The Allgemeiner Studierendenausschuss (AStA) is the political representation of the students of the University of Göttingen and the highest political body in the students’ self-administration. Every year in January, the university elections take place, and various political university groups compete for your votes. The elected AStA then represents the students’ interests vis-à-vis the other institutions of the University, such as the Presidential Board, the Studentenwerk and other committees.

We see ourselves as an explicitly political AStA that stands up for student concerns in Göttingen, but also takes responsibility in the context of society as a whole. We want to encourage students to think outside the box and to approach issues on their own. You are also welcome to become active yourself, to improve your study conditions and life in Göttingen and to get involved in one of the numerous groups and associations at the university and in the city or to take part in demonstrations and events, in order to make lasting changes and work for a better society and good living conditions. The main fields of our work are – among other things – the abolition of all study fees for studying, anti-fascism and the fight against all forms of group-related discrimination, the general improvement of study conditions, the equality of all genders both in the university and in the wider social context, fair university access for all, a more sustainable university and a diverse range of offers for political education. To this end, we offer a variety events such as political lectures, film screenings and workshops.

Organisation

The current AStA consists of seven departments. Chair, Finances, External Affairs, Internal Affairs and Social Affairs are the five so-called compulsory departments that every AStA needs to have. These are mainly, but by no means exclusively, responsible for advisory and structural work. In addition, we have set up a Department of Ecology, Sustainability and Society as well as a Department of Digitalisation. The departments are partly organised in open teams or have at least some open projects in which anyone can participate. We are also working intensively on the topics of gender &diversity, political education, and social politics. For more information, please click on the respective departments.

The topics of first-semester student support, semester ticket, and public relations are taken care of by teams that you can reach here.

Contact

We are always at your disposal. Contact details, office hours etc. can be found on this overview page.

Representation in Lower Saxony

The AStA is involved in the LandesAStenKonferenz Niedersachsen (in short: LAK). There it represents the interests of Göttingen students and actively works on issues that are relevant to all students in Lower Saxony.