Study Abroad

Exchange places & bilateral agreements with partner universities

To study abroad for one or two semesters you can apply for exchange places that are available through bilateral agreements with partner universities abroad: either through exchange cooperations within the Erasmus programme or through exchange cooperations that TU Hamburg holds with partner universities in oversea countries or non-Erasmus countries (e.g. Switzerland). A list of TUHH's partner universities & bilateral agreements can be found on the Study Exchange Partnerships page.
The benefit of studying abroad within an established exchange cooperation is in waived tuition fees at the partner university, simplified credit recognition and easier organisation.

Funding & scholarships

Exchange places come with the benefit of not having to pay tuition fees at the partner university.
Exchange places available through the Erasmus+ programme are usually combined with a mobility allowance (Mobilitätsbeihilfe). However, outgoing students nominated for an exchange place at one of TU Hamburgs's oversea partner universities can apply to additional funding programmes (mind the different deadlines!). The allowance is not automatically included. This also applies to students who are planing and organising an individual study abroad period at a non-partner university (free mover).

Course programme abroad & tranfer of credits

After having applied and being admitted to a study place et TUHHs partner university outgoing exchange students must discuss their prospective study programme abroad and the subsequent recognition of credits at TU Hamburg with their respective study programme director (i.e. Studiengangsleitung) before the start of their mobility. The (digital) learning agreement is the document which records the study programme abroad and the recognition of credits gained abroad. Students should aim at a study programme abroad amounting to the recognition of 28-30 ECTS per semester.

An exchange place at a partner university is foremost for taking courses and gaining credits. Students planning to go abroad for a research project, a bachelor or master thesis are required to have a thesis supervisor at both the host university and TU Hamburg.

It is very important to plan your semester abroad thoroughly and well in advance. In addition to reading the information here, you also need to inform yourself by doing the following:

• Attend one of the Outgoing Team's / School of Study studying abroad information sessions. You will find all the details here.
• Inform yourself thouroughly about partner universities for your degree programme at TUHH and their course programme for incoming exchange students.
• Take advantage of the Outgoing Team's open office hours (no appointment needed!) to get advice on funding possibilities and get answers to your questions you might have.
• Improve your English, French, Spanish and other laguage skills in order to best prepare your study semeser abroad. TUHH offers foreign language classes in cooperation with the 'Volkshochschule Hamburg' (public adult education centre), Language Cafés and Tandem Language Exchange.

The application and selection processes require quite a bit of time to prepare. You can use the following checklist (available in German only) to get ready. Please note that you must submit a language proficiency certificate in order to apply for a study place abroad or a scholarship. You will need to organise this well ahead of time.

Both options are generally possible (depending on the exchange programme). However, because the semesters at German universities have different dates than those at universities abroad, it is often easier to complete a semester abroad during the winter semester.

In some countries, winter semester classes start at the beginning of August or, for the most part, in September. Courses for the summer semester, also called the spring term, often start at the beginning of January or the beginning of February, when you would still have exams to write at TUHH.

You need to take these different semester dates into account in your individual planning. If you do a search for the term 'academic calendar', you can usually quickly find the semester dates for the university you are interested in.

The application period for TUHH (Erasmus & Oversea) student exchange will start on 15. November and ends on 15. December. This period covers applications for the entirety of the following academic year (i.e. for both the winter semester and following the summer semester).
The application process involves the following stages:

1. Internal application at TUHH: First, you need to apply for a study exchange place at TUHH's partner universities and be selected. If you want to know more about the application process please see here.
2. Study place allocation and acceptance: Once you have been awarded a place from TUHH, you need to accept or reject the offer within a short time frame. Your response is binding.
3. Nomination at the host university: Once you have accepted the study place, your exchange coordinator will nominate you at the partner university (i.e. your information will be sent to them).
4. Application at host university: You will receive further information about the subsequent process from your exchange coordinator or the partner university: You need to apply and register independently and by the respective deadline at the university you have been assigned to by submitting the necessary documentation.
   
   Please note: The final decision regarding acceptance for a study abroad semester is made by the partner university. In general, those students selected by the TUHH Schools and nominated are accepted. But on rare occasions partner universities may change the terms of their exchange programmes on short notice (e.g. place quotas, language requirements, and other acceptance criteria) that TUHH has no influence on.

In the main, it is the Deputy Dean International in your school of study who reaches a decision on your application. 
The most important selection criteria are

• your marks so far
• the duration of your studies
• your language skills
• feasibility of your study plan
• any extra-curricular activities, such as being a mentor in the Erasmus Student Network.

Sometimes there are specific additional criteria that your school of study will be able to advise you on.
You should also have sufficient incomplete course units left in your study plan to ensure you don’t lose time by studying abroad. Candidates who have few incomplete course units will be treated with lower priority.

You are required to have good skills in the host university's language of instruction (level B2) so that you will not have difficulty completing the semester successfully. Language of instruction at most partner universities is English, but might also be Spanish or French in Spanish/French speaking countries. Your application must include a language proficiency certificate demonstrating your skills in the language of instruction of level B2.
Make sure to inform yourself beforehand about the language of instruction of your host university. For more information click here.

Some universities ask for some basic knowledge in the official language of the country. Please make sure to provide us with a suitable language certificate.

Bachelor and Master students can apply for an exchange stay at a partner university. However, Bachelor students have to fullfil specific criteria.

General requirements for study exchange programme:
- For bachelor students: 30 ECTS completed before the stay abroad
- 28-30 ECTS left open to be taken out during the semester abroad
- Language certificate in the working language at B2 minimum level
- Special requirements see below

Check out the different countries and cooperations here.

• need to have successfully completed 30 ECTS credits
• must have sucessfully completed Mathematics and Mechanics (I and II)

• need to have a minimum of 30 ECTS
• must have successfully completed Mathematics I and Mathematics II. Exception: students in Technomathematics must have sucessfully completed Linear Algebra for Technomathematicians or Analysis for Technomathematicians

The school of Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Mathematics provides additional information for ALL outgoing exchange students on their website.

• must have completed a minimum of 30 ECTS
• should show adequate advancement of studies depending of the number of completed semesters

The school of Management Sciences and Technology provides additional information for ALL outgoing exchange students on their website.

• need to have a minimum of 40 credits
• for mechanical engineering the following courses have to be completed: Mathematics I and II, Mechanics I and II, Thermodynamics I, Fundamentals of Mechanical Engineering Design
• In addition Mechanical Engineering Design should be completed
• for Naval Architecture the following courses have to be sucessfully completed: Mathematics I and II, Mechanics I and II, Thermodynamics I
• In addition Mechanical Engineering Design, Hydrostatics and Body Plan should be completed

The school of Mechanical Engineering provides additional information for ALL outgoing and incoming exchange students on their website.

• need to have sucessfully completed 30 ECTS
• must have sucessfully completed Mathematics I and II

For AIW/GES/ES:

- selection criteria: corresponding to the criteria of the school (Dekanat) of the chosen specialization  (Vertiefung)

- courses (gemeinsamer Kernbereich) of the semesters 1-3 should be taken at TUHH, preferably before the exchange  

For Mechatronics:

- selection criteria corresponding to the criteria of the school Mechanical Engineering

For Green Technologies:

- selection criteria corresponding to the criteria of the school Process and Chemical Engineering

Contact details here

Erasmus+ is an educational programme run by the European Union which was initiated in 1987 to promote cross-border mobility of students within Europe. The programme enables you to study at a TUHH partner university in one of the EU states or one of the other Erasmus programme countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Norway, Serbia or Turkey).

What is special about the Erasmus programme is that the awarding of a study place at a European partner university is accompanied by financial support through an Erasmus scholarship for at least two months per semester. This pairing of a study place and financial support makes the programme especially attractive for students.
A list of TUHH's partner universities & bilateral agreements can be found on the Erasmus+ cooperations page.

Other programme benefits:

• Exemption from tuition fees at the partner university
• Academic recognition of credits completed abroad
• Free online language courses (through OLS)
• Support in preparing for and during your stay abroad
• Possibility of extra funding for special needs

In addition to funding study stays, the Erasmus programme also provides financial support for internship stays of at least two months in European countries.
Within Erasmus+ multiple stays abroad are possible. For each study cycle (Bachelor’s, Master’s and doctoral level), up to 12 months can be spent abroad with Erasmus. These study periods can be made up of study exchanges (SMS) and Erasmus traineeship funding (SMP) as desired.

To be eligible for the Erasmus student exchange programme

• you must be enrolled at the TUHH. Age and citizenship do not play a role, as long as you are completing a degree at TUHH (your main place of residence must be Germany).
• the ERASMUS stay will start in your second year of the Bachelor at the earliest
• you have completed at least 30 ECTS credits
• you fulfil the specific requirements set by your school of studies
• for language requirements, please see below.

At the same time as applying for a place on the Erasmus programme, students also apply for an Erasmus+ grant. 
The grant should be used to cover the additional costs associated with studying abroad.

For further details please see here.

Ahead of the period spent abroad, a learning agreement is written up as part of the application to the Erasmus partner university. This governs recognition of your academic performance in advance of your time abroad. The learning agreement establishes both the study programme for the period abroad (course titles and content; generally, this includes the number of ECTS credits) and the educational components at the TUHH that are replaced by your studies abroad and no longer have to be completed at the TUHH.  The learning agreement is signed by the student and the participating universities. At the TUHH, it is signed first by the student and the study coordinator at the school of study. Applicants selected by the TUHH can find further information and form on the mobility portal.

When drafting the learning agreement, a 1:1 equivalence of individual courses is not expected. Instead, a full package of courses totalling around 30 ECTS credits per semester must be equivalent to the courses that you would have completed at the TUHH. The credits completed should be recognised in full. Deviations from this shall be justified by the study programme coordinator.
Necessary alterations to the learning agreement, which may first occur when at the host university, are to be instigated immediately by the student.
After the student’s return, all successfully completed study credits, for which recognition was agreed in the learning agreement, will be recorded by the examination office.

The conversion of marks is dependent on whether the host university has issued ECTS marks. If this is the case, there is a table for converting ECTS marks into TUHH marks.

In all other cases, the Bavarian formula is applied.

TU Hamburg maintains a number of direct exchange cooperations with partner universities. These are usually partner universities in overseas countries or non-EU countries. (Exceptions: Norway, Iceland, Republic of Turkey are non-EU-countries, who are taking part in the Erasmus programme. Hence our agreement with them are always through the Erasmus programme.)

With some partner universities TU Hamburg holds bilateral agreements on university level. In most cases this means that students from all schools and courses of study can apply for the available exchange places.  Exchange places through bilateral agreements on departmental level are open to students of one certain school of study or a certain course of study. Some exchange places are limited to Bachelor students, some to Master students.

Please, have a look at the list of cooperations

TU Hamburg's student exchange places offer a place free of tuition fees at the host university. However, since these direct cooperations are not established under the umbrella of a specific program, financial help is not automatically included. Once selected for such an exchange place, students will have to apply for funding seperately.

Information on the DAAD-sponsored exchange programme can be found on the website of the Institute of Marine Engineering and Mechanics

It is also possible to study abroad at a university of your choice outside of an official exchange program. You are then a so-called 'freemover'. In this case, you organise your semester completely independently and are sometimes required to pay very high tuition fees, which are not charged by our partner universities. As a freemover you will not, for example, benefit from the Erasmus programme, as some scholarships are only available for stays at partner universities.

There is no officially recommended time period during your academic career for a study abroad semester. In general, however, it is completed during a Master’s program as the selection of courses within some study programs are more flexible. You should anticipate a 1 to 1.5-year preparatory period when planning your studies abroad. This time is needed for comprehensive research and to ensure you meet scholarship and application deadlines. It may also be the case that a study plan at a particular university is not feasible and that you have to reconsider your options. It is therefore advisible to start with collecting information on the academic year and application deadlines in your desired host country, as well as the deadline for the scholarship provider.

General information about studying abroad can be found on the website of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the largest German scholarship provider.

Recognition takes place through the examination board. You must apply to the examination office for this on returning to the TUHH.
The TUHH examination office is your first point of contact.

In principle, it is possible to complete research during your time studying abroad. It is important that a TUHH professor has already agreed to be your supervisor. A supervisor must also be found at the host university. If the research work is to be completed at a partner university of the TUHH, an application via the usual exchange program is sometimes necessary. Otherwise, research stays are not mandatorily tied to certain time periods or deadlines. 

In the new Erasmus programme generation 2021-2027 it is possible to fund so-called short-term mobilities within the Erasmus programme.
TU Hamburg supports such short-term mobilities exclusively within the framework of the European network of the ECIU University (European Consortium of Innovative Universities).
Master students students can participate in various ECIU teaching formats and earn ECTS/microcredentials. The recognition of credits is only possible for Master students within the framework of the NTA programme.
For more information, please contact Sascha Diedler.

If the teaching formats offered by the ECIU fulfil the following criteria, student mobilities are generally eligible for Erasmus+ funding:

1. Physical mobility phase of at least 5 days
2. Compulsory virtual component before/during or after the physical mobility phase
3. Award of at least 3 ECTS

Students who are interested in participating in an ECIU learning opportunity / challenge apply directly via the Engage platform with the required documents. The application and decision on participation will be made by the organising university.
At the same time, please contact Marina Less by email as early as possible so that we can check the eligibility and availability of funding. The enquiry must be received 4-6 weeks before the start of the physical mobility.

Please send us via email:

• the link to the Engage platform course you would like to participate in and the start date of the physical mobility phase
• current certificate of enrolment from the TUHH
• Have you already received Erasmus funding during your current study phase (BA/MA)? If yes, when and for how long? Are you currently funded within the Erasmus programme?

After your initial enquiry, we will check whether the ECIU offer is eligible for Erasmus funding and whether you are entitled to receive Erasmus funding. If this is the case, you will need to submit further documents to us and we will inform you about how further to proceed.

Erasmus project 2023:

• Mobility day 1 - 14: 79€/day
  For 5 day physical mobility it would be a 395€ basic amount funding.
• Top-Up Green Travel: grant of €50 towards travel costs if you are travelling sustainably for at least 50% of the outward and return journey. If you are travelling sustainably, up to 4 extra travel days (79€/day) can be financed.
• Top-Up fewer opportunities: 100€ extra if you are entitled to receive a top-up fewer opportunities and apply for this. In addition, you will then receive a travel allowance according to the distance travelled.

For further details on Top-Ups please see here.

Here you can find the most important funding programmes that can help you to finance a semester abroad. Each programme has different application requirements and deadlines. The application deadlines can be up to one year before the start of your planned study period abroad, so please start your planning in good time. 
Additionally, application documents for scholarships generally demand a recommendation letter from a professor and a language certificate; obtaining these can take some time. Applications for scholarships are usually made to the scholarship provider directly. Bear in mind that scholarships for stays abroad are usually not full scholarships, which means that they only cover part of the costs of living.
If you would like advice, please come to the consultation hours of Marina Less (Team Outgoings).

Mit Stipendium ins Ausland - Schritt für Schritt erklärt (DAAD-Broschüre)
Further funding opportuities (German only)

The largest scholarship holder for studying abroad is the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)

An ERASMUS+ grant will be awarded to students participating in the ERASMUS+ programme. The amount of funding depends on the country where you spend your study semester and is based on the cost of living there. Funding amounts can vary from year to year. The minimum duration of funding per semester is two complete months.
More information here.

In addition to funding study stays, the Erasmus programme also provides financial support for internship stays of at least two months in European countries.

Each year the DAAD allots PROMOS grants to German universities. Students can apply for these PROMOS grants. PROMOS can be used to support students' stays abroad, which take place outside the ERASMUS area. (Funding for the EU area can be assessed if there is no bilateral ERASMUS student exchange agreement). Stays up to 6 months can be financed for study periods (course work) and research work overseas (Studienarbeiten or Abschlussarbeiten). The PROMOS scholarship consists of a travel expense allowance and monthly rates. Each year the DAAD determines the amount of the rates and travel expenses per country. Universities can not deviate from this amount.

Eligibility:

Students are eligible when

• who have the German nationality or BAföG in Germany or non-German students who wish to achieve a degree in Germany. Stays in home countries are, however, excluded.
• who are registered at the TUHH, currently enrolled in a Bachelor's or Master's degree.
• who have organized their stay abroad at a university or in a company.

What are the criteria for granting scholarships?

•     Academic meaningfulness of the study project
•     Above-average grades
•     Proof of the necessary language skills

Scholarship scope

• Grants for stays between 1 - 6 months are given (internships can be funded from 6 weeks).
• The monthly rate is usually around €400. The travel expense and the rate allowance varies, depending on the destination country.
• For internships in overseas countries you can apply only for the PROMOS travel expense allowance.
• The payment of PROMOS grants is always subject to the apportionment of funds from the DAAD.

Application Periods

1. PROMOS application period: 11 September - 27 November 2024
   For mobilities that START between: 01 January - 30 June 2025
2. PROMOS-application period: 07 March - 31 May 2025
   For mobilities that START between: 01 July - 31  December 2025

Applications are made through the Mobility-Online portal.

Further information on use of Mobility-Online can be found here.

When you have already created an online application in Mobility-Online before, then you are already listed as a user with one application in Mobility-Online. Just create a new application with the link to the Onlineform above. However, after sending the Onlineform, re-login to your Mobility-Online account. Under "My Applications" in the menue on the left side, you'll be able to display all your applications and you'll be able to choose the new PROMOS application. Your new application has its own workflow, with its own workflow steps, which you'll need to complete. Just like before, your new PROMOS application will only be displayed to us, once you have completed all required workflow steps.

Students who would like to complete a semester abroad can apply for BAföG for study abroad. BaföG for study abroad can be combined with various scholarships. The scholarship amounts are deducted from the BAföG contribution.
The application should be submitted to the office responsible at least six months before the start of your study abroad semester. Please be sure to always note in your application whether you have applied for any scholarships, and which ones.

Europe: study periods after two semesters in Germany are funded at national rates for one exchange year and / or possibly until completion within the maximum funding period.
Outside the EU: support for a maximum of 1 year, in exceptional cases up to 2.5 years.

Additional payments (only outside the EU) for travel expenses, health insurance subsidies, tuition fees up to 4.600€ per year are possible.
The Advice Center for Student Finance - BeST in the Studierendenwerk Hamburg also advises on this.
 

The Koch-Foundation supports study visits in the Scandinavian-Baltic region. 

Since the number of annual scholarships is very limited, there is no open call.  Suitable nominated student in exchange programmes of the TUHH are notified by the Outgoing-Team. The application period might be before or after the deadline for exchange programmes at TUHH. For further enquiries, please contact the Outgoing-Team.

The Walther Blohm Foundation promotes talented young people from the aerospace sector by granting subsidies

• for further education of young engineers
• for doctoral students
• to carry out technical projects in the context of university groups.
• for stays abroad, study trips and comparable measures that undoubtedly serve the purpose of further technical education

More information can be found here.

Students with a German citizenship who have already sucessfully passed the exams of the of the first academic year, may apply for a low-interest educational loan for (partial) financing of a study abroad or internship.
Applications are submitted directly to the Federal Office of Administration.

The Advice Center for Student Finance - BeST in the Studierendenwerk Hamburg also advises on this.

You are required to have good skills in the host university's language of instruction (level B2) so that you will not have difficulty completing the semester successfully. Language of instruction at most partner universities is English, but might also be Spanish or French in Spanish/French speaking countries. Your application must include a language proficiency certificate demonstrating your skills in the language of instruction of level B2.
Make sure to inform yourself beforehand about the language of instruction of your host university.

Some universities ask for some basic knowledge in the official language of the country. Please make sure to provide us with a suitable language certificate.

 

Uploading a language certificate of your language of instruction is compulsory. You need to upload the language certificate directly with your online application. Please make sure that you upload a certificate that clearly indicates your level.

We accept the following language certificates for applications for exchange places at the TUHH:

• Proof of participation in a language course stating the language course level and ‘successfully participated’
• Proof of participation from language course stating the language course level and final grade
• High school diploma/Abiturzeugnis ONLY IF the language level (A1-C2) is explicitly stated on it. (Please be aware that this proof is only approved by TUHH)
• DAAD language certificate
• other official language certificates (TOEFL, IELTS, DELF/DALF, DELE/TELC/CEC/DEC,...)

Check the different language proficiency levels here.

If you are applying for an exchange semester at one of our partner universities abroad or for a scholarship, you will need to submit proof of your language skills.
In most cases a DAAD language certificate is sufficient. To obtain this, you will have to take an assessment exam (listening and reading comprehension, written and oral communication skills). Depending on the provider, this certificate costs €40 to €60.

In Hamburg you can complete this assessment

• at the Universität Hamburg (various languages); address: General Languages office, Von-Melle-Park 5, room 3055, 20146 Hamburg
• at a private language school – for example, the Hamburg School of English (short-term appointments are possible)
• at the Institut français for French.

The (Digital) Learning Agreement

The learning agreement is a very important part of the exchange stay.  It sets out the recognition of academic achievements at the host university prior to your stay abroad:
It specifies both the study programme for the stay abroad (course and number of ECTS credits) and the educational components at TU Hamburg that are replaced by your study abroad and therefore no longer have to be completed at TU Hamburg.
It is stipulated between the student and TU Hamburg, and, for Erasmus, the host university. At TU Hamburg, the school of study, either by the program director (Studiengangsleitung) or the Deputy Dean International, are in charge of checking and signing it.

The learning agreement is a Digital Learning Agreement. It has 3 phases:

1. Digital Learning Agreement before the mobility
2. Changes to the Digital Learning Agreement during the mobility
3. Automatic recognition after the mobility

It is drawn up entirely in Mobility-Online, TU Hamburg’s mobility management tool. Applicants selected by TU Hamburg already have access to Mobility-Online and can find further information directly there. Leading up the compilation of the digital learning agreement, the TU Hamburg’s International Office and Examination Office will offer a joint info session for selected applicants on the digital learning agreement and recognition of credits. Invitations will be sent out by Email.

Workload

For Erasmus, a full package of courses totalling around 28-30 ECTS credits per semester must be equivalent to courses that you would have completed at TU Hamburg. The credits need to be recognised in full.
The same applies for overseas student exchange: If possible, 30 ECTS at the partner university should be reached.

Automatic Recognition

After the exchange stay, the host university will issue a transcript of records. For the automatic recognition, students need to upload the Transcript of Records in Mobility-Online, together with the grading scale and a table listing translations of the titles in Transcript of Records in German and English.

TU Hamburgs examination office will subsequently record all successfully completed study credits, for which recognition was previously agreed in the digital learning agreement.

The conversion of marks is dependent on whether the host university has issued ECTS marks. If this is the case, there is a table for converting ECTS marks into TU Hamburg marks.  In all other cases, the Bavarian formula is applied.

If you have studied abroad outside of an exchange programme at a university, which is not a partner university of TU Hamburg, the recognition of your credits gained abroad will be dealt with by an Audit Committee. Please turn to your examination officer to ask for the application form and submit the corresponding application for the recognition of foreign credits to the examination office after returning to TU Hamburg.

The conversion of marks is dependent on whether the host university has issued ECTS marks. If this is the case, there is a table for converting ECTS marks into TU Hamburg marks.  In all other cases, the Bavarian formula is applied.

After you have received your admission from the host university, be sure you apply for a student visa in time.
German students and students from EU member states usually do not require a visa for a stay within Europe/the Erasmus area. Students who want to study outside the EU need to organise visas themselves well in advance of their stay abroad. You can find information about entry requirements and residency regulations for German citizens on the Federal Foreign Office website.
Once you have been selected for a place at one of our partner universities, the university will also provide you with more detailed information about applying for a visa.

Note for non-EU citizens: Please contact your destination country's embassy well ahead of time to find out if you need to apply for a visa. Under the German residency act (Aufenthaltsgesetz, section 51, para 1, no 7) a German residency permit expires automatically 'when the foreign citizen leaves Germany and does not return within six months or the later alternative deadline set by the Immigration Office'. It is your responsibility to apply on time for a visa for your study stay abroad.

If you go to another country to study, you need to have adequate health insurance that is valid for the entire length of your stay in the destination country. Holiday medical insurance is not enough! You should also check whether you have sufficient liability coverage.
The Dpt. International Affairs does not request a particular format of insurance, nor does it recommend specific insurance companies.
We leave it up to you to organize the most suitable insurance policy. There are, however, some minimum requirements that you will have to fulfill.

Studying within Europe - European Health Insurance Card
Most participants will own a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). This card gives access to medically necessary services of public health care in the EU countries as well as in Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway under the same conditions and costs that apply to citizens of the respective country.
However, the European Health Insurance Card does not apply to all European countries nor does it include healthcare providers from the private sector. That’s why there is some additional insurance needed.

Compulsory insurances

• Health insurance, covering your stay abroad (incl. medically necessary repatriation and return transport, pandemic situations)
• Accident insurance (professional and personal)
• Liability insurance (professional and personal) - compulsary for internships, for studying abroad highly recommended.

Studying outside of Europe
Your EHIC is definitively not valid outside of Europe. Some Universities offer their exchange students insurance on arrival. In some cases, these insurances are even compulsory for all exchange students. Please check beforehand if this applies to your university. Please make sure you have sufficient insurance for traveling before receiving the local insurance.

Students who receive funding through German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) programmes (e.g. Erasmus+, PROMOS) can purchase additional private insurance through DAAD (combined health, liability and accident insurance).

Inform yourself about the current political and health crisis situation of your host country. The German foreign office has a website with travel warnings and advises for countries worldwide including a travel app. You should register with the German embassy in your host country to be on a crisis prevention list.

You will generally need to arrange your own room/accommodation if there are no dormitory rooms available to exchange students that you can apply for. Our partner universities will provide you with tips and assistance well in advance. In some cases 'buddy students' at the partner universities will also be able to give you tips. You can read the reports from our previous study abroad students to get tips on looking for places to live.

TUHH-Student Exchange application form
(link will be activated on 15th of November)

1. Fill out the Online form.
   You'll first be redirected to the Shibboleth authentication. Use your StudIP credentials to authenticate.
   You'll then get to the Onlineform. Before sending your form, please make sure that the information is correct (e.g. the semester you are applying for). 
   Filling out and sending the Onlineform will create a new application in Mobility-Online. This is only the first step of your online application!
2. After sending the Onlineform, you'll receive a confirmation email which contains the new link for further access to your application(s) in Mobility-Online. Please use this link to re-login to Mobility-Online in order to view your application(s), to complete your data and to upload all required documents. This is possible only during the ongoing application phase!
3. You will find all forms and necessary documents to be uploaded in your application workflow in Mobility-Online. Your application is considered as submitted when all your data is complete and all uploads are done. You will receive an automatic confirmation email again.
4. Once the application period is over, you won't be able to start a new application, or change your existing application or upload more documents.
   
   Unfinished applications will automatically be rejected the day after the application deadline!
   
   15th of December is the deadline at the Dpt. International Affairs for study stays abroad in next academic year. 
   At the beginning of June is the deadline at the Dpt. International Affairs for unfilled study places for spring/summer term only (with reservation / unter Vorbehalt).

You'll need to create a seperate application in Mobility-Online in order to apply for the ISAP programme exchange places. It is the same technical process and the application phase starts on 15.11.. However, the deadline may be slightly later than for the TUHH-Student Exchange places (usually the first monday after public school winter holiday in january).

Use this link for the ISAP online application.
(will be activated on 15th of November)

Go to the ISAP programme website for more information & deadlines of the ISAP programme.

Letter of Motivation need to be handed in in English language.
Exception: if you want to study at an Austrian partner university and teaching language is German.

• Letter of Motivation (for each University. Guidelines available in Mobility Online)
• CV
• Language certificate in the working language min. B2
• Photo
• Transcript of Records (ToR)
• Overview of courses you attend in your current semester, and therefore are not listed in your ToR (template in Mobility Online)
• Bachelor certificate (if available)

You can prepare / start preparing your application documents before the application portal is activated.

Please note that you must upload a motivation letter for each requested partner university. Please use the motivation letter guide (Orientierungshilfe), we have made for you! A prerequisite for writing the motivation letter is to inform yourself about the desired partner university (study programme, course offer in semester you want to go abroad...).

Where is the link to the start of my online application?

The link to start your application in Mobility-Online can be found during the application period further up in the text on this website together with details about the online application.

Somehow the link to the start of the online application does not work. Why?

• try a different browser (firefox or chrome)
• connect to the TUHH campus net through the VPN client & login with your kerberos credentials - then try again
• delete cache & cookies and restart your browser
• if you have tried all of the above, and it's still not working, contact the Outgoing Team

Where can I find the link to complete my application?

After completing and submitting the online form, you will receive a short confirmation email. This email includes the link with which you can log on and off again and again during the ongoing the application period to Mobility-Online.

Mobility-Online shows address data that is not correct. How can I change this?

The data comes from the campus administration network of TUHH. If a wrong address is placed there, you can correct it via the student self-function. It may take some time until the correct data is displayed in Mobility-Online.

Where do I see the upload steps and required documents in Mobility-Online?

After submitting the online form, please log back into Mobility-Online and open your application by clicking on the link, which you then receive in the confirmation email. You will now see the workflow, in which you will be offered links to complete data, downloads of forms and upload links for uploading documents. If you do not see everything, you can expand the following upload steps using the small white crosses.

When and how long is the application period?

The application is expected to be open for TUHH students in November. The application period ends in December. Between November and December you can create your application with the link on the International Office website. Please check the exact dates online.
Your application will automatically be submitted as soon as you have completed all uploads. After the last upload, you will receive a confirmation mail with additional information on the course of the selection process.
 

How long do I have to wait for feedback after the end of the application period?

As a rule the schools of study need 6-8 weeks to make the selection. Most of the selection decisions are made by the Deputy Deans International / International coordinators and their assigned assistant in each school. For some partnerships there are own selection committees (for example Berkeley / Waterloo), which make their decisions partly earlier or slightly later. The selection procedure is complex and time-intensive. Please be patient and wait until you hear from us.
You will receive an e-mail generated from the system with admission / denial and with additional information for further administrative processing in the exchange process. Theses mails do not all go out the same day. Some students receive early notice, some a little later.

It is very likely that exchange places are strongly demanded. Therefore, if you do not initially receive any of your desired locations, it is possible that we will offer you a list of vacancies that are not requested or vacated at the moment (if you have selected this option in the online form). Final cancellations will therefore only be given later in time, after the allocation of all places.
 

Who do I contact with technical questions about Mobility-Online?

Please contact Sarah Neumann: sarah.neumann@tuhh.de

Why can't I see my desired University in the drop-down list? Who do I contact with questions regarding the exchange placement in Mobility-Online?

Please write an email mentioning what study programme you are currently enrolled in at TUHH (BA/MA?) and contact Berit Illmann (Overseas Partnerships) or Marina Less (Erasmus Partnerships). You can find their contact details here.

ISCED Codes for application here.

TUHH's Dpt. International Affairs does not guarantee that your application at the partner university is successful! On rare occasions partner universities may change the terms of their exchange programmes on short notice (e.g. place quotas, language requirements, and other acceptance criteria). If nominated exchange students are not accepted by the partner for any reason, the student must notify the Dpt. International  Affairs immediately.

TUHH cannot cover the costs of travel, health insurance, vaccinations and administration fees at the partner university.