Study Abroad

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.

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 [email protected]

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 [email protected] . 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.