Studying in EU countries - Erasmus+ Student Mobility for Studies SMS

• Study abroad period at an European partner university of THWS
• Full-time enrolment at THWS
• Bachelor: Study abroad period possible from the 3rd programme semester
• Master: Study abroad period possible from the 1st programme semester However, please also take note of the recommendations of your faculty, as your curriculum may make certain points in time more or less suitable for a stay abroad.
• Duration of the study abroad period: at least 3 months and up to a maximum of 12 months per part of studies
• Meeting the application deadlines
• Health insurance for foreign countries (mandatory for THWS students)

For more than 20 years, THWS has established a closely knit network of partner universities whose structure, range of subjects and academic quality correspond to FHWS's own standards.

If you don't find an THWS partner university that suits you, there is the possibility to organise the stay abroad yourself and go to a university of your choice as a so-called Freemover. Please bear in mind that organising your stay independently involves a considerable amount of extra work and that you will have to pay any tuition fees yourself.

Good preparation and coordination with your faculty's international affairs officer is highly recommended. Please report your study abroad period to the FHWS International Office via the Portal MoveON (Freemover) and write us a quick e-mail.

You can apply for a PROMOS Scholarship to get some financial support for your stay as a Freemover. 

You will receive a grant for living expenses, which varies depending on your country of destination. When calculating the amount of the grant one month corresponds to 30 days. The grant is calculated on a pro rata basis by day.

Due to the increased cost of living in many countries, there will be some new country groupings from the winter semester 2024/25, which will affect the grant amounts for some countries:

The Erasmus+ grant is paid out in two instalments: You will receive 80% before the stay abroad, and the remaining 20% after the stay abroad.

• The minimum duration of a study abroad period is 2 months (60 days)
• Erasmus+ funding is possible multiple times, up to a maximum of 12 months (360 days) within one cycle of study (Bachelor, Master, doctoral degree). From this time allowance, periods with and without funding (so-called zero grant periods) are deducted. Example: A student spent a period of 6 months and 4 days abroad for studying and doing an internship, so there is still a period of 5 months and 26 days left of the Erasmus+ time allowance. In case of another application for Erasmus+ funding in the same cycle of study, the student has to make sure to not exceed the remaining time allowance.
• For THWS students, Erasmus+ funding for a study abroad periods of one semester is limited to a maximum of four months, for a study abroad period of two semesters it is eight months. Periods above this limit are recorded as zero grant periods (periods without funding).
• Please note that Erasmus+ short-term mobility of 5-30 days for students is currently only possible if a Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) is offered in the degree programme at THWS.

1. Green Travel

Student mobility can be made low-emission, especially within Europe - why not take the train, carpool or bus instead of the plane if possible? The journey to the semester abroad is part of the experience, makes the departure feel real. 

The Erasmus+ programme promotes green travel in particular. "Green travel" refers to trips where low-emission means of transport such as bus, train or carpooling are used for the majority of the journey.

Your journey will be low-emission? 
Then you have the opportunity to receive additional funding for a „Green Travel" within an Erasmus+ grant.

This is what the additional financial support for "Green Travel" looks like:

• For grants from THWS Erasmus+ funds of the 2022 and 2023 projects*: Possibility of a one-time EUR 50 or increased travel allowance if you are entitled to a travel allowance and funding for up to 4 additional (travel) days
• For grants from THWS Erasmus+ funds from project 2024*: Increased travel allowance if entitled to a travel allowance and up to 4 additional (travel) days

*Your HSIN contact person can tell you from which project your mobility can be funded.

The additional financial support for sustainable travel is regulated by the Erasmus+ grant agreement. The Declaration on Honour „Green Travel" explains all the details regarding the amount of the grant as well as the qualification criteria. The document must be completed, signed and submitted to the THWS International Office no later than December 01 for mobilities in the following summer semester and no later than July 01 for mobilities in the following winter semester if you are interested in applying for this additional funding.

Are you looking for tips on how to organise your trip with low emissions?

The initiative Erasmus by train e.V. offers tips and planning aids: https://erasmusbytrain.eu https://www.interrail.eu/de/interrail-passes 

The ESN Green Erasmus toolkit for ideas on how to implement sustainability before, during and after mobility: https://www.greenerasmus.org/ 

2. Funding for travel days (from summer semester 2025)

The Erasmus+ mobility grant is calculated to the day and takes into account the days on which you are required to be present at the host institution. Days spent purely travelling are not usually included. If, for reasons of programme scheduling, you are travelling for additional days for your stay abroad for which you require financial support, you can apply to the International Office for funding for up to two additional (travel) days (e.g. if you have to arrive one day before the start of the programme or can only leave one day after the end of the programme).

If you require funding for additional days to cover your costs, please report this via the Declaration on Honour for Travel Days / Green Travel. This must be signed and submitted to the THWS International Office no later than December 01 for mobilities in the following summer semester and no later than July 01 for mobilities in the following winter semester if you are interested in applying for this additional funding.

„Fewer Opportunities“ – Erasmus+ for inclusion und diversity

For study-related stays abroad of students with "Fewer Opportunities" there will be the possibility to receive a "Fewer Opportunities" top up starting in winter semester 2022/23 under certain conditions. This additional funding opportunity is offered by the THWS International Office in addition to the regular Erasmus+ monthly grant for student mobility.

- First-time students 

- Employed students

- Students with child(ren) during international mobility

- Students with disabilities or chronic illnesses

For explanation of each target group, the exact requirements for receiving the top up, and the funding amount, please check the Declaration on Honour "Fewer Opportunities" for details. The document represents at the same time the application for the granting of the Top Up as well as a contractual annex of the Erasmus+ grant agreements.

If you are interested in applying for the top up, the Declaration on Honour must be completed, signed and submitted by e-mail to the THWS International Office no later than December 01 for mobilities in the following summer semester and no later than July 01 for mobilities in the following winter semester.

The Learning Agreement is

- the agreement between the exchange students, the home university and the host university that lists all courses that students will complete at the partner university,

- therefore a prerequisite for the recognition of examination credits from the semester abroad,

- elementary component of the Erasmus+ grant agreement!

The Learning Agreement always consists of a first part, which must be submitted before the stay abroad. If changes occur during the stay, a second version ("Changes to the Agreement") must also be prepared and approved.

For semesters abroad within the Erasmus+ programme countries ("Studies EU"), from winter semester 22/23 on, students will use the digital Learning Agreement (DiLA). For this purpose, students will receive an e-mail request to initiate the digital Learning Agreement via the MoveON portal, where during the preparations for their semester abroad, students already applied for the semester abroad at HSIN. Only after receiving this e-mail, the option for “digital learning Agreement” will be activated in the MoveON portal.

Students can find all details on how to proceed after receiving the e-mail request in the manual for creating the digital Learning Agreement in MoveON. The document will guide you through the process of creating the digital Learning Agreement step by step.

In individual cases, the technical requirements at the partner university might not yet be ready for a Digital Learning Agreement (DiLA). In this case, your HSIN contact person will inform you about completing a Word template of the Learning Agreement.”

If the Learning Agreement is accepted by the responsible examination committee before the mobility starts (and changed accordingly in consultation with the examination committee during the mobility), THWS will fully transfer the credits earned abroad.

For the transfer of credits (including Diploma Supplement), please contact your examination committee after you returned to THWS providing the application for credit transfer, the entire Learning Agreement (part 1, 3 and 3) as well as the transcript of records from your host university. If you have questions on the procedure of credit transfer within your degree programme, please contact the responsible member of staff at the Department of Student Affairs (HSST).

Send the fully completed and signed Learning Agreement (part 1, 2, and 3) and your transcript of records as PDF file to the responsible member of staff at the International Office after the credit transfer has been approved by the examination committee.

Information about Erasmus+:

The inter-institutional agreement stipulates that the host university automatically sends the transcript of records to the home university of the exchange students within a maximum of 3 months after the end of the mobility.

In case of incomparable grading systems a conversion will be carried out according to the so-called “modified Bavarian formula”:

Grade_THWS= 1 + 3 x E-Grade _Abroad – A-Grade_Abroad

                              Z-Grade_Abroad – A-Grade_Abroad

The result is rounded to the nearest THWS grade, where A-Grade Abroad is the highest attainable grade, Z-Grade Abroad is the lowest attainable grade that constitutes a pass in the examination, and E-Grade Abroad is the attained grade (= to be accredited) in the grading system of the foreign higher education institution.

With the exception of native speakers, Erasmus+ students must take an OLS (Online Language Support) language test (self-assessment) in the main mobility language. The language test is taken before the start of the mobility. The purpose of this compulsory language test is to measure and document the development of language skills. It is important to note that it does not serve as a selection criterion for Erasmus+ funding.

The OLS language course

After the language test, you can take further language courses, e.g. in the national language, in addition to the language course in the mobility language if you are interested. Language courses can be taken in any of the languages available on OLS with no limit on the number of languages and learning units (currently 24). Online language support is available to students for three years, giving you the opportunity to improve your language skills before, during and after your stay abroad.

This charter informs students about their rights and obligations and explains what students can expect from both their home and host university in the course of the Erasmus+ funding period.

Erasmus+ Charter for Students

When the selection criteria set by your faculty are met, you can be funded through Erasmus+, if the programme requirements are met and funds are available.

1. Use our International Terminal and, together with your faculty's international affairs officer, find a suitable partner university for studying abroad.

2. Faculty-internal application: Get information about the application procedure of your faculty from the faculty's website or the faculty's international affairs officer. This information is often available in the area “International" or "Studying abroad" or similar.

3. When selected by the faculty: Get your faculty's international affairs officer's signature on the fully completed and signed declaration of acceptance. Note the selection regulation of your faculty before you complete it.

4. The international affairs officer will register your request for a stay abroad with the THWS International Office. This is an obligatory step towards your stay abroad.

5. Application at the International Office: Apply via the MoveOn Portal (Studying in the EU = Studium EU). As part of the process, please upload the following documents:
- signed declaration of acceptance
- your latest enrolment certificate as PDF

In addition to the information in the application form, you can download the security briefing and the information on insurance for your documents here.
Further information on insurance can be found here: Insurance

6. When you have completed these steps, the THWS International Office will nominate you at the partner university. This process may take two to six weeks after the end of the application period depending on the host university. Then, the host university will get into contact with you and provide all information necessary for your registration. You then have to apply for your stay abroad independently at the partner university. Please note that in future both we and the partner university will write to you primarily via your THWS student e-mail address. Check your account regularly or set up an e-mail forwarding.

7. Having applied successfully at the partner university, please send the confirmation of acceptance or invitation from the host university to the responsible member of staff at the THWS International Office.

8. You will receive an e-mail request to initiate the digital Learning Agreement via the MoveON portal, via which the application for the semester abroad at the International Office was managed. The option is only available in the MoveON portal after you have received this e-mail.

How students proceed after receiving the e-mail request is described in the detailed instructions for creating the digital Learning Agreement in MoveON. It will guide you step by step through the creation of the Learning Agreement. 

The document has to be created by yourself and digitally approved and signed by your home university (THWS) and your host university before the start of your semester abroad. The document is important for all exchange students in order to enable the crediting of examination achievements made abroad. In addition, the Learning Agreement is a fundamental part of your Erasmus+ grant agreement.

9. Please send a proof of your health insurance for foreign countries (e.g. copy of your insurance policy) as PDF to the responsible member of staff at the THWS International Office.

10. If applicable: Should you wish to make use of the additional funding opportunities within the framework of Erasmus+ (in addition to the regular Erasmus+ funding), please submit the corresponding Declaration on Honour Travel Days / Green Travel and/or Fewer Opportunities including the relevant supporting documents to your contact person in the THWS International Office.

Please note the following deadlines:
For stays in the winter semester: 01 July
For stays in the summer semester: 01 December

The Declaration on Honour is an annex to your Erasmus+ Grant Agreement and must therefore be submitted to the International Office before the latter is signed in order to ensure a correct calculation of your Erasmus+ grant.

11. You will receive two copies of the Erasmus+ Grant Agreement, which is the funding agreement of the Erasmus+ programme, by the International Office. This document contains all conditions of the stay abroad as well as the amount of the Erasmus+ grant. Please read the document carefully and note the information on the top of the page in the section "Special Conditions" on the minimum period of a stay and the maximum period of funding. Having signed the Grant Agreement, please send one copy to the THWS International Office by post so we can transfer the first instalment of 80% of the grant to your bank account.

12. You have to take a mandatory online language test in the principal language so your language level can be determined (Online Language Support). The test result does not affect your Erasmus+ grant. The International Office will register you for the OLS language test. You then receive an e-mail containing a link.

13. Please do not forget to re-enrol at THWS! If you do not re-enrol, you will lose your student status, and it is no longer possible to receive financial support! In this case, grant amounts already received must be paid back!

14. Confirmation of Stay: For the first part of the Confirmation of Stay, you need to get the confirmation of your date of arrival from the host university's International Office after your arrival. Send the document by e-mail to the responsible member of staff at the THWS International Office. For the second part of this document, you need to get the confirmation of the last day of the semester abroad you spent at the university for study purposes from the host university's International Office. If you stay abroad for two semesters, you need one confirmation for each semester.

15. You can change your study programme after arrival at the host university up until five weeks after the start of the semester. This must be agreed on by all three parties' signature in the Learning Agreement (part 2: During the Mobility). Send the signed document by e-mail to the responsible member of staff at the THWS International Office immediately.

16. Please bear in mind the minimum period for an Erasmus+ stay abroad of two months as well as the THWS limit of the Erasmus+ funding period of four months. You have to report any changes in the period or duration of your stay abroad immediately to the responsible member of staff at the THWS International Office. Changes may result in changes to the Erasmus+ Grant Agreement.

17. You have the opportunity to take OLS language courses in the principal language and/or in the national language.

18. Participants in the ERASMUS+ programme are obliged to take part in the EU survey of the European Commission for the evaluation of periods spent abroad via the Beneficiary Module (BM). At the end of your semester abroad, you will thus receive an e-mail containing the link and the request to take part in the online survey within the next 30 days. We ask you to complete this survey conscientiously.

19. After completing your stay abroad, please send the following documents by e-mail to the responsible member of staff at the FHWS International Office:
- fully completed Confirmation of Stay (PDF),
- THWS enrolment certificate(s) for the semester(s) of your stay abroad (PDF);
- fully completed and signed Learning Agreement (part 1, 2 and 3) (put in one single PDF)
- the transcript of records as PDF file
- if applicable, part 2 of the Declaration on Honour Travel Days / Green Travel
- Your experience report including the declaration of consent and data protection declaration

Only then we can calculate and pay the second instalment of the Erasmus+ grant.

20. Please also submit your formal application for the transfer of credits earned abroad promptly after your semester abroad as described above under "Credit Transfer (ECTS)".