Eine Frauenhand deutet auf eine zu unterschreibende Stelle auf einem Vertrag
Eine Frauenhand deutet auf eine zu unterschreibende Stelle auf einem Vertrag

Step 2: Apply to go abroad

Have you made up your mind to go abroad for a study semester, internship or language course? Then your next step is to apply!

If you want to do an internship, language course, or other shorter stay abroad, you'll need to arrange that on your own. However, for a semester abroad at a partner university, please apply through the International Center. This is always done a year before you intend to travel. During the multi-stage application process, you can select up to three preferred universities. The required application documents include proof of your proficiency in the language of instruction for your chosen country abroad.

Your online application

Applications to the International Center are always submitted in the academic year prior to your planned stay abroad. There are several application rounds:

  • Early to mid-December: Non-European partner universities for the entire upcoming academic year (both fall and spring semesters)
  • Mid-January to end of January: European partner universities for the entire upcoming academic year (both fall and spring semesters)
  • End of March to mid-May: Non-European and European partner universities for spring semester of the upcoming academic year

The exact dates will be sent out to all students via email and can be viewed in the section "Online application portal".

Please upload the following documents as PDF files during the application process:

  1. Proof of language proficiency
  2. Transcript of records (does not need to be stamped). Master's students: Please upload your bachelor's degree certificate (including grade) instead of the transcript of records. 1st semster EUCS students: Please upload your school leaving certificate.
  3. CV
  4. Letter of motivation in German or English (500 - 600 words)

Application period:

Places at non-European partner universities: 30.11.-12.12.2023

Places at our Erasmus+ partner universities (also Norway, Turkey, UK, Switzerland, Albania and Israel): 12.01.-25.01.2024

Go to the application portal

Selection and nomination process

When you apply, you have the option to list up to three preferred partner universities. The International Center's selection committee strives to ensure that as many applicants as possible can do a semester abroad.

After submitting your online application, you can expect a response and a placement offer from the International Center within one month. You must accept or decline this offer within a certain period of time, which will be communicated to you in the cover letter. If you accept the offered place, the International Center will then nominate you to that partner university.

The selection criteria are as follows:

  1. The first main criterion concerns your academic achievements thus far, based on your transcript of records or bachelor's degree certificate.
  2. The second main criterion is your suitability for studies at the specified partner university. The decisive factors here are:
    • Whether your language skills are sufficient
    • Whether your subjects can be studied to a sufficient extent at the partner university (for the B.A. in Educational Sciences)
  3. Further criteria include your letter of motivation and
  4. Any exceptional (extra-) university commitment

Repeat applications will be given priority if the student has already done a semester abroad at an EUF partner university.

1. Nomination:

The International Center nominates you to the partner university. Your position as an exchange student there is not secure until the partner university issues your acceptance letter.

2. Application with the partner university:

After nomination, you will receive the required application documents from either your partner university or the EUF International Center.

Please submit your application to the partner university as soon as possible after you receive these documents, to allow time for any questions or issues.

Application deadlines and procedures at each partner university vary greatly. Please keep an eye on the application deadline at your target university. If you haven't heard from your partner university by three weeks before the application deadline, contact us.

Providing proof of language proficiency for your destination country

To study at a foreign university, you must prove ahead of time that you are proficient in the language of instruction there. This may not correspond to the language of your chosen country. Rather, it should be in the language in which you will be taking the majority of your courses.

You can choose from a wide range of free language courses at the EUF Language Center.

Find a language course

This chart shows which language level you need to prove for which language of instruction:

Language of instruction Language level Language certificate
Danish B1 when you apply
B2 at the start of the semester abroad

Danish major students: proof from the subject (Dr. Astrid Christina Westergaard)

All other students: Please contact the International Center (Team Outgoing).

German   No proof required
English At least B2 Official language certificate is required
e.g., IELTS, Cambridge, TOEFL ITP (you can take the TOEFL ITP at the Center for Languages), TOEFL IBT (you can take the TOEFL IBT at the Center for Languages)or similar
French B1 when you apply
B2 at the start of the semester abroad

French major students: proof from the subject (Dr. Andriatiana Ranjakasoa)

All other students: Please contact the International Center (Team Outgoing).

Italian At least B1 Please contact the International Center (Team Outgoing).
Portuguese At least B1 Please contact the International Center (Team Outgoing).
Spanish B1 when you apply
B2 at the start of the semester abroad

Spanish major students: proof from the subject (Erduin Pérez de la Vega)

IM/IMS students: proof from the subject (René Steffes; to obtain the certificate, please submit a current Transcript of Records showing the highest Spanish exam you passed)

All other students: Please contact the International Center (Team Outgoing).

Language requirements (level and test type) for the application at your partner university may differ. -especially in Spain and South America. Please check the website of your partner university to find out which language certificates are actually required there.

You will need to upload your proof of language proficiency when you fill out the online application form. This certificate must be valid when you apply to the partner university. If the language of instruction at your chosen university is your first language, you will still need to upload a document in the online application.

Most partner universities offer courses in English for international students. For this, students usually need a B2 level (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).

At this point, we'd like show you which partner universities allow you to do a semester abroad without B2-level English proficiency.

Please contact us if you have any questions.

Country Partner university Language level Comments
Belgium Kortrijk, VIVES University College B1 English  
Finland Juennsuu, University of Eastern Finland B1 English  
University of Jyväskylä B1 English B2 in English recommended
Italy Università degli Studi di Milano B1 English  
Università degli Studi di Torino B1 English  
Freie Universität Bozen No language certificate Courses in German and English
Latvia Ventspils University College B1 English  
Poland Lublin, Maria-Curie-Universität B1 English  
Portugal Universidade de Lisboa B1 English  
Romania Universitatea Babes-Bolyai din Cluj-Napoca No language certificate for German Classes in German and English (B2)
Sweden Kristianstad University B1 English  
Slovakia Banska Bystrica, Matej Bel University B1 English B2 English for English courses at the Faculty of Arts
Spain Universidad de Murcia B1 Spanish  
Universitat de València B1 English/B1 Spanish  
Czech Republic Usti Nad Labem, Jan Evangelista B1 English  
Purkyně University B1 English  
Turkey Istanbul University Cerrahpaşa B1 English  
Austria KPH Wien No language certificate Classes in German and English
PH Wien No language certificate Classes in German and English (B2)
PH Salzburg No language certificate Classes in German and English
PH Tirol No language certificate Classes in German and English
PPH Augustinum Graz No language certificate Classes in German
Switzerland PH Bern No language certificate Classes in German and English
FHNW Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz No language certificate Classes in German and English
PH Luzern No language certificate Classes in German and English (B2)

At most of our partner universities in the Spanish-speaking world, international students are expected to have a language level of B2 (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). Therefore, we recommend that you are able to demonstrate a B2 level at the time of application to the partner university.

Exceptions: Some of our partner universities expect a lower language level. According to our research, these are the universities in the table below (as of November 2022).

Please contact us if you have any questions.

Country Partner university Language level Comments
Argentina Mendoza, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo B1/B2 Spanish  
Chile Valparaíso, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María B1 Spanish  
Columbia Bogotá, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana B1 Spanish B2 English if you take courses in English
Bucaramanga, Universidad Autónoma de Bucaramanga B1 Spanish  
Mendellín, EAFIT B1 Spanish B2 English if you take courses in English
Spain
 
Universidad de Burgos B1 Spanish B2 English if you take courses in English
Mostoles, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos B1 Spanish B2 English if you take courses in English
Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria B1 Spanish  
Universidad de León B1 Spanish B1 English if you take courses in English
Logroño, Universidad de la Rioja B1 Spanish  
Universidad de Santiago de Compostela B1 Spanish  
Universidad de Salamanca B1 Spanish  
Universidad de Zaragoza B1 Spanish  

Required documents for the semester abroad

You will need to submit various documents once you have been offered and accepted a place at one of our partner universities. Please submit the documents only after you receive our email asking you to do so.

Below you can see which documents must be submitted at what time and how.

Document Who How When
Proof(s) of enrollment (for the entire duration of your stay abroad) Erasmus+ students Portal Before you leave
Grant Agreement Erasmus+ students Submit in paper form to the International Center  Before you leave
Learning Agreement Erasmus+ students OLA website Before you leave and when/if you make changes to the document
Online Language Support (currently not required) Erasmus+ students EU-Academy Before you leave
Letter of Confirmation Everyone Portal After you stay abroad
EU Survey Erasmus+ students individueller Link After you submit your Letter of Confirmation
Experience Report Everyone Portal After your stay abroad
Transcript of Records Everyone Individual After your stay abroad