Are you interested in studying as an exchange student outside of Europe? Then start planning your period abroad now! The International Centre can help you to find out which partner university on which continent is suitable for your exchange, how best to pay for your stay abroad, and which organisational aspects you will need to consider when applying for an exchange place.
My Period Abroad Worldwide
Argentina? South Africa? Or what about Jordan? Leipzig has a global network of partner universities. Places depend on the degree programmes offered by the respective partner university and are open to you regardless of your nationality and subject area.
Our university’s international network offers you a large selection of dedicated places at higher education institutions worldwide.
You can find the current exchange spots for the academic year 2024/24 (wintersemester 2024/25 and/or summer semester 2025) in the overview of study places at partner universities worldwide or browse online.
Once you are in the portal, in the search field enter “fachflexibel” (field-flexible) and, as the programme “UniPartner Studium” for bilateral student exchanges or “Utrecht Network_MAUI/AEN/REARI” for partner universities in networks.
Please note: Students of law and medicine can only take part in exchanges to the US, Canada and Australia in related subject areas.
Unlike at Leipzig University, terms at international partner universities may start at different times or be divided into trimesters. When planning, therefore, please take the destination country term times into account.
- You are fully enrolled at our university and pursuing your degree here.
- You have the necessary command of the language of instruction.
When you apply, you submit a language certificate to prove that you have the necessary language skills. You can then improve your language skills further. As a rule, you should have reached B2 level in the language of instruction by the start of your studies at the partner university.
Bachelor’s, Diplom and State Examination students can apply from the third semester onwards, while applications by master’s students are possible from the first semester of study.
Students who are nominated for a period abroad at a partner university do not pay any tuition fees at the partner university. These are waived by the host institution.
As part of your online application, you can also apply for a PROMOS or an Erasmus+ worldwide grant. Scholarships are granted according to the selection criteria for the global partnerships. Only the applications with the best assessments can be considered for the scholarships.
Depending on funding availability, each year around 15 PROMOS scholarships and between 5-10 Erasmus+ worldwide grants are awarded to nominated students. Erasmus+ worldwide grants are only available to partner universities with which certain Erasmus+ agreements have been concluded.
Please note: You apply for a place on an exchange programme during the online application process. Provided your application is considered one of the best, you can then be nominated for a PROMOS scholarship or – subject to the respective partnership being supported – for an Erasmus+ worldwide grant.
Further funding opportunities for periods abroad worldwide:
- AuslandsBAföG (International BAföG)
- DAAD annual scholarships
- For nominated students going to the USA: Fulbright Travel Grant
Applying to Partner Universities Worldwide
You can apply to study at a partner university for one or two semesters and choose up to three preferred universities from our partnerships with universities around the world.
Applications are open from 1 November until 1 December each year.
To apply, register online with your university login and select the form Partner universities worldwide - Application.
Fill out the online application carefully and upload the following documents as a PDF:
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CV in tabular form
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Overview of grades
An overview of grades can be obtained from your AlmaWeb account or by contacting your department’s examination office. Master’s students also need to submit a copy of their bachelor’s degree certificate with a transcript of records. -
Study proposal
In your study proposal, you describe in German why you are applying to spend time studying at your chosen university or universities. How exactly do you envisage your studies abroad? Which courses do you want to take, and what is your aim? Please demonstrate the connection between your stay abroad and your studies back here at Leipzig University. If should be clear to use what your motivation is for spending time abroad. If your application is for one of two or three different universities, you can base this on your preferred institution only or alternatively explain all each of your wishes accordingly. Your study proposal should be no more than two pages long. -
Language certificate for the language of instruction
Submit the language certificate as part of the online application. You can submit it in the following ways:- You can complete a central standardised language test. The tests take place regularly in the Language Center.
- You are currently taking a language course at the Language Center. Then you can have your language instructor confirm your current level of language proficiency on the language certificate form.
- You are studying the language of instruction or in the language of instruction. Then you can have your lecturer in the subject confirm your current level of language proficiency on the language certificate form.
- You have documentation of your language proficiency level (courses, study stay abroad, Abitur) that was issued no more than two years ago. Then you can request that the Language Center transfer your current language proficiency level to the language certificate form. Only transfers recognised by the Language Center will be accepted. Your Abitur transcript is not considered proof of language proficiency.
- You have documentation of a standard test that was sat no more than two years ago. Then you can replace the language certificate with this.
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Other documents
If necessary, you can upload additional certificates, recommendations or other documents to support your application.
Our tip: Use our checklist for studying worldwide to make sure you have uploaded all of the necessary documents.
Please only submit your application online.
Each complete application will be reviewed by a subject-specific appraiser and a reviewer from the International Centre and evaluated according to qualitative criteria:
- Subject-specific and personal suitability (50 per cent)
- Study plan and motivation (30 per cent)
- Proficiency in the language of instruction (20 per cent)
Nominations are made by late January/early February, with successful applicants notified by email.
As soon as you receive notification that you have been nominated for a place on an exchange programme, you will need to apply for admission to the partner university. Depending on the application periods and requirements at the partner university, this will involve submitting further documents in the official language of the country or the language of instruction and a copy of your passport.
If you are applying for a partner university in the US or Canada, a TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) certificate is usually also required. Please register for this by the beginning of February at the latest.
The partner university will then decide on whether to admit you.
Do you want to have credits earned abroad recognised at Leipzig University? Then you should speak to your examination office well in advance of your stay abroad to find out the extent to which this is possible. In this way, you can make sure that you do not earn credits abroad in vain.
Please also note the additional information on recognition of credits earned abroad on our website. And see further information at Hochschulrektorenkonferenz (HRK).