Nuremberg.

International student life in Nuremberg now runs through ISN-NEF, the joint student association of FAU, UTN and TH Nürnberg that the Erasmus Student Network formally admitted as a local section in May 2026. It organises regular parties, bar evenings, hikes and city trips that mix incoming exchange students with locals, alongside FAU's own International Student Network offering a buddy programme and welcome events before term starts. Bars and student nights cluster around Gostenhof and the old town, and university sports programmes and clubs at FAU and TH Nürnberg give you an easy way into a fixed group early on.

• Follow ISN-NEF on Instagram for parties, bar evenings, hikes and city trips.
• Join FAU's buddy programme early to get a local contact before term starts.
• Head to Gostenhof or the old town for the main student bar scene.

Students in Germany need on average around 1,106 euros a month to live independently, according to the 2021 national social survey FAU cites, split roughly into 410 euros for rent with utilities, 198 for food and 100 for health insurance. The Bavarian student discount ticket covers regional and national public transport for 43 euros a month. Rent runs cheaper than in Munich, and shared flats or Studierendenwerk rooms both undercut the private market elsewhere in Bavaria. Groceries at a standard supermarket, not a specialty shop, keep weekly food costs down.

• Budget around 1,106 euros a month total, roughly 410 for rent with utilities.
• Get the Bavarian student ticket for 43 euros a month of unlimited transport.
• Shop at standard supermarkets over specialty stores to keep grocery costs down.

Studierendenwerk Erlangen-Nürnberg runs around 4,000 residence places in seven room types, from shared kitchens to family flats, and takes applications only through its online portal, so start well before term. Exchange students at TH Nürnberg can get one of a limited number of Studierendenwerk rooms at roughly 250 to 300 euros a month, but demand is high. FAU advises starting a private search at least three months ahead, using its Werkswelt referral service, local papers and noticeboards, and warns that a deposit of two or three months' rent is standard. Never send money before viewing a room, since fake listings target this market.

• Apply online through Studierendenwerk Erlangen-Nürnberg as early as possible for a residence room.
• Ask TH Nürnberg about its limited exchange rooms around 250 to 300 euros monthly.
• Never transfer a deposit before viewing a room in person or by video call.

The U2 metro line runs directly between the airport and the main station, Hauptbahnhof, in around 12 minutes, on a single fare zone A ticket. From the station you are steps from FAU's city centre buildings and a short ride from Erlangen or the TH Nürnberg campus in Wöhrd. Around town, three U-Bahn lines plus trams and buses cover Nuremberg, Fürth and Erlangen, and the Bavarian student discount ticket, a reduced Deutschlandticket, gives unlimited access to all of it plus national regional trains, with 600 free minutes a month on the VAG_Rad bike share thrown in.

• Ride the U2 from the airport to Hauptbahnhof in about 12 minutes.
• Buy the Bavarian student ticket for unlimited U-Bahn, tram, bus and regional trains.
• Use the free VAG_Rad minutes included with your ticket for short bike hops.

Exchange students mostly study at FAU, a large public research university, or at the applied Technische Hochschule Nürnberg Georg Simon Ohm; a newer Technische Universität Nürnberg also trains engineers in the same region. Partner universities nominate incoming TH Nürnberg exchange students by 31 October, with individual applications due by 15 November and an English language course catalogue published about a month before term starts. FAU's winter semester runs from October to March, with lectures starting 12 October 2026 and a Christmas recess. Confirm early whether your chosen modules are taught in German or English, since the mix varies by faculty.

• Choose between FAU, TH Nürnberg or the newer Technische Universität Nürnberg.
• Meet the 31 October nomination and 15 November application deadlines at TH Nürnberg.
• Confirm whether your modules run in German or English before you register.

Depende de tu nacionalidad. Los estudiantes de la UE/EEE/Suiza no necesitan visado, solo empadronarse localmente. Los estudiantes no comunitarios de muchos países (EE. UU., Reino Unido, Canadá, Australia, Japón y más) pueden entrar sin visado y tramitar un permiso de residencia después de llegar; otros deben conseguir un visado nacional de estudiante en un consulado alemán antes de viajar. En cualquier caso, probablemente tengas que demostrar fondos mediante una cuenta bloqueada (Sperrkonto) de unos 11.900 euros al año.

Tras la llegada, los ritos son la Anmeldung (empadronar tu dirección en el Bürgeramt en un plazo de dos semanas), el seguro médico alemán (planes públicos como TK cuestan a los estudiantes unos 120 euros al mes) y, para los estudiantes no comunitarios, el permiso de residencia Aufenthaltstitel. Pide cita con antelación; hay pocos huecos.

• UE/EEE/Suiza, sin visado, solo empadrona tu dirección
• EE. UU./Reino Unido/Canadá/Australia/Japón, etc., entrada sin visado, permiso de residencia tras la llegada
• Cuenta bloqueada (Sperrkonto), ~11.900€/año
• Anmeldung en el Bürgeramt en las 2 semanas siguientes a la mudanza

Nuremberg's signature dish is the Nürnberger Rostbratwurst, a small grilled sausage served three at a time in a roll as Drei im Weggla, or with sauerkraut, alongside Lebkuchen gingerbread born from the city's spice trade. Upper Franconia alone counts more than 200 breweries, among the highest densities anywhere, and old houses like Tucher and Hausbrauerei Altstadthof still brew in rock cut cellars sunk deep into the sandstone under the old town. Franconia also carries a wine tradition over 1,200 years old. Supermarkets close on Sundays and public holidays by law, except inside major train stations, so shop on a weekday or Saturday.

• Try Drei im Weggla, three Rostbratwurst sausages grilled and served in a roll.
• Shop groceries on a weekday or Saturday, since supermarkets close all day Sunday.
• Visit a rock cut beer cellar under the old town for a Franconian brew.

Gostenhof, just west of the old town, is Nuremberg's most creative and multicultural district, full of independent bars, street art and still relatively affordable rents, though prices are rising. St. Johannis sits between Gostenhof and the old town, quieter and leafier but walkable to both. Wöhrd, on the Pegnitz river, holds the Technische Hochschule Nürnberg campus and the Wöhrder See lake, making it a practical base for Ohm students. Südstadt, directly behind the main station, is more affordable and multicultural, while the old town itself puts you inside the historic core, a short walk from almost everything.

• Live in Gostenhof for a creative, multicultural scene close to the old town.
• Choose Wöhrd if you study at TH Nürnberg, right by its main campus.
• Consider Südstadt or St. Johannis for a quieter, still central, alternative.

Nuremberg's position on Germany's high speed rail network makes weekend trips easy. Munich is just over an hour away on a direct ICE, with trains running roughly every half hour. Bamberg, a UNESCO listed old town in its own right, is about fifty minutes by direct ICE, and Regensburg, another well preserved medieval city, is around an hour on a direct connection. Rothenburg ob der Tauber, the walled fairy tale town seen on every Bavaria postcard, takes under two hours but needs two changes, so build in some buffer time. All four make comfortable single day trips from Nuremberg.

• Take a direct ICE to Munich, just over an hour away, for a day out.
• Visit Bamberg's UNESCO old town in about fifty minutes by direct train.
• Allow two hours with a change for the fairy tale town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

In your first days, confirm your enrolment with FAU's or TH Nürnberg's international office and pick up your student ID, since it unlocks the Bavarian discount ticket and campus services. Join ISN-NEF's Instagram early for buddy programme and welcome event dates before the crowds settle into groups. A common rookie mistake is running out of groceries on a Sunday, when supermarkets are shut everywhere except inside the main station. Pack for a real Franconian winter, since it gets cold and the old town's cobbled streets turn slippery with ice. Finally, never send a deposit for a room before viewing it or speaking to the landlord.

• Register with the international office and collect your student ID immediately.
• Stock up before Sunday, since supermarkets close all day across Germany.
• Never pay a deposit before viewing the room or meeting the landlord.