Student Mobility for Studies (SMS) - Outgoing

Interested in studying abroad? Erasmus+ offers students at the University of Freiburg the opportunity to study abroad at a host university in Europe and beyond. Below you will find everything outgoing students need to know along with links and references to further information and contacts.

Advantages of Erasmus+

You are exempt from tuition fees at your host university.
You receive a monthly grant in accordance with your country group and, if applicable, a supplementary grant for certain groups.
The Erasmus+ coordinators at the University of Freiburg and your host university provide you with advice and support.
You conclude a Learning Agreement with the Erasmus+ departmental coordinator in your department and the host university.
Your achievements abroad can be recognised on the basis of the Learning Agreement.
You have the opportunity to participate in online language courses (website in German) prior to your stay.
You take part in a departmental-level exchange between the University of Freiburg and the host university and can therefore use your department’s Erasmus+ agreements.
Under Erasmus+, you can also receive funding for an internship abroad.

Application procedure

Find out how to apply for a spot on an Erasmus+ exchange here.

Requirements for participation

You must meet the following general requirements to apply to study abroad with Erasmus+:

You are enrolled at the University of Freiburg.
You have already successfully completed your first year of study (for a bachelor’s degree/state examination).
You have sufficient knowledge of the language of instruction at your desired host university at the time of application.

In order to prepare linguistically for the stay abroad, we recommend the course offer of the Language Teaching Centre of the University of Freiburg (SLI).

Application

To apply for study abroad with Erasmus+, please contact the Erasmus+ coordinator in your department (see below). The faculties and departments offer websites and info events to inform you about further application requirements, application deadlines and the available partnerships and exchange spots. Please start learning about the Erasmus+ opportunities available to you about a year before you plan to go abroad. An overview of the application process with helpful tips can be found here:

Overview of application procedure

A list of the Erasmus+ agreements by field of study can be found here. The list contains information on the study cycle (Bachelor, Master, PhD) and the number of semester places of the respective agreement:

List of Erasmus+ agreements

You also have the opportunity to view the experience reports of outgoing students at the University of Freiburg and use them to prepare for your Erasmus+ stay. Students of the University of Freiburg have access to the experience reports via the Ilias learning platform:

Erasmus+ experience reports on Ilias

Faculty and International Office

The Erasmus+ programme at the University of Freiburg is administered at the university level by the International Office as well as at the level of your faculty/department. The faculties work closely with the International Office to ensure that you are optimally prepared for your stay abroad. Below you will find an overview of the responsibilities and a time frame for the Erasmus application process:

Your faculty/department

The Erasmus+ departmental coordinators are your contacts within your faculty. They will support you in your application for a spot on an Erasmus+ exchange as well as in all academic matters pertaining to your stay abroad.

The application for an Erasmus spot and the selection of applicants takes place at your faculty. The application deadlines for most faculties are in January.
Contact the Erasmus+ departmental coordinators with any questions regarding the academic planning of your Erasmus stay (proper timing, integrating your stay abroad into your studies, suitable partner universities, special application requirements, course selection, options for the recognition of courses, etc.). For an overview of contacts, please consult the List of Erasmus+ departmental coordinators.
The learning agreement is concluded via the mobility platform Mobility-Online between you, your subject coordinator at the University of Freiburg and the host university. In Table A you enter the courses you are taking at the host university and in Table B how they will be recognized at the University of Freiburg. General information on this can be found on the page about recognition and credit transfer during studies [in German] and for the University of Freiburg on the page about recognition of study and examination achievements abroad.
If you have been selected for an exchange spot, you will be nominated (= as an Erasmus+ student for an exchange spot) by the Erasmus+ departmental coordinator at the host university and by the International Office at the University of Freiburg.

The International Office

We are your point of contact when it comes to Erasmus documents, the Erasmus grant, general administrative matters and the procedure on the mobility platform Mobility-Online.

The Erasmus+ departmental coordinators inform the International Office about who has been selected for the exchange. You will then be given the opportunity to register on the mobility platform, where you will complete further steps before, during and after your stay abroad.
The International Office will advise you on questions regarding your Erasmus grant and the preparation of the grant agreement, including questions about funding rates, funding duration, top-up amounts and BAföG certificates.
You should also contact the International Office if there are any changes to your stay abroad, such as extensions or reductions to the length of your stay or if you have questions about dropping out.

You also have the opportunity to participate in online language courses (OLS language courses) via the mobility platform to help you further prepare for your Erasmus stay.

Applying to a different subject

If your department does not offer exchange places at your chosen university or if these places have already been filled, it may seem like a good idea to apply for an exchange place in another department and therefore in a different subject. However, this requires a higher degree of personal initiative and many individual arrangements. There are a number of things to consider, as this will mean additional work for both you and the universities involved, and will present certain challenges.

Erasmus+ is designed to facilitate student exchanges at the level of your field of study. This is the best and easiest way to implement some of the programme’s advantages and requirements, e.g. subject-related support at your home and host university, a suitable course programme, a Learning Agreement that includes the recognition of your coursework, etc. Erasmus+ is not designed to facilitate mobility outside of your subject area.

Applying to a different subject means that, in addition to the two faculties that have agreed to the exchange place, the two faculties that are providing academic support must also be involved in the agreement and communication. So there are four departments involved instead of two. This not only affects the initial agreement, but also academic advising, the creation of the Learning Agreement and questions about recognition of coursework.

It is initially up to the faculties and departments of the University of Freiburg to decide whether to accept applications to a different subject.

If such applications are accepted, they are restricted to applications for places remaining after the faculty’s regular application process.

The host university must agree to the application to a different subject and be able to provide support in the desired subject area.

In addition, it must be ensured that the host university offers a curriculum that supports specialized studies and allows for the recognition of coursework.

We therefore strongly recommend making use of the exchange places offered by your own department and seeking advice from the Erasmus+ departmental coordinators. This makes it possible to identify various options. Mobilities outside of the framework of the Erasmus+ programme can be better implemented in other ways, e.g. as a free mover. We also recommend that you look into other exchange programmes. You can find more information on this page under “Other mobility options” and the "Wege ins Ausland" (Going abroad information event).

Funding conditions

Length of stay

The length of an Erasmus+ stay depends on the semester and lecture periods at the host university. In general, funding is available for study visits of 2 to 12 months. “Blended” formats, which allow for a combination of virtual and in-person stays, are also possible. A maximum of 12 months per phase of study (bachelor, master, doctorate) can be funded via Erasmus+. This includes both study visits and internships within the framework of Erasmus+. For long-cycle degree programmes (e.g. state examination), a total of 24 months abroad is possible.

Funding period

Participants in the Erasmus+ programme are granted funding for a fixed period, during which the mobility grant is paid. For study visits from the academic year 2022/23 onwards, the following funding periods apply:

For stays of one semester, the funding period corresponds to a maximum of four months (120 days).
For stays of two semesters, the funding period corresponds to a maximum of eight months (240 days).

This funding period does not have to correspond to the actual duration of stay.
The mobility grant is paid in two instalments. Participants receive the first instalment at the beginning of their stay abroad and the second instalment after their stay abroad, once they have submitted the required documents.

Funding rates

The mobility grant for Erasmus+ study visits is divided into three country groups. The amount of funding is based on the cost of living in the destination countries. In addition, certain groups receive extra support in the form of top-ups:

Students who travel sustainably and in particular avoid air travel ("green travel")
Students with a chronic illness or a degree of disability (Grad der Behinderung – GdB) of at least 20
Students whose children are accompanying them during their stay abroad
First-generation university students (students whose parents did not earn a university degree)
Working students with a regular income who have to interrupt their employment during their stay abroad

You can find the exact funding rates and top-up amounts in the following overview:

Funding rates and top-up amounts 2024/25

Funding rates and top-up amounts 2023/24

Information sheet on additional funding (top-up amounts) and real costs

Please note that there is no legal entitlement to funding or to a specific grant amount.

Other mobility options

International partners

In addition to the Erasmus+ programme countries, there are also agreements with international partners within the framework of Erasmus+ Worldwide (International Credit Mobility).

At the University of Freiburg, you can also participate in the Freiburg Global Exchange and spend a period of time abroad at one of our partner universities worldwide.

European partners

Students at the University of Freiburg also have the opportunity to take part in an Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programmes (BIP), provided that this is offered as part of a joint course with our partner universities. The relevant courses are organized by the respective lecturer and announced in the course catalogue. Students can take part if they attend the corresponding course.

Eucor – The European Campus offers students at the University of Freiburg the option of attending courses at our partner universities on the Upper Rhine (Basel, Mulhouse, Karlsruhe, Strasbourg).

The University of Freiburg is a member of the European University Alliance EPICUR, which means that all students are eligible to participate in EPICUR activities.

United Kingdom

Within the framework of the newly concluded student exchange agreements, students at the University of Freiburg can continue to study abroad in the UK without having to pay tuition fees there. The UK does not participate in Erasmus+ and is therefore no longer an Erasmus+ programme country but instead an (international) partner country. The University of Freiburg can fund a certain proportion of international mobilities through Erasmus+ and will thus continue to support exchanges with the UK.

For stays of up to six months, a visa for the UK is typically not required for EU citizens. Stays of six months or longer require a fee-based visa. Additional fees in the form of an Immigration Health Surcharge and the need to prove advanced language proficiency through language tests such as IELTS or TOEFL may also arise.

For more information, please visit the pages of the UK government.

Switzerland

Switzerland does not participate in Erasmus+. The Swiss European Mobility Programme (SEMP) supports mobilities at universities in Switzerland from the Swiss side. The basic features of the SEMP are similar to the Erasmus programme. If your faculty has concluded student exchange agreements with Swiss universities, apply for these spots via the departmental coordinator at your faculty.

Free Mover (without exchange programme)

As an alternative to the exchange programs mentioned above, you also have the option of organizing a stay abroad independently. You can find out which requirements apply here and how to find further information on the Free Mover page.

Erasmus+ departmental coordinators

At the University of Freiburg, in addition to the Erasmus team in the International Office, you can also find the Erasmus+ departmental coordinators in the faculties and departments. Here, for example, you will find the first point of contact for planning and applying for a spot on a Erasmus+ exchange (see "Application procedure"). The following list shows the Erasmus+ departmental coordinators by faculty and study area with website and contact details:

List of Erasmus+ departmental coordinators