Ex­change se­mes­ter at Hum­boldt-Uni­ver­sität

Semester times

Winter semester: 1 October – 31 March

Summer semester: 1 April – 30 September

All academic deadlines and dates

Duration of the exchange programme

One semester or one academic year

Study level

Bachelor, Master, PhD

Study options

Bachelor’s students can take courses at a maximum of two institutes. Master's students select courses from one field.

Available fields and disciplines for the exchange programme

All except medicine, M.A. Global Studies and M.A. Global History. Restrictions may also apply to law, M.A.. Mind and Brain, B.A. History and B.A. Computer Science.

Required average grade (GPA or equivalent)

2.5/4.0 GPA

Further options

At Humboldt-Universität, you can take language courses and also attend interdisciplinary courses on society, history and culture in Germany as part of the Berlin Perspectives programme.

Contacts

If you have general questions about your application or enrolment, and if you have any questions about re-enrolment, removal from the Register of Students, reimbursement of the semester fee or loss of the Semesterticket, please contact our incoming team.

If you have specific questions about the courses, the course content, changing subjects or the learning agreement, please contact your coordinator.

In order for you to take part in an exchange programme, your current home university must have a current partnership agreement or an Erasmus+ contract with Humboldt-Universität. Please inquire about this at your university's International Office.

If there is an agreement, your home university can nominate you for the exchange. To do this, you must meet the language requirements (see section “Required language skills” below) in German or English for our exchange programme.

Discuss the study programme at Humboldt-Universität with your home university for the learning agreement and fill out the relevant forms from your home university. It is helpful if you familiarise yourself with the courses on offer at Humboldt-Universität. You can use the AGNES course catalogue to do this.

German

In order to apply for a semester abroad at Humboldt-Universität, you usually have to prove that you speak German at a B2 level. The following options are accepted:

• The Goethe certificate B2/C1
• DSH (Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang)
• TestDaF (Test Deutsch als Fremdsprache)
• onSET (Online-Spracheinstufungstest – C-Test) – required points: 60 If you opt for the C-Test and only get 50 to 59 points, you can take part in an intensive language course before the start of the semester for around 600 euros. The courses start in the first week of September and March respectively.

English

If you only want to take part in English-language courses during your semester abroad at Humboldt-Universität and are not a native speaker, you must provide proof of your language skills: • At least 80 points in the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) • At least level 6.0 in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test Please note: Not all fields of study at Humboldt-Universität offer courses in English, especially not at the bachelor's level.

As soon as you have been nominated by your home university, you will receive an email from us with the link to the MoveOn application platform. You can apply here during the following periods:

Winter semester 15 April – 31 May

Summer semester 15 October – 30 November

Online application process

1. Register in our application portal.

Please note: Different application formalities apply to medical students. Further information can be found on the Charité ERASMUS incoming website.

2. As soon as you have completed the MoveOn registration, you will receive a confirmation email containing an activation link for your applicant account.
3. You then have to create an application and enter all the required information step by step. When specifying subjects of study, you can only select subjects for which Humboldt-Universität has concluded a contract with your home university.
4. During your online application, you can also apply for the following additional offers:

• Preparatory German intensive course (DAF)

• Accommodation in a student hall of residence

• Berlin Perspectives

5. If German is not your native language, you must also provide proof of your German language skills (and, in certain cases, English skills). As a minimum, proof of level B2 must be provided. To do this, you can take the C-Test for German from the HU Language Centre and enter the result in your online application. Alternatively, you have the option of uploading an equivalent language certificate.
6. Please check your details before submitting the application. Once you have submitted your application, your data can no longer be edited.
7. You will receive an application confirmation or rejection by late August for the winter semester and by late February for the summer semester.

Please note: If you still need to apply for a visa before your study visit, let us know. We will then prioritise processing your application.

The Learning Agreement

If you are taking part in the Erasmus+ programme and need a learning agreement, please coordinate this with your ERASMUS coordinator at Humboldt-Universität. This gives you the security that you will be able to take the modules and courses you want. Also inquire about the number of credit points (ECTS) and the different types of examinations No credits will be awarded without exams!

To create your learning agreement, please use the course catalogue from the previous year, as the new courses are only published a few weeks before the start of the semester. The learning agreement can be amended at a later date.

Selecting courses

You may only take programmes you are enrolled in at your home university. The programmes offered at Humboldt-Universität can be found in the AGNES course catalogue. As a bachelor's student, you can take courses from one or two degree programmes (major and minor). Master's students can only take part in courses in one degree programme.

Earning ECTS

In some faculties, you can attend individual courses, in others you are required to study entire modules. Modules consist of two to four courses and contain between eight and ten credit points (ECTS). You complete the module with an exam for all the included courses.

You choose courses with a total of 20-30 ECTS per semester. If you choose individual courses, please note that each course must be completed with an exam. Two to three credit points are awarded per exam for partial credits.

For your information: The terms “credits”, “credit points” and “ECTS” are used synonymously at Humboldt-Universität.

In order to enrol as an exchange student at Humboldt-Universität, you need the following documents:

• Completed application for enrolment (see email attachment of programme confirmation)
• Proof of health insurance (Please note that your foreign health insurance, including EHIC, must first be confirmed by a German statutory health insurance provider. To do this, please contact a statutory health insurance provider directly via email with your current EHIC or health insurance.)
• Proof of payment for the semester fee (see the section “Semester fee and Semesterticket”)

When you enrol, you officially become a student in an exchange programme at Humboldt-Universität. You will receive an HU account that you can use to log in to AGNES, where you will find a digital Deutschlandticket for local transport, as well as the QR code for your Campus Card. Once you have access to Agnes, you will also be able to access your enrolment approval document.

The semester fee¹, which includes a Deutschlandticket for local public transport, is as follows.

1. Contribution to the student union: 10.50 euros: All HU students are automatically members of the student union and have to pay a contribution. To this end, all students are allowed to vote for the student parliament (StuPa) and use a comprehensive range of advice for all kinds of issues.
2. Contribution to the Studierendenwerk: 85 euros: All Berlin students have to pay a contribution to the Studierendenwerk. This is responsible for the cafeterias at Berlin universities and offers halls of residence. There are also many information centres.
3. Deutschlandsemesterticket: 176.40 euros: You can use the local transport network throughout Germany for the entire semester, i.e. six months. More information about the Semesterticket
4. Enrolment fee: 50 euros: If you come to the Humboldt-Universität as part of Erasmus+, through a direct exchange with a partner university or with a DAAD or Fulbright scholarship, you are exempt from paying the enrolment fee. If you come to Humboldt-Universität through other programmes or scholarships, you will be charged this fee.
5. The total amount payable per semester is 271,90 euros (Erasmus+, university partnerships, DAAD or Fulbright scholarships) or 321,90 euros (all other programmes).

Please transfer the amount to the HU account in advance if possible. Please be aware that baking fees might apply, It is your responsibility to cover them:

• Recipient: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
• IBAN: DE64 1001 0010 0651 8231 04
• SWIFT (BIC): PBNKDEFF (PBNKDEFFXXX)
• Bank: Postbank Berlin

• Please state your name and student ID number, which you received with your confirmation letter, as the reference.

You can register for courses in the AGNES teaching and examination portal. To do this, you need a HU account, which you must activate with a PIN. You will receive this PIN personally from the incoming team as soon as you are in Berlin. Alternatively, we can send you the letter. At the beginning of the semester, you will receive a letter containing a TAN list. This allows you to register and de-register for exams and change details such as your address in your HU account. More information about the HU account and the AGNES portal for teaching and examinations

The Campus Card is also your student and library ID as well as your cafeteria card for use in all the cafeterias of the Berlin Studierendenwerk. You can collect your Campus Card from a machine at the university as soon as you have access to AGNES.

Exchange students who have lost their Campus Card can request a replacement from the incoming team of the International Department. This comes at a fee of 10.23 euros. Please transfer the money to the account listed below and send the payment receipt and a completed antrag-auf-ersatzausstellung.pdf to the incoming team by email.

• Recipient: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
• IBAN: DE64 1001 0010 0651 8231 04
• SWIFT (BIC): PBNKDEFF (PBNKDEFFXXX)
• Bank: Postbank Berlin

Please use the following template for the payment reference: Last name, first name, student ID number - Neuausstellung CC

If your public transport ticket or record of attendance are stolen, you must also report this to the police.

If you come to Humboldt-Universität as part of the Erasmus+ programme, you usually have to have a Certificate of Arrival signed and then send it back to your home university.

Please write an email to the relevant coordinator or visit the office to have this document signed! When exactly you have to submit it depends on your home university.

Under certain conditions, exchange students have the opportunity to extend their study stay at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin by one semester to a total of 12 months.

The extension application must be completely filled out and signed by all parties and sent to the incoming team. You also have to re-enrol for the additional semester and pay the semester fee. The deadline for the extension including re-enrolment is 15 February for the following summer semester and 15 July for the following winter semester.

The re-enrolment fee for the 2025 summer semester is 271.90 euros (Erasmus+, university partnerships, DAAD or Fulbright scholarships) or 321.90 euros (all other programmes). The amount must be credited to the HU account by 15 February. If the money is received after the deadline, you will have to pay an additional late fee of 19.94 euros during the grace period.

Please transfer the re-enrolment fee to the HU account:

• Recipient: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
• IBAN: DE64 1001 0010 0651 8231 04
• SWIFT (BIC): PBNKDEFF (PBNKDEFFXXX)
• Bank: Postbank Berlin

• Please provide your name and student ID number as the payment reference.

If you were with us as part of the Erasmus+ programme, you will need a Certificate of Departure at the end of your stay. Please write an email to the responsible coordinator.

At the end of your stay at Humboldt-Universität, the coordination will create a Transcript of Records (ToR), which confirms your stay and lists the grades and ECTS earned for all courses attended. This will be sent to your home university. For more detailed information, please contact your coordinator at Humboldt-Universität.

As an international programme student, you will automatically be removed from the register of students at the end of the semester after your stay has ended: on 31 March in the winter semester, and on 30 September in the summer semester.

If you want to end your studies at Humboldt-Universität before the end of the semester, for example after the end of the lecture period, you can do this by submitting a request. To do this, please come to the incoming team in person and bring a completed Removal from the Register of Students request and your Campus Card.

For unused full months, you can request a partial refund of the semester ticket fee. To do this, simply submit the completed antrag_gebuehrenrueckerstattung_anteile_form.pdf at the time of deregistration. Please note: The refundable amount can only be transferred to a European bank account.

Extension application

Removal from the Register of Students request