The application process
Overview
- There is one single application procedure for all exchange programs (except for University wide exchange agreements – you do apply via the main international department at Humboldt)
- The online application procedure is easy and quick to go through. You will use our online application Portal “Moveon”
- You need your Humboldt login details for it
- Your application is complete after you have uploaded all required documents into your personal area in “Moveon”. Please do not forget to actually press the “submit” button.
- We accept applications both in German and in English and do not discriminate based on the language.
- Your Motivation Statement is to film in into the dedicated section in your application form in “Moveon” (max. 600 words). You will not upload any separate (traditional) letter of motivation. Your motivation statement shall reflect the reasons behind your selection of destinations and how does it support the pursuit of your academic and professional career. You should also explain what is your connection to some or all of the destinations you have entered. Not least, you ought to put together a preliminary selection of courses for your host institutions.
Please keep in mind that you will always need to apply for an exchange Semester at least a year in advance.
Every year the application portal will close on December 15th (first round of application) or April 30th (second round of application).
Attention: you should collect all documents before you start your application. It may take a while for you to produce a valid proof of language proficiency or an actual transcript with the details of your grades.
- CV
- Proof of enrollment at Humboldt
- Transcript of records
- Proof of language profiency for English and possibly for additional languages
- The transcript shall display all the courses you have completed since the beginning of your studies and the grades you have achieved
- We will not consider any application with a GPA (overall grade) above 2,9 (German Grading System) – we will not make any exceptions. Please apply again in the following semester if you believe that you can improve your grades by then.
- Only for Master students: if you apply in your first semester, you will upload a detailed copy of your Bachelor degree certificate.
- Only for undergraduate students:
- your transcript needs to show your most recent GPA at Humboldt. Please ask the examination Office for your official transcript of records, it has to be stamped by the examination Office of the School of Business and Economics.
- you can only apply if you are in your Semester at Humboldt, which implies that you have already completed 2 full semesters. You should also have completed 30 ECTS points or more in either your major or minor in Business Administration or Economics.
- Find the list of the language certificates we accept: click here
- We do not accept the following cases as a proof of English proficiency: internships, summer schools, private trips abroad.
- The German „Abitur“certificate and language courses dne at Humboldt are very unlikely to be accepted as a proof of language proficiency by our partner institutions.
- The language Center at Humboldt organizes language tests in various languages for you in order to assess your language skills. The Tests cost approximately 20-40€. Please mind that usually you need to book a test at least 4 weeks in advance, therefore plan ahead. Here you can find some more information and book the test.
- Are you following a language class at Humboldt? Please have your language teacher state your performance as well as the study level.
- We typically accept the German “Abitur” certificate starting from a B2 level. You should have been studying the language for at least 2 years before taking the final exam (we consider the last 4 semesters before the final High School exam). Please note that we cannot accept elementary courses (“Grundkurse”) as a proof of language proficiency. Nor do we accept advanced courses (“Leistungskurse”) with a GPA of 10 or less.
The application period will run from November 1st to December 15th every year.
Applicants are entitled to apply for either the Winter (Fall) Semester and the Summer (Spring) Semester of the following academic year OR both (the whole academic year).
The application period runs from April 1st to April 30th every year. You can only apply for the Summer/Spring Semester of the following academic year. You will base your application on the list of the remaining spots ("Restplätze") published on our website in March.
1. Option: Applicants may enter 3 wishes/choices into the application form. For each choice you will indicate the exchange period (Fall or Spring or the whole academic year). You will enter 3 choices in order to maximize your chances for getting accepted into either institution you have applied to. Essentially, you are interested in spending your exchange period in "one single" partner institution.
Click on the following link to start your online application (the application form is also available in English): Link to application form.
2. Option: Applicants who wish to apply for 2 semesters in 2 different places (for example: spend the Winter Semester in Rome and the Summer Semester in Copenhagen) need to use a complementary application forms for their second choice: 2. Application
You will then need to use two separate application forms because in effect you will be spending two exchange semesters in two different partner institutions but within the same academic year. You may express three wishes per application form.
You are also entitled to apply for an exchange Semester via the School of Business and Economics even though you are not enrolled in our school. However, the exchange agreements with our partner institutions are restricted to the fields of Business Administration, Management and Economic Sciences. In effect, you need to demonstrate advanced academic knowledge in either discipline otherwise you won´t be able to take courses at any of our partner institutions. You need to have completed basic academic training in either discipline.
Applications from students from other Universities will generally not be accepted.