Free Mover

To apply as a free mover, you must be enrolled in a degree program at your home university and be supervised by an academic staff from a comparable degree program at the University of Hamburg for the duration of your study stay.

It is not possible to obtain a university degree at the University of Hamburg during a free mover stay.

To apply as a Free Mover at the University of Hamburg, please send the following documents to erasmus.gw@uni-hamburg.de(erasmus.gw"AT"uni-hamburg.de:): 

1. Free Mover application form including the preliminary course selection
2. please send us the following documents in a bundled PDF file:
   
   • short letter of motivation
   • curriculum vitae
   • certificate of enrolment from your home university
   • German language certificate, min. level B2 (If your courses at University of Hamburg are all taught in English, please submit an English language certificate, min. level B2, instead).

Application deadlines

• Winter semester: May 1st
• Summer semester: December 1st

Based on your academic interests, we will then endeavor to find a suitable academic supervisor for you.

General information about studying at the University of Hamburg

Semester dates: You can find the academic calendar here. Please also note the application deadlines.

Visa: If you meet all the requirements for a free mover study program and we have found an acadamic supervisor for you, we will issue you with a Letter of Acceptance. This will also include the duration of your study stay, which you can then submit for your visa application. For more information on visa, please read here.

Accommodation: The Studierendenwerk Hamburg offers rooms in halls of residence for short-term rent (most of them are not located directly on campus). Due to the shortage of rooms, we cannot guarantee that you will be offered accommodation in the halls of residence. You can find all information about halls of residence here.

If you do not receive a room offer from the Studierendenwerk Hamburg, we can provide you with useful tips and links on how to find a room. Unfortunately, we cannot organize accommodation for you.

Fees: There are no tuition fees at the University of Hamburg, however, all students have to pay the  semester contribution, which includes your public transport ticket (Deutschlandsemesterticket).

Language courses: The Language Center of the University of Hamburg offers a variety of language courses for German and other modern foreign languages (including English) for students starting at level B1. This offer is free of charge for students of the University of Hamburg.

You can also find all information about the Free Mover program at the University of Hamburg here.

Are you planning to study abroad for one or two semesters, but your university of choice is not a partner university of the University of Hamburg? No problem, as a free mover you can apply independently to universities worldwide and organize your stay yourself.

For information on admission requirements and the application procedure for free movers, please contact the International Office of your university of choice directly.

Before applying, you should clarify with your academic subject-specific coordinator at the University of Hamburg whether planning to study abroad fits into your course of study and to what extent the academic achievements abroad can later be recognized for your studies at the University of Hamburg. We recommend to create a “Learning Agreement”. You can use the form provided by the Central Exchange Program, for example.

Please also note that you will have to pay any tuition fees at the host university yourself. Information on financing options for a self-organized study visit can be found here: Funding study abroad, e. g. through Hamburglobal.