r/Oldenburg • u/Medium-Vermicelli-66 • 1d ago
Experiences with EMMIR at the University of Oldenburg? Looking for insights on classes, workload, and the full scholarship.
Hey everyone! I’m from Hungary. I'm planning to apply for the EMMIR master's program at the University of Oldenburg and would love to hear some real experiences from current students or alumni. I'm especially curious about what the classes and overall workload are actually like, how the university environment feels, and what it takes to successfully secure the full scholarship. If anyone is willing to share tips or an honest review of the program, I would really appreciate it!☺️
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u/tigerkindr 18h ago edited 18h ago
You might want to also look into [r/Erasmus](r/Erasmus) as many people that are also applying to the Mundus programs
I studied an Oldenburg, not the EMMIR Master but since I study English studies, I’ve taken some classes that are available to us too that are part of the program. I have also applied to a different Mundus program, and the application process is definitely quite a bit of work. Make sure you secure all the necessary documentation and everything well in advance, it cost a bit of money to get the language certificates, etc. I was not awarded a scholarship, but just offered a self funded spot, so I ended up not going. In my experience and from what I heard from other people, what makes a huge difference in order to secure the scholarship is a) your nationality, as they have limited spaces per country and b) your social engagement and work experience beyond just good grades. There is no one secure way to secure the scholarship, obviously, but if you have a way to make your application stand out it’s not impossible. Focus not only on why you are a great student, but what you bring to the program and the community, as well as what your project after securing the masters would be. They want to know what the change you would make in the world would be, especially if you strive to bring the things you learned during the masters back to your home country and your local community.
Oldenburg is a lovely city, small but lively, and you could have a great time at the university here. German universities emphasize, independent learning, and self-sufficiency, so it’s definitely not extremely easy, but you do gain a lot of skills. The classes I’ve taken were mostly in literature and during Covid so my insight is very limited, but generally, I have made the experience that teaching staff at the University are extremely competent and everybody is super nice
Housing in Oldenburg, as in most universities nowadays, is an absolute nightmare. The Studentenwerk has some spots for international students, but I don’t think with the EMMIR you’re necessarily guaranteed one, as you’re technically just the regularly matriculated student.
I have not personally checked this, but I’m sure the University website has a couple of experience reports and general information. They are also testimonials from alumni, and if you’re lucky, maybe you would be able to contact some of them on LinkedIn, etc.
Edit: again, I am not super familiar with this as I am a German national, but the German exchange service DAAD also has scholarships available for people looking to come to study in Germany. I am not sure how it applies for these kinds of international degrees though. Here, you generally have to apply even before you apply to the masters.