Student Health Management at UdS

The development of the Student Health Management programme began on 1 February 2021 with the support of Techniker Krankenkasse. The aim was and is to support students in staying healthy, productive and successful throughout their studies. Since then, existing health services at the university have been bundled, further developed and more closely integrated into everyday student life.

Until 2025, the project ran under the name fit4more. Today, Student Health Management bundles numerous health-promoting measures for students under the name UNIBOOST.

University is an important phase of life that often brings new challenges:

Moving out of the family home
Transition between university and career
Orientation and identity development
Increasing pressure to perform at university

A health-promoting university environment can help reduce stress, strengthen resources and build long-term health skills.

Student health management pursues several key objectives:

Promoting the health and well-being of students
Building long-term health skills for study and work
Integrating health-promoting activities into everyday student life
Developing a healthy learning, working and living environment at the university

The measures focus in particular on the following areas:

Exercise and physical activity
Healthy eating
Mental health and stress management
Health skills and key qualifications

Topics such as exam anxiety, healthy sleep and time management are also integrated into the services based on student surveys.

International award: FISU Healthy Campus Platinum

Thanks to its numerous health promotion activities, Saarland University has been awarded platinum status as part of the international FISU Healthy Campus programme.

This award recognises universities that systematically integrate health into their structures, programmes and campus development.

Okanagan Charter

By signing the Okanagan Charter, the university has also committed itself to considering health in all areas of university development in the long term – from studying and teaching to research and the design of the campus environment.

In doing so, the university management is committing itself to a sustainable strategy for a healthy university.

Steering committee

Health has many aspects. That's why a wide variety of internal and external actors have joined forces to help you get through your studies mentally fit and physically healthy, especially with offerings in the areas of exercise, mental health, healthy nutrition and competencies for your studies and career.

And these partners are involved:

The AStA represents the university students in all matters concerning the university. This representation also includes supporting projects from which students benefit and which make everyday study life easier.

As a central institution of Saarland University, the University Sports Center offers students and employees approximately 600 sports and exercise activities in more than 70 sports disciplines each year. With more than 4,000 participants per week, the University Sports Center is one of the largest sports providers in Saarland.

Medical psychology is an independent field within the human science of medicine. It is represented in medical research and medical teaching. In academic education, our focus is on teaching medical psychological and medical sociological skills. A special concern is the teaching of communicative skills and the improvement of doctor-patient communication. Within the framework of the project fit4more - healthy studying we will take over the scientific evaluation of the project.

University catering service:
Studierendenwerk Saarland operates the dining halls and cafeterias at Saarland's universities. We offer healthy food to students and staff from all over the world. With a large selection of changing, exciting, international and authentic meals, we offer food, from breakfast to dinner, at reasonable prices and always with consideration for the environment and with a claim to sustainability. We put social responsibility at the center of our work.

Psychological-Psychotherapeutic Counseling Center:
The Psychological-Psychotherapeutic Counseling Center is available to all students and employees of the UdS and other Saarland universities for free and confidential use. We provide counseling for study and/or personal problems. In addition to individual consultations, we also provide workshops on various topics. Registration is unbureaucratic and can be done by phone, email or in person. In urgent cases, we offer an open consultation hour once a week.

Prevention in its true sense means the kind of prevention that does not refer to an addiction alone, but to the health and life skills of a person himself.
A person's health and well-being are the most important prerequisites for successful functioning in everyday life.
UdS is committed to working with you to achieve this.

The Counceling Center is committed to student health in the following areas:

Questions about abuse and dependence on addictive substances - especially in the selection of therapies as well as clinics, counseling centers or self-help groups,
Training in dealing with people addicted to addictive substances.

In the area of "Prevention and Health Promotion", the TK offers a needs-oriented and innovative product portfolio and takes an active role in shaping prevention policy. Since almost 20 years, the TK supports and advises companies and universities in the introduction and establishment of a health management. In doing so, a holistic approach is particularly important to the TK. The aim is to improve the general health conditions and contribute to the well-being of everyone. TK's commitment to student health management (SGM) is based on the " Law to Strengthen Health Promotion and Prevention", with which the legislature in 2015 mandated the health insurance funds to strengthen the establishment of health-promoting structures in the university environment, to survey the health situation of students and to support suitable interventions.

Key Competencies:
The Key Competencies Program of Saarland University at the Teaching and Learning Center (ZeLL) is aimed at students, teachers, scientists, guest students and other members of the university. The events provide participants with the opportunity to further develop their key competencies for studies, career, teaching and science in small groups. The events and courses are led by experienced experts.

Guest student program:
The guest student program provides those interested in science with the opportunity to put together an individual program from among the hundreds of courses open to guest students. Attending lectures and seminars that are open to guest students has its own special charm because of the encounter of different generations.

In addition to the actual guest student program, the ZeLL offers an accompanying program as an "appetizer" (bridge courses, techniques of scientific work, key competence workshops, etc.).