Study in Oberallgäu district

Oberallgäu lies in southwestern Bavaria, with Sonthofen as its administrative centre. Kempten is surrounded by the district but is a separate city—an important distinction when comparing university locations and accommodation (district profile (opens in a new tab)).

The area combines mountain tourism with substantial manufacturing employment. Immenstadt offers a historic centre and access to the Alpsee lakes, while Oberstdorf is a base for exploring the southern mountains and Breitachklamm gorge (district profile (opens in a new tab), Immenstadt tourism (opens in a new tab), Breitachklamm (opens in a new tab)).

There is no university in Oberallgäu itself. Kempten University of Applied Sciences is the nearest option; the other nearby university towns include Weingarten, Friedrichshafen and Biberach. For studying in Kempten, start your housing search around a workable bus or railway connection: the regional railway links Oberstdorf, Sonthofen and Immenstadt with Kempten (Deutsche Bahn (opens in a new tab)). Dual study is another concrete route: Bosch offers programmes and apprenticeships at its Blaichach/Immenstadt operation, with university teaching through partner institutions elsewhere (Bosch (opens in a new tab)). This is worth considering if you value outdoor recreation and can accommodate the journey to campus.

Plan around private rentals and check the individual town carefully. Sonthofen publishes an official Mietspiegel, but its average describes comparable existing rents rather than the price of a newly advertised student room (Sonthofen Mietspiegel (opens in a new tab)). Nearby Kempten’s university warns that affordable subsidised accommodation is limited and highly sought after; that evidence concerns Kempten, not the whole district (university housing guide (opens in a new tab)). Do not assume that a rural address automatically means inexpensive housing.

Budget for the full rent including utilities and the journey to campus. The standard Deutschlandticket costs €63 per month in 2026 (mona (opens in a new tab)). Kempten University lists a semester contribution of €115. It also lists an additional €500 service fee per semester for non-EU students in English-taught programmes who started from winter semester 2025/26, subject to exemptions (university costs guidance (opens in a new tab)). Compare actual housing and transport offers before assuming a saving over a larger city; a reliable district-wide student budget was not established.

Manufacturing and tourism both matter locally, so look beyond holiday work when considering placements or a longer-term career (district profile (opens in a new tab)). Bosch confirms apprenticeships and dual-study routes in Blaichach/Immenstadt. For ordinary student shifts, Alpe Dornach in Oberstdorf explicitly recruits students and casual staff for restaurant work (Bosch (opens in a new tab), Alpe Dornach careers (opens in a new tab)).

The regional railway connects Oberstdorf, Sonthofen and Immenstadt with Kempten, with services continuing towards Ulm, Augsburg or Munich (Deutsche Bahn (opens in a new tab)). Published 2026 timetable examples put Sonthofen–Kempten Hbf at roughly 32–40 minutes and Sonthofen–Munich Hbf at about two hours; these are station-to-station examples, not a guaranteed daily journey (DB timetable hosted by Hörnerdörfer tourism (opens in a new tab)). Add your onward journey to campus and check current connections through mona. The Deutschlandticket covers participating local buses and regional trains; Sonthofen’s Anruf-Sammel-Taxi is specifically excluded (mona planner (opens in a new tab), ticket conditions (opens in a new tab)).

Alpine farming traditions remain visible in public celebrations. At the Viehscheid, cattle return from summer mountain pastures and are separated back into their owners’ herds; celebrations include brass music and festival tents (Allgäu tourism (opens in a new tab)).

For evenings out, explore the local concert and festival calendars: the Oberstdorfer Musiksommer combines concerts with masterclasses (festival organiser (opens in a new tab)). If frequent student club nights are a priority, compare your chosen town’s programme and last return connection before committing to a commute.

Do not plan an English-only move without checking your course, accommodation and employer individually. As practical preparation, aim for conversational German for everyday errands and stronger German for customer-facing work; B1–B2 is a useful personal target, not a district-wide requirement. Local Allgäuer dialects can sound quite different from classroom German, and their boundaries do not follow administrative borders exactly (dialect background (opens in a new tab)).