If you are thinking about studying abroad, you should start planning no later than a year in advance. The success of a stay abroad depends on good preparation. Find out about application deadlines for programs and scholarships. Make note that independently organizing your stay is part of the abroad experience and self-initiative.

Group information sessions and virtual advising sessions are regularly offered throughout the semester. Students visiting here from partner universities or RWTH students who have returned from a stay abroad are also invited to attend these sessions.

The International Office country coordinators will be available to answer any questions after the virtual advising sessions.

Please also find out about placements through a Faculty partnership. The departmental advisors who are responsible for international opportunities in your Faculty can help you with that.

Here, you can find experience reports from students who have already studied abroad.

You can also find more news about residency opportunities as well as testimonials from former outgoings on the International Office's Instagram account.

RWTHworldwide: Partner Universities

You can see an an overview of the faculties on the page Partner Universities Worldwide. Check the homepage of your desired university for more detailed information.

For a stay as part of RWTHweltweit, you must attend courses amounting to 20 ECTS per semester.

(Recognition of the full amount of credits earned abroad is not required).

Some students choose to “only” take language and regional studies courses or take courses that interest them regardless of the subject they are studying at RWTH. However, several partner universities require a minimum number of credits to be reached per semester. Students must then meet these requirements.

The examination boards responsible for the respective degree programs at RWTH decide which of the courses and exams students have taken abroad they can recognize and credit towards a degree. For detailed information, please get in touch with the responsible international coordinators at your faculty or department. RWTH has general recommendations for the conversion of foreign grades.

Some faculties and departments have lists of courses at partner universities that RWTH has recognized in the past. Find out more about this at your faculty.

Under the individual RWTHworldwide: Partner Universities you will find information about what exchanges are possible for which degree program: Bachelor, Master, or doctoral studies.

Stays abroad at partner universities primarily refer to studies, that is lectures and seminars. At some partner universities or research institutes, only a research stay is possible. The country coordinators will gladly contact the partner university for you to find the appropriate information.

Cost and financing possibilities play a deciding role in the decision of where to study abroad. You can find information about this topic on the page Financing Study Abroad as well as the respective partner university webpages.

As a so called freemover, you have the possiblity of going to a university, with which RWTH Aachen does not have a partnership. You independently organize your stay and are resonsible for the tuition fees at the host university.

You’ll need to apply with the RWTH Aachen International Office for exchange placements available in collaboration with partner universities, and with the respective RWTH Faculty for an exchange place within the framework of the Faculty or department level. The deadlines may vary.

Please check the RWTHworlwide: Apply to Study Abroad page for the various application deadlines if you wish to apply for an exchange place managed by the RWTH International Office.

Principally yes. You can submit a total of four applications.

You can apply to partner universities outside of Europe via the International Office Application portal. Additionally, you can apply for an ERASMUS spot or to partner universities of your faculty.

In case that your application is approved by the selection committee, please get in touch with us as soon as possible to let us know whether you intend to accept the offer.

No, this applies to Bachelor‘s students only. Master‘s students can apply from the 1st semester onwards. The only exception is Latin America, where applications are already admissible in the second semester at university.

Your chances depend on the number of applicants and on the university, since the number of available spots varies. Some countries are more popular than others. We recommend applying for more than one university.

In the application portal, you can only select winter or summer semester. Please select the term where the most time of your study abroad falls.

An example: You will be studying abroad from August to December. The winter semester at RWTH runs from October to March. Thus three months of your stay abroad are during the winter term, and only two in the summer term. You would therefore select winter semester in your online application.

The tabular curriculum vitae as well as the answers to the questions in the online form must be completed in English.

Some universities in Latin America require application documents in the language of the country. It is possible that after your nomination, the documents will have to be completed in the local language.

You can choose whether to follow the European or American type of CV and whether to include a photo or not. However, applications to the Internation Office the CV must be written in English.

Please note: The CV is one of the documents that in most cases must be submitted to the host university as well, even if you have been nominated by the International Office for a stay at the partner institution. Thus you save time and work when you prepare a CV that you can use later on as well. A number of universities in Latin America and Russia require you to provide application documents in the langugage of the host country. Thus it is possible that in case of nomination, you must prepare your documents in the langugae of the country as well.

For English-language programs, proof of language proficiency through the Abitur / secondary school certificate, that is at least five to six years of regular English classes, is sufficient. After your nomination, the host university may require a further language certificate, for example the TOEFL test or a certificate from the RWTH Language Center. This must then be submitted as soon as possible.

Language certificates for other languages such as Spanish, Portuguese, or Russian can be obtained by taking a language test at the RWTH Language Center.

Please note: If you are participating in a language course at the time of application, the current confirmation of participation or a relevant screenshot is sufficient proof of the required level.

Certificates from other language courses are also generally recognized.

Native speakers can prove their language skills by obtaining a certificate from a secondary school in their home country or by taking a language test.

Students who would like to participate in an exchange with a Brazilian university, must submit proof of Portuguese language skills corresponding to level A2 at the time of application. By the time they are nominated at the partner university - typically in October - students must be able to submit proof that they have completed level B1.

You have the opportunity to apply for a PROMOS or Voss scholarship via the application portal by March 15 or September 15. For detailled information please refer to the PROMOS Study or Internship Abroad Scholarships page.

To apply with the International Office you don't need a particular GPA score.

Some partner univerisites require proof of good to very good academic performance.

A recommendation letter is not necessary when submitting your application to the International Office. If it is necessary in order to be nominated for the partner university, you will be informed by the International Office after the selection. Recommendation letters must be written in English.

The application along will all relevant documents must be submitted exclusively online before the application deadline. After being selected by the selection committee, you will be nominated at the partner university, who ultimately determines your acceptance. Some universities offer an online application as well. The partner university reviews your application and sends your acceptance.

You will likely be notified of the selection results not later than ten weeks after the end of application period. Please refrain from inquiries regarding the state of the procedure before.

The Board of Examiners of your RWTH course of study decide on whether or not the coursework and assessments taken at the host institution are recognized and count towards your degree at RWTH. To learn about the details, please contact the study abroad / international relations coordinators of your faculty or department. RWTH’s recommendations concerning the conversion of grades can be found at Recalculation of Grades Earned for Studies and Exams Abroad.

You have to list all lectures and seminars you wish to attend at the host university. Please refer to the university's website to find out what courses are offered. For a stay within the framework of RWTHweltweit, we recommend that you take courses amounting to 20 ECTS per semester.

Country Information

The German Academic Exchange Service, DAAD for short, has put together academic guides for many countires that offer a good read as an introduction to study abroad. Aside from an introduction to the university system of the respective country, the DAAD academic guides offer addresses of universities and practical tips for planning your stay.

Student Representative Councils

As self-governing student institutions, the student representative councils can provide concrete experiences on the preparation for a stay abroad. They often know students who have completed a stay abroad and are ready to share their knowledge with others.

Embassies

You can find information about arrival and residency conditions for the host country on its embassies webpages. There is also information available from cultural institutes from the host country that could be relevant to study abroad.

This differs greatly from country to country. You can get informatin about the cost of living in the host country from the experience reports of past exchange students.

Please register online with the Language Center for the respective language course. Pay attention to registration deadlines.

If your host university requires a medical evaluation, contact the country coordinator at the International Office. They will arrange the evaluation through the University Medical Center.

If you need a confirmation of your planned stay abroad, send a request via the Central Portal for Study Abroad Placements. There is a follow-up form called Certificate of Stay Abroad on MoveOn. It might take a few days until you receive your Certificate of Stay Abroad. You will need the certificate if you want to apply for a leave of absence.

An official leave of absence during your stay abroad has the following advantages:

• The fee for the social contribution is smaller for the time of your leave of absence.
• The so called mobilty fee, that is the fee for the semester ticket, is automatically waived. The core semesters during your leave of absence do not count.

Should you foresee a leave of absence, it is possible to be reimbursed for the mobility fee. You can get the application from the General Students' Committee. Please make sure you know the deadline for turning in the application.

A disadvantage of taking a leave of absence is that it may not be possible to complete exams if you come back from abroad early. Please clarify this with your faculty.

Health insurance for abroad and insurance protection are mandatory in Germany.

German health insurance is sufficient if you are studying in the European Union. You must request form E 128 from the health insurance company and submit it, in the case of illness abroad. Your health insurance provider can give you more information. You should look into your own health insurance's services abroad before travelling outside of the EU.

Private liability insurance is highly recommended

You should contact the embassay or consulate of the host country early on to find out about the necessity and modalities of applying for a visa. Please note that you must apply for a student visa as an exchange student. It generally is not possible to turn a tourist visa into a student visa abroad.

Apply for a passport early on as well, since a passport number is often required for admission to non-European universities. Important: Often your passport must be at least three to six months valid after leaving the host country, in order to apply for a visa.

A majority of students find a room with the help of the partner university. Pay attention to registration deadlines. Rooms are often offered in student dorms, and in Latin America with host families.

If this is not possible, look at the local housing market.

The Federal Foreign Office can provide information on necessary and country specific vaccinations.

It is possible to extend or shorten your stay. Please contact the country coordinator in the International Office before you talk to the partner university.

For questions of recognition, please contact your faculty and the examination office. General information can be found here.