Study start

Note

The events in Cologne are open to all first-semester students, regardless of campus or department.

Monday, October 5, 2026

• 1:00 p.m. – approx. 5:00 p.m. | Foyer
  Central Student Advising Information Booth
• 2:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. | Foyer
  IT Consultation Hours
• 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM | Chamber Music Hall, Cologne
  Welcome for First-Year Students
• 3:30–5:30 p.m.
  Information Sessions / Academic Organization, Part 1
  All the important information about your studies and your points of contact. Stop by, get informed, and get to know us.
• 3:30 p.m. | Chamber Music Hall
  Academic Organization—Ilias, Asimut, Course Catalog
• 4:30 p.m. | Chamber Music Hall
  Advising Services—All contact persons will introduce themselves
• approx. 5:30 p.m. | Meeting point: Foyer
  City rally with the ZSB student team and the AStA
  Registration required via this link!

Tuesday, October 6, 2026

• 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. | Room 14
  Breakfast with the Central Student Advising team
  Registration required via this link!
• 11:30 a.m. – approx. 4:00 p.m. | Foyer
  Central Student Advising Information Point
• 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. | Foyer
  IT consultation hours
• 11:30 a.m. | Meet at the information booth in the foyer
  Campus tour with the Facilities Management Department
  Registration required via this link!
• 12:30 PM – 3:30 PM | Room 14
  Information Sessions / Academic Organization, Part 2
• 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM | Room 14
  Registrar’s Office / Exam Office – Information on the Student Handbook / Academic Plan
• 1:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. | Room 1
  Relaxation session with our psychologist Isa Matthes
• 2:00 – 2:30 p.m. | Room 14
  Presentation of professional development opportunities
• 2:30–3:30 p.m. | Room 14
  Study Abroad and Scholarships
• 2:30–3:30 p.m. | Library
  Library tour (in German), meet in the library foyer
  Registration required via this link!
• 3:30–approx. 4:30 p.m. | Room 14
  Info Workshop for International Students —We’ll explain everything to you in English!

Wednesday, October 7, 2026

• 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. | Chamber Music Hall
  Chamber Music Speed Dating
• 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. | Foyer
  IT Consultation Hour
• 1:30–2:30 p.m. | Library
  Guided tour of the library (in English)
  Get to know the library of the HfMT Cologne and all the resources it has to offer.
  Registration required via this link!
• 8:00 p.m. | Lapidarium
  “Loss mer Singe” – Sing-along evening for (new) students at the HfMT Cologne
  Sing along—join the celebration and vote for your first favorite Cologne song. These lyrics, this language… At the “Loss mer singe – Kennichkannich” party, you’ll get the perfect introduction to the city’s classic songs.
  Registration required via this link!

Friday, October 9, 2026

• 3:30 p.m. – approx. 8:00 p.m. | Downtown and City Hall
  Welcome event for international students hosted by the Cologne Student Services (Kölner Studierendenwerk) and the City of Cologne.
  3:30 p.m.: City tour
  5:30 p.m.: Reception at City Hall
  Registration opens in September!

Monday, October 5, 2026 | Chamber Music Hall, Wuppertal

• 10:00–10:30 a.m.
  Welcome for first-year students at the Wuppertal campus
• 10:30 a.m. – approx. 11:00 a.m.
  Academic information from the Central Student Advising Office
• 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
  Introduction to the IGP program
  Introduction to the EMP program

Wednesday, October 7, 2026 | Wuppertal Concert Hall

• 6:30 p.m.
  Semester Opening at the Wuppertal Campus

Thursday, October 8, 2026

• 11:00 a.m. – approx. 12:00 p.m. | Aachen Concert Hall
  Welcome event for first-year students at the Aachen campus
• approx. 12:00 p.m. | Room TBD
  Information on academic organization from the Central Student Advising Office
  Registration required!

Tuesday, September 29, 2026

• 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. | Room 13
  Introduction to the Teacher Education Program, Day 1

Wednesday, September 30, 2026

• 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. | Room 13
  Introduction to the Teacher Education Program, Day 2

Tuesday, October 6, 2026 | Room 14

• 4:30–6:00 p.m.
  Introduction to the IGP and EMP Programs, Cologne Campus

Monday, October 5, 2026 | Room 14

• 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. | Introduction to the Jazz/Pop Program

Monday, October 5, 2026

• 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. | Studio 3
  Semester kickoff and welcome for first-year students
• 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. | Meet at Studio 3
  Tour of the building
• 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM | Studio 3
  Program Introduction: BA Dance
  with Kojiro Imada, Wencke Kriemer, Vera Sander
• 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM | Seminar Room 1
  Program Introduction: MA Dance Studies
  with Sevi Bayraktar, Yvonne Hardt, Johanna Hörmann, Johanna Kasperowitsch, Constanze Schellow
• 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. | Studio 4
  Program Introduction: MA Dance Education
  with Nina Hänel, Constanze Schellow, Corinna Vogel
• 6:00 p.m. | Meeting point in the courtyard; Dagobertstraße 39
  Kitchen Talks—all new students are invited to dinner at venues in Cologne’s dance scene.

Wednesday, October 7, 2026

• 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM | Studio 4
  Information session on academic organization, Ilias, Asimut, and much more with the Central Student Advising Office and the Registrar’s Office.
• 2:30–4:30 p.m. | Dance Library

  ZZT Library Orientation for ALL first-semester students
  An introduction to the library and online research.
  With Ursula Albrecht and Johanna Kasperowitsch

All other dates for the ZZT’s extensive orientation program will be sent via email. If you did not receive this email or have any questions, please contact Ms. Laura Lang (Laura.Lang@hfmt-koeln.de).

During Orientation Week (October 5–9, 2026), the Central Student Advising Office will not hold its regular office hours.

Instead, we will be available to assist you in Room 2 at the following times:

• Wednesday, October 7, 2026 – 9:30–10:30 a.m.
• Thursday, October 8, 2026 – 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
• Friday, October 9, 2026 – 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Outside of these office hours, you can meet us at the orientation events for new students at all campuses. Please feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions or are having trouble getting oriented!

Starting Monday, October 12, 2026, we’ll be available during our regular office hours for open consultation

• Tuesday, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
• Thursday, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM

in Room 2.

We’re also happy to schedule individual appointments with you. Just send us an email at: studienberatung@hfmt-koeln.de

Students in the woodwind, string and piano instrument groups are required to take several semesters of chamber music.

Students of all locations of the woodwind, string and piano classes can find all information and the registration form for chamber music lessons here:

https://ilias.hfmt-koeln.de/goto.php?target=crs_76657_rcode49J8eRhaDW&client_id=HFMT

Please log in to the ILIAS chamber music course with your HfMT access data (HfMT e-mail address and password).

Important dates for the start of the semester

07.10.2026 von 11-13 Uhr, Kammermusiksaal Köln:
Speed dating chamber music: find ensembles, meet chamber music teachers, clarify questions

If you have any questions, please contact the Chamber Music Office:

kammermusik@hfmt-koeln.de

0221-28380 222

Room 102 in the HfMT main building Cologne

All Bachelor of Music students should take the courses Aural Training 1 and Harmony/Counterpoint 1 during their first semester.

You can find an overview of the full course offerings in the course catalog.

There are different course offerings for the various degree programs.

• All Bachelor of Music students except those in Jazz/Pop and Teacher Education at the Cologne campus:

Course registration is done through Ilias. Join the respective course and then register for the corresponding course section.

• Aural Training 1: Courses for first-semester students
• Harmony/Counterpoint 1: Courses for first-semester students

All students in the IP, GP, and EMP programs specializing in Jazz/Pop should enroll in the courses designated for the BM Jazz/Pop program.

• Music Education

You will receive information about your music theory courses during the two orientation days on September 29–30, 2026.

• Jazz/Pop

You can find the scheduled courses in the course catalog. Guidance on planning your academic path will be provided during the program orientation on October 5, 2026.

• Aachen and Wuppertal Campuses

You can find the courses offered at the Aachen and Wuppertal campuses in the course catalog.

• Music Theory in Aachen
• Music Theory in Wuppertal

Students with a Bachelor of Music degree for all orchestral instruments or a Master of Music degree for all orchestral instruments are required to play in the university orchestra.

Requirements for the degree are

• 21 ECTS points in the Bachelor's degree
• 9 ECTS points in the Master's degree
• 3 ECTS points are awarded for participation in the opera
• 1.5 ECTS points for each orchestra phase

In the winter semester 2026/27, the following orchestra phases will take place in Cologne:

will be added later

If you would like information on the university orchestra's planned projects and would like to register for a phase, please send an email to: Orchesterbuero-Koeln@hfmt-koeln.de

There are also orchestra projects at the Aachen and Wuppertal locations, please get in touch with the following contact persons if you have any questions.

• Wuppertal location: Ursula Willsch via Orchesterbuero-Aachen@hfmt-koeln.de
• Aachen location: Marc Vogler via Orchesterbuero-Wuppertal@hfmt-koeln.de

All rooms at the university in Cologne are managed exclusively online through Asimut, a software for room bookings and event management.

• FAQs/Tutorials

The language of lessons is German.

We offer various German courses, especially for new students who have not yet obtained the relevant language certificate.

• Counselling for Bachelor students - information on language level, learning tips, placement test
• A2 exam preparation course inclusive Intensive week A2  in september
• Beginners' course B1

All information, dates and registration via Ilias .

The university offers numerous advisory and service offers to support you in all phases of your studies and even before.

The Germany Semester Ticket is a nationwide public transit pass that allows you to ride buses, trams, subways, and regional trains in second class as often as you like throughout Germany for the duration of a semester. The semester ticket is included in the semester fee.

You can access your online Germany Semester Ticket from Kölner Verkehrs-Betriebe AG via the following link. Here, too, you’ll need to log in with your student email address and password.

https://abo.ride-ticketing.de/app/login?partnerId=2ff00f596e096c0558006536d80f69c6

An overview of all IT services and how you can use them can be found on this Ilias page.

You will receive the access data for Ilias via muvac from the Student Administration Office. Instructions on how to access the information page of our IT department are enclosed with your student handbook.

If you have any questions, please contact our IT support: it-support@hfmt-koeln.de

After enrollment, you will get  your study book at the student administration office (no later than one week before the start of your studies). The study book is important for the smooth execution of your studies. The Student student administration office will let you know when you can collect your study book.

For a successful start to your studies, you will find the following in the study book

• Student ID card
• your matriculation certificate
• an overview of the forms of examination
• your study plan
• your test sheets and the relevant examination protocols

We offer an information session on the study book during the introductory week. If you have any questions or uncertainties, please contact the Central Student Advisory Service.

At the start of your degree programme, you will receive your student ID card with your student handbook when you enrol (see student handbook). This is your card for everything and you should always have it with you. The student ID is a blue chip card that has several functions. For example, it is your

• Card for using the room booking system Asimut
• Library card

In addition, the chip card allows you access to the main building in Cologne through the rear entrance, access to the IT room in the library and access to the overrooms at the Aachen location.

IMPORTANT: Every semester, after your re-registration, you have to revalidate the card to make it valid for the semester. You will find the machine for this next to room 2 at the rear exit of the university at the Cologne location. In case of defects, loss or for the creation of the chip card, please contact the IT department. You can reach them by e-mail at chipkarte@hfmt-koeln.de.
Consultation hours are also Tuesday and Thursday from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in Theodor-Heuss-Ring, 2nd floor, room 204. Please ring HfMT Personal/Finanzen/IT.
If you have any problems gaining access via your smart card, please contact: zutritt@hfmt-koeln.de.

On the back of the chip card is your borrowing number for the library. You can use it to borrow books and sheet music on site or order them online. More information is available at the library on the 4th floor or at the site libraries in Aachen and Wuppertal.