FAQ STUDY ABROAD
Research your options early on. We recommend you begin planning your time abroad approximately one year before you want to leave. Start by asking yourself where you would want to go and when, which partner universities could be an option for you. Find out about study conditions, specializations, course programs and enrollment requirements at the partner university you wish to attend.
If you are interested in an internship abroad, contact the Internship Office early on. The Internship Office will advise you on finding an internship abroad and how the application procedure works.
For general information on how to plan an international exchange, visit the International Office.
It is important that the study program of the partner university matches your interest. The scope (ECTS) and content of the courses should match the courses you must complete in your degree program. Visit the website of the partner university and read the description of the degree programs, the modules plan and the study program. Please note that exchange students might have to meet special requirements for course selection.
It is very important that you are able to follow your courses. Find out about the language of instruction at the partner university and which courses are open to exchange students. Please note that the language of instruction not always corresponds to the official language of the country.
Please direct any questions about course selection and approval abroad to international-sw[at]hs-rm.de.
If the university you would like to attend does not have an agreement with our faculty, you can attend the university as free mover and organize your stay yourself. Free movers have to find application deadlines and contact persons themselves. As free mover, you might have to go through a regular enrollment process and pay regular tuition fees. Only partner agreements secure special conditions for exchange students. Please make sure to consult our faculty about course selection and course approval before applying.
If you have found an interesting partner university, you can initiate new partnerships or the expansion of existing partnerships. Please contact international-sw[at]hs-rm.de. The team will evaluate partnership options and initiate further steps in cooperation with the International Office. This process can take several months. A partnership agreement cannot be guaranteed.
Find an overview of all current partnership agreements with our faculty in the List sorted by countries and faculties.
The application must be submitted to the International Office. Visit the website of the International Office for all necessary information. Submit your application via Mobility Online.
You will receive a decision within 6 weeks of the application deadline. The decision upon your application is made by the International Office and the International Coordinators of your faculty. You will receive notice of the decision by the International Office. After a successful application, please contact the international coordinators of your faculty to discuss course selection during your stay and signing a Learning Agreement.
The Learning Agreement is a form that includes a list of the courses you want to attend at the partner university during your visit. It is an agreement between student, home university and host university. The home university confirms that the courses match the study regulations and can be approved after your return. The host university confirms that the student can select and attend these courses. The student agrees to attend the courses.
The Learning Agreement must be signed by all parties prior to the study or internship period abroad. As of summer semester 2022, the Learning Agreements of the Erasmus+ programs are signed online and saved digitally in a database. The Learning Agreement can be modified for up to five weeks after you started your stay, if all parties agree. Modifications are very common.
If you are part of a different program than Erasmus+, the Learning Agreements are not signed digitally. In this case, you can download and complete the Learning Agreement (PDF 66 KB) yourself.
Before leaving, you must sign a Learning Agreement (PDF 66 KB). Add a list of the courses you wish to attend during your stay and have transferred after your return. To this end, you must read the course program of your partner university before hand and select the modules you want to complete courses in. In the Learning Agreement, you will have to assign the courses from your partner university to the modules of your degree program at RheinMain University of Applied Sciences. Please make sure that the scope and content of the courses match the courses you would have to complete in your regular degree program.
When you have your list of potential courses, make an appointment to discuss your course selection with international-sw[at]hs-rm.de. Subsequently, the Learning Agreement can be signed. The agreement must be signed by all parties at the latest one day before you leave for your exchange. As of summer semester 2022, the Learning Agreements are signed online and saved digitally in a database.
Class and term periods abroad can significantly differ from the periods in Germany. In general, classes start earlier at the partner universities (between August and October in the winter, and January/February in the summer). Some universities divide the academic years in trimesters.
Find out early on what the academic calender looks like at your partner university. In some cases, individual solutions for examinations must be found. In case of an overlap, please contact the respective lecturer about the issue. If you cannot find a good solution with your lecturer, please contact the module coordinator or the Examination Board to discuss your issue.
Make sure to take care of the many organizational issues before traveling: language skills, entry requirements, validity of identification documents, visa, flights, living arrangements, if necessary, subletting your own apartment, insurance, vaccinations. In addition, be aware of the formalities necessary for RheinMain University of Applied Sciences (e.g. re-registration), the enrollment procedure at the partner university, childcare arrangements for students with child or special travel requirements for students with disabilities.
For more information, please contact the International Office.
The approval of courses completed abroad is handled by Approval Coordinator of the faculty. The Learning Agreement facilitates this process, since it determines course details before leaving. The courses stated in the Learning Agreement will be approved after your return (if you passed the examinations).
In many cases, the grades obtained abroad do not correspond to the grading system applied at RheinMain University of Applied Sciences. The grades might have to be converted. After returning, submit a transcript of the courses completed abroad (e.g. transcript of records) to the International Office. The International Office will convert the grades you obtained during your stay abroad. Grade conversion is based on the Bavarian Formula.