Semester ticket
With the introduction of the NRW semester ticket in the winter semester 2009/10, the traffic area where students can use public transport for a fixed rate has been considerably expanded. The large amount of inquiries directed at AStA highlights however the general uncertainty about the covered areas and included benefits of the (NRW) semester ticket.
There are two valid contracts in general:
1.) The contract for the regional semester ticket.
2.) The contract for the NRW extension.
Both contracts are combined into one ticket – the semester ticket. --- The following information regarding the benefits included in the semester ticket only apply for Münster University students!
Questions and answers regarding the semester ticket
For many students living in more or less close proximity of Münster, the semester ticket is equally essential as for those depending on the buses within the city. Nonetheless, many of you may not know the following: The semester ticket is a service offered by AStA! This means, AStA as a general representative of the student body of Münster University negotiates over the extent and costs of the semester ticket with the respective transport services and concludes the necessary contracts.
You can download the ticket through your SelfService and use it either on your mobile device or as a printout (recommended). Postage of the semester ticket and delivery per post is no longer possible.
What do I need to keep in mind when using the ticket?The ticket is only valid in combination with a valid photo identification or, for international students, with a certified copy of your ID. The ticket needs to be accessible in its original form and cannot be shrink-wrapped or laminated. It is to be presented when entering the bus or upon request by the transportation service staff. If you as a fresher do not have a student ID yet or ever forget to bring your student ID with you, an official photo identification (personal ID,…) is also valid.
When is the semester ticket valid?The semester ticket including the NRW extension is valid from the official start of the new semester (winter semester: 10/01; summer semester: 04/01).
For freshers, the regional semester ticket is already valid from September 1 for the winter semester or March 1 for the summer semester, even if the print on the ticket states 10/01 and 04/01 respectively. This means, you can already use the regional ticket one month before the semester starts in all areas listed below. You need to bring along your certificate of study (printed out), otherwise, your claim on the advanced validation of your ticket will not become evident!
The semester ticket incl. the NRW extension is valid in all means of transportation of all transportation authorities and linked transport systems within North Rhine-Westphalia, plus the city of Osnabrück. This means, all busses, trams, city rails and subways as well as regional trains (regional trail services RE, RB and S) in NRW may be used (exceptions are only very few bus routes not included in the NRW network tariff). Additionally, you can also use your ticket on the following routes:
NRW and surrounding areas:
Münster - Osnabrück
Gronau - Enschede
Rheine - Lingen
Rheine - Bad Bentheim - Nordhorn (only until 30.09.2022)
Lower Saxony:
Lügde - Hameln
Vlotho - Hameln
Ibbenbüren-Laggenbeck - Bünde (Westf)
Lengerich (Westf) - Osnabrück Hbf
Osnabrück Hbf - Halen
Westbarthausen - Osnabrück Hbf
Minden - Hannover
Rhineland-Palatinate:
Au (Sieg) - Niederschelden Nord
Betzdorf - Struthütten
Hessen
Warburg - Kassel
The regional semester ticket (for students enrolling for the first time already valid from 03/01 respectively 09/01!) can be used in and around Münster (City of Münster, City of Hamm, Districts of Borken, Coesfeld, Steinfurt, Warendorf) and in Ruhr-Lippe (Districts of Soest and Unna), as well as on the following train routes:
- Kbs 400, Hamm - Bielefeld - Kbs 406, Münster - Rheda-Wiedenbrück - Kbs 407, Münster – Gronau – Enschede - Kbs 408 Münster - Coesfeld - Kbs 411 Münster (Westf.) Hbf – Dortmund Hbf - Kbs 412 Dortmund Hbf – Gronau (Westf) – Enschede - Kbs 375 Abschnitt Rheine – Osnabrück Hbf - Kbs 385 Abschnitt Münster (Westf.) Hbf – Osnabrück Hbf - Kbs 395 Abschnitt Münster (Westf.) Hbf – Rheine – Lingen (Ems) - Kbs 410/455 Abschnitt Münster (Westf.) Hbf – Hamm (Westf.) – Schwerte (Ruhr) - Kbs 415 Abschnitt Dortmund Hbf – Hamm (Westf.) - Kbs 424 Abschnitt Coesfeld (Westf.) - Reken - Kbs 425 Abschnitt Münster (Westf.) Hbf – Recklinghausen Hbf - Kbs 430 Abschnitt Hamm (Westf.) – Paderborn Hbf - Kbs 431 Abschnitt Holzwickede - Soest - Kbs 433 Abschnitt Schwerte (Ruhr) - Ergste - Kbs 435 Abschnitt Schwerte (Ruhr) – Wickede (Ruhr) - Kbs 437 Abschnitt Unna – Fröndenberg - Kbs 450.4 Abschnitt Unna – Massen (click here for bus and train diagrams
On weekdays from 7pm, weekends and public holidays, you are allowed to take another person or your bike with you on public busses within Münster, Bocholt, Rheine and Hamm for free. Even the night surcharge for the person accompanying you is omitted.
Furthermore, your ticket allows you to bring one child up to the age of 14 years with you on the ride within the scope of the regional ticket (see 4. Where does the semester ticket apply?).
In trains, your ticket does not allow you to bring a person or a bike with you!
The semester ticket is valid for the respective semester (April 1 to September 30 and October 1 to March 31).
I forgot my ticket!In case you forgot your ticket and the ticket inspector shows up, you can save the 60 euros fine if you present your ticket and the 60 euros payment request as soon as possible to the bus or train company. You will then only have to pay the processing fee. You can also always save your ticket on your phone as a precautional measure. If you then also have an ID with you, you will not face any of these inconveniences.
I lost my ticket!In case you lost your ticket, you can download it again through your SelfService.
Is there a ticket for visiting students?Sadly, visiting students do not receive a semester ticket.
What happens if I am exmatriculated?Students that are being exmatriculated or were exmaticulated until May 15 (summer semester) or November 15 (winter semester), can no longer use the semester ticket. You will get a reimbursement for the semester ticket fee.
Where can I find bus and train timetables?You can get bus timetables for Münster at the Stadtwerke Münster (public utility center, at Hafenplatz) or in their “Mobilé” shop (behind bus platform C2 at the central station). An electronic timetable can be found online on the webpages of Stadtwerke Münster. AStA itself does not provide any timetables.
Contact number for timetable information: “Schlaue Nummer für Bus & Bahn” (“your clever number for busses and trains”):
+49 180 3 / 50 40 30 (9 Ct./Min. via phone, max. 42 Ct./Min. via mobile)
Itinerary information of DB (Die Bahn): +49 800 1 50 70 90 (for free)
If you have any other questions regarding your semester ticket, feel free to contact the AStA via e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Guest tickets
There are no guest tickets. The semester ticket is valid for all rides to university (e.g. for pre-courses), even before the date printed on the ticket (see information above); you will find more detailed information in the letter you receive after your enrollment.
Reimbursement semester ticket
Reimbursement / Hardship cases
In some situations, the fee for the semester ticket can be reimbursed.
You log into the following web address with your university log-in details. Any required documents can be uploaded as PDF, JPG of JPEG files:
The page will be opened when the payment period for the next semester started.
The semester ticket fee will be reimbursed if your application is handed in until November 15 (for the winter semester) or May 15 (for the summer semester). By this time all necessary documents have to be handed in!The refund of your semester ticket fee means the simultaneous expiration of your right to use the ticket for busses and trains.
The reimbursement of the semester ticket fee is possible for the following reasons:
The following cases are handled directly at the university student secretary, Schlossplatz 2, 48149 Münster:
- Students who de-registered from their program after successfully re-registerating for the current semester or students who have been exmatriculated.
- Students who are on leave for the current semester.
The individual cases will be processed via the online refund portal:
- Severely disabled persons in possession of a valid railroad ticket.
- Severely disabled persons not able to use the semester ticket due to their disability.
- Ill students not able to use their semester ticket for the next four months of the current semester due to their illness.
- Students who will be outside of the area covered by the semester ticket for at least four months per semester (e.g. for a semester abroad).
- PhD candidates whose main and second residences are not located within a region covered by the semester ticket.
- Students who are additionally enrolled at another university that offers the same NRW student tariff.
- Students who are in a financial troubles and who cannot use the ticket / can only use it with an unreasonable burden. In this scenario, a meeting with our social worker is necessary for the reimbursement.
Reimbursement due to the nine-euro ticket
The semester ticket, which was valid as a nine-euro ticket in the months of June, July and August 2022, only cost students 27 euros during this period. In return, all students of the 2022 semester received a retroactive credit of 71.17 euros due to the semester fee already paid. All students who are also enrolled in winter semester 2022/23 were credited the refund amount in the student management system. They therefore only had to pay 244.86 euros instead of the regular 316.03 euros for the semester fee for winter semester 2022/23. Students who exmatriculated at the end of the 2022 semester were able to apply for a refund until 15.11.2022 as part of the exmatriculation process in SelfService.
All students of the 2022 semester who have not yet received the refund amount of 71.17 euros either via one of the two above-mentioned methods or as part of another refund can apply for a refund directly to the AStA until 31 December 2025. To do so, you must fill out the following refund form and then sign the printed form. You can then either send the completed and signed form by post to the AStA Finance Department (Schlossplatz 1, 48149 Münster) or drop it in the letterbox at the AStA House so that your application can be checked and a refund can be made.