Nationwide Semester Ticket

The application is submitted through an online portal:

• Application for a refund of the semester ticket

Applications for a refund of the nationwide semester ticket can be submitted as follows:

• For the winter semester:
  Application period from October 1st to October 31st.
  Deadline for submitting the documents that prove your refund reason is November 11th.
• For the summer semester:
  Application period from April 1st to April 30th.
  Deadline for submitting the documents that prove your refund reason is May 12th.

Students are required to hand in proof of their refund reasons. Incomplete applications submitted after November 11th or May 12th will not be refunded.

Note: Once your semester ticket/travel pass has been deactivated, the nationwide semester ticket/travel pass cannot be reactivated during the current semester! This means that after the refund has been granted, there is no option to buy back the ticket throughout the entire duration of the semester back. This also implies that you do not have a nationwide semester ticket/travel pass during the lecture-free time/holidays.

Certain students may not be able to actually use it. In that case, you can apply for a refund of the semester ticket/travel pass. This is possible if one of the following reasons apply to you:

• A study-related stay abroad (e.g. exchange semester or internship abrod) for at least three months during the respective semester for which you wish to receive a refund
• pursuit of a double degree at two universities that require the payment of a semester contribution - the semester ticket for on of these two university can be refunded
• Severe disability that entitles you to use public transport for free and possession of the supplementary document as part of your disability ID card and the associated token
• furlough (German "Urlaubssemester")
• a medical condition that makes it impossible to use public transport for at least 3 consecutive months during the current semester (a partial refund may be granted)
• possession of the Hessen state ticket

If none of the reasons listed above apply to you, the RMV semester ticket cannot be refunded.

The nationwide semester ticket/ "Deutschlandsemesterticket" should only be issued on a chip card if you do not have a mobile device.

To receive a physical ticket, you need

• a valid student ID
• official ID document
• an enrollment certificate including confirming the receipt of the semester ticket (not older than two weeks) – can be requested at the Student Service Center
• a certificate stating that no refund has been requested so far (not older than 2 weeks) – i.e. that no refund of the semester ticket has been requested from the AStA of h_da and no refund of the entire semester contribution has been requested from the Student Service Center

Without these documents a physical ticket / chip card cannot be issued!

• Form for applying for a chip card (pdf)

This will take you to one of the listed sales outlets. The ticket can only be requested/collected by the applicant personally at one of the listed sales points!

• List of sales outlets (pdf)

The sales offices check the documents for completeness and print the ticket. Please note: Each physical ticket / chip card is printed and issued individually. This will take some time. Also, the ticket must be collected in person; it cannot be requested on behalf of someone else and cannot be sent by mail.

How much will the semester ticket cost?

With the start of the summer 2024 semester, students will receive a nationwide semester ticket / "Deutschlandticket" at a reduced price of currently 29.40 euros per month or 60% of the issue price. However, you will not pay this price monthly, but will, in fact, pay it in total once you enroll at h_da. The total amount is 176.40 euros. .

When will the discounted semester ticket be available for students?

The offer is valid with the start of the summer 2024 semester. The ticket is valid from April 1st, 2024. Further information such as the link to register for the nationwide semester ticket will follow shortly.

Which people are excluded from the semester ticket?

• Guest auditors and secondary students according to the definition used by German higher education law,
• Students who are exclusively enrolled in an evening, online or distance learning course without compulsory attendance ("distance students"),
• Students enrolled in a part-time study program who spend most of their time working rather than studying

Is the ticket valid throughout all of Germany?

The nationwide semester ticket/ "Deutschlandsemesterticket" is valid in the same areas as the Germany ticket/ "Deutschlandticket", i.e. it can be used for local and regional transport. You will find a detailed description of the area of ​​validity at: https://www.bahn.de/faq/deutschlandticket-verkehrsmittel-deutschland

How will you get the ticket?

By law, the Deutschlandticket must be issued electronically. This also applies to the semester ticket/“Deutschlandsemesterticket“ which should will also be available as a mobile ticket as well. More information on how to access the ticket will follow.

Will the semester ticket/ "Deutschlandsemesterticket" become more expensive if the price of the Germany ticket/ "Deutschlandticket" increases?

According to the resolution, the semester ticket for students should cost 60% of the issue price. This currently corresponds to 29.40 euros. If the Germany ticket/ "Deutschlandticket" becomes more expensive, the price of the nationwide semester ticket/ "Deutschlandsemesterticket" would have to be adjusted. As student representatives, we are committed to trying to ensure price stability and will do everything we can to ensure that the Germany ticket/ "Deutschlandticket" remains at a price of 49 euros and the semester ticket/“Deutschlandsemesterticket“ at 29.40 euros.

Do all students have to pay for this ticket as part of their semester contribution?

Universities, student unions and student representatives are free to choose the solidarity offer for their students or to make them another offer. In the former case (solidarity model), the offer for the Germany ticket/ "Deutschlandticket" applies to all students at the university who finance the reduced solidarity price through their semester contributions. In this case, monthly cancellation is not possible. Hochschule Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences has been using this solidarity model since the summer 2024 semester. In contrast to the upgrade function, the semester ticket cannot be canceled.

In my city there is a semester ticket that is much cheaper than the semester ticket for the Germany ticket/ "Deutschlandticket". Can I keep the other ticket?

Universities, student unions and student representatives are free to negotiate alternative semester ticket models with transport companies and associations. In some cases these can be significantly cheaper, but only apply within the local association boundaries and not throughout all of Germany.

However, the decision to change the semester ticket for a Germany ticket/ "Deutschlandticket" (making it a "Deutschlandsemesterticket") applies to all students at the respective university, as it is a solidarity model. Individual agreements in addition to this model are not possible. The student bodies at Hochschule Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences have decided to introduce the nationwide semester ticket/ "Deutschlandticket". Students enrolled at h_da have no choice but to accept this decision.

Key messages

As employees have been able to buy a reduced Germany ticket/“Deutschlandticket“ a spart of their a so-called "Jobticket", i.e. a discounted ticket for employees, it is only fair to offer a discounted ticket for students as well.

Almost three million students nationwide can now benefit from this offer, provided that the respective university uses this model. The Studi-Ticket is a first sign of climate protection, transport transition and social justice.

However, some of our demands have not been granted yet. Please feel free to sign and share the petition from LAK Hessen, PROBahn, the student representatives and many supporters from trade unions and alliances in the transport sector: Petition · For an education ticket valid all throughout Germany!

As a solidarity model, the semester ticket/“Deutschlandticket“ is budget-neutral, i.e. it does not put a strain on public budgets, but is self-supporting. This means that students, transport companies and the public sector all benefit from this model.

"In an effort to address the social and economic concerns of students and ensure that students use environmentally friendly transportation, RMV and AStA enter into the following agreement: [...]" – this is stated in the preamble of the contract between AStA and RMV.

The semester ticket is based on the principle of solidarity – everyone must pay the amount as part of their enrollment or re-registration for another semester, making it significantly more affordable compared to regular individual public transport travel passes.

Even for those of you who use the ticket infrequently, there is a price advantage over purchasing single tickets, even with limited use.

Especially when you‘re already in possession of the ticket, the barrier to using public transportation becomes much lower. Reducing this barrier is another important reason for the semester ticket. Riding the tram is more convenient when you don't have to worry about fares and don't need to dig for change for every trip.

Students with a semester ticket are considered passengers just like everyone else and can therefore claim passenger rights on rail services. In order to be able to claim these, a reimbursement application available on the RMV website and in RMV mobility centers must be filled out. The most important passenger rights are briefly summarized below.

Carriage regulations

• Your own children up to the age of 5 (inclusive) can be taken along on the semester ticket.
• A regular bicycle ticket must be purchased to take a bicycle with you, provided that a charge is made for taking a bicycle on the respective journey (e.g. free within the RMV as long as space permits,. Please note that people in wheelchairs or baby carriages are prioritized).
• A regular ticket must be purchased if you want to bring along a dog, provided that bringing it is subject to a charge on the respective journey.

Passenger rights in rail transport and RMV rail transport

• Link to passenger rights

Even if you are enrolled for only a few days in the new semester, submit your thesis, and then promptly leave the RMV area, according to the contract with RMV, deregistration (exmatriculation) from h_da (i.e. giving up your student status) is not a valid reason for a refund of the semester ticket. In this case, we recommend applying for a leave of absence (Urlaubssemester), which is possible if "re-registration is due to a colloquium or an academic achievement after thesis submitting," and subsequently submitting an RMV refund request citing "leave of absence."

• If you have any questions about the conditions and contractual aspects => please contact us, the AStA of h_da
• If you have technical problems retrieving or displaying the Germany semester ticket/ "Deutschlandsemesterticket" => please contact Digital H at support@ride-ticketing.de
• For general questions or comments about the Germany semester ticket/ "Deutschlandsemesterticket" => please contact the RMV