How to apply ?

Are you planning to apply for an exchange semester at one of our partner universities?

This page explains when and how to apply, which documents you need, and what happens after you submit your application.

Please note that the application has to be submitted to the International Relations Center (IRC) of the School of Business and Economics and is processed there. Your documents will not be forwarded to the host university. Your application will only be forwarded to the host university after IRC has approved your application. You will receive further information on this from IRC after you have accepted your place.

  • When should I start planning and go abroad?

    We recommend starting your planning 10–12 months before your intended stay abroad.

    This gives you enough time to:

    research partner universities, compare courses, check language requirements, prepare your application documents, plan your budget, and understand the credit transfer process.

     

    Bachelor students

    Bachelor students are generally recommended to go abroad in their 5th semester.

    Before starting a semester abroad, Bachelor students should have completed at least 60 ECTS.

    Students in the old examination regulations should have completed all modules from the 1st and 2nd semester.

     

    Master students

    Master students are generally recommended to go abroad in their 3rd semester.

     

    ECTS requirement :

    If your host university does not require a specific minimum number of ECTS, you commit yourself, by applying and accepting a place at the IRC, to successfully complete at least 18–24 ECTS at the host university and have them credited in Münster.

  • How do I choose a partner university ?

    The School of Business and Economics offers exchange opportunities with partner universities worldwide: partner universities 

    Before applying, please check carefully:

    • whether the university is available for your study programme,
    • whether places are available for your desired semester,
    • which courses are offered, which language requirements apply,
    • and whether the semester dates fit your study plan.

    ⚠️Some partner universities are only available for Bachelor students, others only for Master students. Some universities may only be available in the winter semester or only in the summer semester and for certain major.

    Spots for exchanges are always allocated a quota per academic year (winter and summer term). If the demand for the winter term is high, it is possible that the quota is already met in the winter term. The remaining quota for the summer term will always be published in time (under the same link as above).

    Please inform yourself on the websites of our partner universities, and especially pay attention to the field of study and the term time. The IRC tries to keep the information about our partner universities up to date, but raises no claims to completeness.

  • When can I apply ?

    You can apply twice a year.

    For the summer semester abroad

    Application period: April 1–10

    For the winter semester abroad

    Application period: January 1–10

     

    ⚠️ For the summer semester, only remaining places are available. Please check the current list of available partner universities before applying:

    here

  • Application documents

    For all diplomas and certificates: A scan or copy of the (German or English) originals is sufficient. It is not necessary to certify the documents. Please submit the listed documents during the online application:

    • up to five letters of motivation:
      • Please clearly state your personal and especially academic motivation in the letter of motivation (max. 2,250 characters incl. spaces). Here you will find detailed information.
      • The letter of motivation is entered in a text field in the online tool during application and may be kept informal, so please do not use the usual headlines and greetings. When preparing your letter, please use the website of the respective host university, the experience reports, as well as an overview of courses already taken.
      • Important: The course crediting will only be checked in the event of a successful application - please do not contact the person in charge for credit transfer for the letter of motivation!
    • Current performance overview incl. average grade: The grade overview can be in German for all programs and must contain the current weighted average grade (FlexNow, SAP SLcM or Examination Office; QISPOS is not sufficient). The file must be created between 01.01-15.01 for the winter semester and between 01.04-10.4 for the summer semester.
    • if applicable, Bachelor's certificate with performance overview (without Diploma Supplement)
    • Language certificates (please inform yourself in time if the partner university requires a language certificate -> this information can be found in the overview of the partner universities and under "Language certificates" on this website)
    • Abitur certificate / High school diploma
    • Curriculum vitae in English with photo incl. proof of internships and voluntary work during your studies (Please do not add any other proof, e.g. of courses, scholarships or workshops. The information in the CV is sufficient). Notes on the CV: 
      • It does not have to be in accordance with the American standard, a translation is sufficient!
      • The following extracurricular/non-academic activities (at least four weeks), which were/are completed in the course of the studies (gap year between Bachelor's and Master's degree program counts) for the purpose of extracurricular further education, are included in the application:
        • Internships (at least four weeks)
        • and/or part-time work with a clear reference to the studies
        • and/or voluntary work/student initiative (active work in the board of directors or an office/resort/group, membership doesn't count)
        • Please note that only proven achievements are considered in the assessment of the application. The proof must contain the usual information: Letterhead of the company/organisation, your personal details (name, date of birth etc.), length of activity with date, description of your activity/area of responsibility.

    Please note that the application is made to the International Relations Center (IRC) of the School of Business and Economics and is processed there. Your documents will not be forwarded to the host university. Your application will only be forwarded to the host university after IRC has approved your application. You will receive further information on this from IRC after you have accepted your place.

     

  • Application procedure

    Applications are submitted through the online application platform.

    Before starting your application, please make sure that you have already prepared all required documents, especially your letters of motivation for each university you would like to apply for.

     

    In the online application tool, you will be asked to:

    • create your applicant profile,
    • upload the required general documents and certificates,
    • enter your motivation letters for the universities you are applying to.

     

    After submitting your online application, you will receive an email confirmation with your application details.

    Please print this confirmation once and submit the printed version to the IRC.

    Printed copies of all other documents are not required. The printed confirmation is informal. Please do not submit application folders.

     

    You can submit the printed confirmation in one of the following ways:

    • place it in the mailbox of the Dean’s Office at the Juridicum (Torbogen Krummer Timpen / Krummer Timpen archway)

    • or send it by post to:

    Dean’s Office, School of Business and Economics / IRC
    Valentine Eyraud
    Universitätsstr. 14–16
    48143 Münster

     

     

    Please make sure that the document reaches us within the application deadline.

    For postal delivery, the postmark within the application deadline applies

     

  • Language skills

    Language requirements depend on the partner university.

    Please check:

    • the partner university overview,
    • the host university website, “language requirements section”
    • and the language requirements section of this website.

     

    English language requirements

    For most partner universities, good to very good English language skills are required. Level B2/C1 is usually expected. (TOEFL B2 : 73-94 C1 : 95-113)

    For some universities, especially in the USA, China, Australia or South Africa, a valid TOEFL or IELTS certificate may be required. Most universities do not accept TOEFL-IBT Home Edition nor IELTS online.

    ⚠️If TOEFL or IELTS is required, the test must usually be valid at the time of nomination to the host university. Please check the validity period early.

     

     

     

     

    Equivalent English certificates

    Some partner universities accept equivalent proof of English language skills. This may include:

    • Cambridge Certificate,
    • English advanced course or English as an Abitur subject with sufficient grade with an everage of 10-15 points,
    • Bachelor’s or Master’s degree 100% taught in English,
    • Unicert II or III,
    • Semester or year abroad at an English-speaking university in an English speaking country,
    • TOEFL, IELTS, DAAD or other recognised tests, ⟶ Language Center.
    • Duolingo English Test, if accepted by the host university.

     

     

    Please check the partner university overview carefully.

     

    National language requirements

    At some partner universities, courses are taught in the local language. It is indicated in the overview, if english is indicated as an option you do not need to know the local language.

    If no English-taught courses are available, students usually need at least B1/B2 in the national language.

    This may apply, for example, to courses taught in: French, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian.

     

    ⚠️ Students who only have a B1 level in the language of instruction and receive an Erasmus grant are required to complete an online language course during the semester abroad.

     

  • Letter of recommendation

    Furthermore, some of our partner universities (South Africa, Republic of Korea, Thailand, USA, Brazil) demand that your application includes a letter of recommendation. You will only need this letter of recommendation after you have been accepted for an exchange place. In some cases a letter of recommendation from a university professor is required, in other cases a confirmation by IRC is sufficient.

  • Who Should I contact ?

    Links :

    Contacts of credit transfer coordinators : https://www.wiwi.uni-muenster.de/fakultaet/en/international/outgoing/cre...

    Contacts at the international office : https://www.uni-muenster.de/InternationalOffice/en/smobilitaet/index.html

 

Information regarding exchange semester in UK:

From summer semester 2023 onwards, students can no longer be funded with ERASMUS+ scholarship for the exchange semester in UK, but they will be given the opportunity to apply for PROMOS scholarship.

Since January 2021, new visa requirements apply to all travelers into the UK: You either need an electronic travel authorization (ETA) or a visa. If you have German citizenship and are traveling for 6 months or less, an ETA is sufficient in this case. If you are coming for longer than 6 months or have a different nationality, please check the visa requirements on the UK government website.