At the start of the 2025/26 winter semester, 2,240 new students are expected to enrol at Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences. 320 of them have chosen to study one of the Bachelor’s or Master’s degree programmes at the Suderburg campus. Even before the official start of lectures, welcome and orientation events for students on the online programmes offered by the Faculty of Business and Social Work took place on Saturday 19 September. The first cohort of the new online Social Work programme was also welcomed at these events.
On Monday, 21 September, the new students on the on-campus programmes were welcomed with a group breakfast in the canteen, where they were able to make their first connections. The Dean of the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Water and Soil, Prof. Dr Thorsten Albers, and the Dean of the Faculty of Business and Social Work, Prof. Dr Antje Baumgarten, set the first-year students’ minds on this new chapter in their lives.
“You’ve made a good choice. In our degree programmes, you’ll learn something tangible. We have excellent facilities and, in terms of content, you’ll be superbly prepared for the challenges of the future. Make the most of this time; enjoy it,” said Prof. Dr Thorsten Albers. His colleague, Prof. Dr Antje Baumgarten, encouraged the new students to look beyond their own horizons: “As you can see, everything here is very straightforward and has a friendly, family-like atmosphere. For example, why not attend lectures from other degree programmes and engage in dialogue? After all, many professional challenges can only be solved by drawing on other disciplines and working together with others.”
Further welcoming remarks were given by the District Administrator of the Uelzen district, Dr Heiko Blume, the Mayor of the joint municipality, Wolf-Dietrich Marwede, and the Mayor of the municipality of Suderburg, Dagmar Hillmer.
Valeri Frank, who is starting his degree in civil engineering, chose Ostfalia precisely because of its manageable size: “It means I can chat more easily with the other students and make contacts.”
Jaron Schwerdt has opted for the online Business Administration degree programme: “It gives me flexibility and means I’m not tied to a specific location,” he says. His fellow student, Sebastian Rösner, adds: “As the programme is online, I can do it alongside my job.”
Larissa Barnecke is starting her degree in Social Work because friends recommended Ostfalia to her. “I’m just looking forward to the next three years; most of all to the new people I’ll meet here. And also to the lectures and everything new I’ll learn here.”
Following further introductory sessions for the individual degree programmes, the central support services and student bodies introduced themselves in the Audimax, including the learning support service, the student advisory service, the Career Service, the International Office, the university sports department, the General Student Committee (AStA) and the student representatives. The day then drew to a close with a barbecue organised by the AStA.