Going Abroad

• The ERASMUS program
• Overseas Exchange programs

• Bilateral exchanges with partner universities
• State-to-state exchange programs

For further details and information please switch to our corresponding pages in German language.

Established exchange programs are always only in place with particular higher education institutions, and are therefore limited to certain countries. This might mean that the higher education institution or country which is best-suited to you and your interests is not available through an exchange program. Maybe you think your chances of getting a place on an exchange program are too low. Or maybe there are other reasons why you don’t want to go abroad through an exchange program.

In such cases, you can make your own arrangements and apply for a study place at virtually any higher education institution abroad. This can be done as an alternative to, or in addition to, applying for a spot on an exchange program. With the Internet and a variety of other sources available nowadays, it has never been so easy to arrange your own period of study abroad. The search function on the German Academic Exchange Service’s website (DAAD) can help you to find suitable options. 

Please note that courses completed as part of a Summer School cannot be recognized. Our experience has shown that the level of Summer School courses, even at renowned universities, is too low.

You should make sure that you give yourself enough time to organize your period of study abroad (up to eighteen months), especially as this involves a lot of research and, in some cases, long application periods (even for scholarships). The credit recognition process is often more complex for students who make their own study abroad arrangements than for students who participate in an established exchange program. Take advantage of the advice and support provided by the International Office.

If you, like many other students, can’t afford to pay for your semester(s) abroad and tuition, or would rather spend your money on other things, you can apply to numerous funding organizations for financial support. You might even be eligible to receive BAföG for studying abroad (Auslands-BAföG). Further information is available on the International Office’s website.

Interning or working part-time during the semester break has a lot of advantages: you can complement the theoretical knowledge learned at university with practical insights into a job, explore employment options that suit you, concretize your career ambitions and motivations, and make early contact with potential future employers while studying. Not to mention that you can earn some extra money. All of these advantages can be combined with spending time abroad.

You can plan your own period of work abroad and apply for an internship at virtually any company or organization in the world. The local Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK), the department responsible for the worldwide network of German Chambers of Commerce at the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DIHK), or the local authorities in twin cities or communities, for example, can support you with this.

Showing initiative is helpful if you contact one of the many, and in some cases, sector-specific, employment agencies. These agencies can help you to find an internship or vacation work, and/or support you with organizational matters. If you are planning to do an internship in the USA, you must contact an employment agency to qualify for a work permit and visa.

The following list of information sources and employment agencies is neither comprehensive nor representative. But it does give you an idea of the range of advisory services available and shows you the different routes that you could take:

• In the brochure „Wage den Sprung ins Ausland (PDF)“ the International Placement Service (ZAV) provides young people with information about finding jobs and internships abroad. The International Placement Service (ZAV) is a department within the German Federal Employment Agency.
• A portal for Europe-wide job and internship searches is offered by EURES (European Employment Services), a cooperation network of the European Commission and the employment services in the EU/EEA states and Switzerland.
• AIESEC (Association Internationale des Etudiants en Sciences Economiques et Commerciales) is a global organization run by students. It organizes professional internships for economists and social scientists which last for six weeks to eighteen months. Find out more about AIESEC, AIESEC Deutschland, and AIESEC at University of Mannheim.
• Information on internships at the EU Institutions is provided by the European Union. You can find links to all EU institutions, agencies, and other bodies here.
• Information on the Carlo Schmid program, which provides scholarships to German interns at international companies, is provided by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).
• The German Association of Political and Business Economists (bdvb) lists internships in Germany and abroad.
• The Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) can help you find an internship, first and foremost, in the USA. Take a look at INTERSWOP if you’re interested in going to North or South America, Australia, New Zealand, or South Africa, or KOPRA to find out about opportunities in East Asia. For details on projects in developing countries, take a look at the GIZ’s website. If you want to go to France, you can find out more from the German-French Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Franco-German Youth Office (FGYO). monster.de contains information on opportunities around the world.
• The Federal Foreign Office provides comprehensive information on almost every country on its website.
• The OECKL Taschenbuch des Öffentlichen Lebens, published by the Festlandverlag GmbH, Postfach 200561, 53135 Bonn, is available in all good libraries and contains a global directory of public institutions, associations, federations, agencies, publishing houses, cultural institutions etc.

At the University of Mannheim, you can attend language courses through the Studium Generale program or take part in appropriate courses available at the School of Humanities. Finding a tandem conversation partner through the International Office is an excellent way to develop your foreign language skills. External institutions, such as German adult education centers (Volkshochschulen), private vocational schools, and international cultural institutions also provide language courses.

In addition, or alternatively, you can attend a language course abroad and gain experience of living in a foreign country while learning the language. Language courses abroad are particularly suitable for the first semester of your program when it is too early to spend a semester studying or working abroad. Usually, learning a language in the country where it is spoken is much more intense, and most importantly, you also gain an insight into the culture of that country. It’s a good way to prepare for a subsequent internship or period of study abroad. Or, even if you are “only” doing the course for personal reasons, it still looks great on your CV.

The German Academic Exchange Service provides comprehensive information on courses in specific countries, languages or regions on its website. You can find leaflets and posters about commercial language course providers in the International Office. The European Students’ Forum, AEGEE (Association des Etats Généraux des Etudiants de l'Europe), provides details on the Summer Universities that take place each year across Europe on its website, http://www.aegee-mannheim.de.

Agreements with partner higher education institutions abroad often enable participants of exchange programs to attend language courses free of charge or at a reduced price before they go abroad for a semester. For more exotic languages, students have the option of completing an intensive language course in the relevant country before their semester abroad begins. In some cases, the costs of these courses are factored into a scholarship. In certain circumstances, financial support is available for language courses in a range of countries. For further information, and details on how to apply, please contact the International Office.