Study Abroad
Opportunities to Study Abroad
The most popular way to study abroad for one or more semesters is to take part in exchange programs such as ERASMUS (Europe), ISAP (USA, Canada) and ECIU (worldwide) or to make use of TUHH partnerships that are independent of these programs. But you can also make your own arrangements for studying abroad – at any university in the world.
Making use of partnerships or exchange programs is usually less expensive, given that you will be largely exempted from paying student fees and cost-of-living grants may be available, depending on the program. Simplified registration formalities and known local contacts also make life much easier. Organizing your own study abroad requires much more independent research, and you will need to clear bureaucratic hurdles, but its advantage is that you get to know more about the country and its education system.
In principle it is up to you to decide whether to attend lectures and/or to complete course work or work on your thesis. Doing course work abroad presupposes that you have an academic supervisor both at the TUHH and at the host university. And if you are attending lectures you should also consult your academic staff before leaving about whether and how they can count toward your degree course.
Timing
Time is best spent abroad during your Hauptstudium (main, as opposed to preliminary, studies) because that is when it makes most sense to integrate studying abroad into your degree course. Many funding schemes also require you to have passed an intermediate examination before taking up your scholarship.
In principle you should start planning study time to be spent abroad a year to a year and a half in advance. That is the time you will need to carry out research in depth and to meet deadlines for scholarships and applications. You may also find that you cannot carry out your chosen project at a certain university and will need to make alternative arrangements. So time in hand is essential.
Please find out in time about the academic year and application deadlines in your host country along with the deadlines set by scholarship funders.
Funding
- To plan the cost of studying abroad you will need to find out about:
- student fees
- living costs in the country of your choice
- the cost of getting there and back.
Funding is available from scholarship programs. The principle applied here is that time spent abroad is never funded in full. A scholarship is merely intended to offset the extra expenditure that students incur abroad. That is why most scholarship providers mainly pay travel costs and study fees, if applicable, plus a grant toward the cost of living.
The TUHH's exchange programs offer an opportunity to combine time spent abroad with a scholarship. While ERASMUS funds study abroad at certain European universities, the ISAP Program offers one-year scholarships for the University of California at Berkeley or the University of Waterloo.
Students who already receive BAföG loans in Germany stand a good chance of qualifying for BAföG abroad. If they fail to do so, submitting an application can still make sense because the loan will take into account the higher cost of studying abroad, especially any student fees that may have to be paid. Educational loans can also offset additional expenses abroad.
In addition, financial support may be available from the Education Program for Gifted Youth. Foundation websites and websites for BAföG abroad and "Bildungskredit" will be found in the link list.
For an overview of funding opportunities, click here.
Applying
You will frequently need to write two applications to study abroad – one for a place at the host university and another for a scholarship or to join an exchange program.
Applying for a place will as a rule be via the International Office or the program coordinator. If more applications to study at a partner university are received than places are available, the International Office will need to put a selection procedure in place. That is why application deadlines at the TUHH are longer than those at the partner university. Please also find out in time what application documents you will require. They will need to be written in the language of your host country or in English.
Scholarship or program application deadlines are frequently long before you will need to apply for a place. The runup period for DAAD scholarships in particular can be up to a year and a half (and the DAAD is one of the most generous German scholarship providers). What is more, scholarship applications usually have to be accompanied by academic recommendations and language certificates, both of which can take a fair amount of time to assemble. As a rule, scholarship applications are made to the scholarship provider, but the International Office can offer valuable advice and information.