Application via the International Office

Application requirements

• Students of all subjects who are at least in their second semester at the time of application (Master's students from their first    semester) and who are enrolled at JMU for the entire duration of the stay abroad (semesters off are possible).
•  Good language skills in the respective language of instruction
•  Application documents submitted in full and on time
•  You can choose up to three universities per continent
•  Students of all subjects can apply, provided that their subject is offered at the partner university and has been approved for the exchange.

If an exchange agreement exists for your subject, please apply for an exchange place through your subject. If you have not received an exchange place through your subject, we can check whether we can offer you an exchange place. In this case, please contact the International Office.

Application deadlines

Deadlines for respective semesters can be found here or in the brochure.

Submitting application documents

Application documents for partner universities in China should be written in English. Please fill in the relevant fields in the application portal and upload the following documents directly in the application portal at the appropriate places:

    Letter of motivation

One to two-page presentation of your academic and personal reasons for the planned stay abroad, including a description of your study plans at the host university (focus, course examples). Inform yourself in advance about what the partner university has to offer (course catalogues on the internet, testimonials from alumni). If you indicate several universities in one region, a letter of motivation for the respective first choice is sufficient. Please sign; digital signatures are accepted.

    Curriculum Vitae

Curriculum vitae in tabular form providing information on personal interests, social and civic commitments, awards, memberships in associations, etc. Please sign; digital signatures are accepted.

    Letter of Recommendation

The letter of recommendation should provide information about your academic performance, your academic abilities and your personality. We therefore recommend that you talk to the reviewer in advance. Bring your examination results, CV and study plans at the host university to the interview and explain your motivation for the planned stay abroad.

Please apply for the expert opinion well in advance so that it is available by the application deadline!

    Overview of academic achievements (Transcript of Records)

Printout from WueStudy  in English. If you do not have a transcript of records in your field of study, please submit comparable evidence.

    Proof of language skills

Certificate for the language of instruction or national language of the host university in accordance with the language certificate regulations set by the International Office for the respective partner university.

Please apply for the language certificate early so that it is available by the application deadline at the latest!

    Bachelor's degree certificate

For an application during the Master's programme.

    (After the stay abroad): Field report and Transcript of Records

All participants in an exchange programme are required to submit a report to the International Students Office at the end of their stay abroad.

Furthermore, participants are obliged to request a Transcript of Records (ToR) from the partner university and submit it to the International Office (if the ToR should not be sent directly to the ISO).

In justified exceptional cases, proof of language proficiency and/or expert reports can be submitted later. Please note that the selection process begins immediately after the application deadline. If your application documents are not completed by the application deadline, your application may not be considered.

Application procedure

Applications are assessed by a selection committee on the basis of the documents submitted.

Approximately 4-10 weeks after the application deadline, you will be informed whether and for which exchange programme you will be put forward for and which documents still need to be submitted. Due to the large number of applications, the reasons for the selection committee's decision cannot be disclosed.

Since only a limited number of study places are available at each partner university and the universities have certain requirements in terms of performance, subject, etc., the stated preferences cannot be taken into account in all cases.

In the further course of the application procedure, you may receive a request from the International Office or from the partner university to submit documents by a certain deadline. Therefore, please check your e-mails (including your spam folder) regularly, so that the procedure runs smoothly.

Step 1: Plan in time

Start planning early, i.e. about 1.5 years in advance. For some exchange programmes, formal criteria must be fulfilled; make sure you meet these individual criteria. Stays abroad at a later point in time can make sense, as often focal points have already been set in your studies and can be deepened abroad. Be sure to discuss the stay with your study representative or lecturer beforehand!

When considering the selection criteria of the country, it is especially important to pay attention to the language requirements. It should be noted that the national language is not necessarily always the language of instruction, as many countries offer a wide range of courses in English. Some universities require proven language skills at a certain level before the semester abroad begins. Find out about the requirements at the host university in order to develop your language skills accordingly.

When planning a stay abroad, do not neglect the costs. There are various funding programmes with different conditions and application guidelines.

Step 2: Apply in time

For many study programmes abroad, there is often a very early application deadline! Current deadlines for Chinese universities can be found on the International Office website.

Of course, it is especially important to find the right host university. Make sure you also use the websites of the potential host universities to find out about the courses they offer. After all, you want to get as much out of your stay as possible, not only in terms of the language but also in terms of the subject matter. You can find the various partnership programmes of the University of Würzburg further down on this page or on the website of the International Office.  

Last but not least, you should make sure that your application documents are complete. Allow enough time, for example, to obtain expert opinions and language certificates. Information on the necessary application documents can be found here.

Step 3: Inform yourself in time

After you have been offered an exchange place at your chosen host school, there is still more planning to do. For example, you will need to apply for a VISA for the People's Republic of China. Check with the relevant embassy in time and apply as soon as you receive the official confirmation of admission from the host university. Outside Europe, it is common to need a passport, sometimes with regulations on how long it must be valid. Information is available from the German Foreign Office and the embassies of the countries concerned.

In addition to a VISA, you will also need health insurance. Please check with your health insurance provider before you travel to find out to what extent your insurance cover is valid abroad. You are obliged to ensure that you have sufficient insurance cover yourself, as the exchange programmes and the University of Würzburg do not provide any insurance cover.

Some countries (e.g. the People's Republic of China) require various health certificates and/or proof of vaccination upon entry for a study stay of several months. As a rule, the required forms are enclosed with the application documents or can be obtained from the relevant embassy. Students are obliged to take care of necessary or recommended vaccinations on their own and in time!

You should also contact the host university early to clarify any outstanding issues (e.g. accomodation) and to register. You must not miss the registration deadline under any circumstances! It is also important to clarify the recognition of achievements gained abroad with both the host and the home university before departure. You will find support for all questions regarding accommodation, enrolment, etc. at the International Office of the respective host university and on their websites.

Regarding the housing situation, you may have to pay a deposit or rent in advance so that, for example, the room in the hall of residence can be guaranteed. You could rent out your flat here temporarily, possibly to exchange students coming to Würzburg.

For a successful study stay, it is also extremely important to get to know the culture of the destination country! We therefore recommend that you gather as much information as possible about your host country in order to obtain an overview and familiarise yourself in advance.

Step 4: Complete the last formalities

These include:

•     Apply for a semester off
•     Apply for Bafög abroad
•     Inform yourself about the continued payment of child benefit
•     Check whether all the necessary documents have been submitted to the Service Centre International Affairs (Learning Agreement,   matriculation certificate, etc.)
•     Collect and clarify individual questions
•     Book flights and pack your suitcase

Step 5: Have fun while studying abroad!

During your stay abroad, we strongly recommend that you seek contact with local students. This will not only improve your language skills, but you will also learn a lot more about the university and obtain valuable tips about the country, people, culture, traditions and leisure activities.

One of the decisive advantages of your stay abroad is the opportunity to improve your intercultural competence. Once you have spent one or two semesters abroad, you will become experts of the respective country! The prerequisite for this is to immerse yourself as deeply as possible in the culture of the country, i.e. get to know the locals, take advantage of cultural offers.

A stay abroad should not only serve your professional competence, but also enable you to meet people from all over the world. The best contacts and good friends are made during your studies, and international friendships are an enrichment for life!

It is essential that you discuss the recognition of academic achievements gained at a foreign host university with the relevant university lecturers at JMU BEFORE starting your stay abroad. Information on courses and modules can be found on the websites of the host university.

Equivalent academic achievements must be recognised by your department. For equivalence, an overall assessment must be made, so that two courses or modules in question can be assessed as comparable in terms of content and workload. Only then can two courses be recognised. Please talk to your subject advisors about this in advance!

Please be sure to note that if you wish to receive credit an application for recognition of achievements from abroad must be submitted to the local examination office immediately after the end of the semester abroad.

Further information on the topic of recognition can also be found on the SIA website and on the website of the Examination Office.

Information on the recognition of academic degrees can be found on the website of the DAAD.

Students can take a leave of absence to study abroad. Leave of absence is granted for one or two semesters at a time. However, leave of absence at a later point remains possible. Information and applications for leave of absence can be obtained from the Student Office, Hubland North Campus, Oswald-Külpe-Weg 84/2 (right entrance). Semesters in which a leave of absence has been granted do not count as semesters: The number of semesters is not counted and no examinations can be taken at the University of Würzburg. Exceptions to this are re-examinations and other study achievements that are officially recorded in the previous semester.

In the new degree programmes after the Bologna reform, you can bring 29 ECTS credits (or your performance certificates for old degree programmes) into your Würzburg degree programme - i.e. translate them from abroad - without the semester number being added. From 30 ECTS credits, the number of semesters is increased by one. Advantage: If you do not manage 30 ECTS points abroad, you can study one or two semesters longer. Since you bring accredited modules with you, you can shorten the official duration of your studies with a stay abroad or study the remaining semesters with less effort. Reaching the 30-point limit is not a disadvantage! The regulation only compensates for a possible disadvantage if you do not reach the 30 points. Therefore, you should definitely try to achieve 30 ECTS abroad.

Health insurance

Health insurance is compulsory at most foreign universities. In some cases, the insurance systems differ from the German system. In some countries, the existing German health insurance or an extended German insurance can also be accepted. As a rule, students at a German state-run university must be insured under the statutory health insurance scheme. If a student takes leave of absence from the university for a stay abroad, his or her insurance cover remains valid in all countries with which a recognition agreement exists. Before beginning their studies, students should ask their health insurance provider to provide them with a certificate of insurance and an information sheet for the country in question. The statutory health insurance funds usually issue insurance certificates for their insured persons, which guarantee health insurance cover abroad. However, if you are de-registered from the university, your student insurance cover expires!

Those with private health insurance must clarify with their health insurance provider whether they are covered abroad and for how long. You are obliged to ensure that you have sufficient insurance cover yourself, as the exchange programmes and the University of Würzburg do not provide any insurance cover.

Accident insurance

As a rule, students are insured under the statutory accident insurance during their education and training at universities. This accident insurance cover only applies when studying in Germany, not abroad. If students in a foreign country are not insured against accidents by law or by the host university, it may be advisable to take out private accident insurance and private liability insurance. If you have taken out appropriate private domestic insurance, you should check whether the insurance cover is also included for your destination country. Often, the destination country can also be added to the insurance for a small surcharge.

The responsibility for adequate insurance cover lies solely with the student. The University of Würzburg is not liable for any damages that occur in connection with the stay abroad.

Some countries (e.g. PR China) require various health certificates and/or proof of vaccination upon entry for a study stay of several months. As a rule, the required forms are enclosed with the application documents or can be obtained from the responsible embassy. Students are obliged to take care of necessary or recommended vaccinations on their own and in time!