For Mykhaylo Bogomaz, his time at OTH Regensburg began with a feeling he had long missed: being part of a real university life again. “First came the pandemic, then the war,” he explains. To this day, his studies in Ukraine are largely conducted online. Interaction with other students often takes place via a screen, and face-to-face teaching is rare. In Regensburg, things were different. Suddenly, he was back in a lecture theatre on a regular basis, working on assignments with others and getting to know people who weren’t just little tiles on his laptop screen. He also gained new insights outside of his lectures. Conversations with other exchange students, shared activities and the many encounters on campus helped him find his feet in his new surroundings. “It was lovely to experience a normal student life again,” he says.

His stay was made possible by a scholarship from the Foundation for the Promotion of OTH Regensburg. For many international students, this support is essential for them to be able to spend a semester in Germany at all.

Oleksandr Kiselov also has vivid memories of his first few weeks in Regensburg. So much was unfamiliar: the language, the surroundings, the people. His journey from Ukraine had been uncertain for a long time. It was only shortly before his planned stay that it became clear he would be able to leave the country. When he finally arrived at OTH, he first had to find his feet. “At the start, I didn’t know anyone,” he says. “I had to get used to approaching others first.”

The activities organised as part of campus life were particularly helpful in this regard. Through joint activities, he got to know other students and, over time, became more open. He also embraced new challenges in his studies. Among other things, he took the ‘Image Processing’ course because he was interested in the subject – even though it wasn’t the easiest option. Learning German was also part of the experience. Although he admits that languages don’t come particularly easily to him, he set about learning it and continues to practise even after returning to Ukraine. “I’ve learnt that sometimes you just have to give things a go – even if you don’t know where it will lead at the start,” says Oleksandr.

For Anna Bondarenko, her time at OTH Regensburg marked the start of a long journey. When she arrived in Regensburg in 2023, she wanted not only to study but also to gain practical experience. Shortly after her arrival, she applied to Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen, initially for an internship, and later worked there as a working student. At the same time, she attended lectures at the university, learnt German and got involved in the Start-up Centre’s EXIST Women project. There, she developed a communications app with a particular focus on security in military applications. However, the path to starting her career was not an easy one. Anna wrote numerous applications, attended many interviews and nevertheless persevered. After around 150 applications and 55 interviews, she is now embarking on the next stage of her career in Munich. Regensburg has remained more than just a place of study for her: it was here that she learnt to find her feet in a new environment, build a network of contacts and put her own ideas into practice.

For 25 years, the Foundation for the Promotion of OTH Regensburg has been supporting students with outstanding academic achievements and international talent. Since 2000, almost 400 international students have applied for funding. More than half of them were subsequently able to spend an exchange semester at OTH Regensburg. This support is evident not only in the figures. It can be seen in the lecture theatres in the mornings, in conversations in the canteen and in joint projects on campus. Many former scholarship holders go on to share their experiences, for example as mentors for new exchange students. This fosters connections between people from very different countries who might otherwise never have met.

Not all paths are the same. Some students return home after their stay, whilst others remain in Germany and begin their professional careers here. Tetiana says she is proud to be able to speak everyday German after just one semester. Andreii particularly values having learnt to live independently. Kateryna talks about how much she has benefited academically from new courses and teaching methods. For all of them, Regensburg was more than just a place to study. It was a place where they met new people, tried new things and changed their outlook on their own futures.

The Foundation does more than simply support a stay abroad. It creates opportunities for people to come together, learn from one another and gain experiences that will stay with them long after their time at OTH Regensburg has ended.