The Studentenwerke Tutor Programme for Foreign Students

Service Centre for Intercultural Competence
The Studentenwerke Tutor Programme
for Foreign Students
Evaluation of a Survey

The Studentenwerke Tutor Programme
for Foreign Students
Evaluation of a Survey
The Studentenwerke Tutor Programme for Foreign Students
1

Published by:
Deutsches Studentenwerk
Monbijouplatz 11
D-10178 Berlin
Phone: +49 (0) 30 29 77 27 0
Fax: +49 (0) 30 29 77 27 99
E-mail: dsw@studentenwerke.de
www.studentenwerke.de
Responsible persons: Tanja Grießhammer
Isabelle Kappus
Translation: Lingualux Michael Keith, Berlin
Overall production: Beuster Polymedia, Berlin
Translation of the original publication dated July 2003
Berlin, April 2004
2 The Studentenwerke Tutor Programme for Foreign Students

Foreword
The number of foreign students in Germany has substantially increased as
a result of the international marketing campaign conducted by the federal
government and the federal states in recent years. The endeavours of the
institutions of higher education and the Studentenwerke, the German associations
of student affairs, have considerably contributed to improving the
attractiveness of Germany as a location for higher education. According to
statements by “Wissenschaft Weltoffen 2003” 1 , 11.0% (206,141 persons) of
all students in the winter semester 2001/02 were foreign students, of which
142,786 had acquired their university entrance qualifications in a foreign
country and 63,355 in Germany. This indicates a 35.7% increase in foreign
students since 1997.
The living conditions at the sites of the higher education institutions are of particular
importance to the students from abroad. Besides influencing the conditions
of studying and the personal relationship with the host country they considerably
influence the perceived attractiveness of a country for studying 2 . The
housing situation in particular constitutes an important criterion for the evaluation
of the living conditions.
The internationalisation of the institutions of higher education is a new challenge
that the Studentenwerke are facing. Not only does sufficient living space
for foreign students have to be provided; far more, diverse information, advice
and support services have to be available during the course of the studies
in order to contribute to a successful study visit to Germany.
The tutor programmes of the Studentenwerke have become an essential ingredient
of the integration measures for foreign students. Tutors are appointed
by over two thirds of the Studentenwerke and by the student residences
in particular. As mediators between German and foreign students and between
the Studentenwerke and other institutions they bear great responsibility.
The purpose of this summary of a study that was prepared on the basis of a
survey at the 61 Studentenwerke in Germany is to present an overview of the
different forms of tutor programmes offered by the Studentenwerke. Besides
data on the share of foreign students at the Studentenwerke and their places
of origin it presents the framework conditions of the tutor programmes and
an assessment of the cooperation with the institutions of higher education in
this field of work.
We express our gratitude to the employees of the Studentenwerke who participated
in this survey for their support.
1 Wissenschaft Weltoffen 2003 - data and facts on the internationalisation of studying and research in Germany. Published
by DAAD/Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst. Bielefeld 2003. Download at www.wissenschaft-weltoffen.de
2 Compare with: Stefanie Jensen, Ausländerstudium in Deutschland: Die Attraktivität deutscher Hochschulen für ausländische
Studierende (Studies for foreigners in Germany: The attractiveness of German institutions of higher education
for foreign students), Wiesbaden 2001
The Studentenwerke Tutor Programme for Foreign Students
3

Furthermore, we thank the Federal Ministry of Education and Research
whose financial support finances the Service Centre for Intercultural Competence
of the Deutsches Studentenwerk which is entrusted with the preparation
of this publication.
Achim Meyer auf der Heyde
Secretary General of the Deutsches Studentenwerk
4 The Studentenwerke Tutor Programme for Foreign Students

Foreword
Content
Content 5
A. Survey data 7
B. Overview of the most important results 7
1. The proportion of foreign students 9
1.1 The proportion of foreign students in the transinstitutional area
of responsibility of the Studentenwerke 9
1.2 The proportion of foreign occupants of the overall number of
occupants at the residences of the Studentenwerke 9
1.3 The proportion of foreign students who live in a student residence
owned by the Studentenwerke 10
2. The regions of origin of the occupants of the student residences
owned by the Studentenwerke 11
3. Tutor programmes for foreign students 12
3.1 The number of tutors 13
3.2 Support and services requested from the tutors 15
3.3 Support of the tutors 17
3.4 Evaluation of the tutors’ activity 19
4. Cooperation with the institutions of higher education 20
4.1 Forms of cooperation 20
4.2 Suggestions to improve the cooperation 21
5. Prospects of the tutor programme 22
Appendix 23
The Studentenwerke Tutor Programme for Foreign Students
5

6 The Studentenwerke Tutor Programme for Foreign Students

A. Survey data
The survey on the tutor programme, the results of which this publication is
based on, was developed by the Committee for International Affairs of the
Deutsches Studentenwerk in mid-2002. The Service Centre for Intercultural
Competence of the Deutsches Studentenwerk collected the data and evaluated
the results. 53 of 62 Studentenwerke 3 have replied to the questionnaire.
Nine of the Studentenwerke did not participate in the survey as they do not
offer a tutor programme for foreign students. Eight of these Studentenwerke
subsequently submitted data on the share of foreign occupants of the student
residences.
The majority of this data refers to the 2002 summer semester, whereas
information on foreign students is not divided into persons who have completed
their university entrance qualifications abroad or in Germany. In order
to improve readability the masculine form was chosen to refer to both genders.
An overview of the results on the share of occupants of the student residences
who are from abroad at the Studentenwerke and their region of origin as well
as a list of links to the tutor programmes of the Studentenwerke can be found
in the appendix.
B. Overview of the most important results
The first part of this publication presents the basic data on the share of foreign
students in the respective transinstitutional area of responsibility of the
Studentenwerke and their areas of origin. The national average of occupants
of the student residences of the Studentenwerke who come from abroad is
31.8%. The largest groups of foreign occupants of student residences are from
China, Eastern Europe and the EU countries.
The framework conditions of the tutor programmes for foreign students are presented
in part two. 41 Studentenwerke offer a tutor programme; only three of
them consider this programme to be sufficiently developed. Five Studentenwerke
were in the process of establishing such a programme at the time of questioning.
This shows that the tutor programmes have become a key ingredient
of the range of services for foreign students offered by the Studentenwerke.
45% of the 330 tutors appointed in the summer semester of 2002 are foreigners.
This impressive total number of tutors emphasizes for one thing the
key function that is the duty of the tutors during the support of foreign
students, and for another it explains the need for foreign students. Support
3 The Studentenwerk Essen-Duisburg, which merged on 1 January 2002, has submitted two separate questionnaires. In
the following, these will be included separately in the evaluation as the available experiences concerning the tutor
programmes in Essen and Duisburg differ.
The Studentenwerke Tutor Programme for Foreign Students
7

for the tutors is first of all provided by the residential offices or centres for
social advice of the Studentenwerke.
The main issues of foreign students for which they ask tutors for help are
problems with fellow occupants, help with visits to the authorities (residence
permits, work permits, etc.), and contacts with German fellow students. This
agrees with the results of the special evaluation of the 16 th social survey of
the Deutsches Studentenwerk, “Internationalisation of Studies” 4 . The greatest
difficulties experienced in Germany by foreign students who have acquired
their university entrance qualifications abroad are thus in connection with the
work permit and visa/residence permit application, financing of the studies,
and the contact with German students.
In addition, the responsibilities of the tutors are also very diverse so that
a broad spectrum of personal prerequisites and faculties are required particularly
intercultural and social competence, the ability to solve conflicts,
creativity, and organisational skills in particular.
The third and last part of this publication presents the conditions of cooperation
between the Studentenwerke and the institutions of higher education for
recruiting and supporting foreign students. By means of a school grading scale
these are rated at an average of 2.4. The prospects of the further development
of the tutor programme conclude the study. Three quarters of the Studentenwerke
are striving for the expansion of the programme; however, the realisation
is often made conditional on the financial means required.
Not least, many Studentenwerke make suggestions to improve the service for
foreign students.
The improved transinstitutional cooperation can make a decisive contribution.
A proposal is made to strengthen the flow of information between the Studentenwerke
and the institutions of higher education; for example, regarding
the number of newly admitted foreign students or during the course of planning
new degree courses in English. The cooperation of the Studentenwerke
with city councils and business enterprises, who are potential employers of
students, is emphasized.
However, the lack of resources is to the fore. More than the available living
space capacities and additional financial means are required to be able to
really secure the attractiveness of Germany as a location for higher education
for foreign students. The demand can under no circumstances be met with
available means, such as from the STIBET programme of the DAAD 5 . The
4 Internationalisierung des Studiums, Ausländische Studierende in Deutschland - Deutsche Studierende im Ausland.
(Internationalisation of studies, foreign students in Germany - German students abroad). Results of the 16th social
survey of the Deutsches Studentenwerk carried out by HIS Hochschul-Informations-System. Published by the Federal
Ministry of Education and Research, Bonn 2002. Download at www.studentenwerke.de
5 Scholarship and support programme of the Deutsche Akademische Austauschdienst, Information to be found at
www.daad.de
8 The Studentenwerke Tutor Programme for Foreign Students

provision of sufficient resources, including by the state, is the prerequisite
for the integration of the growing number of foreign students.
1. The proportion of foreign students
According to information by “Wissenschaft Weltoffen 2003” the share of foreign
students at German institutions of higher education in the winter semester
2001/02 was 11.0%. Of the overall 1,868,229 students at the German institutions
of higher education 206,141 were foreigners at this point in time.
1.1 The proportion of foreign students in the transinstitutional
area of responsibility of the Studentenwerke
On average, the share of foreign students of the total number of students in
the summer semester 2002 in this survey was 11.6%. Within the transinstitutional
area of responsibility of the Studentenwerke it varies between a maximum
of 23.7% and a minimum of 4.2%.
The proportion of foreign students of the total number of
students by Studentenwerke
above 20% 2
15 - 20% 9
10 - 15% 25
5 - 10% 25
below 5% 1
1.2 The proportion of foreign occupants of the overall number
of occupants at the residences of the Studentenwerke
Considering the structure of the occupants of the Studentenwerke residences
an average of 31.8% of the occupants come from abroad. The span here at
the Studentenwerke is between a maximum of 53.3% and a minimum of
9.5%. More then a quarter of the occupants of residences at 44 Studentenwerke
came from abroad. More details can be found in the appendix.
The Studentenwerke Tutor Programme for Foreign Students
Service Centre for Intercultural Competence
Mean: 11.6% Basis: 62 Studentenwerke
9

above 45% 7
35 - 45% 14
25 - 35% 23
15 - 25% 13
below 15% 4
Service Centre for Intercultural Competence
The proportion of foreign students at the Studentenwerke
Mean: 31.8% Basis: 61 Studentenwerke
1.3 The proportion of foreign students who live in a student
residence owned by the Studentenwerke 6
The following interesting result is obtained when comparing the share of the
foreign occupants of student residences with the overall number of foreign
students in the respective transinstitutional area of responsibility of the
Studentenwerke: the figures vary considerably – between 86.6% and 4.6%.
All in all, 21 Studentenwerke provide living space for more than 35% of the
foreign students at the location of their institution of higher education. In addition,
it is revealed that in the former East German states an average rate of
47.8% of foreign students live in a student residence at the site of their university.
In former West Germany, this share amounts to 26.0%.
Service Centre for Intercultural Competence
Proportion of foreign students who live in a student
residence owned by the Studentenwerk
Studentenwerke in former West Germany Studentenwerke in former East Germany
above 55% 0 4
6 See appendix
45 - 55% 5 4
35 - 45% 4 4
25 - 35% 16 0
25 - 35% 16 1
below 15% 7 0
Mean: 26.0% Mean: 47.8%
Basis former West Germany: 48 Studentenwerke
Basis former East Germany: 13 Studentenwerke
10 The Studentenwerke Tutor Programme for Foreign Students

2. The regions of origin of the occupants of the student
residences owned by the Studentenwerke
31 Studentenwerke could give details on the regions of origin of the foreign
occupants of the residences owned by the Studentenwerke. At an average
share of 30.1% of foreign occupants at the residences, this only results in an
insignificant deviation from the already named average of foreign inhabitants
of the residences (31.8%).
Regions of origin of the occupants of the residences
Germany
According to the categories pre-determined in the survey, students from
China (5.5%) represent the largest group of foreign occupants of student
residences in Germany, followed by students from Eastern Europe (without
the Russian Federation) at 5.3%, and the EU (including Norway/Switzerland)
at 5.2%. The results of the 16 th social survey of the Deutsches Studentenwerk
“Internationalisation of Studies” 7 are reflected here, according
to which the students from the Eastern European states and China recorded
the highest growth rates from 1997 to 2000.
Students from the Asian region (without China), Africa (without the Arab
states), the Arab states, and the Russian Federation are represented with a
share of 3.6 to 2.1%. At 1.0% and 0.8%, Students from Central/South
America and from the USA/Canada constitute a relatively small share of the
occupants of the residences.
An overview of the origins of the share of foreign occupants of residences in
the area of responsibility of the individual Studentenwerke listed by regions
of origin can be found in the appendix.
7 See footnote p. 8
69.9%
The Studentenwerke Tutor Programme for Foreign Students
Service Centre for Intercultural Competence
China 5.5 %
Eastern Europe* 5.3 %
EU-Countries** 5.2 %
Asia excl. China 3.6 %
30.1%
Africa*** 2.8 %
Arab States 2.6 %
Russian Federation 2.1 %
Central and South America 1.0 %
USA/Canada 0.8 %
Others 1.5 %
* Excl. Russian Federation
** Incl. Norway and Switzerland
*** Excl. Arabian states
Basis: 31 Studentenwerke
11

3. Tutor programmes for foreign students
Tutor programmes are offered by the Studentenwerk
No
15
Under
development
5
41
Yes, since ...
1995 or earlier 6
1996 to 2000 11
2001 22
2002 1
No information given 1
Service Centre for Intercultural Competence
Basis: 61 Studentenwerke
The tutor programmes are a firmly established component of the range of
services offered by the Studentenwerke. At the time of the survey, 41 Studentenwerke
were offering tutor programmes for foreign students, whereas the
majority had introduced them in 2001. In addition, five Studentenwerke were
planning to establish a tutor programme for foreign students at the time of
the survey.
The tutor programme, which has the support of foreign students at the residences
as the main focus of its work, is offered by the majority of the Studentenwerke.
Some Studentenwerke have extended the range of services offered
to all foreign students at the location of the institution of higher education.
As a rule, the structure of the range of services includes the social and cultural
support for the foreign students; what is more, the fixed main focuses
are similar. Even so, an individual, location-oriented profile can be found at
every Studentenwerk.
During the 2002 summer semester 15 Studentenwerke did not offer a tutor
programme. In general, the reasons given for this were sufficient support for
foreign students by the institutions of higher education and lack of funds.
12 The Studentenwerke Tutor Programme for Foreign Students

3.1 The number of tutors
The number of tutors for foreign students
German tutors
55%
Total: 329 tutors
45%
During the summer semester 2002 there were in total 329 tutors, of which 45%
even came from abroad, who were responsible for the support of foreign students.
Nine Studentenwerke exclusively appoint foreign tutors, four only appoint
tutors from Germany.
Intercultural teams are often established. At eight Studentenwerke, the share
of foreign tutors adds up to more than 60%; at 13 Studentenwerke the share
is between 30% and 60%, and at five Studentenwerke it is below 30%.
A support distribution scheme, i.e. the statement of how many foreign students
each tutor is responsible for, could not be clearly determined on the
basis of the questionnaire. The tutors have different areas of responsibility,
such as individual floors or entire residences. As it was already determined,
the services offered are in some cases also directed at all foreign students at
the site of the institution of higher education.
Based on the collected data, however, it is possible to determine a tendency
in view of a support distribution scheme: if the total number of tutors of the
Studentenwerk is compared with the ratio of the total number of foreign
occupants of the Studentenwerk residences the mean is 210 occupants per
tutor. According to this calculation, 17 of 41 Studentenwerke have a distribution
scheme below 100, the majority above.
The Studentenwerke Tutor Programme for Foreign Students
Service Centre for Intercultural Competence
Foreign tutors
Basis: 39 Studentenwerke, that offer a tutor programme
13

Tutor distribution scheme
Studentenwerke with a distribution scheme
below 50 7 2
Service Centre for Intercultural Competence
The following consider the number of tutors
to be too low
50 bis 100 10 6
101 bis 300 13 7
above 300 10 7
Mean: 210 foreign students per tutor
Basis: 41 Studentenwerke, that offer a tutor programme
missing values=no information given
22 of 41 Studentenwerke offering a tutor programme consider the number of
tutors they employ as too low. The greatest dissatisfaction results from a support
distribution scheme of more than 100 – here, 14 Studentenwerke consider
the number of their tutors to be insufficient. On average, six to seven
additional tutors are required.
In contrast, 17 Studentenwerke consider their number of tutors to be sufficient.
These are mainly Studentenwerke that have a distribution scheme below 50
foreign students per tutor.
14 The Studentenwerke Tutor Programme for Foreign Students

3.2 Support and services requested from the tutors
When considering the support requested from tutors by foreign students,
it is made clear which diverse demands are placed on the tutors.
Support/services that are requested from the tutors
The main concerns of foreign students for which they ask tutors for help are
problems with fellow occupants, help with visits to the authorities (residence
permits, work permits, etc.), and contacts with German fellow students.
The Studentenwerke Tutor Programme for Foreign Students
Service Centre for Intercultural Competence
Problems with fellow occupants 34
Help with visits to the authorities 33
Contact with German fellow students 32
Cultural events 31
Accommodation problems 26
Excursions and travel 26
Problems with the institution
of higher education*
24
Orientation in the study system 20
Study work, examinations 18
Regulars’ table 17
Discrimination 16
Meet at airport/station 15
Financial problems 14
Information brochures 13
Seminars in regional studies 9
Language courses 8
Contacts with Germans 8
Other 4
*= Not problems with the subject studied
Basis: 41 Studentenwerke that offer a tutor programme –
multiple answers possible
15

An interesting comparison is found here with the difficulties of all foreigners
who received their university entrance qualifications abroad during their
study stay in Germany with the difficulties investigated by the 16 th social
survey on the “Internationalisation of Studies” 8 . The greatest difficulties are
thus experienced in connection with the work permit, application for a visa/
residence permit, financing of the studies, and contact with German students.
This emphasizes that tutors are contact persons for the key problem
issues of foreign students in Germany and explains how urgently they require
support in these areas.
Further support services requested from the tutors are the organisation of
cultural events and leisure activities such as excursions and regulars’ tables,
support with problems with the institution of higher education in everyday
student life, the study system, and help with accommodation problems. The
tutors refer to the institution of higher education in the event of subject related
problems.
The tutors are also persons of contact for foreign students in the event of
discrimination and financial problems.
Only few Studentenwerke register a demand for language courses, conversation
training and regional studies, and for establishing contact with the German
population. Mostly, these areas are part of the areas of responsibility of
the institutions of higher education. It can be assumed that they are requested
from there or from different institutions respectively.
This shows that tutors also often act as a first contact and mediator with the
institutions and, if required, refer to others.
Some Studentenwerke listed the following services in the “other” category:
lending PCs free of charge, support in everyday life, on-site orientation (in
the quarter/residence), and sports activities.
These results provide interesting references to the specification of requirements
of the tutors. The complex subject areas demand a broad spectrum
of personal requisites and faculties, particularly intercultural and social competence,
the ability to resolve conflicts, creativity, and organisational skills.
8 See footnote p. 8
16 The Studentenwerke Tutor Programme for Foreign Students

3.3 Support of the tutors
As a rule, the residential offices support the tutors. The social advice centre
of the Studentenwerke also frequently supports them. Special mentors for
tutors are available at seven Studentenwerke; three Studentenwerke appointed
the services established for foreign students as a contact for the
tutors, three appointed the Culture Office.
Who is responsible for the support of the tutors?
Residential office 25
Social counselling 17
Institution of
higher education
Special mentor 7
Culture Office
(own nomination)
3
International Office
(own nomination)
3
Other 3
At 19 Studentenwerke, several departments and institutions support the tutors
in a similar way. In eight cases different departments within the Studentenwerk
– and in eleven cases even the Studentenwerk as well as the institution
of higher education – are points of contact for the tutors.
The Studentenwerke Tutor Programme for Foreign Students
12
Service Centre for Intercultural Competence
Basis: 41 Studentenwerke that offer a tutor programme –
multiple answers possible
17

Service Centre for Intercultural Competence
The following support services are available for the tutors
Help with problems 19
Team meetings (own nomination) 17
Training 13
Training in social competence 8
Conflict training 8
Multicultural training 8
Language training 2
Rhetoric seminars 1
Education seminars 1
Basis: 41 Studentenwerke that offer a tutor programme –
multiple nominations possible
This support is arranged in many ways. 21 Studentenwerke offer their tutors
training and seminars. Thereby, the main focus is on general training,
training in social competence, conflict training and multicultural training.
Help with problems is offered very frequently and is generally need-based.
Help with legal matters and factual issues, supervision, help with integration,
and help with the preparation of programmes are named as concrete
examples.
Furthermore, team meetings are a very important instrument of support.
Apart from contributing to the agreement on the design of the content they
also contribute to exchanging experience and discussing cases.
18 The Studentenwerke Tutor Programme for Foreign Students

3.4 Evaluation of the tutors’ activity
The work of the tutors is monitored by all Studentenwerke.
The most frequently named method of monitoring the work is the preparation
of a performance report by the tutors. The report is often complemented
by other forms of analysis, which are named in the diagrams.
At eleven Studentenwerke, the institution of higher education or their mentors
evaluate the tutors; however, in only three cases they are also evaluated
by the students themselves. The participation in the services of the tutors
by employees of the Studentenwerk is in ten cases a method to verify success.
At seven Studentenwerke, the work is inspected during the team meetings or
by face-to-face talks between the supporters and the tutors. In some cases the
supervisor or the self-government of the residences is used to inspect the work.
Evaluation of the tutors’ activities
Performance report 34
Participation of employees in events 10
Team/talks (own nomination) 7
Evaluation by institution of higher education 6
Evaluation by mentor 5
Evaluation by foreign students 3
Other 4
The Studentenwerke Tutor Programme for Foreign Students
Service Centre for Intercultural Competence
Basis: 41 Studentenwerke who offer a tutor programme –
multiple nominations possible
19

4. Cooperation with the institutions of higher education
The cooperation with the institutions of higher education concerning the
recruitment and support of foreign students was on average rated by the
Studentenwerke at 2.4 by means of a school grading scale. It is welcomed
that half of the Studentenwerke who participated in survey rated the cooperation
as “sehr gut” (excellent) and “gut” (good).
Service Centre for Intercultural Competence
Evaluation of the cooperation with institutions of higher
education when recruiting and supporting foreign students
„sehr gut“ (excellent) 7
„gut“ (good) 18
„befriedigend“ (satisfactory) 13
„ausreichend“ (sufficient) 2
„mangelhaft“ (unsatisfactory) 2
Average: 2.4
4.1 Forms of cooperation
Basis: 51 Studentenwerke
missing values = no information given
Personal contact ranks highest within the framework of cooperation between
the Studentenwerk and the institution of higher education. At 33 Studenten-
Service Centre for Intercultural Competence
Forms of cooperation between the Studentenwerk and the
institution of higher education
Regular meetings 33
Round table 24
Common support
programme
No/poor
cooperation
No information given 3
4
Other 11
20 The Studentenwerke Tutor Programme for Foreign Students
16
Basis: 51 Studentenwerke –
multiple nominations possible

werke, this takes place in the form of regular meetings with those responsible.
24 Studentenwerke stated the “round table” as the form of cooperation.
16 Studentenwerke operate support programmes for foreign students in cooperation
with the institution of higher education. In 12 of these cases the cooperation
was rated as “sehr gut” (excellent) and “gut” (good).
In the category “other”, some Studentenwerke named the consultation with
the institution of higher education in cases of special problems or listed the
direct cooperation during concrete problems, such as training tutors, joint
allocation of rooms, shared advisory services, organising sports and other
events, and joint dispatching of information material.
Only four Studentenwerke stated that the cooperation with the institutions is
insufficient or that no cooperation exists. These Studentenwerke had awarded
the grades “ausreichend” (sufficient) and “mangelhaft” (unsatisfactory).
4.2 Suggestions to improve the cooperation
In the opinion of the Studentenwerke, an improvement of the cooperation
with the institutions of higher education could primarily be achieved by
better arrangements in accommodating the foreign students. Some Studentenwerke
also considered as necessary the better cooperation in supporting
the tutors, for example, by organising common training courses or meetings.
In the category “other”, the improved exchange of information and regular
contact, the organisation of common events, the improved availability of jobs
at the institutions of higher education, and more financial support for the support
of foreign students were specifically suggested.
Service Centre for Intercultural Competence
Suggestions to improve the cooperation between the
Studentenwerke and the institutions of higher education
Improved arrangements for
accommodating foreign students
Improved cooperation
for supporting tutors
Common events (own nomination) 2
Other 4
Basis: 51 Studentenwerke – multiple nominations possible.
missing values = no information given
The Studentenwerke Tutor Programme for Foreign Students
10
15
21

5. Prospects of the tutor programme
Prospects of the tutor programme
Expansion if
financial means
are available
20
No information
given
1
10
10
Expansion
No expansion due to*
lacking
ressources
sufficient
programmes
initially
empirical values
Service Centre for Intercultural Competence
*Basis: 10 Studentenwerke who do not want to expand their tutor programme
One unambiguous result of the survey is that the expansion of the tutor programmes
is sought.
30 Studentenwerke intend to expand their tutor programme in the following
years. There are numerous ideas regarding the design of the content. Thus,
the preservation and the expansion of the existing programmes are to the fore,
e.g. by increasing personnel or by expanding the scope of the transinstitutional
area of responsibility.
The following projects, for example, are being aimed for: to improve the Internet
presence, to establish a voluntary sponsorships, to establish an international
meeting point and a locator of private accommodation, to organise
training courses and information events, and to establish a regulars’ table.
However, 20 of these Studentenwerke have to make their programmes dependent
on the availability of financial means.
Ten Studentenwerke do not intend to expand their programmes. Here, the
lack of funds is to the fore.
Only three (of 41!) Studentenwerke consider their tutor programmes to be
sufficient.
22 The Studentenwerke Tutor Programme for Foreign Students
1
3
6
Basis: 41 Studentenwerke

Appendix
• Overview of the results of the available tutor programmes and the
proportion of foreign occupants at the residences of the Studentenwerke
• Overview of the results on the share of occupants at the residences
of the Studentenwerke by regions of origin
• List of links to the tutor programmes
The Studentenwerke Tutor Programme for Foreign Students
23

Share of foreign students ../Tutor programmes (2002)
..at the residences of the Studentenwerke
Proportion of
Proportion of foreign German students
students in the area in the area of
of responsibility responsibility of
Total of the STW who live the STW who live
occupants Number in a residence in a residence Tutor programme
Studentenwerk of residences of foreigners in % owned by the STW owned by the STW is offered
Aachen 4360 1818 41.7% 28.1% 8.3% no
Augsburg 2200 946 43.0% 45.8% 7.3% yes
Berlin 7708 4004 51.9% 21.5% 3.1% no
Bielefeld 1011 501 49.6% 20.3% 2.1% no
Bochum 3840 1312 34.2% 25.3% 6.3% yes
Bonn 3790 1530 40.4% 29.3% 6.3% yes
Braunschweig 3067 923 30.1% 28.5% 5.6% yes
Bremen 1515 644 42.5% 20.1% 3.6%
Chemnitz-Zwickau 3755 666 17.7% 86.6% 26.3% yes
Clausthal 916 268 29.3% 40.5% 30.5%
Darmstadt 2450 992 40.5% 22.7% 6.4% yes
Dortmund 2671 773 28.9% 19.4% 6.0%
Dresden 7213 1730 24.0% 59.9% 15.5% no
Duisburg 999 391 39.1% 16.7% 4.8% yes
Düsseldorf 3067 1043 34.0% 21.6% 5.3% no
Erfurt-Ilmenau 4575 570 12.5% 70.3% 26.5% yes
Erlangen-Nuremberg 3407 942 27.6% 27.8% 8.4% yes
Essen 1331 709 53.3% 21.6% 3.1% yes
Frankfurt am Main 1620 538 33.2% 5.5% 2.2% no
Frankfurt (Oder) 3715 1091 29.4% 37.8% 28.2% yes
Freiberg 1401 306 21.8% 57.7% 16.7%
Freiburg 3519 1160 33.0% 27.0% 9.4% yes
Giessen 2301 933 40.5% 33.0% 5.0% yes
Göttingen 4256 1067 25.1% 40.5% 14.7% yes
Greifswald 1667 244 14.6% 36.9% 12.2% yes
Halle 3028 464 15.3% 35.0% 12.4% yes
Hamburg 3315 1017 30.7% 12.8% 4.3% yes
Hannover 2185 1021 46.7% 20.7% 3.5% yes
Heidelberg 3410 1670 49.0% 32.1% 6.5% yes
Hohenheim 1227 446 36.3% 29.6% 7.5% yes
Jena-Weimar 3880 740 19.1% 52.5% 13.0% yes
Kaiserlslautern 1379 298 21.6% 19.2% 10.7% yes
under development
under development
under development
under development
24 The Studentenwerke Tutor Programme for Foreign Students

..at the residences of the Studentenwerke
Proportion of
Proportion of foreign German students
students in the area in the area of
of responsibility responsibility of
Total of the STW who live the STW who live
occupants Number in a residence in a residence Tutor programme
Studentenwerk of residences of foreigners in % owned by the STW owned by the STW is offered
Karlsruhe 1336 430 32.2% 9.7% 3.7% yes
Kassel 1000 328 32.8% 15.6% 4.8% yes
Koblenz 210 20 9.5% 4.6% 2.5% no
Cologne 4329 1534 35.4% 16.5% 3.9% no
Konstanz 1772 567 32.0% 36.7% 10.2% yes
Leipzig 4715 1248 26.5% 48.3% 11.1% yes
Magdeburg 1943 727 37.4% 52.9% 8.1% no
Mainz 2643 979 37.0% 19.7% 5.7% yes
Mannheim 2679 865 32.3% 33.2% 10.4% yes
Marburg 2119 1017 48.0% 50.5% 7.3% yes
Munich 8518 3124 36.7% 28.5% 7.4% yes
Münster 5871 1667 28.4% 39.1% 8.6% yes
Niederbayern/Oberpf. 2294 519 22.6% 22.2% 6.2% yes
Oberfranken 1567 442 28.2% 52.9% 9.3% no
Oldenburg 1927 370 19.2% 46.2% 8.5% yes
Osnabrück 1706 354 20.8% 25.1% 7.9% yes
Paderborn 850 255 30.0% 21.2% 5.0% no
Potsdam 2469 278 11.3% 22.9% 11.2% yes
Rostock 2103 339 16.1% 39.1% 12.4% no
Saarland 1341 362 27.0% 14.9% 6.7% yes
Schleswig-Holstein 2124 816 38.4% 27.6% 4.2% yes
Siegen 700 194 27.7% 14.4% 5.3%
Stuttgart 4356 2056 47.2% 49.2% 10.9% no
Trier 1484 344 23.2% 16.9% 9.0% no
Tübingen 3710 1304 35.1% 28.9% 10.6% yes
Ulm 1633 364 22.3% 27.5% 9.3% no
Vorderpfalz 683 148 21.7% 8.0% 5.4% no
Witten/Herdecke n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
Wuppertal 681 236 34.7% 16.3% 3.5% yes
Würzburg 3.204 807 25.2% 34.0% 8.6% yes
Sum/mean 164,745 52,451 31.8% 30.6% 8.8%
The Studentenwerke Tutor Programme for Foreign Students
under development
25

Share of occupants at the residences of the Studentenwerke by regions of origin (2002).
See page 11 for explanatory notes.
Eastern America
EU incl. Europe (excl.
Norway and (excl. Russian USA / USA and
Studentenwerk Germany Switzerland Federation) Canada Canada)
Aachen 56.8% 4.8% 4.6% 1.0% 0.0%
Bochum 60.0% 5.0% 3.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Bonn 59.6% 14.4% 2.0% 3.0% 2.0%
Chemnitz-Zwickau 82.6% 1.4% 4.5% 0.0% 0.4%
Clausthal 76.3% 2.1% 4.2% 0.2% 0.4%
Darmstadt 59.6% 2.4% 3.5% 0.3% 12.1%
Dresden 76.0% 2.7% 6.5% 0.6% 0.5%
Duisburg 56.8% 7.4% 4.6% 0.5% 0.1%
Düsseldorf 68.0% 10.0% 6.0% 0.1% 0.4%
Erfurt-Ilmenau 87.2% 0.5% 2.0% 0.2% 1.1%
Erlangen-Nuremberg 72.6% 4.1% 9.6% 0.2% 0.8%
Essen 47.1% 6.9% 17.7% 0.2% 0.5%
Freiberg 78.0% 1.4% 4.3% 0.2% 1.8%
Freiburg 72.0% 8.2% 4.4% 7.0% 0.2%
Greifswald 86.5% 1.1% 5.2% 0.2% 0.1%
Halle 80.5% 1.0% 3.6% 0.2% 0.2%
Hamburg 69.3% 6.9% 2.8% 0.5% 1.0%
Hannover 53.3% 3.4% 6.8% 0.5% 0.7%
Kaiserlslautern 78.9% 3.0% 2.6% 0.2% 1.2%
Kassel 62.7% 5.6% 8.4% 0.7% 1.5%
Leipzig 73.0% 4.0% 3.0% 0.5% 0.0%
Mainz 63.0% 9.0% 5.8% 1.2% 0.8%
Marburg 50.1% 6.9% 6.5% 1.5% 0.5%
Munich 62.0% 10.0% 11.0% 1.0% 1.0%
Münster 71.6% 4.3% 6.9% 0.2% 0.7%
Oldenburg 80.9% 0.8% 4.7% 0.1% 0.2%
Osnabrück 78.0% 4.4% 2.2% 0.2% 0.2%
Siegen 72.0% 6.1% 2.7% 0.0% 0.3%
Tübingen 64.8% 11.6% 4.5% 3.6% 1.6%
Vorderpfalz 79.0% 6.0% 3.0% 1.0% 1.0%
Würzburg 78.3% 6.1% 6.9% 0.8% 0.1%
Mean 69.9% 5.2% 5.3% 0.8% 1.0%
Number of STW 31 31 31 31 31
26 The Studentenwerke Tutor Programme for Foreign Students

Africa (excl.
Arabian Arabian Asia (without Russian Australia/
Staaten) States China) China Ferderation Ozeania Others
9.4% 2.3% 7.2% 6.2% 1.5% 0.1% 6.0%
5.0% 2.0% 1.0% 7.0% 2.0% 0.0% 15.0%
2.0% 5.0% 2.0% 7.0% 2.0% 0.5% 0.5%
0.7% 0.3% 0.2% 9.4% 0.7% 0.0% 0.1%
3.4% 1.5% 3.2% 7.4% 0.3% 0.0% 1.0%
5.2% 8.5% 11.1% 5.1% 1.5% 0.0% 0.5%
0.8% 1.4% 2.5% 7.1% 1.7% 0.3% n/a
5.3% 3.0% 5.8% 12.4% 3.9% 0.2% 0.0%
4.0% 2.0% 2.0% 2.5% 2.0% 0.0% 3.0%
1.0% 1.0% 0.2% 5.0% 0.3% 0.0% 1.6%
2.7% 0.4% 4.8% 4.0% 0.8% 0.0% 0.2%
4.3% 2.5% 6.4% 8.6% 3.4% 0.1% 2.4%
0.5% 1.0% 1.4% 5.7% 5.7% 0.0% 0.7%
1.4% 0.5% 1.0% 3.6% 0.0% 0.3% 1.5%
0.9% 1.7% 1.9% 1.3% 0.9% 0.0% 0.2%
4.3% 1.3% 1.7% 4.3% 1.1% 0.0% 0.0%
4.5% 3.4% 5.5% 2.2% 3.8% 0.0% 0.0%
2.7% 11.8% 4.4% 5.8% 7.1% 0.1% 3.4%
3.9% 0.1% 3.4% 6.5% 0.2% 0.0% 0.0%
5.2% 1.4% 7.3% 4.1% 2.6% 0.0% 0.5%
1.0% 1.0% 3.0% 7.0% 2.0% 0.1% 2.0%
1.5% 3.8% 6.3% 6.2% 1.4% 0.0% 1.0%
1.7% 9.1% 7.0% 9.9% 4.3% 0.3% 2.1%
4.0% 2.0% 2.0% 5.0% 1.0% 0.0% 1.0%
0.8% 6.2% 2.6% 3.1% 3.1% 0.0% 0.5%
3.0% 1.2% 1.9% 6.5% 0.9% 0.0% 0.0%
1.5% 1.5% 1.1% 5.7% 3.7% 0.2% 1.1%
3.4% 2.9% 4.0% 6.0% 2.0% 0.0% 0.6%
0.8% 1.7% 3.4% 1.8% 1.4% 0.2% 1.8%
2.0% 1.0% 2.0% 3.0% 3.0% 0.0% 0.0%
1.1% 0.5% 4.2% 1.2% 0.7% 0.1% 0.0%
2.8% 2.6% 3.6% 5.5% 2.1% 0.1% 1.5%
31 31 31 31 31 31 30
The Studentenwerke Tutor Programme for Foreign Students
27

List of links to the tutor programmes of the Studentenwerke
(as at July 2003)
Studentenwerk Augsburg
http://www.uni-augsburg.de/stw/wohnen/tutoren.html
Studentenwerk Chemnitz-Zwickau
http://www.tu-chemnitz.de/stuwe/stud_werk.html
-> Wohnen
Studentenwerk Darmstadt
http://www.tu-darmstadt.de/studentenwerk/wohnen/index.htm
-> students from abroad
Studentenwerk Erfurt-Ilmenau
http://www.studentenwerk-erfurt-ilmenau.de/kultur/
wohnheimtutoren/ index.php?section=ilmenau
Studentenwerk Gießen
http://www.wotupro.de.vu/
Studentenwerk Hannover
http://www.studentenwerk-hannover.de/
-> Soziales -> Ausländische Studierende -> Tutorenprogramm
Studentenwerk Jena-Weimar
http://studentenwerk.uni-jena.de//de/wohnliches/
index_wohnliches.html
-> Mentoren
Studentenwerk Kassel
http://www.itskassel.de/
Studentenwerk Konstanz
http://www.uni-konstanz.de/inter-aktiv/
Studentenwerk München
http://www.studentenwerk.mhn.de/kultur/
-> InTuPro
Studentenwerk Niederbayern/Oberpfalz
http://www.uni-regensburg.de/Einrichtungen/Studentenwerk/
regensburg/wohnen/tutoren.htm
Studentenwerk Oldenburg
http://www.studentenwerk-oldenburg.de/international/tutoren.html
Studentenwerk Osnabrück
http://www.studentenwerk.uni-osnabrueck.de/
-> Wohnen ->Tutoren für ausländische Studierende
Studentenwerk Saarland
http://www.studentenwerk-saarland.de/
-> Wohnen -> Wohnen A-Z -> Tutorenprogramme -> Landestutorium
This list of links can also be viewed online at:
www.studentenwerke.de/main/default.asp?id=09303
28 The Studentenwerke Tutor Programme for Foreign Students

Monbijouplatz 11
D-10178 Berlin
Phone: +49 (0) 30 29 77 27 0
Fax: +49 (0) 30 29 77 27 99
E-mail: dsw@studentenwerke.de
www.studentenwerke.de