Studying abroad Studying abroad

• All students enrolled at HAW Hamburg are eligible to apply. Age and citizenship do not play a role, as long as you are completing a degree at HAW Hamburg (your main place of residence must be Germany).
• Bachelor's students must have completed one year of study (i.e. two semesters) when they begin their semester abroad. Master's students can begin Erasmus-funded study abroad in their first semester.
• You are required to have good skills in the host university's language of instruction (at least level B1) so that you will not have difficulty completing the semester successfully. Your application must include a language proficiency certificate demonstrating your skills in this language.
• You must have good grades that will allow you to complete a study semester abroad.

Please contact your faculty's student exchange coordinator to find out whether there are additional prerequisites you need to fulfil.

You can do a study semester in Europe in both winter and summer semester. The summer semester abroad usually starts between the beginning of January and the beginning of February and overlaps with the winter semester in Germany. Check the host university's academic calendar to make sure you can start studying abroad when the semester begins. Also, some degree courses or individual courses are only offered in winter or summer semester. Be sure to check the course offerings at the host university you are interested in.

The application process for Erasmus study places takes place only once each year. Candidates are selected for the entire upcoming academic year.

The application deadlines are as follows:

• 15 February for study abroad stays in the next winter semester and the subsequent summer semester.
• 15 June for awarding of unfilled places for the summer semester

You can read about which application documents you need to submit in the following documents:
Application documents – information sheet
Language proficiency certificate – information sheet
Language proficiency certificate – standard form

The coordination of applications for study places at the Erasmus+ partner universities takes place via the student exchange coordinator in your faculty. They can let you know which partner universities you can study at. Please note that it is only possible to study at universities that are Erasmus partners of your department and at your study level (BA or MA) as part of the Erasmus programme.

Applications are submitted online via the Mobility Online application portal . You can upload all of the documents required (after you have sent the application form and registered via the portal). The portal is activated in December/January, as well as for the awarding of extra study places at the beginning of May. You can begin preparing your application documents regardless of whether the application portal is open.

The selection of applicants and allocation of places at the partner universities is carried out by the student exchange coordinators in the faculties based on the application documents you submit:

• Cover letter
• Skills in the language of instruction (and the language spoken in the country where relevant)
• Study achievements (ECTS credit points achieved and average grade relative to semester of study)
• Volunteer work in internationally oriented programmes at HAW Hamburg  (e.g. buddy programme, language tandems, etc.)

The weighting of the various criteria may differ between faculties. The Faculty of Design, Media and Information reserves the right to invite applicants to short selection interviews.

Yes, it is possible. Each student has a so-called 'mobility backpack' of up to 12 months per study phase (Bachelor's, Master's and doctoral studies) available to them. This means that you can receive an Erasmus scholarship for up to 12 months during each degree course. You can use the funding months in your mobility backpack flexibly. Erasmus allows a combination of studies and internships. This means that you can both study at a partner university (e.g. for a semester of three to five months) and subsequently complete an internship at a company during the same phase of your studies (e.g. with a duration of at least two to seven months).

A valid inter-institutional agreement in your subject area is the requirement for a study stay at an Erasmus partner university. You can only study at an Erasmus partner university that has a contract with your degree course/department. You cannot use the places from another faculty or department.

If the university you'd like to study at does not have an Erasmus contract with your department at HAW Hamburg, you can contact their International Office to find out if you can complete a study semester as a freemover. The disadvantage of this alternative is that you may have to pay tuition fees at the foreign university and you are not entitled to an Erasmus scholarship.

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. The funding duration is determined in July of each year and is based on the total number of students selected to study at partner universities, the destination countries and the available budget.

For stays in the 2022/23 academic year (WS2022/23 and SS2023), the following amounts apply:

• Country group 1: Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden: €600/month (€20/day)
• Country group 2: Belgium, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Spain, Cyprus: €540/month (€18/day)
• Country group 3: Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Estonia, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Turkey, Hungary: €490/month (€16.33/day)

Where applicable, the following amounts are also available:

• A one-time top-up of €50 and up to four additional funding days for travel if the journey to and from the study destination is 'green', i.e. uses a sustainable form of transportation (such as train, bus, bicycle, etc.)
• €250 additional funding per month for participants who face additional obstacles

In project year 2020 (WS 2020/21, SS 2021 and WS21/22), no limit has been placed on financial support for HAW Hamburg students. The entire physical stay/study duration (as confirmed by the host university) in the host country will be funded. In project year 2021 (SS 2022), the funding duration is limited to a maximum of 180 days.

The total amount of funding will be calculated according to the precise number of days. The start and end dates for funding will only take into account the dates during which you are in the host country for the purpose of study. In the calculations, full months will be considered to have 30 days.

Erasmus+ fördert seit Projekt 2021 das emissionsarme Reisen. Seit SS2022 gibt es die Möglichkeit zusätzliche Fördermittel für grünes Reisen zu beantragen. Wenn Sie mindestens 50% Ihrer An- und Rückreise zur Partnerhochschule mit umweltfreundlichen Transportmitteln zurücklegen (Zug, Bus, Auto-Fahrgemeinschaften, Rad oder auch Schiff, falls die einzige Alternative das Flugzeug wäre), können Sie einen Reisekostenzuschuss in Höhe von einmalig 50 Euro für grünes Reisen beantragen. Zudem können Sie in diesem Fall bis zu vier zusätzliche Fördertage für die längere An- und Abreise geltend machen.

Since project year 2021, Erasmus+ has supported low-emissions travel. And since summer semester 2022 it has been possible to apply for additional funding for green travel. If you complete at least 50 per cent of your travel to and from the partner university using environmentally friendly transportation (train, bus, ride-sharing, bicycle or even boat if this is the only alternative to flying), you can apply for a one-time green-travel subsidy of €50. You can also claim up to four additional funding days for the longer travel time.

Helpful links on low-emissions travel:
From Rome to Rio
Travel by train overnight through Europe
Explore Europe by train – Interrail
Baltic Sea ferry routes (in German only)

Students who have special needs or face additional obstacles can receive extra funding (a monthly amount of €250) on top of the regular Erasmus funding. Students who meet the following criteria are eligible:

• Their parents have not graduated from university (in place since winter semester 2022/23)
• They are employed and cannot carry out their work during their stay abroad (in place since 2022/23)
• They are accompanied abroad by underage children
• They have disability status rated 20 or above
• They have a chronic illness and face increased expenses abroad as a result (in place since summer semester 2022)

Alternatively, students with children, a disability or a chronic illness and additional expenses can submit a so-called long-term application to receive up to €15,000 per semester to cover additional costs. It is also possible to receive a subsidy for a preparatory trip to the study destination to familiarise yourself with the situation there. Both of these options require a great deal of advance preparation. Please contact the HAW Hamburg Erasmus coordinator to discuss them well ahead of time. The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) must receive the application for additional funding at least two months before the study stay begins. More information as well as reports from students are available (in German) on the  DAAD website.

In general you should aim to use the semester abroad as a full study semester and try to complete approximately 30 ECTS credit points. At HAW Hamburg the guidelines are that you are required to complete at least 20–30 credit points at the host university in courses relevant to your degree course. Some host universities stiplulate how many credits you need to complete in a semester. You are absolutely required to adhere to these regulations.

Please note that the number of successfully completed courses in your transcript of records must total at least 16 ECTS credit points. If this is not the case, you are required to provide an explanation (e.g. a doctor's note in the event of illness). The plausibility of this explanation will be reviewed. If you do not have a good reason for not achieving at least 16 ECTS or you have not fulfilled all of the obligations of the Erasmus+ scholarship, HAW Hamburg will insist that the scholarship be repaid.

The recognition of credit points obtained abroad is an important factor in your decision about completing a study semester abroad. If you go abroad through an Erasmus partner university, you will need to have your credit points recognised by HAW Hamburg. This requires you to discuss whether recognition is possible with the professor responsible (usually the chair of the examinations committe or the international coordinators in your department) and complete a so-called learning agreement outlining what has been decided. You can find more information about the legal foundations and regulations as well as a handbook about having your credit points recognised here.