Dear first-year students, welcome to the Hasso Plattner Institute! We are pleased that a new cohort will begin their studies with us. To make the start of your studies easier, we would like to tell you about the various events and offers at HPI at the beginning of the semester.

Target group: First semester bachelor students

Date: expected 18.09.2023 - 06.10.2023 in Lecture Hall 1, HPI Campus 1.

The math pre-course for first-semester students of the bachelor's program IT-Systems Engineering refreshes mathematical knowledge and prepares for the math lectures in the program. Registration is not required.

Start: according to current planning: from Monday, September 18, 2023 at 9:00 am, Location: tba
Duration: three weeks; Monday through Friday from 09:00-13:00
Format: in person

Target Group: First semester bachelor and master students

Every semester, the Student Council organizes the so-called "Ersti-Tage" (First Semester Days), where you learn everything you need to know for your first semester at HPI. The program, which lasts several days, includes a tour of the campus, an introduction to everyday life at the university, contacts at HPI and an introduction to the infrastructure.

Typically, all first-year students are also offered a first-semester trip. This offers the opportunity to get to know each other better. Participation in the first semester trip is not necessary for a successful start to your studies, but it is a great provides from the students of higher semesters to their new fellow students.

The dates and further information about the introductory events and the Erstifahrt can be found on the pages of the Student Council.

Target group: First semester bachelor students

If you have no or very little programming experience as a freshman, you can attend the student programming workshop on Fridays. Students of higher semesters will help you to solve different programming tasks and give you support in using programming tools.

All terms and further information, also about the last programming workshop, can be found here.

Target group: First-year master students

From the beginning of their studies, all master students are supported by a professor as a mentor and liaison lecturer.

Target group: First semester bachelor students

Date: 1 x per week in the first semester

The seminar offers first-year students the opportunity to discuss a wide range of topics and questions concerning the start of their studies. Experienced master students act as mentors for the participants. The content is not only about the lecture material, but also about studying itself: What do exams look like? What is the best way to study? How do I organize my everyday life for a good work-life balance? How does the cooperation between lecturers and students work? These questions and much more can be discussed at StubS.

Students from abroad can find support services at HPI's International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS).

The International Office of the University of Potsdam is another point of contact for international students taking up studies at the University of Potsdam.

The Buddy Program of the University of Potsdam is a mentoring program in which students of the University of Potsdam support new students from abroad.