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.
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:
- Proof of language proficiency
- 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.
- CV
- Letter of motivation in German or English (500 - 600 words)
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:
- The first main criterion concerns your academic achievements thus far, based on your transcript of records or bachelor's degree certificate.
- 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)
- Further criteria include your letter of motivation and
- 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.
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.
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.
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.