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 will apply independently.
If you plan to do a semester abroad at a partner university, your will submit your application through the International Center. The application is always submitted the year before the planned stay abroad. Applying is a multi-stage process. In the application, you can select up to three preferred universities.  You’ll need various documents to apply. These include proof of proficiency in the language of instruction in your destination country.

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 (that is, both fall and spring semesters)
  • Mid-January to end of January: European partner universities for the entire upcoming academic year (that is, 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".

You must upload the following documents as PDF files during the application process:

  1. Proof of Language
  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.
  3. CV
  4. Letter of motivation in German or English (500 - 600 words)

Selection and nomination process

When applying, you can specify up to three partner universities as desired destinations. The selection committee of the International Center tries to make a semester abroad possible for as many applicants as possible.

After you have applied online, you will receive feedback  and a placement offer from the International Center within four weeks. 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, you will be nominated by the International Center at that partner university.

The selection criteria are as follows:

  1. The first main criterion is your academic achievements so far (proof by Transcript of Records or Bachelor certificate).
  2. The second main criterion is the suitability for studies at the specified partner university. The decisive factor here is whether
    • your language skills are sufficient
    • your subjects can be studied to a sufficient extent at the partner university (for B.A. Educational Sciences)
  3. Further selection criteria are the letter of motivation and
  4. special (extra-) university commitment.

Double/repeated applications will be given priority if the student has already undertaken a semester abroad at an EUF partner university.

1. Nomination:

The International Center nominates you at the partner university. The study place is not secure until the partner university issues the acceptance letter.

2. Application at the partner university:

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

Then submit your application to the partner university as soon as possible so that there is still time for any queries.

Application deadlines and procedures at each partner university vary greatly. Please keep an eye on the application deadline at your target university. Contact us if you have not heard from the partner university three weeks before the application deadline.

Providing proof of language proficiency for your destination country

In order to be able to study at a foreign university, you must be proficient in the language of instruction there and provide proof of this in advance. This does not necessarily have to correspond to the language of the country. You also only need to provide proof of proficiency in the language in which you will be taking the majority of your courses.

At the Language Center, you can take a variety of free language courses.

Find a language course

You can see which language level you need to prove for which language of instruction here:

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 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 (Maren Baur; 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).

If applicable, the 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.

A proof of language proficiency must be uploaded in the online application form. 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  
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 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