Outgoing students

Each year, the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) selects a number of German students to study for one or two semesters at a partner university in another country. Study programs and funding options vary depending on the partner university in question.

Further information on university-wide exchange agreements may be found on the website of the International Office (S-International).

There are also many options to spend time abroad for practical training, such as an internship placement; further information on practical training abroad may be found on the website of the International Office.

Which semester is best to go abroad?

In general, we recommend that students go abroad during their Master’s degree program, with the 3rd semester being the most suitable. This can lead to a collision of Master’s examination dates at FAU with the start of studies at the partner university. Please contact the SSC Chemistry if you need earlier examination dates for your Master’s core module examinations due to a stay abroad – there is an extra examination period for ERASMUS students and free movers.

In the Bachelor’s programs, we recommend the fifth semester, although it can be really challenging to find proper and equivalent courses at a partner university and the Bachelor’s courses abroad are mostly held in the national language. This almost inevitably extends the study period, Actually, we can recommend the ERASMUS exchange during the Bachelor’s program only to a very limited extent, cause only very good Bachelor’s students will be able to successfully complete their studies abroad with its linguistic and organizational challenges within the standard period of study. On the opposite, you will have acquired enough subject and language skills during your international Master’s degree program to be able to organize a stay abroad without any problems.

Which language level do I need to go abroad?

It depends on the partner university, in most cases level B2 in the teaching language is required. Universities in the Netherlands require an official language certificate for English C1, but in most other countries it is sufficient to prove that you are already studying in an English Master’s program. Some universities in France, Italy or Spain also require (basic) knowledge of the national language, but in Scandinavia in particular, an English level B2 is usually sufficient.

However, it is of course always appreciated if you take language courses in the local language “on site”.

How much time do I need to get everything organized?

We recommend starting the process one year in advance of your expected semester abroad.

The deadline is always the end of the Christmas break at the beginning of January (January 7th!) for the following academic year’s Winter term and/or Summer term. Of course, you can still apply at a later date if the desired exchange place is still available. However, if the time until the start of the stay abroad is too short, it may no longer be possible to obtain an ERASMUS+ scholarship for organizational reasons.

Which universities teach in English?

Besides the universities in Malta and Australia, universities in Sweden, Iceland, and the Netherlands usually offer Master-level courses in English and their Bachelor-level courses in the local language. Most of our other partner universities offer at least some Master’s courses in English. Please check the websites of the respective partner universities to see whether they offer suitable specialist courses in English for Erasmus students.

What should I do, if I have to cancel?

Every applicant should consider carefully in advance whether she / he can meet all the requirements and the additional organizational effort for a semester abroad. This also includes whether she or he have collected enough ECTS in their Master’s or Bachelor’s degree to start their stay abroad “unencumbered”. Nevertheless, there may of course be important reasons that force you to withdraw from the ERASMUS+ stay. In this case, please decide to withdraw as soon as possible and inform S-International (mobility@fau.de), the ERASMUS+ coordinator (sjoerd.harder@fau.de) and the SSC Chem/MolSc (ssc-chemie@fau.de) by e-mail. But it must be clear to everyone that this also means losing a great opportunity to gain experience abroad, as an ERASMUS+ stay will only be approved if it does not unnecessarily extend the period of study.
If you cancel as early as possible, it may still be possible to nominate another interested person for the choosen partner university.