After the acceptance for a study abroad

You have been accepted for an exchange program?

Congratulations! Before you can start abroad, the next step is the application process at your host university. Here you can learn everything about the next steps.

Online Info Session Semester Abroad SoSe 2026 - To Do's after the acceptance (German language only)

Topics:

  • Financing
  • Nomination and Application at the partner university
  • General steps
  • etc. 

Official invitation link will be sent out to all Summer semester 2026 applicants after the application deadline. 

NOTE: This info session will be conducted in German. However, we offer private English counselling sessions if needed. 

(C) Annika Klein, Kinkaku-ji, Kyoto, Japan

After your application for an exchange semester you could log in into your account:

LINK MOBILITY ONLINE

If you forgot your login ID (Pforzheim or Erasmus/KOOR), please write a mail to outgoing(at)hs-pforzheim(dot)de

Please check early if your identification documents are still valid, as they are often required for nomination and registration at non-European universities.

A passport usually needs to be valid six months after the last day of your stay.

 

You have already received an exchange spot at a partner university. In order to be able to take up this exchange place, you still need the official admission of the host university.

In order to receive this final admission, two steps are necessary:

1) First, Pforzheim University will officially register you at your host university or, as it is also called, "nomination".

2) Afterwards, you will normally have to prepare and submit some more documents. This application process for admission to the host university is usually just a formality. If you submit the application documents on time, the probability is very high that you will receive the final admission from your host university for the exchange. Only in very rare cases are there such serious problems with this process that you will not be able to start your stay abroad.  If problems arise, please contact the Outgoing Coordinator at the International Office.


ATTENTION: Please check your spam folder regularly.

  • If you would like your application documents for the partner university to be checked by the International Office, please send them to us by e-mail or visit us during our office hours. The International Office will then review the documents.
  • Transcript of Records in English: created via the Student Online Systems - please make sure to change the page to English.
  • Nomination or selection letter or confirmation of English proficiency by home university (on the basis of your submitted language test in Mobility Online): issued by the International Office
  • Confirmation of English proficiency by language teacher (on the basis of your submitted language test in Mobility Online): issued by the university's language center or teacher
  • Letters of recommendation: written by your professors unless your partner university specifically requests a letter of recommendation from the International Office

 

In the next few weeks, you should inform yourself about the courses offered at the host universities. Because some host universities already ask which courses you would like to take when you apply for admission. This also includes the question of which courses you can have recognized.


Therefore, start preparing your Learning Agreement (Non-EU) with your faculty and the university coordinator as soon as possible. For students where the partner university is in the EU, please use the following Learning Agreement (EU only).

The recommended workload for a semester abroad is between 24 and 30 credits. Please note that in the case of Erasmus funding, at least 24 ECTS must be successfully completed. In the case of studies outside the EU, at least 22 ECTS must be successfully completed.

For more information on the formal and content equivalence of courses in the faculties, please refer to the following pages:

Business School
School of Engineering

Important note IB: According to the SPO, a stay abroad is obligatory for students of the study program International Business. For the registration there is an examination achievement "foreign module". In order for this to be entered, the "module abroad" must also be entered in the form "Learning Agreement/Transfer of Credits and Grades" for students of these study programs and recognized by the Dean of Studies.

Important note CFR: Students of the study program Controlling also have to complete a foreign module according to the SPO, this can (but does not have to) be a semester abroad. For the recognition of the foreign module, a form must be filled out in any case BEFORE the start of the semester abroad. You can find more detailed information here.

If you are studying abroad and would like to extend your stay by another semester, this is possible in consultation with the partner university and Pforzheim University. If you are interested, please contact the International Office (outgoing@hs-pforzheim.de).

  • Eramus funding: If you have received an acceptance for a European partner university, you will automatically receive information about Erasmus funding. Please note that in case of Erasmus funding, at least 24 ECTS should be successfully completed. As of the winter semester 19/20, Erasmus funding will no longer be managed by the International Office. Please inform yourself here about the exact procedure.
  • PROMOS: Check whether your partner university is eligible for PROMOS funding. If you are interested in this scholarship, you have to apply for it within the deadline.
  • Baden-Würtemberg Scholarship: The selection for the Baden-Württemberg Scholarship is made automatically based on your grades, you cannot apply for this. If you are eligible for a Baden-Württemberg Scholarship (relevant is the grade as well as the partner university), you will be informed by the International Office.

Further information can be found here.

Visa

Please make sure that you can present a valid passport and, if required, a valid visa when leaving for an exchange program outside Europe. Do not forget to apply for your passport in good time. The passport is sometimes required at the time of nomination & application at the partner university.

Your contact person for visa questions is usually the partner university. They know exactly which visa you need to study in their country and how you can apply for it. Usually the information is given to students during the application process or on their website. 

You can find a comparison of costs for a student visa here (german only). While you are waiting for the final confirmation from the partner university, you should already start taking care of your visa, accommodation and insurance. For visas, see e.g. Visum.de or College Contact (german only).

Health insurance

In other EU countries, you are partly covered by the European Health Insurance (EHIC). However, the procedures and benefits covered vary from country to country. You should therefore consult your health insurance provider in advance and take out international health insurance if necessary.

In non-EU countries, you are sometimes insured via the partner university or the national system. However, the benefits often differ greatly from the German conditions. Please find out about the conditions and take out international health insurance if necessary.

Liability insurance

Compulsory internships and semesters abroad are partly insured through the Studierendenwerk Karlsruhe or sometimes through the partner university or employer. Please find out about the conditions at an early stage and take out private liability insurance if necessary.

Recreational Accident Insurance

Compulsory internships and semesters abroad are partly insured through the Studierendenwerk Karlsruhe or sometimes through the partner university or employer. Please find out about the conditions at an early stage and take out private Accident Insurance if necessary.

Before your departure, please inform yourself about the current travel and safety information on the website of the German Federal Foreign Office as well as about possible health risks that may result from a stay abroad. Current travel medicine messages and advice can be found at the Center for Travel Medicine.

The Foreign Office also developed an app for quick information: Sicher-Reisen-App. If you allow push messages, you will get the latest safety news on your destination!

You can download it in the app store: Google, Apple .

Please inform the International Office ( outgoing(at)hs-pforzheim(dot)de ) immediately if you are unable to start your semester abroad. We will take care of the cancellation at your host university.

ATTENTION: If you do not cancel your stay before the start, you might not be allowed to apply again.

Before departure

Before you leave, inform the StudiCenter of a change of addressthrough the Serviceportal  if necessary . Alternatively you can fill out the form  „Förmliche Bestellung einer/eines Zustellungsbevollmächtigten im Inland während des Auslandsaufenthalts“ that allows somebody else to receive your post during your absence. Find the latest form here

If you need a signature for your Bafög documents, please send it as a scanned copy to outgoing@hs-pforzheim.de. We will then return the signed document to you by e-mail as soon as possible.

Before your departure, have your Learning Agreement signed by the partner university and upload it on Mobility Online.

 

Even if you do not spend the semester in Pforzheim, you must pay the semester fees to remain enrolled. You can either take a holiday semester ("Urlaubssemester") or re-register as usual. 

If you come back early, you can still take a limited number of exams. In that case you should not register as a holiday semester and you have to register for exams as usual. 

 

 

 

During your semester abroad you can (but do not have to) apply for a so called “Urlaubssemester” (holiday semester) through E Campus. 

General information:

  • Tuition fee (1.500€) for International students cancelled for the semester
  • Semester fee still needs to be paid
  • During holiday semester: up to 2 exams in Pforzheim possible, Registering for the exams through a form
  • During regular semester: number of exams unlimted, registration as usual

It is not necessary to register your examinations during your semester abroad. Your achievements from abroad will be entered by the Examinations Office after your stay abroad on the basis of your Learning Agreement.

If you return from abroad early, you can take a limited number of examinations. Please carefully read the information in regard to “Urlaubssemester” (Holiday semeser). 

After the return

After your stay, the transcript (list of all grades) is usually sent to the International Office. After receiving the transcript, the International Office will inform you about the receipt by e-mail. This may take some time.

Please fill out the report in Mobility Online as well. 

 

 

To have your grades recognized, please contact your university supervisor and bring the transcript, the fully signed Learning Agreement and a screenshot of your Mobility Online account with a finished report to this appointment. Please follow these steps immediately after you have received your transcript and returned to Pforzheim.

After the grades have been recognized, please forward the Learning Agreement to the examination office. Only then can your grades be added to StudiCockpit.

The conversion of foreign grades associated with the recognition of study and examination achievements is valid, reliable and transparent thanks to the country-specific conversion tables. The conversion tables are available for all important target countries. They are being updated continously. Question in regard to conversion can be sent to the specific university coordinators. The conversion of grades reflects the many years of experience of Pforzheim University.

Further information on the recognition of courses in the faculties can be found on the following pages:

Business School

You would love to share your experience abroad? Talk about new cultures and improve your soft skills? 

Then you are at the right place: Become Student Ambassador for International Projects!

 

Welche Möglichkeiten stehen dir zur Verfügung: 

  • Member of ESN Pforzheim (European Student Network): Organise exciting ecvents together with a team and connect HSPF students with Internationals, take part in tean building events and meet new people
  • Present at the information sessions about stays abroad / Take part in the Europe&Friends Day: Share your experience with future exchange students. Inspire more students to go abroad to your second home

           Business School: susanne.glas(at)hs-pforzheim(dot)de / Faculty for Engineering: henriette.schürger(at)hs-pforzheim(dot)de 

  • Student Ambassador for your home country or other International Experience: Become a part of German wide project team Europe meets School, visit schools in the area and bring pupils closer to your home country!

For the climate, it is not important where greenhouse gases are emitted or avoided. Therefore, emissions caused at one location can also be offset by saving emissions at another, more distant location.

With voluntary offsetting, the amount of remaining climate-impacting emissions from a particular activity is first calculated, for example a flight, train journey or car journey. Offsetting takes place via emission reduction credits (usually referred to as certificates), which are used to offset the same amount of emissions in climate protection projects. It is important to note that the climate protection project would not exist without the offsetting mechanism, i.e. the project is an additional climate protection measure (source: German Federal Environment Agency). Some airlines and bus companies offerCO2 compensation directly with the purchase (so-called third-party providers). You can also calculate the emissions yourself using the Federal Environment Agency'sCO2 calculator.

Further information can be found in the Federal Environment Agency's guide to voluntary CO2 offsetting.