Application Process ERASMUS+ Studies

Below you will find information on the steps you need to take when applying for an ERASMUS+ study stay.



1) General requirements for participation
- Enrolment at the University of Cologne or the Faculty of Humanities
- The first academic year should be completed at the beginning of the stay, but applications are possible beforehand.

Please inquire also at the respective guest university about special participation requirements!

2) Scheduling
Early planning makes sense here, as the application deadlines sometimes end one and a half years before the actual stay. The application phase usually runs at the beginning of the year and usually applies to one-semester stays throughout the academic year (i.e. the following WS and SoSe). If, for example, you are interested in a stay in WS 23/24 or SoSe 24, you must already apply to us at the beginning of 2020. Current application deadlines can be found under News. The study visits can begin in the winter semester and the summer semester and are usually limited to one semester.

The application phase for a semester abroad in the academic year 2025/26 has ended.

3) Prioritisation and research
It makes sense to first decide on a country or a university/city. In addition to cultural and personal preferences, the professional fit should of course also play a role. Inform yourself about the courses on offer and the respective focal points at the favoured university and see to what extent you can study there sensibly. The departments for which the contract between HumF and the cooperation university exists can be helpful here.  Nevertheless an application is possible via another department, as long as the host university gives its consent to you to be able to take appropriate courses there. Such information can be found in the experience reports or on the website of the host university.

Please also research the semester dates of the host university, as these may differ from those of the local university. Such overlaps are your responsibility.

 

4) Application documents
To apply, please send the following documents as a PDF document with the title "Name_Erstwunsch" (e.g. Mustermann_Universitat de Barcelona) to outgoings-zib-hf@uni-koeln.de:

1. application form (electronically completed and signed): You are welcome to indicate a second and third preference, but you can also apply for only one place. We will upload the current application form here at the beginning of the new application period.

2. letter of motivation (in German): Why would you particularly like to study at the host university? How can you study there in a meaningful way? Would you like to have courses recognized or are these courses complementary to your study profile? What other motivation do you have for living in this place? In your letter of motivation, please refer mainly to your first choice (approx. 1 page). We would then be pleased if you could go into more detail about your second and third choice (half a page each). The letter of motivation should therefore be 1-2 pages long.

3. curriculum vitae in tabular form

4. language certificate (only to be submitted if the language of instruction at the host university is neither German nor English): We accept any kind of proof, e.g. officially recognized language certificates, high school diploma, certificate of participation in a language course, etc.
 

ERASMUS+ study selection procedure

The selection of applicants within the framework of ERASMUS cooperation takes place at ZIB (not at the host university). The following criteria apply to the selection of applicants:

1. the decisive factor is a study project at the host university that makes sense in terms of content. Therefore, you should research the courses offered and the focus of the host university in advance and explain the planned study project.
2. language skills in the language of the host country or region are also an advantage and are compulsory at some host universities. The required language level can be found in the cooperation list. If you are studying at the host university in a language other than German or English, at least basic knowledge of the language is required, otherwise we will unfortunately not be able to consider your application.
3. if you are doing voluntary work, please also indicate this.

Please note that not all spots are always assigned. Some countries are much more in demand by students than others, but demand varies from year to year, for example due to political developments.

 

After the selection

If you have been offered a place, you will be informed a few weeks after the application deadline. After your final acceptance, we will officially nominate you as an Erasmus+ outgoing student at your host university in the following months. They will then normally contact you or us to finalize the enrolment. This will require a few more formalities, which vary from university to university, such as a transcript of records or proof of language proficiency. Your host university will tell you exactly which documents you need and how and by when you need to submit them. Nevertheless, please inform yourself about the application deadline of your host university!