Students apply either directly to the foreign university or to the chosen placement agency. The respective application requirements and deadlines must be observed. Both in the application phase and during the study abroad you have little support on the part of the university.

At the chosen foreign university, it is best to contact the International Department. This is where you will usually find the application documents and program descriptions. Somewhat easier to organize - and therefore popular - is a study abroad program arranged by agencies. The agencies work together with various universities in individual countries and often offer an attractive package of services (studies, accommodation, transfer). Especially for Australia and New Zealand different agencies are active. Well-known agencies in Germany are the Ranke-Heinemann Institute,  GOSTRALIA. A broader selection of destination countries is offered by College-Contact (and they also award scholarships) and World of students. For Study&Work programs in English-speaking countries, college-council offers a wide range.

An overview of accredited universities that offer a paid program through College Contact or IEC can be found on their websites. 

You can also apply as a freemover to one of the universities that are members of the GE4 network. The instructions for the complete application process can be found here. If you would like to apply as a freemover at one of these institutions, please note that you are required to inform the International Office in advance, as we need to record this in our system and coordinate with the institution in advance if it is already a partner university.

Application deadlines

As a rule, the application for a study abroad program must be submitted approximately 6 - 8 months before the start of the program; placement agencies sometimes accept applications at relatively short notice (6 - 8 weeks).

Application form

The application forms of the respective university or agency must be used.

Selection criteria

The selection criteria are determined by the foreign university or the placement agency. As a rule, proof of sufficient language skills, a list of previous study and examination achievements (transcript), a curriculum vitae and a letter of motivation are required.

Language requirements

For the study program, good language skills must be proven, which usually correspond to the language level B2 (within the European reference framework).

The English language skills often have to be proven by an officially recognized language test. The best known and most widely accepted language test is the 'Test of English as a Foreign Language' (TOEFL). In this test, test scores > 83 roughly correspond to the required B2 level. In the Institutional TOEFL ITP, scores > 560 are roughly comparable to B2 level. A conversion table can be found here.