Information for Exchange Students
An exchange or visiting student is a student of an international university outside of Germany who spends a limited period of time at RWTH Aachen University and who is not pursuing a degree at RWTH Aachen. Are you interested in completing an exchange stay at RWTH Aachen, for example through a partnership program between your home university and RWTH Aachen? Possible programs are the ERASMUS program or the Partnership WORLDWIDE program. Maybe you are interested in studying at RWTH Aachen for a while through a structured program such as UNITECH, IDEA League, or different DAAD programs?
Information for Exchange Students
Is There a Partnership Agreement?
In order to be an exchange student at RWTH Aachen University, your home university and RWTH Aachen must have a two-way partnership. This includes an ERASMUS agreement or a Partnership WORLDWIDE agreement. Please contact the international office of your home university to find out if such an agreement exists.
If there is an agreement, apply to your international office first for an exchange spot. Nomination from your home university is a prerequisite for the application to RWTH Aachen. If your home university nominates you for an exchange, you can apply to the RWTH Aachen International Office.
If such an agreement does not exist, you can apply as a Free Mover.
German Skills
In order to apply to RWTH Aachen University, your language skills must correspond to Level B1 of the European Framework of Reference for Languages in either German or English according to the level of instruction.
Language Prerequisites
Most of the lectures and seminars at RWTH Aachen are offered in German. We want your exchange stay to be as successful and problem-free as possible. Furthermore, you will need basic German skills to be able to manage in everyday life in Aachen.
Exceptions
German skills are highly recommended and desirable even if you are exclusively choosing courses in English, are writing your thesis, or are working on a project. However, you are not required to submit documentation of your skills. Instead, please provide proof of your English skills, documenting that you have attained at least Level B1.
Students, who are applying for the winter semester or the entire academic year, can register for an intensive German course, which takes place every September. The intensive course will bring participants up to a B1 level by the start of the semester. For this reason, it is acceptable to submit an A2 certificate when applying to the International Office, as long as you take the intensive course.
Proof of Language Skills
We accept all well established certificates as proof such as those from the Goethe Institutes, TestDaF, or OnDaF. However, other documentation from officially recognized language schools, language institutes, or the language center from your university are also recognized.
Structured Programs
In addition to stays organized through partnership agreements for exchange students, international students also have the possibility of participating in structured programs at RWTH Aachen University. Application does not take place through the university's International Office however, except for UROP International. You can get information at your home university or the responsible organization.
DAAD Programs
RWTH Aachen is involved in programs offered by the German Academic Exchange Service, DAAD for short, for students from the Indian Institutes of Technology, engineering students from Chile, and students studying engineering, natural sciences, or life sciences from Brazil (Ciencia sem Fronteiras). You can get information about the individual programs and application process directly from the German Academic Exchange Service or your home university.
UROP International
This program is oriented towards undergraduate students at North American universities, who are interested in working on a ten week research project at RWTH Aachen. You can get information about UROP International from Torsten Blut.
IDEA League
The universities TU Delft in the Netherlands, ETH Zürich in Switzerland, ParisTech from France, and RWTH Aachen University make up the European network IDEA League. Students from these universities can come to RWTH Aachen in the form of joint degrees or research projects. Application takes place through the home school. Please contact your university for more information.
UNITECH International
This program for students in engineering, computer science, and physics offers a combination of studies and an internship at RWTH Aachen. You can find more information at your home university and at UNITECH International.