We are running a license server for MATLAB called matlablm.cpfs.mpg.de (configured when MATLAB is installed). This is useful for stationary computers like our lab PCs. Assume you have a MacBook and want to use MATLAB when you are absent. Shit, no contact to the license server which is invisible for the outside world. (We are serving licenses only for you, but not for the rest of the world.)
So you need a separate license for this. First step: create an account at MathWorks with your institutional e-mail address. Once you have done that, use this account from within MATLAB to obtain a license either for your account on the MacBook or for your MacBook (which in almost all cases effectively is the same).