Incoming scholars

Application

To study at Universität Hamburg on an Erasmus scholarship, you must first apply at your home university for a place in the Erasmus program. If your application is successful, your university will nominate you for our program. As soon as we receive your nomination, we will send you an e-mail with additional information about registering online at Universität Hamburg as well as applying for a room in one of our dormitories.

Language skills

To study abroad at Universität Hamburg as part of the Erasmus program, you must have language skills in the language of instruction at level B1 or higher. This requirement is in your best interest as you would otherwise not be able to follow classes and meet academic requirements.

Semester dates

Winter semester: 1 October to 31 March

Summer semester: 1 April to 30 September

Please note that the lecture period, i.e., when classes are held, is different from these dates: current lecture periods.

Course catalog

The new course catalogs are published every year at the beginning of February for the summer semester and the beginning of August for the winter semester.

Faculty of Humanities

• Departments and institutes
• Degree programs

Erasmus incoming students: after your application

This information pertains to you if your home university has already informed you that you have received a place in the Erasmus exchange program. We are happy that you have decided to study abroad at Universität Hamburg and that we will soon be able to welcome you in the Faculty of Humanities.

After you are nominated by the responsible Erasmus coordinator or the international office at your home university, you will receive the following documents via e-mail, which you should complete and return to us before the deadline.

Documents

1. Housing application

After you have received the housing application from our Erasmus Office, please complete it and return by the deadline to: erasmus.geisteswiss"AT"uni-hamburg.de. Applications that include incorrect information or are received after the deadline can unfortunately not be taken into consideration. We will inform you as quickly as possible as to whether a room is available or if you will have to look for accommodation in Hamburg on your own.

If you do not want to have a room in a dormitory or we are not able to offer you a room via the application process, you can find helpful tips on how to find accommodation on the free market.

Registration at Universität Hamburg

To register at Universität Hamburg, please send us the following:

2. Proof of valid health insurance in Germany

A scan of the front and back of your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) is sufficient.

3. Signed printout of your STiNE online registration

You will receive an e-mail with instructions for registering online via our student information network STiNE.

Please send all documents only via e-mail to: erasmus.geisteswiss"AT"uni-hamburg.de. It is not necessary to send anything by regular mail.

We will confirm receipt of your documents.

Visa

If you are you a citizen of a country outside the EU, you must have a visa to study in Germany. Please note that processing can take several weeks. If you need a Letter of Acceptance from Universität Hamburg, we are happy to provide this upon request (erasmus.geisteswiss"AT"uni-hamburg.de).

Learning Agreement and ECTS credits

Click here to go to the course catalog and then use the courses listed to prepare your Learning Agreement. International guest students are free to choose from all the courses offered at the Faculty of Humanities. The new course catalogs are published every year at the beginning of February for the summer semester and the beginning of August for the winter semester.

If you need to prepare your Learning Agreement prior to your arrival in Hamburg, please base your choices on the course catalog for the current semester and then update your Learning Agreement after you arrive in Hamburg. You can then make changes to the original Learning Agreement (Part II, During the mobility) by filling out an amended Learning Agreement. This must be signed by both the program coordinator at your home university and the responsible departmental coordinator at Universität Hamburg.

Our ECTS table shows the number of credit points – based on the hours of the class – that are awarded for various types of academic work. 

Registering for classes

As it is not possible for you to register via the student information network STiNE (exception: German courses offered by the Language Center), we recommend that you contact the lecturers for the classes you want to take via e-mail before the semester begins. At the first session of the courses you selected, the instructor can add you to the list of participants.

Semester dates

Please check our semester dates and the academic calendar.

German courses

Universität Hamburg offers students the possibility to take German courses at different language levels. As Erasmus students, you can take intensive courses before the beginning of the semester and during the semester. Both are free of charge (further information about the German courses offered as well as the registration deadlines and course times).

Buddy Net

If you would like to connect with Universität Hamburg students before you arrive in Hamburg, please go to the Buddy Net. This is an interdisciplinary program in which you will be matched up with a current Universität Hamburg student. This buddy will provide support during your initial time at Universität Hamburg (registration).

Arrival in Hamburg

Confirmation of Arrival

As soon as possible after your arrival in Hamburg, please go to the Erasmus Office in the Faculty of Humanities, Überseering 35, Room 8021. We can then sign the Confirmation of Arrival for your home university.

Student ID and semester ticket

After you submit your online registration and proof of health insurance, we will give you a temporary student ID card and a temporary semester public transport pass, both of which are initially valid for a month. In order to receive your permanent student ID card and permanent semester public transport pass, you must first pay the reduced semester contribution required of Erasmus students. (Please note that this is different from tuition fees.) This semester contribution should be paid only after you receive the provisional semester documents from us. Within about two weeks of receipt of your payment, you will receive your permanent semester documents. These are valid for the entire semester. With the semester public transport pass, you can use the public transport system of the Hamburg Public Transport Association (HVV); this includes buses and trains (S-Bahn and U-Bahn) as well as some ferries on the Elbe river.

Registering in Hamburg

Within a week after your arrival, you must register your address at either the Hamburg Welcome Center or the district office responsible for your residential address. You will receive your registration certificate there.

As there are waiting times, it is best to make an appointment about eight weeks before your arrival in Hamburg.

As soon as you have made an appointment, you have met the required deadline, even if your appointment is scheduled for some time after your arrival.

Contact, information, and appointments:

Hamburg Welcome Center
Alter Wall 11, 20457 Hamburg
Tel.: +49  40 42854-5001
E-mail: info@welcome.hamburg.de

Web: http://english.welcome.hamburg.de/

You can also register your address at the registration office of the district office responsible for your residential address:

http://www.hamburg.de/behoerdenfinder

Enter your Hamburg address, and the address and opening hours of your registration office will be displayed.

Welcome meeting at the faculty

At the beginning of the semester, the Erasmus Office invites you to a welcome meeting. This is a good opportunity to get to know other incoming students, exchange ideas and experiences, and discuss any questions you still have. Please also contact your departmental Erasmus coordinator right at the beginning of the semester in order to set up an advising session to go over your Learning Agreement.

International Welcome Week (PIASTA)

At the start of each new academic year (winter semester), the PIASTA – Intercultural Living and Studying team of the Department of International Affairs invites all first-year students to participate in an International Welcome Week (IWW). You can expect a lively program of events that will introduce you to Hamburg and the University. There is also helpful information about studying and living in Hamburg. Please note the registration deadlines.

Documents

Before you leave Hamburg, the Erasmus Office of the Faculty of Humanities will sign or, if necessary, issue the following documents:

• Confirmation of Departure
• Transcript of Records

At the end of the semester, please ask the lecturer of each class you attended for a course completion certificate. Please bring all of your course completion certificates to the Erasmus Office. We will then issue you a Transcript of Records. You will need this so that your completed coursework can be recognized by your home university.

If you have not obtained all of your course completion certificates before your departure, please ask the lecturers of these courses to send your course completion certificates directly to the Erasmus Office of the Faculty of Humanities. Once all of the documents have been collected, we will send them to you.

Extending your study abroad

If you would like to extend your studies at Universität Hamburg, please inquire at your home university if an extension of your Erasmus study abroad is possible. If you receive approval, we will be happy to confirm your extension in writing. If an extension as part of the Erasmus program is rejected, you can apply for another semester at Universität Hamburg as a Free Mover.

If you spend your semester abroad at Universität Hamburg and have difficulties with the awarding of grades and ECTS credits, please see the following helpful information.