FAQ

Dear students,

on this page we have compiled the answers to the most common and important questions for you.
Please have a look at the FAQ before contacting us. If you have any further questions, we will be more than happy to help you via email.

General advice on studying abroad

© selbstbild-fotografik.de

Sorjana Eickenberg
Schlossgarten 3, 48149 Münster
Room 206
Tel: +49 251 83-21510
auslandsstudium@uni-muenster.de

After the application

© selbstbild-fotografik.de

Petra Hille
Schlossgarten 3, 48149 Münster
Raum 201
Tel: +49 251 83-2 22 55
petra.hille@uni-muenster.de

  • Before the application

    How can I find out about opportunities to study abroad?

    If you are looking for general advice, please contact Carina Koch for an appointment. With her you can clarify general questions about our partner universities, the organization of the stay and the financing.

    What do I have to consider when choosing a partner university?

    Not all partner universities offer study programmes equivalent to those offered at the University of Münster. Therefore, if you are interested, you should first find out whether the partner university offers your study program or suitable courses. In addition, some partner universities only offer undergraduate courses for exchange students.

    Do I have to pay semester fees at the partner university?

    In most cases, you do not have to pay semester fees at our partner universities. However, exceptions are partner universities that only offer fee-based programmes. In this case, you will usually receive a discount on the tuition fees at the partner university. Please inform yourself in detail about possible tuition fees on our information pages of the International Office on the individual partner universities. The International Office of the University of Münster is not responsible for any changes in tuition fees and does not take any liability.

    What funding options are available?

    To support the financing of a semester abroad at one of the central partner universities of the University of Münster, the PROMOS scholarship is suitable The PROMOS scholarship funds study stays in non-EU countries of up to 6 months. The selection of scholarship holders for the university partnerships is not made by the departments, but by a selection board of the International Office. For the university-wide partnerships of Münster University, a separate funding pot is available within the PROMOS budget. Further information on the PROMOS scholarship can be found here.
    You also have the possibility to apply for Auslands-BAföG. Please inform yourself about this on the pages of the Auslands-BAföG.

  • Application for an exchange place at a central partner university

    What are the application deadlines for central partner universities?

    The application deadlines for all central partner universities are 31.01. for the following winter semester and 31.07. for the summer semester (of the following year). Exceptions are our two partner universities in Canada, as well as the International Christian University in Mitaka (Japan): for this university, the application deadline is 31.01. for both the summer and winter semester.
    Please note that applications cannot be accepted after the deadline!

    Can I apply to more than one partner university at the same time?

    You can apply to a maximum of three partner universities at the same time, whereby a separate and complete application must be submitted for each partner university. Furthermore, in the case of multiple applications, you should also indicate your priorities in the email with which you send your applications.
    In addition to your application to the International Office, you may also apply for places at departmental partner universities in your department. This does not reduce your chances of getting a place at one of the central partner universities of the International Office.

    What documents do I have to submit with my application?

    The documents may vary depending on the partner university. In any case, however, a letter of motivation, a curriculum vitae in table form, a current transcript of records (from the month of application) and a suitable language certificate must be submitted for each university.

    What do I have to consider for the language certificate?

    The type of language certificate can vary depending on the partner university. Therefore, always check the information on our website for the partner universities. However, the minimum requirement for all partner universities is that language certificates must not be older than three years at the time of application. But some partner universities also have higher requirements.

    Can I also submit language certificates from the University of Münster?

    Unless the partner university has specific requirements regarding the type of language certificate (e.g. TOEFL ibT, IELTS, etc.), you can also submit language certificates that you have taken within the University of Münster.
    For English, the Language Center of the University of Münster offers the DAAD Language Certificate. For languages other than English, the Language Center does not offer any language certificates. In this case, you must either submit suitable language course certificates or contact the lecturers of the corresponding philologies.

    What should my letter of motivation include?

    Your letter of motivation should primarily present why you are applying for an exchange place at the particular partner university. It should not exceed 2 pages. It is helpful to ask yourself the following questions, for example: Why did you choose this university? What interests you about the country in which the partner university is located? What professional and/or personal goals are you pursuing with your stay at the partner university? Which courses at the partner university are particularly appealing to you? Of course, you can also highlight other points that were decisive for you as a motivation in choosing the partner university. You can find more tips for your motivation letter here.

    How does the application process work?

    After you have submitted your application on time, we will check it and confirm that we have received your application documents and that they are complete. If any documents are missing from your application, we will contact you by e-mail. Approximately 6 weeks after the application deadline, you will receive feedback from us whether we will offer you a place at one of our central partner universities.

    Please note, however, that once you have been nominated by the International Office, you must also be accepted by the partner university. This usually requires a further application step directly at the host university. Although a nomination by the International Office makes acceptance by the host university very likely, you can only go abroad after the partner university has reviewed and officially accepted your application.

    Assessment and admission criteria

    You have to send your application in time as a pdf-document (ONE PDF document per university) containing all required documents via email to Dr. Petra Hille. Please refrain from hand-delivering your application in letter form. Your application should be complete, clearly structured and meet the formal standard of an application. In addition to these criteria, your letter of motivation, your academic achievements and your CV are primarily relevant.

  • After the application and before the start of the stay abroad

    Do I have to submit further documents after applying at the International Office?

    Depending on the partner university, further application steps and documents are required. If you have received and accepted an exchange place, we will inform you by e-mail about all further application steps.
    Among other things, you will sign an official declaration of acceptance with regard to the place at the central partner university, which we will send to you by email with the offer of nomination.
    After acceptance by the partner university, we will also send you a Learning Agreement. This serves to list your desired courses at the host university and can be used as a basis for crediting the courses at Münster University.
    You can find and download both the declaration of acceptance and the learning agreement at the following link www.uni-muenster.de/InternationalOffice/formulare.html

    When should I take care of the credit transfer?

    If you would like to receive credits for your studies abroad at the University of Münster, you should have the selected courses checked for creditability by your department BEFORE your stay. This may also help you decide which courses to take. Of course, there may be changes to the courses at the beginning of the semester abroad. However, these can then usually be clarified more quickly with regard to possible credit transfer.

    Do I need health insurance overseas?

    With your European Health Insurance Card you are only insured within the European area. For a semester abroad in a non-European country, you therefore need to take out additional health insurance. Please inform yourself about the different providers and the respective conditions. You also have the possibility to contact your health insurance company directly and discuss possible options.
    Some host universities require that you take out local health insurance in the country of the partner university. These are usually mandatory and cannot be replaced by taking out German health insurance overseas. So before taking out a German health insurance policy, please first find out whether you need to take out a health insurance policy with the host university. You can find information on this on our partner university websites and on the websites of your host university. In most cases, the host university will also inform you by email about mandatory insurance policies.
    Travel safety
    We strongly recommend that you inform yourself about travel warnings on the website of the German Foreign Office and register in the ELEFAND system ("Electronic Registration of Germans Abroad") before departure - especially in regions with a critical security situation.

  • During the semester abroad

    Who should I notify of changes in my course selection?

    If there are any changes in your course selection at the beginning of your study abroad, please contact us and your department.

  • After the semester abroad

    Experience report

    By accepting a place at a central partner university, you agree to send us an experience report at the end of your semester abroad. This allows us to collect detailed information about the respective university and its offers. If you agree to an anonymised publication of your experience report on our website, it could serve as an orientation or decision-making aid for future students.
    Guideline for reports

    How do I get my Transcript of Records from the partner university?

    Your Transcript of Records is usually sent to us directly from the partner university. As soon as we have received it and you have submitted your experience report, we will forward it to you.