Ways to go abroad

You can find us in Building 5, Rooms 319 and 305, or contact us by email at outgoing@th-bingen.de.

Every stay abroad is different and depends on a wide variety of factors. To discuss whether and how a stay abroad is possible for you, the first step is to arrange a consultation appointment with us and take a look at the information we have compiled for you. 
We will be happy to advise you on your plans so that you know how to proceed in your specific case. This also applies if you have already planned your stay abroad in detail and/or financed it yourself.

Stays abroad can be financially supported by Bingen UAS in the form of partial scholarships. For stays in Erasmus+ participating countries, you can receive an Erasmus+ scholarship.
International stays outside the Erasmus+ programme can also be financially subsidised by the International Office.
In addition, you can apply for BAföG foreign funding, an education loan or full scholarships outside of Bingen UAS. 

The Erasmus+ programme is the largest mobility programme at Bingen UAS and in Europe. It aims to promote the international mobility of students and university staff. The participating universities conclude bilateral agreements at subject level, which define the type, scope and duration of the cooperation. You can find the Erasmus+ partner universities and all other partner universities on our website.
Erasmus+ offers many added benefits for students. For example, you will not have to pay any tuition fees at the partner universities. In addition, the credits you earn there will be recognised at TH Bingen via a previously agreed learning agreement, and in addition to an Erasmus study place, you will also receive financial support via Erasmus+.
If you are interested in an Erasmus+ semester abroad, please refer to the Erasmus+ checklist in our download area.
Internships are also eligible for funding through Erasmus+. Your contact person for Erasmus internships is the a.i.m. Rheinland-Pfalz. 

The amount of funding is divided into three country groups based on the cost of living in order to ensure equality and transparency for students. The funding rates for an exchange semester at an Erasmus partner university or for an Erasmus internship in the 2024 project are as follows:

Group 1 (600 euros per month): Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Sweden.
Group 2 (540 euros per month): Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Malta, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Czechia, Cyprus.
Group 3 (also 540 euros per month): Bulgaria, Croatia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Turkey, Hungary.

Funding can be granted for a maximum of 4 months (120 days) per semester (depending on the availability of funds). This also applies if the semester stay lasts longer. For shorter stays, the funding amount will be reduced accordingly. Mobility grants for study visits are available for a minimum stay of 60 days (in the 2024 project) and a maximum stay of 12 months (360 days). For each study phase (bachelor's, master's, doctorate), you can spend a maximum of 12 months abroad with Erasmus+ (study visit and internship). This means you can extend your stay by another semester and receive funding for up to 4 or 5 months. One of the requirements for your application for an Erasmus+ study place to be approved is that it must be possible to transfer the credits you earn abroad.

Please note that the confirmation of your Erasmus study place is subject to the approval of funding by the European Commission. We can only make your stay possible if sufficient funding is available. The calculation of your scholarship and the relevant terms and conditions will be announced as soon as TH Bingen has received project approval from the European Commission.

For the purposes of equality and inclusion, as well as to achieve the EU's climate targets, students can receive special grants (top-ups) as part of the Erasmus funding programme. For more information, please refer to the information sheet on top-ups to the ERASMUS+ scholarship and the declaration of honour for top-ups to the ERASMUS+ scholarship on the intranet. Please note the application deadlines. Only applications that are submitted in the correct form and by the deadline can be considered. Please note that social top-ups and green travel can be credited towards BAföG for studying abroad.

Please note that neither the Erasmus programme nor Bingen UAS provides insurance cover. You must ensure that you have adequate insurance cover yourself (we recommend health insurance including repatriation from abroad as well as liability and accident insurance).
Please find out about the individual requirements in your host country (your German insurance company, for example, is your point of contact). 

Unfortunately, study visits to our former partner universities in the UK are no longer eligible for funding through the Erasmus+ programme. However, you have the option of applying for a scholarship to support your mobility to the UK. Please refer to the answer in the FAQ on the topic of ‘freemover’.

Bingen UAS can support students studying abroad outside Europe with scholarships from the DAAD (PROMOS), funds from the Georg Meyer Foundation or the Rhineland-Palatinate Scholarship Foundation.
In addition, the Rotary Club Bingen awards an annual prize for a thesis written abroad, provided that more than three theses have been completed abroad.

Please note that there is no legal entitlement to a scholarship and that funds must be available. Furthermore, equal opportunities are always a priority when it comes to promoting mobility. When funding projects abroad outside the Erasmus+ programme, the academic performance of students is also a decisive factor in the approval of a scholarship.

In general, students can also receive multiple grants. Therefore, please contact the International Office if you would like to venture abroad again or extend your stay. Under the Erasmus programme, 12 months per study phase (bachelor's, master's, doctorate) can be funded. Multiple funding for other stays abroad (internships, freemover studies, specialist courses, etc.) may also be possible. The usual selection criteria apply in this case. All students must be treated as equally as possible in the selection process, so each application must be assessed individually. In addition, funding is always dependent on the availability of funds.

Students have the opportunity to apply for BAföG foreign funding for the duration of their stay abroad. You can find the office responsible for your destination country on the Internet. Please note that social top-ups can be credited to foreign BAföG.

If you spend your semester abroad at one of our European partner universities, you will be exempt from the tuition fees that are usually charged by the foreign university. If you decide to go on a freemover stay, tuition fees may apply. Financial support for your stay is possible. 

Before your stay abroad, you will sign a learning agreement with the host university and Bingen UAS. This agreement specifies which courses you will take abroad and how many ECTS credits they will be worth. Please clarify the possibilities for credit transfer with the international coordinator of your degree programme and the examination board (chairperson) before your mobility period. In the case of Erasmus+ outgoing students, at least 15 creditable ECTS per semester abroad must be specified in the learning agreement.

Learning Agreements are generally signed by the chair of the examination board. Please note, however, that participants in the Erasmus+ programme are subject to the ‘Online Learning Agreement’ process and that the OLA cannot be signed directly by the PAV, but must be submitted for signature via outgoing@th-bingen.de using an approval document. When creating your OLA, be sure to follow the OLA guidelines step by step. However, please first contact your international affairs officer and clarify the content to be entered. Important: The online format of the Learning Agreements applies exclusively to participants in the Erasmus+ programme.

EWP is ‘Erasmus Without Paper’ and plays an important role for students who spend a semester abroad on Erasmus. The digitisation of the Erasmus+ programme is one of the major issues for the future of European higher education cooperation, and the EU Commission has made digitisation a requirement for parts of the Erasmus programme that must be implemented within a specified timeframe.

After you have digitally signed the online learning agreement, it will be uploaded to an administration system at TH Bingen for approval or rejection. While the agreement is in this status, you will not be able to edit or change it.
Please create your OLA step by step according to the guidelines. If an error does occur, please contact us immediately. We will reject the agreement in the system, after which you will be able to edit it again. Please do not create a new OLA.

Any changes to your Learning Agreement must be agreed within 5 weeks of your arrival.
For Erasmus students: Further information on completing and changing the Learning Agreement can be found in the Online Learning Agreements guide in our intranet area.

Many of our partner universities offer courses in English. In addition, it is usually possible to study in the respective national language.
For Erasmus stays abroad at one of our partner universities, a minimum language level of B1 in the language of instruction is generally required before the start of the stay abroad, but individual partners may also require higher language skills. Such restrictions often do not apply to internships and international stays abroad.

The online language support is designed to help Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps participants improve the language skills they need for their studies, work or volunteering abroad, so that they can get the most out of their experience.” (Source: erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu)

Completing the OLS self-assessment is not currently mandatory. Nevertheless, we invite you to take the short language tests before and after your stay abroad to see your personal progress. The EU Academy platform can also be used for active language learning and studying other topics. 

If you would like to get a quick overview of which partner university is suitable for your degree programme, you can find an overview on our partner university pages. This overview is designed to help you refine your search.

Please take a second look at our website to view the profiles of our partner universities and find out what study opportunities we can offer you at our partner universities. Are you wondering what the phrase ‘universities that are of interest for your degree programme’ means? Partnership agreements with foreign universities are concluded for specific subject areas. For example, an agreement with a university may cover the study option ‘Business’. We then write in the profiles that this university is of interest to students from different degree programmes (e.g. WI, UW, EGU or AW), as students from these degree programmes often like to take business modules as elective subjects. The phrase ‘universities that are of interest for your degree programme’ does not necessarily mean that you can study the same degree programme at this university as you are studying at TH Bingen. We will be happy to answer any further questions you may have about your study options in a personal consultation or by email at outgoing@th-bingen.de.

In general, it is also possible to study at a university that is not currently a partner university. It may be possible to establish a new partnership (this takes time), or the host university may be able to accept you as a freemover. The experience reports also include reports of self-organised stays abroad.

The following applies to partner universities: Bingen UAS has concluded agreements with partner universities for certain courses, faculties or areas. A brief overview of these areas can be found on our website in the short profiles of the partner universities. If you would like to take courses that are not covered by the agreement between Bingen UAS and the partner university, we will check what options are available for you.
If you are attending a host university as a freemover, you must coordinate your course selection with that university.

In the intranet, you can read about the experiences of your fellow students experience reports. You can also get to know foreign students at TH Bingen through the buddy programme and get a taste of the international atmosphere on campus. Participating in the programme is excellent preparation for your own stay abroad.

We support all academic stays abroad and, of course, internships or final theses abroad.
Internships in other EU countries (EU member states, EU candidate countries, EFTA countries) with a minimum duration of 2 months (60 days) and a maximum duration of 12 months (360 days) can be funded through Erasmus+ (SMP). The Agency for International Higher Education Mobility Rhineland-Palatinate is responsible for the administrative processing and financing of these internships. Nevertheless, you are obliged to inform the International Office if you are planning a stay at a university, an internship abroad or any other student stay abroad. This will not result in any disadvantages for you! The International Office will discuss the further procedure with you.

In this case, the Erasmus+ graduate internship is an option. Graduates can receive funding through Erasmus+ for a period of 12 months after de-registration. The prerequisite for a scholarship is a completed degree at TH Bingen, as participants must have completed a full degree programme in Germany and hold a recognised degree. The application must be received by a.i.m. RLP before deregistration. Internships in other EU countries (EU member states, EU candidate countries, EFTA countries) can be funded through Erasmus+ (SMP). The Agency for International Higher Education Mobility Rhineland-Palatinate is responsible for the administrative processing and financing of these internships. 

Deadlines:
Erasmus+: 15.03. and 15.09 via FormS.
Deadlines for other stays: 01.02. und 01.07. via FormS. 

Students who wish to apply for funding outside the Erasmus programme should still contact us after the deadlines have passed, as we may be able to award residual scholarships in such cases!

We strive to provide financial support for all mobility programmes. We currently have funding opportunities available, but the amount of funding depends on the availability of funds and the following criteria for evaluating your application. All students must be treated equally in the selection process, so each application must be evaluated individually.

Criteria are:

• Academic performance (not a priority for Erasmus funding)
• Purpose of the planned stay for the further course of study
• Crediting of credits to be earned abroad
• Motivation and social/intercultural engagement/financial situation (does not apply to Erasmus+ mobility programmes)
• If applicable: Existence of a ‘disadvantage background’ (e.g. severe disability, first-generation academic or stay abroad with your child
• Availability of funds and places at a partner university 
• Support for the project from the relevant international officer (e.g. for specialise courses: confirmation that the credits will be recognised)

We can support students during a stay abroad with various types of funding. The International Office manages these funds and decides which funding pot can be selected for your project abroad. Only limited funds are available in each funding pot. For example, one of the requirements for funding from PROMOS is a minimum grade point average of 2.5. For Erasmus funding, the grade point average is only a secondary selection criterion. Please note that there is no legal entitlement to a scholarship and that equal opportunities are always a priority when it comes to mobility funding.

Regardless of whether you are applying to the TH for funding, a place at a partner university or another type of stay abroad, we remain your point of contact. We will inform you about the involvement of other important internal TH contacts (e.g. the relevant international officers).

In addition, various contacts in your host country will be available to assist you. It is important that you maintain communication with the International Office at TH Bingen throughout the entire period (planning, stay abroad, return). Smooth communication with you is essential to ensure that your stay abroad runs as smoothly as possible. We also expect all TH Bingen scholarship holders to maintain polite and transparent correspondence with their contact persons in the host country. 

If your application can be approved depends on various factors. The criteria are particularly decisive. Before reviewing your application (on the respective deadline), we cannot make any binding statements about the chances of success of your application. However, we will inform you as soon as the selection committee has made a decision or we have nominated you to your preferred university. 

After the deadline (15 March for winter semester and 15 September for summer semester), all applications received will be reviewed. You will then be invited to a mandatory event before we nominate you to the host university. At this mandatory event, we will inform you about the next steps and answer any questions you may have. If you meet the requirements, we will then nominate you to the partner university.
The rest of the process is outlined step by step in the Erasmus+ checklist. This process takes place during the semester preceding your stay abroad. You can find out about all the tasks to be completed during this period in the checklist. We will also send you ongoing information about the next steps to be taken via email. The final step before you begin your mobility programme is to sign the Grant Agreement (binding grant contract), which will take place once you have completed all the previous tasks.

The mobility grants awarded by the International Office are non-repayable subsidies. This means that you can spend the entire amount on your stay abroad and do not have to repay any of it to us. The prerequisite is that you comply with the funding conditions.

In addition to the links in the link collection on the intranet, we can advise you.

In our Olat course "Go Out - Wege ins Ausland" you will receive up-to-date information about your stay abroad. We will inform you about current calls for applications for internships or theses abroad, funding opportunities and deadlines. You will also have the opportunity to network with your outgoing fellow students.
In our Olat-Kurs "Internationalization@home" we will keep you informed about current intercultural and international events.

An amendment to the Higher Education Statistics Act now requires all stays abroad by students and the academic achievements (study and/or examination results) obtained during these stays to be recorded. For this reason, you are required to contact the International Office if you are planning a stay at a university, an internship abroad or any other student stay abroad. The credits earned abroad will be digitally recorded by the International Office to make it easier for you to have them recognised later. You must also notify the International Office if you do not wish to have credits earned abroad recognised.

Take care of your general safety precautions. We recommend that you observe at least the following points:

Before departure

• Find out about your host country and how to behave appropriately there.
• Foreign Office
• German diplomatic missions in the host country
• ‘Sicher Reisen’ app from the Foreign Office
• Apply for the appropriate visa: Contact the relevant consulate in good time.
• Save emergency numbers in your mobile phone and note them on an emergency card (including those of the nearest German diplomatic mission)
• Copy/scan important documents and keep them in a safe place.
• Vaccinations/prophylaxis
• Preventive medical check-ups
• First-aid kit
• Medical advice from the Foreign Office

If you are planning to go diving abroad, please be sure to observe the DGUV industry regulations. According to these regulations, ‘Underwater work must be carried out in accordance with the current safety regulations.’

In the host country:

• Ensure you can be reached in an emergency (provide contact details to the institution, register with the Foreign Office's crisis prevention list for German citizens, charge your mobile phone regularly, take a power bank with you if necessary).
• Stay up to date (follow country-specific travel and safety advice from the Foreign Office or subscribe to the email newsletter and/or install the relevant app, network, independent local news on the security situation)
• Reduce risks (follow instructions from local security forces)
• Adapt your behaviour (advice on how to behave in particularly dangerous situations, advice on how to behave in the event of attacks and assaults)
• Avoid complications
• When using taxis: use official taxis with taximeter
• When choosing hotels or apartments, consider the surrounding area
• Get to know the surrounding area (police, hospital, German diplomatic missions)

Every stay abroad is different. To ensure that you have all the necessary information, we invite you to arrange a personal consultation with us before submitting your application.
In addition, the international coordinators for your degree programme are available to advise you on the academic aspects of your stay abroad. They will also refer you to other important contacts, such as the chairpersons of the examination boards, if necessary.
Please also take a look at our leaflet.