13 Oct 2026
LMU kicked off the new winter semester with an information fair and insights from the worlds of academia, politics, and business. President Matthias Tschöp warmly welcomed the first-year students to the LMU community.
On October 12, a new semester began for more than 55,000 LMU students—including approximately 10,000 first-semester students and newly enrolled students. Starting in the morning, the new students visited the information fair in the atrium of the main building to learn about counseling services, cultural partners, and student initiatives. In the afternoon, during the official welcome address by LMU President Prof. Matthias Tschöp, the Audimax was filled to capacity. Hundreds of other students who could not find seats there were able to follow the festivities together via a live broadcast in the LMU atrium and at Geschwister-Scholl-Platz.
A particular highlight was a friendly competition: The university administration, together with Minister of Science Blume, took on students in a game of foosball.
© LMU
In front of a packed Audimax, LMU President Matthias Tschöp welcomed the new LMU students. His speech was also broadcast to the students gathered at Geschwister-Scholl-Platz. | © LMU
At 4:00 p.m., President Matthias Tschöp addressed the assembled first-year students. In a personal speech, the physician helped ease the new students’ anxiety as they embarked on this new chapter in their lives and assured them: “Something great begins today. You belong here. And we’re glad you’re here.”
He emphasized that studying at LMU is more than just acquiring specialized knowledge. “You will also learn to think for yourselves: to ask good questions, to examine answers, and to question certainties. And to change your own mind when there are good reasons to do so,” said Tschöp. “That sometimes requires more courage than sticking to your original opinion.” Especially in an era when debates are polarizing and simplistic answers to complex issues like the climate crisis or AI dominate social media, he noted, it takes courage to look more closely and to tolerate uncertainty.
The LMU president also emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary exchange: Anyone who wants to shape the future must look beyond their own field. As a comprehensive university with 554 years of history and an enormous variety of disciplines, LMU offers the best conditions for this.
A university can offer something truly valuable: It gives you the space to discover what questions truly matter to you, what you’re particularly good at, and how you’d like to use your skills.Matthias Tschöp, President of LMU
LMU President Matthias Tschöp with Markus Blume, Bavarian Minister of State for Science and the Arts | © LMU
Markus Blume, Bavaria’s Minister of State for Science and the Arts, also welcomed the new students. He congratulated them on their choice of university and praised not only the excellence in research and teaching but also the sense of community and cohesion within the LMU community:
“For over 10,000 freshmen and a total of more than 55,000 students, today marked the start of lectures, seminars, and courses at LMU—and, most importantly, the start of new friendships and connections with fellow students. Starting college is the start of a truly awesome time. Whether in the lecture hall or at the next apartment party—you’ll learn the tools you need for life: openness, curiosity, and passion! Congratulations to everyone who has chosen to study at LMU. I promise: That was exactly the right decision! Our largest and strongest comprehensive university in the Free State of Bavaria exudes a very special spirit. There’s no better place for critical young minds!”
Since starting college is always exciting but often comes with doubts, the subsequent panel discussion addressed the typical concerns of first-year students, such as “Will I fit in?”, “Will I be able to handle all this?”, or “Is this even the right major for me?” LMU economist Prof. Monika Schnitzer, FLIX co-founder Daniel Krauss, Green Party politician Katharina Schulze, student and University Council member Johannes Zachmayer, LMU geoscientist Prof. Imke Hoppe, and President Tschöp helped ease the students’ fears with personal anecdotes about their own early days and encouraged them to take advantage of the university’s opportunities, build networks, and simply try new things.
Following the official portion of the event, the festivities moved back to the Lichthof and out into the open air on Geschwister-Scholl-Platz. Here, the new members of the LMU community were able to celebrate the start of their studies with music and refreshments and, together with their fellow students, lay the foundation for “something big.”