What is the average budget per month of a Student living at Jacobs?

The typical budget seems to be around 150 Euros. But this can vary depending on how much one likes to spend on foods, drinks, shopping and travel. Expenses are always higher at the beginning of the semester due to initial settling expenses such as clothes to fit the weather, extra furniture and decoration for one's room, text books and readers, paying for one's residence permit, etc.

What is the cost of basic necessities like printing, cleaning supplies, and laundry?

Printing is free in the residential colleges and research buildings. Some colleges has colour printing facilities at a very low cost. One is expected to bring one's own paper - you can buy paper for 4 euros at Pulse Express (a convenience-store located in the Student Activity Center on campus) or in any department/stationery store in the mall.

Major cleaning supplies (broom, mop, vacuum cleaner) should be located in one's floor kitchen. As it is commonly used by all floor members, it is the duty of every floor member to maintain these supplies. Other cleaning supplies (trash bags, room fresheners etc.) can be purchased at any local supermarket.

All residential colleges are equipped with laundry machines and driers. They are located in the basement of each block. Laundry costs 1 Euro and drying costs 50 cents.

Are there any ‘unexpected expenses’ that come up in the year that I should expect?

One will definitely have to buy a LAN cable at the beginning of the semester. It can be purchased at the electronics store in the mall or from other students who might be selling their spare ones.

At the beginning one encounter lots of unexpected expenses:

• residence permit at 60 Euro
• semester fee for our gym and swimming pool at 15 Euros and 20 Euros respectively
• health insurance at 57 Euro each month (it is deducted automatically from one's bank account)
  

Will I have to pay for the meals that I do not eat?

Yes, this is a university policy. The fee for board is paid once each semester and it is non refundable irrespective of our consumption.

What exactly does the Room and Board Cost cover?

Room and Board covers your room, and all cafeteria (aka servery) meals. It also covers electricity, internet, water, maintenance and most basic amenities.

What is the typical cost of books and readers?

The price of a reader depends on its size. They can be purchased at the Pule Express and generally the prices range between 10 Euros and 30 Euro. Oftentimes, 2nd and 3rd year students sell their old readers at much cheaper prices. (But keep in mind that sometimes professors change the content and the latest one needs to be purchased)

Text books come in wide range of prices. New books can range from 80 or 100 Euros, but these also can be bought second hand from other students or from second hand websites at cheaper prices. One must regularly check one's Jacobs e-mail for emails and ask second and third years from to get the best deal on books.

Oftentimes books can just be checked out from the library. Course books (i.e. those related to specific classes) are kept on reserve, i.e. they need to be returned within four hours of borrowing, for the convenience of all students

What are the most common expenses students have?

Pizza, Energy drinks (Red Bull, Cola), Snacks, Warm clothes, birthday presents for friends, etc.

Where can students go shopping?

There’re several places within 10 minutes of the university, such as Haven Höövt (mall) in Vegesack and Plus (supermarket) on Schoenebecker Strasse. Students can also go a bit further to downtown Bremen where there’re a lot of shopping areas.

Do students have any transportation costs?

No. All students receive a "semester ticket" each semester (price included in the financial package) that allows them to take all the means of transportation within Bremen area (trams, buses). They can also take regional trains from Bremen to surrounding cities such as Hamburg, Hannover, Osnabrueck, Bremerhaven, Cuxhaven, etc.

What type of activities do students pay for off campus?

Cinema, Clubbing, Uni Bremen parties, dining, Werder Bremen matches, CeBIT fair (in Hannover), etc.

Mobile Phones

Is it necessary to have a mobile phone at Jacobs?

No, certainly not, because for some people it’s enough to have the phone in their rooms or just use any chat software. However, sometimes you will have some urgent matters to discuss and taking into consideration the complex scheduling of Jacobs University it gets nearly impossible to manage it using the methods mentioned above. Moreover, the more friends you have, the more connected you might want to be, and the more you will need a mobile phone. You can bring a phone from home and purchase a local sim card or or buy the phone at any local distributor in Bremen.

What is the best SIM option for students?

There are several mobile phone companies which offer different call options for students (T-Mobile, O2, Vodafone, Simyo). There are various price ranges and call-sms packages to choose from. This is highly subjective and depending on the extent of usage, one can make their choice. Its best to take one's time, analyse the cost-benefit ratio of all packages and then choose the best contract

How can I talk to the people from home by phone? (Except them calling me)

One FREE alternative is www.peterzahlt.de, but the only disadvantage is that you can call from Germany only to the countries listed there. Another way is to go to The Pulse (the shop on campus) and grab a Go Bananas calling card which you can use with your room phone. You will be provided a code that will permit you to call people outside the campus. The third alternative is quite expensive but straight forward—you can call them from the mobile phone. The fourth alternative is to use Voice Over Internet Protocol. The connected can be obtained through the internet for one's mobile phone (this is probably the cheapest alternative). The last alternative is to use Skype calling (by loading one's account with some credit).

Can anyone call me on my room phone from the outside?

Yes, and in fact it’s quite easy. You have to dial: 0421 200 xxxx if you are in Germany and 0049 421 200 xxxx if you are calling from outside of Germany. xxxx is the individual intercom number for the phone in your room. (There should be a sticker with your number on the phone in your room)

I know someone from the campus. How can I find his/her number?

This is very easy. You just go to http://ircitweb.irc-it.jacobs-university.de/ldap-search.php (Note: this website is only available under Jacobs internet connection). There you have the option to search for part of the person’s name, campusnet username, Jacobs e-mail, room number if member of the faculty. This search is also good in case someone calls you and leaves you a message and you don’t know whose number it is; then you can search for the number on LDAP. Note: you can only do this when you are connected to the internet on campus or signed in via VPN.