Support for International Researchers and Doctoral Candidates at the University of Augsburg

The University of Augsburg provides structured support for international researchers and doctoral candidates through three main channels: a Welcome Service that helps with the practical start in Germany, a graduate centre with graduate schools and programmes for doctoral and postdoctoral researchers, and international connections that include Erasmus+ and partnerships beyond it. The university also lists job openings for professorial, postdoc, and doctoral positions, so you can search for a role and the accompanying support in one place. This guide is for researchers and doctoral candidates considering Augsburg who want to know what help exists before, during, and after arrival.

Welcome Service: support for your start in Germany

The university states that its Welcome Service ensures a successful start in Germany for international researchers. In practice, this is the first point of contact once you have a position or invitation, and it is aimed at helping you settle into both the university and the country.

What to do with it

1. Identify your status. The service is described for international researchers; doctoral candidates should also check the graduate centre route below, since the two supports are presented separately.
2. Contact the Welcome Service early. The university presents it as support for starting in Germany, so reach out before or around your arrival rather than after problems arise.
3. Prepare your questions. Typical practical topics for a first stay in Germany include registration, residence matters, and finding your way around campus and the city. Use the service to get pointed to the right office rather than guessing.

Expected result: a clearer, better-supported arrival instead of handling German administrative steps alone.

Common sticking point: the page does not list specific Welcome Service services, forms, or deadlines. Treat it as a contact point and confirm details directly with the university rather than assuming a fixed package of help.

Graduate centre, graduate schools, and programmes

For doctoral candidates and postdoctoral researchers, the university points to its graduate centre and its graduate schools and programmes, describing them as optimal support for doctoral candidates and postdoctoral researchers.

How to use this route

• Doctoral candidates: start with the graduate centre and the graduate schools and programmes to understand the structured support available for your stage.
• Postdocs: the same structures are described as supporting postdoctoral researchers, so check them before arriving to see which programme fits your career stage.
• Combine with the Welcome Service: the graduate structures cover academic support; the Welcome Service covers the practical start in Germany. Use both.

Verification: confirm which graduate school or programme matches your field by checking the graduate centre pages, since the university's research profile spans eight faculties, from humanities and social sciences to applied computer science and medicine.

International connections and Erasmus+

The University of Augsburg states that, in addition to two strategic partnerships, it participates in the Erasmus+ programme and maintains numerous international cooperations outside Erasmus.

Why this matters for researchers

• Mobility and exchange: Erasmus+ participation and non-Erasmus cooperations are relevant if you are considering a stay abroad, a joint project, or an exchange during your doctorate or postdoc.
• International environment: the university describes itself as having international connections and a cosmopolitan host city, which supports the case for an international researcher considering Augsburg.

Condition to check: the page names Erasmus+ and the existence of two strategic partnerships but does not list partner institutions or eligible programmes. Confirm your specific country, field, and funding route with the international office before relying on a particular partnership.

Finding a position: professorial, postdoc, and doctoral roles

The university invites researchers to "discover, explore, and develop" with it and directs them to its job offers for professorial, postdoc, and doctoral positions.

Practical steps

1. Check the job offers page for the three advertised categories: professorships, postdoc positions, and doctoral positions.
2. Match the role to the support: a doctoral position connects to the graduate centre; a postdoc or professorial role connects to the Welcome Service and, for postdocs, the graduate structures.
3. Prepare your application around the university's profile. The university highlights interdisciplinary research foci, including the Centre for Climate Resilience and the Centre for Advanced Analytics and Predictive Sciences, plus research areas such as Environment and Climate, Health and Medicine, Data and Artificial Intelligence, and Society and History. Aligning your stated interests with these areas is a reasonable way to frame an application.

Expected result: a shortlist of relevant openings and a clear idea of which support structure applies to each.

Common sticking point: the page does not state application deadlines, salary, or contract terms. Do not infer these; check each job listing and the relevant faculty page.

Key facts to keep in mind

Deciding whether Augsburg fits your plans

• Choose Augsburg if you want a mid-sized public university with a parkland campus, a structured graduate centre for doctoral and postdoctoral stages, a Welcome Service for the practical start in Germany, and Erasmus+ and other international links.
• Check further before committing if you need specific details on Welcome Service offerings, named partner institutions, funding, or deadlines, since the university's overview page does not provide them.
• Next step: review the job offers for professorial, postdoc, and doctoral positions, then contact the Welcome Service (researchers) or the graduate centre (doctoral and postdoctoral candidates) with your specific questions.