Across its four campuses, the university is expecting 2,240 first-year students. 1,040 of them have chosen to study courses in electrical and information technology, computer science, mechanical engineering, law, social work or utilities engineering at the Wolfenbüttel campus.
On Monday 21 September, Volker Küch, President of Ostfalia (with the support of the University Management Board), warmly welcomed the new students to the Wolfenbüttel campus: “A new chapter in life is always a step into the unknown. Along the way, the world is changing faster than perhaps for any generation before you: that can be unsettling. But you are not merely the ones who have to live with these changes. You can be the ones who shape them. We at want to educate you so that you learn to cope with change. Through sound specialist knowledge. Through practical experience. Through scientific thinking. With digital skills. And with the ability to take on responsibility. In our view, this is education for a future that we do not yet fully understand,” said Küch. Ivica Lukanic, Mayor of Wolfenbüttel, conveyed his best wishes for the start of the academic year via a video message.
The freshers’ event in the Audimax took place in two sessions and combined information about the start of the academic year with an interactive quiz organised by the university sports department, as well as live music. On behalf of the General Students’ Committee (AStA), Executive Committee member Bennett Eggerichs offered the first-year students a personal word of advice: “As students, you have plenty of opportunities to get actively involved in student representative bodies. This involvement not only enriches university life across the whole of Ostfalia, but also helps to forge genuine friendships. We look forward to welcoming anyone who’d like to get involved with us.”
Following the official welcome, the first-year students had the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the university campus on guided tours. Various student initiatives and university facilities showcased themselves along an ‘activity mile’, where hands-on activities, drinks, waffles and a photo booth awaited the new students.
In addition to the central welcome event, new students at the Wolfenbüttel campus can attend individual induction sessions in their faculties and access a first-year website containing all the essential information. At www.ostfalia.de/erstsemester (external link, opens in a new window), new Ostfalia students can find useful contacts as well as information on support services to help them get started with their studies.
BRAWO Public Welfare Prize 2026 awarded
New students at the Wolfenbüttel campus were able to see for themselves that commitment and dedication beyond their studies do not go unnoticed at the presentation of the BRAWO Public Welfare Prize, which took place during the first-semester welcome event on 21 September 2026.
Since 2021, Volksbank BRAWO, the EngagementZentrum – the bank’s public-benefit-oriented subsidiary – and Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences have been presenting this annual award to students who have shown exceptional commitment to volunteering for the benefit of others.
The awards were presented by Claudia Kayser, Head of the Wolfsburg Branch of Volksbank BRAWO, Volker Küch, President (m.d.W.d.G.b.), and Matthias Marx from the EngagementZentrum.
“This award recognises exceptional voluntary commitment, and it symbolises our appreciation for those who go the extra mile to promote the good of our society,” explains Claudia Kayser, Head of the Wolfsburg Branch of Volksbank BRAWO and Chair of the BRAWO Donors’ Association. “It is impressive to see how many different voluntary roles the students have taken on, in some cases for a very long time. The jury had a difficult task: every single one of them deserved to be honoured.”
Layla Haj Mohammad (Faculty of Social Work) received the award partly for her commitment to the social counselling centre Bilmati e.V.
The organisation advises and supports women, families and people with a migrant or refugee background, accompanying them to government offices, doctor’s appointments and other important meetings. Among other things, Layla runs a mother-and-child group and various MiA courses (MiA stands for ‘Migrant Women: Simply Strong in Everyday Life’). In addition, the student volunteered with the City of Braunschweig on the ‘Pregnancy Support’ project and the ‘StoP – Neighbourhoods Free from Intimate Partner Violence’ project.
Hanna Hübinger (Faculty of Health Sciences) was honoured for her many years of voluntary work with the Wolfenbüttel branch of the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW). She is the local youth representative and is therefore responsible for youth work within the branch. Her responsibilities are wide-ranging: training children and young people, organising training weekends and camping trips, administration, working with parents, public relations; and, in addition, Hanna is also a volunteer in the rescue team and is active in the THW Youth at national level.
Niclas Lisiewicz (Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology) received the award, amongst other things, for his commitment to the DLRG (Salzgitter-Thiede Local Group). The student is deputy technical operations manager and, as a qualified water rescue specialist and boat skipper, is actively involved in lifeguard duties and disaster relief. He supervises the Youth Operations Team (JET) and leads the weekly swimming course ‘Junior Rescuers Competition Team’. He is also involved in training drone operators for civil protection and is a member of the Üffingen Shooting Club.
Aljoscha Kämpfe (Faculty of Social Work) is delighted to have received a special prize for “promoting democracy”. The student is active in the “Naturfreundejugend Braunschweig” association and regularly visits school classes to organise seminars and workshops there. The aim is to raise awareness of key fundamental values of democracy. Aljoscha talks to young people about topics such as diversity, moral courage, experiences of migration and refugee life, prejudice, and the threats to democracy posed by racism and right-wing extremism.
All the award-winning students each received a sculpture, a certificate and prize money of 250 euros, donated by Volksbank BRAWO. The prize-winners were selected by a jury comprising Volker Küch, President (m.d.W.d.G.b.) of Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences, Claudia Kayser, Head of the Wolfsburg Branch of Volksbank BRAWO, and Malte Heinemann, Managing Director of the EngagementZentrum.
Carlo Riesland, a student representative from Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences, advised the jury on the selection of candidates eligible for the award. A total of around 30 applications had been received by the end of June.
The next application round for the prize will begin in March 2027.
Further information is available at:
www.engagementzentrum.de/brawo-gemeinwohl-preis-ostfalia (external link, opens in a new window)