SRH Berlin University of Applied Sciences

Study Abroad

NEWS Application deadlines for places at partner universities

Summer semester 2025:
15 August 2024

Winter semester 2025/26:
15 February 2025

Please send your application documents via email to: internationaloffice.hsbe@srh.de

Further information on the necessary application documents and the application process can be found ...

HERE
Info Session "Study Abroad"

Info Meet Up! Auslandsstudium – Bewerbung & Finanzierung (Deutsch)
Donnerstag 25.04.2024 um 14.00 Uhr
Link


Info Meet Up! Study semester abroad – application & financing (English)
Friday 26.04.2024 at 12.00 pm
Link

Exchange Programmes

Study at a partner university

The SRH Berlin University of Applied Sciences maintains partnerships with universities from Eastern Europe to North America. We are constantly expanding this network to offer you even more opportunities.

There are several advantages for you from this network:

  • in most cases no additional study and examination fees at the partner universities
  • comprehensive support during the application process
  • possible exchange with former SRH outgoers and current incoming exchange students via your university of choice
  • you are eligible to apply for an Erasmus+ or PROMOS scholarship for your time abroad
How to apply? A guide.

Step by step to the university of your choice

Selection process and nomination

Please download the Application form study abroad, fill in the relevant information and submit it together with the required documents (list on the last form page) to the International Office by the application deadline.

Application documents:

    - Application form (completed and signed)
    - current certificate of enrolment
    - current transcript of records                                                                                            (or Abitur certificate for applications from first-semester students)
    - proof of language skills (language of instruction at partner university)
    - letter of motivation (1-2 pages)

Places at the partner universities are limited. If the applications for a partner university exceed the number of available places, a selection process takes place.

These rules apply:

    - We consider applications received by the application deadline.
    - A semester abroad is intended to promote intercultural exchange. Therefore, we treat applications from students who want to go to their home country with lower priority (example: you are a French citizen and want to spend your semester abroad in Paris).

Each application can score a maximum of 100 points in the selection process (+20 bonus points). The score is made up of the following categories:

1. overall impression of the application (max. 25 points).
2. academic performance: Grade point average (max. 30 points)
3. language skills in the language of instruction of the host university (max. 30 points)
4. letter of motivation (max. 15 points)
5. bonus points: social and ecological commitment (max. 20 bonus points)

Detailed information on how the criteria are weighted can be obtained from the International Office.

Based on these selection criteria, an individual score is calculated for each student. Students with the highest score will receive a place at the university they named as their first priority in their application. After the place capacity for a university is exhausted, the applicant with a lower score will be given the second or third preference.

In case that two students with the same score would like to go to the same university, but there is only one place available, the A-level grade will be taken into account in the evaluation.

We will inform you as soon as you have been offered a place at one of our partner universities.

Step 2 of the application process follows.

As soon as you have received your official nomination for a place at the partner university, you can prepare your application documents for your host university. The respective partner university will inform you which documents you have to hand in and when are the deadlines.

If you compile the documents completely and submit them by the deadline, your application will usually be accepted by the partner university. Ultimately, however, it is the host university that has the final decision in the selection of its exchange students.

Course selection and confirmation of your courses
You must discuss your course selection with your programme director before your departure and have it confirmed on the Learning Agreement (a template can be obtained from the International Office or it can be completed digitally). Only with the confirmation of your programme director you can be sure that the ECTS you receive at the partner university are going to be recognized at SRH.

Often the course lists of the partner universities are only published after the application process, so it cannot be guaranteed that you will always find suitable courses. This occurs especially where specific courses need to be substituted.

Documents for your Erasmus+ or PROMOS scholarship
As soon as you have been accepted by a partner university, the International Office of SRH will send you an email with all information about the application process and the application deadline.

Further information about Erasmus+ and PROMOS funding can be found further down on this page.

Preparing for your stay abroad

Once you have been officially accepted by the partner university, you will receive an Acceptance Letter. Please send this letter to the International Office.

Now you can start the final preparations for your stay abroad:

- apply for a visa (if necessary)                                                                                                     

- arrange for sufficient insurance coverage for the host country (health, accident, travel and liability insurance)
- find accommodation
- make travel arrangements, etc.

You can also ask the International Office of your host university for advice on how to proceed.

During your stay abroad

If there are any changes in your course selection at the beginning or during your studies abroad, you must discuss these immediately with your programme director and have them confirmed on the Learning Agreement. This will ensure that your achievements from abroad will be recognized.

If it is already foreseeable that you will not be able to achieve sufficient ECTS in your study abroad (courses not passed, no course change possible), please contact your programme director immediately and discuss the options you have in order to still be able to achieve your outstanding achievements.

If for any reason (illness, accident, indisposition, etc.) you wish to discontinue your stay abroad, please contact the International Office and your programme director as soon as possible so we can discuss the next steps.

After returning from abroad

No later than 30 days after your last day of study abroad, you must submit the following documents to the SRH International Office:

- A written report (German/English, 2-4 pages, preferably with photos) about your study experience abroad including information about your preparations, accommodation search, courses at your host university, everyday life in your host country and a general feedback about your experience. The report may be made available anonymously to other interested students.
- Official transcript of records of the courses you have completed at the partner university abroad (will be issued by the host university, please also send it to the examination office for recognition).
- Erasmus+ and PROMOS funded students have to submit additional documents and will be informed by the International Office.

We would be happy if you are willing to share your experiences with other SRH students after your return.

Erasmus+ for study abroad

With an Erasmus+ grant, we can financially support your study abroad. Once you have received your acceptance letter from the partner university, you can apply for an Erasmus+ grant. An Erasmus+ grant does not have to be repaid.

Allgemeine Informationen zum Erasmus+ Programm findest du hier.

More on Erasmus+
  • be properly enrolled at one of the schools of the SRH Berlin University of Applied Sciences
  • have been accepted by a partner university of the SRH for a study abroad programme
  • have not yet received financial support during your current studies via Erasmus+ for more than 12 months

Since the new programme generation (2021-2027), financial support via Erasmus+ can be applied for not only within Europe (programme countries), but also for partner universities outside Europe (partner countries). However, the budget available for funding outside Europe in partner countries is much lower than for programme countries. The criteria we use to select for financial support outside Europe via Erasmus+ in Partner Countries can be found in the pdf document "Eligible Programme and Partner Countries & Funding Rates".

For financial support to study abroad at a partner university, we at the International Office have to make a selection depending on the budget available. You will receive information on the required documents as soon as the partner university has approved your application.

Here, in this pdf document, you will find an overview of the programme and partner countries for which you can apply for Erasmus+:

"Elegible Programme and Partner Countries & Funding Rates" (Downlaod)

Once you have been officially accepted at the partner university, you can apply for Erasmus+ funding. Please send the acceptance letter or the confirmation email of the partner university via email to the International Office. We will then contact you directly and send you all the necessary application documents.

The following documents must be completed and signed by you and the SRH before the start of your studies abroad:

- Grant Agreement (signed in original) (contract on funding period and amount, rights and obligations for funding recipients)
- Learning Agreement (digital) - course selection agreed in advance with the programme director
- Declaration of eligibility and prior participation
- Declaration of insurance coverage
- Safety instructions for Covid-19, if applicable
- Completion of OLS language test

As soon as the documents are complete, we can start the transfer of the 1st instalment of the Erasmus+ grant (70% of the total amount). The processing usually takes about 14 days. If you are unsure, please contact the International Office and ask whether the order for payment has already been made.

During your study abroad programme

If there are any changes in your course selection at the partner university at the beginning of or during your studies abroad, you must discuss these with your programme director and have them confirmed on the Learning Agreement. This will ensure that your achievements from abroad are recognised.

If you are unable to complete certain courses or if it is already foreseeable that you will not be able to achieve enough ECTS in your studies abroad, please contact your programme director immediately and discuss your options for completing the outstanding credits.

After your studies abroad

After you have completed your studies abroad, you must have your study period at the partner university confirmed on the confirmation letter. Please submit it to the International Office together with your transcript of records.

In order to receive the 2nd instalment of the Erasmus+ grant, you must have done the following no later than 30 days after the end of your studies abroad:

- Submit your experience report to the International Office
- Complete the EU Survey (link will be sent to you automatically by email)
- If necessary, take a second language test via OLS (Online Linguistic Support).

Once you have completed and signed all these documents and filled in the questionnaires, we can request the second instalment of your Erasmus+ grant. The transfer should not take longer than 14 days.

PROMOS for study abroad

PROMOS is a programme of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), administered by the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) to increase the mobility of students from German universities. Funding is available for semester stays all over the world that are not eligible for funding under any of the structured DAAD programmes (e.g. Erasmus+).

More on PROMOS
  • be duly enrolled and pursuing a degree at one of the schools of the SRH Berlin University of Applied Sciences
  • be accepted by a host or partner university for a study abroad programme
  • study stay must be between 3 and 6 months long
  • have not yet received financial support via PROMOS for a total of 6 months

As soon as you have been officially accepted at the host or partner university, you can apply for PROMOS funding. To do so, please send the acceptance letter or the confirmation email of the host or partner university by email to the International Office. We will contact you directly and send you all the necessary application documents.

The following documents must be completed and signed between you and the SRH before the start of the study abroad programme:

  • PROMOS application form and all related documents
  • Original signed scholarship agreement (agreement on the duration and amount of funding, rights and obligations for scholarship holders)
  • If applicable, Learning Agreement - course selection agreed upon in advance with the programme director
  • If applicable, safety instructions for Covid-19    

As soon as the application documents are complete, we can make a selection between all applicants after the application deadline. You should receive the decision on acceptance or rejection no later than 4 weeks after the application deadline. The selection is made by a selection committee, which is composed of different departments of the SRH Berlin.

The PROMOS scholarship is a performance-based scholarship. Therefore, it is most important for your application that you convincingly present the qualifications you have achieved so far and the goals of your stay abroad. The selection committee will make its selection on the basis of the application documents submitted.

If you have been accepted for financial support through PROMOS, we can arrange for the transfer of the entire scholarship amount in accordance with the scholarship agreement. The processing usually takes about 14 days.

The funding rates of the PROMOS programme vary depending on the destination country. Here you can find an overview of the funding rates for 2024. 

Depending on the available budget and the number of applications, we weigh up for how long we can support you through PROMOS. We want to give as many students as possible the opportunity to receive financial support.

After completing your studies abroad, you are required to submit a confirmation letter for the duration of your studies abroad, a transcript of records of the host or partner university and an experience report.

Into the world as a free mover

Tips for your individual study abroad

Of course you can also study at a university that is not a partner university of SRH Berlin. However, going abroad as a so-called free mover means more effort for you.

This step-by-step guide will help you with the planning:

First decide on the country or city where you would like to study. Look at the existing universities and choose the one that suits you best.

Make sure that the university of your choice is on the same level of quality and has the same academic standards as SRH Berlin. Make sure that the university is accredited (H+ status).

Contact the International Office at the university of your choice to find out about study abroad opportunities and requirements for foreign students. Ask for the application documents, course lists and course descriptions as well as the application deadline.

The courses you choose must be comparable to the courses you would choose at SRH Berlin at the same time (unless you are an AKM student). This refers to the course content and the credit points you receive for it. Compare the curriculum of your host university with the curriculum of the SRH Berlin to find out which courses at your host university come into question. Let your programme director/academic coordinator help you with this. Remember that the courses you take abroad will only be recognised towards your SRH degree if the courses have been confirmed by the SRH Examinations Office BEFORE the start of your semester abroad.

 

Submit your complete application directly to the host university before the application deadline.

Prepare your examination request and submit it to the Examinations Office. If you have any questions, please contact the Examinations Office.

Unfortunately, students who wish to go to a university that is not one of our Erasmus partner universities do not receive financial support through the Erasmus programme. If your host university charges tuition fees, you will be required to pay two sets of fees - both overseas and at SRH Berlin. However, you may be eligible for other financial support, for example the Auslands-BAFÖG.

As soon as you have completed your studies abroad, please send your transcript from the host university to the Examinations Office in order to convert your grades.

Your financing options

Scholarships for a semester abroad as a free mover

Since there are no partnership agreements with SRH, you have to bear the costs of your semester abroad yourself, i.e. tuition fees abroad, living expenses and travel costs. Nonetheless, there are several other financing options, such as:

Your preparation

General FAQs on studying abroad

You can subscribe to the newsletter or the forum of the outgoing area. Here we advertise current offers and events and provide information on application deadlines and information events. Also on our website you will find all information on the topics of studying abroad, internships abroad, financing, events, scholarships, experience reports, etc. 

https://www.srh-berlin.de/en/university/services/international-office/ 

If you are unsure whether you have included a semester abroad in your curriculum or whether you would prefer to do an internship abroad or study abroad, you can contact your program director or the International Office and arrange a consultation internationaloffice.hsbe@srh.de

The ideal time to study abroad depends on your personal motivations and your study program. Many of our degree programs have made it mandatory to study or do an internship abroad during the course of their studies (7th semester). You can find out in which semester your stay abroad is mandatory in your module handbook that you  received at the beginning  of your studies or you can  ask your program director.  

Even if you do not have a mandatory semester abroad in your curriculum, you can apply to study abroad at a partner or host university. However, you will have to replace the courses you would normally take at SRH Berlin this semester with courses at the host university. This requires good preparation and research by the partner university and prior consultation with the head of the degree program. 

Depending on the host university, a semester abroad lasts between three and six months, and an academic year abroad usually lasts between eight and ten months. If you would like to study abroad for more than one semester, the International Office will check with you whether a 2-semester stay with the desired partner university is possible. 

In most cases, it is also possible to extend your studies abroad if you are already there. Discuss your extension plans with the International Office and your host university as early as possible (at least 30 days before the end of your planned stay).  In the event of an extension, there is no entitlement to continued payment of your scholarship program, a new application may be required.

Yes, it is possible to go abroad several times within one course of study. For example, you can study abroad as well as do an internship abroad. The Erasmus+ scholarship can be used to fund a maximum of 12 months per period of study. However, financial support from Erasmus+ cannot be guaranteed. If you would like to extend your stay abroad or to do another stay abroad please contact your program director and the International Office.

In principle, you can study at any university worldwide if it meets a certain level of accreditation that  is equivalent to SRH Berlin standards. However, we recommend that you choose one of our partner universities for your stay abroad. This will save you time, effort and usually money. We cooperate with many universities inside and outside Europe. In our table "Partner Universities for Study Abroad" (under Downloads) you can find out which of our partner universities cooperates with your department and offer a comparable degree program abroad. The same document also explains how to read the list.

If you are particularly interested in a university with which we unfortunately do not maintain a university partnership, you have the opportunity to apply on your own initiative. This type of mobility is called Freemover and means a higher organizational effort for you. Not all universities accept Freemovers. You can usually find the relevant information on the websites of the respective International Offices universities. You have to independently take care of the application, deadlines to be met, the choice of course, etc. If you have any questions, the International Office will be happy to assist you.

Please note that as a Freemover you do not participate in an exchange program, and you may have to pay any tuition fees abroad in addition to the tuition fees of SRH Berlin yourself. In addition, funding via Erasmus+ as a Freemover is not possible, but you can apply for a PROMOS scholarship.

In the letter of motivation for your first choice of partner university, it should be clear on 1-2 pages why you are applying to study abroad at this particular partner university and why we should choose you for the study place. Why is your first choice of partner universities the right one for you, your further studies or for your future career? What challenges do you see ahead of you during your semester abroad and how do you try to meet them?

The letter of motivation can be written in German or English and does not have to be submitted in duplicate. There are no advantages to the choice of language.

Whether you need to apply for a student visa depends on what citizenship you have and which country you want to go to. Since the visa regulations and the visa application vary from country to country, you should clarify as early as possible whether you need a visa. Information can be found on the website of the embassy of your destination country. Please note that obtaining a visa can take several weeks or months. You will also have to wait for the registration confirmation from your host university before you can apply for a visa. 

You are responsible for applying for a visa. The International Office will assist you with any questions or documents you need. To apply for a visa, you need a valid passport.

You are responsible for your own insurance coverage. Your health insurance coverage should be valid for the entire time you spend in the host country. Citizens of the European Union who wish to study in another EU country should be covered by the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). It is best to contact your health insurance company before your stay abroad to clarify whether you have sufficient insurance coverage. 

We also advise you to take out a valid accident and liability insurance for the host country, as well as travel insurance that includes repatriation. If you participate in the Erasmus+ or PROMOS program, you can take advantage of the DAAD group insurance at your own expense. DAAD group insurance includes health, accident and liability insurance. You can find more information on the DAAD website.

Studying abroad always incurs higher costs than studying in your home country, so inform you in good time about financing your stay abroad. There are various programs with which you can finance a (large) part of the costs incurred:

- Auslands-BAföG
- Scholarships and mobility programs

- Education loan

If you would like to study abroad at an Erasmus+ partner university, you can apply for an Erasmus+ scholarship through SRH Berlin. Every year, SRH Berlin receives a budget through the Erasmus+ program and manages it itself. However, we cannot guarantee you financial support, as there may be more applicants than the available budget.

More about Erasmus:

 https://www.srh-berlin.de/en/university/services/international-office/erasmus/

Furthermore, you can apply for a PROMOS scholarship through SRH Berlin if funding through the Erasmus+ program is excluded. The PROMOS program primarily supports students who go abroad as Freemovers. Since the budget of the PROMOS program is very limited, we have to make a selection between all applicants. Funding is not guaranteed.

More about PROMOS:

 https://www.srh-berlin.de/en/university/services/international-office/promos/

After being accepted by the host university, you can apply for either Erasmus+ funding (Erasmus+ partner universities) or PROMOS funding (non-partner universities/ no Erasmus+ partner universities).  If there are more applicants than the available budget, not every person can be financially supported and we have to make a selection. Therefore, we cannot guarantee financial support and recommend that you to take advantage of other funding opportunities at an early stage, such as Auslands-BAföG or the HAW. International Scholarship.

The language proficiency requirement depends on the destination country and the host university. In order to be able to follow the courses and complete all coursework abroad, you should have very advanced language skills in the language of instruction. The language of instruction does not always correspond to the national language, because many of our partner universities offer English-language programs. In addition, it is very useful if you have a basic knowledge of the official language. In the list of partner universities you will find information on the required language level for each partner university. You must always have the level for the language in which you would like to study at the partner university. 

Some universities require you to provide proof of sufficient language skills with your application. If you have taken language courses at SRH Berlin, you can have them confirmed by the Centre for Languages and Diversity languages.hsbe@srh.de . To prepare for your studies abroad, you can also take free language courses at the Centre for Languages and Diversity or take a placement test on your language skills.

During the application process, you will have to indicate which courses you would like to attend at your host university. This is recorded in a specific document, the Learning Agreement. 

If you have planned a semester abroad for studying abroad in your curriculum, you are relatively free to choose your course. You can also take courses outside your field of study. However, you will not be able to take courses that you have already completed or will complete during your study program. 

If you are doing a voluntary study abroad and need to replace courses, the course content must be the same as the courses you would take at SRH Berlin during this period. Compare the curriculum at the host university with your curriculum here to find suitable courses. Your choice of courses must be confirmed by the program director at SRH Berlin and the host university before your stay. 

If there are any changes in your choice of courses during your studies abroad, please inform the International Office and your program director immediately and have the changes confirmed again so that all achievements can be recognized even after the end of the semester abroad.

Already during the application process, you had to write down in the Learning Agreement and have SRH Berlin and the host university, confirm which courses you would like to take during your stay abroad. This document is the basis for recognition of academic achievements. The Learning Agreement is therefore not signed by the International Office, but by your program director. The signature confirms that the selected courses are recognizable.

If there are any changes in the timetable after your arrival in the host country, the Learning Agreement can still be adjusted and must be signed again by all parties. After completing the study abroad, all academic achievements will be recorded by your host institution in the transcript of records. After your return, submit this document to the Examinations Office together with the Learning Agreement.

The credits earned at the host university would be calculated in the same way throughout Europe according to the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) and can be easily transferred. However, there are different grading tables around the world. The Examination Office is also responsible for the conversion and recognition.

If you had to replace courses because you have completed a voluntary semester abroad, you must submit an application for recognition to the examination office in addition to submitting the transcript of records from the host university and the Learning Agreement.

Of course, you should try to pass all courses at your host university as well as possible. If several exams are not passed, this can affect the further course of studies. However, a failed course does not mean that the financial support is automatically reclaimed. Inform the International Office and the head of the degree program immediately if you fail your performance. Together with the head of the degree program, it will be clarified individually whether, for example, a second attempt at the host university is possible or whether the course or another examination must be completed at SRH Berlin.

At any time during the application and also during your stay abroad, you may not want to start or break off your stay abroad for personal or health reasons (illness, accident, malaise). This is possible at any time. Please contact the International Office as soon as possible and inform us of your decision.  

If you are already abroad, you should also inform your program director at SRH Berlin. If you have been funded through a scholarship or mobility programme, you will probably have to (partially) repay the grant.

Questions?

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