ruhr region. Over a distance of 400 kilometres, you will be guided through the region on various routes.
Libraries
Bochum students have access to all libraries in Bochum. For a successful study programme, the libraries offer you the opportunity to use all the libraries listed below in Bochum:
Out and about - getting around as a student in Bochum
Both campuses can be reached by public transportation as well as by bicycle. Below you will find more information on your semester ticket as well as on offers for those keen on getting around the city by bike.
All students enrolled at an University in Bochum receive a so-called Deutschlandsemesterticket. With it, students can use public transportation all around the country (beware: ICE fast trains and FlixTrain/ FlixBus are not included). The Deutschlandsemesterticket is renewed every semester as soon as the student pays the semester fees.
Bochum is very easy to explore by bike. There are beautiful cycle paths around the city that are suitable for extensive cycle tours through the Ruhr region and thus offer the opportunity to get to know the surrounding area.
Bochum and the Ruhr region can be experienced via well-connected cycle paths. They are also often connected to the highlights of industrial culture, making it possible to combine sightseeing with cycle
- Tips for bike tours
- Industrial culture route
- Bicycle path in the Ruhr valley
Bike rentals/ purchasing a bike:
There are metropolradruhr bike stations throughout Bochum and also directly in front of the main university building. Students are offered special conditions and even get a free 1h ride every day. You can find further information here.
Otherwise, there are many ways to buy a used or new bike. You can visit bike repair shops or flea markets, small adverts, specialist sports shops, online specialist dealers or auction platforms to find the right bike.
University sports programme
The universities in Bochum offer a joint sports programme, which includes numerous sports from A for aerobics to Z for circuit training. Anyone studying or working at Bochum University of Applied Sciences can take part in the programme.
To take part in the university sports programme, you need a "sports card", which is issued each semester. You can obtain this online or at the University Sports Office (Ruhr-Universität, SH 2, room 251). Some of the courses are then free of charge, for some courses an additional fee is charged. All courses are subject to registration.
Bochum University Sports offers a broad sports programme as well as a well-equipped fitness studio.
Gymnastics, martial arts, surfing, volleyball, quidditch: there is hardly a sport that Bochum University Sports does not offer its participants. Students and employees of Bochum's universities are spoilt for choice with 90 types of sport and 325 courses.
- Here you will find more information on how to register for the sports programme: https://hochschulsport-bochum.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/en
- Further information on how to become a member of thestudent gym can be found here: https://hochschulsport-bochum.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/en/welcome-unifit
VfL Bochum
Football fans can actively support the Bochum football team in the 1st Bundesliga in the stadium.
Further information on home matches, the fan shop and tickets can be found here:
Art and museums
Bochum presents its industrial history in various museums. Two of the best-known museums are the Mining Museum and the Railway Museum. But art is not neglected either: in the Bochum Art Museum, the Museum Underground and many other exhibitions, you can view contemporary art in particular.
Theatres and more
More than 40 theatre stages, including the famous Bochum Schauspielhaus and the symphony orchestra, as well as many of Bochum's smaller stages and the Zeiss Planetarium offer a variety of interesting events.
A visit to one of the world's most famous musicals, "Starlight Express", is also worthwhile. Bochum's Jahrhunderthalle also offers plenty of space for congresses, theatre performances and much more.
BOSKOP - AKAFÖ's culture office
Cultural work for and with students: The Cultural Office supports student culture at Bochum's universities. Over 140 events are organised each year with exciting projects by students or collaborations. The cultural office organises music and reading series, pub quiz evenings, concerts, parties and annual special events. An extensive programme of courses and workshops starts at the beginning of each semester, including both popular classics and exciting new events.
