FHD Students - Outgoings

Studying Abroad

The FHD maintains a continuously expanding network of university partnerships. For more information about our partner universities, visit our website or inquire at the International Office. The International Office will guide you through the entire application process.

You can also have the option to choose a university for your semester abroad that does not currently have an existing cooperation agreement with us. In such cases, you will be considered a so-called "free mover" and must apply independently. Please note the requirements, deadlines and regulations at the host university. If you have any questions, please contact the International Office after submitting your application.

Advantages of Studying with our Partners

• Often lower tuition fees
• Simplified application / enrolment / matriculation processes
• Professional and organisational support before, during and after the semester abroad

Course Content and Language(s) of Instruction

During your semester abroad, you are required to attend courses as outlined by the host university. Please be aware that the course contents may differ from the study regulations at FHD. To ensure a smooth transition, contact the academic contact person or program director in your department to discuss your Learning Agreement.

Additionally, it is essential to possess a sufficient level of proficiency in the language(s) of instruction to effectively follow the classes. Language requirements are typically available on the host university's website。

Financing and Funding Opportunities

Studying abroad often involves additional financial responsibilities. Therefore, it is crucial to explore various financing and funding options well in advance. For one-semester stays abroad, it is recommended to allocate eight to twelve months for research and planning.

There are several ways to finance your study stay, internship, thesis, or language course abroad, such as private funding, Auslands-BAföG (German government grants for studying abroad), or scholarships. It is important to differentiate between study-related stays and internships. We have compiled the most common programmes for you   here.

For information on funding opportunities, application deadlines, and forms, please visit the website of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). They provide a comprehensive scholarship database featuring all available funding programmes.

Additionally, please refer to the following websites for further information:

Please also take note of the notices displayed in the International Office showcase. Current calls for applications are published there.

International BAföG

Different offices are responsible for processing BAföG applications for the various countries. These do not necessarily have to be student services offices. You can find the right office for the country of your choice on the BAföG server of the BMBF Internships abroad are also funded, provided they are conducive to your studies.

You can find further information at www.auslandsbafoeg.de and at the respective Office for Educational Funding.

Living Abroad

There are also various ways to find accommodation during a semester or internship abroad:

• Shared flat (WG)
• Student residence
• Flat/apartment
• Host family

It is rare for students to automatically receive a place in a student dormitory upon university registration.  Therefore, it is advisable to start looking for accommodation at least 2-3 months before the start of your stay abroad. Our partner, Erasmus Play, offers valuable assistance through their student accommodation search engine. They gather listings from major accommodation platforms in over 520 cities, which proves particularly useful for outgoing students with diverse destinations. The booking process is straightforward:

1. Select your destination and dates
2. Compare all available accommodation 
3. Click and rent safely and securely

Internships Abroad

For students who are interested in a stay abroad, an internship semester also offers the opportunity to gain international experience. You can get information from the Career Service or from your faculty about which calls for applications and opportunities there are for an internship abroad. You can also find regular information on the notice boards of the FHD and on ILIAS.
 

Summer Schools

Summer schools or summer courses are compressed, fee-paying academic subject courses of 2-10 weeks that are offered during the lecture-free period. It is an organised programme with fixed groups, with a mixture of lectures, seminars, workshops, language lessons and excursions. The advantage: you can get to know university life, teaching methods and content at a foreign university, even if a whole semester abroad is too long or too expensive or you don't want to take a semester off. Besides, the preparation time is rather short. The best thing to do is to look directly on the homepages of the universities in the country of your choice to see which summer courses are offered. You can find an overview of the courses offered at

• SummerSchoolsinEurope.eu
• ShortCoursesPortal.com
• Summer-Schools.info

Applications must be made directly to the organisers of the respective summer schools.
Summer schools usually have to be self-financed. In order to find suitable funding, you must become active yourself and research on the Internet.

Safety Instructions and Insurance Cover

The FHD recommends that all students planning a stay abroad carefully inform themselves about the conditions in the host country or destination region. Please take note of the general travel advice issued by the German Foreign Office.

Before you go abroad, you should clarify with your health insurance company whether your health insurance cover is also valid abroad. Additional cover may be useful. Find out from your health insurance company, online consumer portals (e.g. 1AKrankenversicherung or www.mawista.com).or on the webseite of DAAD. In a few cases, you will have to take out health insurance through the foreign university.

You should also think about private accident and liability insurance for the duration of your stay abroad. If you have health insurance abroad, you should note that in an emergency, return transport to your home country is also covered.

Accident and liability insurance can also be useful - especially for internships abroad. In any case, check with your insurance company first to see if you are also covered abroad before taking out a new policy.

DAAD Group Insurance
The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) offers interns, students and academics who go abroad from Germany low-cost combined health, accident and personal liability insurance through its group policy. Comprehensive information can be found on the webseite of DAAD.