Information in English
“AStA” is the abbreviation for “Allgemeiner Studierendenausschuss” which can be translated to General Students’ Committee. AStA is a council of students, officially representing the student body of UdK Berlin.
- Its members are democratically elected once a year by the student parliament (StuPa).
- AStA speaks on behalf of all students inside the university, engages in various university councils, and takes care of individual problems in the university's everyday life.
- It consists of different departments each with certain tasks and responsibilities.
- All services and campaigns run by the AStA and its departments are directly funded from the student body budget, managed by the student financial accountant, and approved by the student parliament.
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The office of AStA is not open on a daily basis but its members are always actively responding to their E-mails.
The AStA holds its meeting every week at Hardenbergstraße 33 in Room 9.
The exact dates you can find here.
On Mondays, the AStA is also reachable on this phone number: +49 030 3185-2464
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- International students and students in severe financial distress may request financial aid anytime over email.
- Students in severe financial situations can be supported by a social fund managed by AStA.
- This funding is primarily for international students who are in a social or financial crisis or have difficulties in their student life due to troubling private conditions, illness, or physical disability. It also speaks on behalf of international students, who choose to leave their home countries to study here and have limited working permits. It is also for students who are pregnant or have single parents.
- We can help with up to 500,- euros, the money does not have to be paid back
- Students with financial difficulties who can not afford the “Semesterticket” are able to receive a subsidy for the price of the ticket: Link
- The AStA member responsible for social aid is also there to speak with students anonymously about other ways of receiving help through the university and other Institutions or foundations. Students can always ask for private meetings with an email to soziales@asta-udk-berlin.de.
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- The semester ticket enables all the students in Berlin to use the public transportation service (German: ÖPNV) in Zone A+B+C in Berlin. The semester ticket is based on a collective model: All the students pay the ticket fee together with Immatriculation/re-registration cost, hence the price is more economical for every student.
- The semester ticket is a personal, non-transferable season ticket. ‘Semester Ticket Berlin ABC’ is also printed on your student ID.
- The Transportation Association of Berlin and Brandenburg (German: Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg, VBB) set up separate contracts with different student bodies in Berlin - the same goes in UdK Berlin, which is represented by AStA.
- The AStA UdK Berlin operates the semester ticket office together with the AStA TU Berlin. The office’s task is to answer all questions about the semester ticket, which semester ticket is also named Semtix. The office is located in the building of AStA TU Berlin. It is behind the main building of UdK on the Hardenbergstraße, nearby the Volkswagen-Library
_____________________________________________________________________AStA Project Funding
- The AStA supports autonomous Projects by students of the University of Arts Berlin.
- The AStA believes that students should be encouraged to work on larger-scale interdisciplinary projects that are not part of the regular academic program and engage with social and political topics.
- In order to get funded by AStA, a project needs to fulfill the following criteria:
- the project is a group project initiated by UdK students and/or collaboration with students of other universities, and or
- an interdisciplinary project facilitating the exchange between different colleges/majors.
- projects that do not directly involve UdK students can only be funded if there is an obvious benefit for UdK students.
- Exceptions will only be granted if:
- the student group’s work deals with education-related policy
- the work is relevant socially and/or ecologically, or
- the work is humanitarian aid.
- The AStA gives up to 400,- euros for each project.
- Here one can find the exact guidelines and the application form.
- In the past, the AStA supported several political student initiatives; AStA sees itself as a platform to organize and distribute important information when UdK Institutions do not help. Such as: individual problems with professors, questions on project funding and social aid, accessibility to buildings for students with disabilities, international students with difficulties of orientation…
- We also offer space for students who want to form sociopolitical initiatives.
- Our mission is to support and defend the interests of UdK students inside and outside of the university, as well as to manage the ongoing affairs of the student body.
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The AStA members are involved in an active exchange with other self-organized or/and political groups and initiatives at the University.
Sometimes it is difficult for students to have an overview of the University's affairs and contact points.
In the following chapter we try to list important titles in University politics:
- Students Parliament (StuPa)
The Student Parliament is the highest decision-making council of students. It consists of 30 members elected directly by the students once a year. StuPa meets once a month to discuss important topics of university politics, together with the members of AStA who are elected by them. The students' parliament decides on fundamental matters of UdK students, as well as the statutes and the financial planning. Like the AStA, StuPa is non-partisan orientated.
E-Mail: stupa@asta-udk-berlin.de
Interflugs is a self-organized student organization at the UdK Berlin. For almost 30 years, Interflugs has been operating as an umbrella organization for different projects initiated by students. Alongside students and teachers, and in communication with artists and cultural organizations, Interflugs acts independently and critically to open up space for all manners of discussion, artistic disciplines, and self-education initiatives that go beyond or counteract the education machinery of UdK. Interflugs is organized in rotating sub-groups, running departments such as the equipment loan, the editing rooms, project funding, and the organization of workshops and lectures.
E-Mail: buero@interflugs.de
- Student councils (FSR)
Students of one field of study can elect a Student Council, “Fachschaftsrat” in German. These councils are responsible for counseling regarding the studies, the teaching, and the exams. Moreover, the councils are mediating between professors, students, and the university boards, especially the faculty councils. A particular task of the student councils is to help and guide the new students of the first semester. Besides, the “Fachschaftsräte” dispose of their own budget, which is provided by the university.
With this money, it is possible to fund projects, support students, or make events.
Common Ground is a community initiative that was founded by the AStA under the name of Support Refugees. Common ground connects, supports, and informs students, newcomers, and social art projects by collecting and bundling the necessary resources and make them centrally available.
Their concern is to close down the institutional borders for those who don’t find easy access to the offers of the university. Therefore they regularly organize open plenums to meet up and get to know each other. Common Ground offers project funding too.
E-mail: support@commonground.berlin