Practical information

If you have applied for a study abroad program, you will usually receive feedback from the host university within 8 weeks after the application deadline, or at best an acceptance letter. After receiving the acceptance letter, you can take further steps, such as applying for a visa, booking flights.

A credit card is a great advantage for a stay abroad. Often credit cards can be used as an everyday means of payment. However, the use of credit cards abroad can be expensive, so you should find out in advance exactly how much it costs and find out about favorable offers for students. Also check out the experience reports to get tips from other students.

If you are receiving Auslands-BAföG during your semester abroad, you must send the office a confirmation from the h_da about your stay abroad. Please ask the responsible BAföG office for a template and forward it to us pre-filled.

Inform yourself in good time about required and recommended vaccinations for your stay abroad at your family doctor.

If you make arrangements with the faculty in good time, you can have achievements that you have made abroad recognized for your studies at the h_da. For the recognition of your achievements, you must conclude a so-called  Learning Agreement with the department before your stay. The authorized signatory in each department is either the chairperson of the examination board or the international representative. If there are any subsequent changes in the course selection, please make sure to discuss them again with the department and record them. A Learning Agreement signed by both parties is legally binding: in this way, you can ensure that the work you have actually completed and agreed upon in advance will actually be recognized. The examination board of the h_da has 8 weeks for the recognition of achievements. At the end of your stay abroad, submit the signed Learning Agreement plus your transcript of records to the examination board.
Important: A (Online) Learning Agreement is a mandatory document for ERASMUS stays. It is recommended for overseas stays but obligatory if you receive a scholarship such as PROMOS or HAW.International.

Please contact the examination office in your department for the conversion of grades for work completed abroad. Please also refer to the h_da's recognition statutes.

The RMV fee can be reimbursed by the AStA if you can prove that you were absent for at least 3 full months during your stay abroad. You can find a corresponding application form here. You can apply for proof of your stay abroad at the International Office.
Please also consider the following scenario:
For example, you are in a semester abroad between March and June and have the RMV fee reimbursed. At the beginning of July you are back in Germany. In this case, you cannot use the semester ticket until the end of the semester in Germany.

Make sure before leaving the country that you

• have informed yourself sufficiently about the security situation and the health system in the host country through the pages of the German Foreign Office and the local embassy
• have registered yourself in the crisis precaution list ELEFAND of the German Foreign Office (only possible for German nationals). The recent Corona pandemic has shown how important such a registration can be. Remember to delete the entry upon return so as not to overload the system in the event of a crisis
• Inform family/friends of your travel plans and dates before leaving the country.
• Prepare a list of emergency contacts (e.g., bank, health insurance, embassy).
• Bring copies of important documents with you (e.g., passport, immunization record, visa, tickets)
• Bring a travel first aid kit with you (especially abrasions are often underestimated).

In the case of a pandemic or natural disaster:

• Make sure before leaving the country that you
  • have informed yourself sufficiently about the security situation and the health system in the host country through the pages of the German Foreign Office and the local embassy
  • you have registered yourself in the crisis precaution list ELEFAND of the German Foreign Office (only possible for German nationals). The recent Corona pandemic has shown how important such a registration can be. Remember to delete the entry upon return so as not to overload the system in the event of a crisis
  • have reported your stay abroad to the International Office and registered it through our MoveON portal
  • your postal address on my.h-da is up to date
  • have sufficient health insurance coverage, i.e. one that includes endemics and pandemics and provides coverage in case of a travel warning by the German Foreign Office

For h_da, health and safety are top priorities. Therefore, we strongly advise against traveling to high-risk areas and to countries or regions with a travel warning issued by the German Foreign Office.

If a crisis situation arises during your stay abroad,

• follow the preventive measures put in place by the local authorities as well as the guidelines put forth by the host institution
• and you wish to terminate your stay, please contact us as soon as possible. In the case of Erasmus+ or PROMOS funding, certain evidence of the termination of the stay must be provided

Find out in good time about the language of instruction/company: about the required level and in what form you must be able to prove this.
At Asian partner universities, for example, a selection of courses is offered in English, while in Spain and Italy national language skills are required.
Take advantage of this opportunity and attend the language courses offered at h_da. You can also participate in the h_da Buddy Programme, where you can develop or acquire language skills through contact with incoming students.
If you are planning an Erasmus+ semester or traineeship, you have the possibilty to receive an Erasmus+ grant for a language course in your host country prior to your Erasmus+ stay for up to 14 days.
General recommendation: at least B1 in the language of instruction.

You can apply for a semester of leave during the re-registration period. Inquire in detail about the advantages and disadvantages of a semester abroad.

Important insurances:

• International - health insurance (mandatory): make sure you have comprehensive and adequate health insurance coverage while abroad, covering hospitalization and return transportation to your home country. Find out if the insurance covers pandemic cases. Make sure that insurance coverage begins on the date of departure and does not end until after return.
• Liability insurance (mandatory for internships)
• Accident insurance (mandatory for internships)

Find out exactly whether you need a visa for your host country, which documents are required, when and where you have to apply for it at the latest. It is recommended that you start applying for a visa as soon as you have received the acceptance letter from the host university or the invitation letter from the host institution.

If you are staying in Germany with a residence permit (e.g. residence permit for the purpose of study according to §16b), please bear the following points in mind when planning your semester abroad:

• It is necessary that your residence permit is still valid until after your return to Germany.
• If this is not the case, make sure you apply for an extension of your residence permit in good time before your stay abroad. It is best to submit a written application to your foreigners registration office three months before your departure.
• Do not travel outside of Germany, if your residence status is unclear.
• Please note that you may generally not leave Germany for longer than six months at a time. A residence permit becomes invalid six months after leaving Germany.
• General information on the topic of residence permit and contact details for queries can be found on this page: https://h-da.de/en/residence-permit

Some partner universities offer places in dormitories, for which you can sometimes already apply with your application for a study place. Sometimes it also makes sense to look for a place on your own. This depends on your own needs and partly also on the host country and the partner university. You can also get tips on this topic in the experience reports.

Before you leave, find out where and in what form (by mail or e-mail) the transcript will be sent. If your transcript of records (ToR) is sent as an original to the International Office of the h_da, you can pick it up personally or have it picked up with a power of attorney.
We will be happy to forward the transcript to you if you have submitted all the required documents to us (e.g. Experience Report, Certificate of Attendance).
On the h_da transcript, there is no specific information about where you performed services, only that services were performed externally.