Study in Europe

A semester abroad has many advantages - participation in the Erasmus+ program offers you, among other things

• financial support
• the elimination of tuition fees at the host university
• special funding in certain cases (green travel, limited opportunities)
• support at your home and host universities
• recognition of the achievements listed in the Learning Agreement
• use of the EU's OLS language learning tool
• intercultural experience and development of intercultural competence
• getting to know other/new learning and teaching methods

• Bachelor's students should be at least in their 2nd semester of study when they start their semester abroad and should have acquired the relevant credits. Master's students should be at least in their 2nd semester when they start their semester abroad and have completed the relevant coursework. Depending on the department, there may be different requirements for the minimum number of semesters and ECTS credits completed before the foreign stays. Please contact your international coordinator for more information.
• You must have good language skills in the language of instruction at your host university. You can improve your language skills before the start of your foreign stays, e.g. by attending a language course at the ZSIK.
• Age and nationality are irrelevant as long as you are regularly enrolled at our university.
• You must have a solidacademic record. The selection of scholarship holders is merit-based.
• Scholarship holders must fulfill the Erasmus Student Charter be recognized.

You can find all partner universities in the Mobility online portal. Filter by faculty/department, field of study and academic year. You can specify three preferred universities in your application.

In addition to our staff and the internationalization officers of the faculties, the experience reports of previous exchange students (to be found in Mobility Online) will also help you make your decision.

Please note that you can only go to partner universities of your department via Erasmus within the framework of contracts for your own degree program and level of study (BA or MA).

HAW Kiel participates in the Franco-German University (DFH) . Bachelorstudents of Business Administration have the opportunity to obtain a Franco-German double degree. The course is run jointly with the Université Savoie Mont-Blanc.

HAW Kiel also participates in the European Project Semester (EPS) within the framework of Erasmus. The EPS is offered at 21 European universities. The focus is on project-oriented and problem-based learning. The program is designed to prepare engineering students for global working life. Students work in small, multinational and interdisciplinary teams on real projects.

1. internal application at HAW Kiel: You first apply for an Erasmus study place at HAW Kiel via the Mobility Online portal. Your application documents will then be checked and your place allocated.

2. place allocation and acceptance: Once you have been accepted for an Erasmus place, you must accept or reject it.

3. nomination at the host university: Once you have accepted the place, you will be nominated at the partner university assigned to you (i.e. your core data will be sent to the partner university).

4. application/registration at the host university: You must apply or register at the partner university assigned to you independently and on time with the required documents. The final decision on acceptance is made by the partner university. As a rule, all nominated students are accepted.

You applyonline via the application portal Mobility Online

1. open the portal and filter by partner university.

2. click on the green circle next to the university of your first choice. You will be automatically redirected to the registration page.

3. register with your university e-mail address and complete your details. Once you have submitted the registration form, you will receive access to the application portal. The portal (Mobility Online) will show you the next steps.

You will need the following documents for your application:

• Letter of motivation relating to your first choice
• curriculum vitae
• Transcript of records
• List of outstanding achievements
• Language certificate (can be submitted later)

4. complete your documents up to the point "upload signed application form".

The application will be reviewed by the International Office and the International Coordinator. The following selection criteria apply:

• Previous academic achievements
• motivation
• Language skills (Course content)

If there are more applicants than places at the desired partner university, a redistribution will take place. The final decision is made by the international coordinators.

If you complete a foreign stays at one of our partner universities, the recognition of your academic achievements is guaranteed if you follow the following steps:

1. you research possible modules that you would like to take at the host university and enter them in the digital learning agreement (DLA). The DLA is a contract in which the host university, the home university and you agree which courses you want to take at the partner university and which you want to replace at the home university. This documents in advance which courses are to be recognized. According to EU regulations, DLA must be exchanged in advance by all parties prior to mobility. From 2022, the LA must be completed and signed digitally via the application portal. If you have been selected for an Erasmus place, the LA will be sent digitally with your signature to the coordinator of the home university, checked, signed and then sent through the portal to the coordinator of the host university. The LA will also be checked and countersigned there. This gives you certainty about the study program at the host university and subsequent recognition before you start your studies abroad.

2. if you want/need to change modules at the place of study, you can update your study plan in the second part of the DLA ("During the Mobility") within four weeks of arrival. This is done digitally in Mobility Online by indicating whether or not you wish to make changes in the DLA. The coordinator will check the updated DLA and confirm the changes in the portal.

3. before returning to Kiel, please remember the Transcript of Records. Some universities send the transcript directly to the IO in Kiel after your departure. We will inform you as soon as your transcript is available here. Many host universities also only issue the ToR in digital form.

4 In Kiel, the program/abroad coordinator of your department and the examination office of your degree program are responsible for the recognition and booking of credits earned abroad. After completing your studies abroad, submit the following documents to the Examinations Office via the program coordinator:

1. the application for recognition (downloadable from Mobility Online)

2. the transcript of records

3. if applicable, the original and the amended LA

Please note: The LA or amended LA and the "Transcript of Records" must match with regard to the subjects and the number of credits.

In case of doubt, the chair of the examination board may ask you to provide proof of academic achievements. In this case, you should keep all study documents such as transcripts, assignments, examination documents, module descriptions and a grading scale from your host university.

The recognition of coursework completed abroad and the conversion of grades are the responsibility of the international coordinators and examination offices.

A general guide to grade conversion can be found here.

The "ECTS grade" indicates the position in a ranking according to the following classes:

The top 10% receive the ECTS grade "A", the next 25% "B", the next 30% "C", the next 25% "D" and the next 10% who have still passed receive the ECTS grade "E".

Based on this, the ECTS grades are assigned as follows:

1.0 - 1.3: ECTS grade A
1.7 - 2.0: ECTS grade B
2.3 - 2.7: ECTS grade C
3.0 - 3.3: ECTS grade D
4.0 : ECTS grade E

The grades are recorded by the Examination Office. The foreign stays are also recorded in the Diploma Supplement. This is a supplement to the university degree certificate, in which the study periods spent abroad and the achievements made are documented. Please contact your examination office for this.

The amount of funding depends on the destination country in which you are spending your semester abroad and is based on the cost of living there. The funding rates may vary from year to year.

For stays from the academic year 2024/25 onwards, the following country allocations and funding rates apply:

Country group 1:
Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden: €600/month

Country group 2:
Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Malta, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Czech Republic, Cyprus: €540/month

Country group 3:
Bulgaria, Croatia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Turkey, Hungary: €540/month

Please note that it is up to the International Office to decide from which project year the Erasmus+ mobilities will be funded.

From the 2025 project onwards (semester stays from winter semester 25/26), Erasmus+ will support all students with a travel allowance based on the distance to the host university.

Low-emission travel is particularly encouraged. Students who travel sustainably receive a higher travel allowance. For foreign stays from the winter semester 2024/25 onwards, it is possible to apply for additional funding for green travel. If you travel to the host university and/or return by environmentally friendly means of transport (train, bus, car pooling or bicycle), you can apply for funding for additional travel days for green travel. In this case, you can claim up to six additional days of funding for the longer outward and return journey (the actual requirement applies). Funding is based on the daily rate of the respective country group of your host country. To apply for Erasmus+ Top-up for Green Travel, please use the declaration of honor (download in Mobility Online). Proof must be submitted on request.

From winter semester 2024/25, students can receive one additional day of funding for non-low-emission travel and from winter semester 2025/26 two additional days as travel days. An honorary declaration can also be completed for this when applying.

Additional funding for students with "fewer opportunities"

Students with special needs (chronic illness or disability, children, non-academic parents, employment) can apply for additional funding via the Erasmus+ program (top-up). This grant of €250 per month for participants with fewer opportunities can only be applied for once, even if several of the criteria for receiving the grant are met.

When preparing for your Erasmus stay, please let us know your situation via our application portal. General information can be found on the NA DAAD website.

Press release