A stay abroad is exciting, thrilling and at the same time involves a lot of organisation and planning. In addition to study planning, visa issues and finding accommodation, country-specific characteristics must also be taken into account. Therefore, we would like to give you some useful tips for planning and implementing a stay abroad. These may not be exhaustive due to the wide range of possibilities, but they do provide a good orientation.

Before planning a stay abroad, the following aspects should always be considered.

• When and in which semester can the stay abroad best be integrated into the study programme?
• Which country and which university offers a curriculum suitable for my own studies?
• Is there a cooperation agreement with the UDE or is it a self-organised study abroad (free mover)?
• What admission requirements does the foreign university impose?
• What language skills are recommended/required for the stay?
• What are the application deadlines at the foreign university?
• Does the academic calendar of the foreign university fit?
• Can credits earned abroad be recognized for my own studies at the UDE?
• Are there any tuition fees locally and how high are they?
• How is the stay abroad financed?

As soon as the basic questions regarding a stay abroad have been clarified, the concrete planning and preparation of the trip is at hand.

• Coordinate the Learning Agreement with the examination board responsible for your degree program.
• Inform yourself about country-specific travel and safety instructions. The Federal Foreign Office publishes valuable information on this subject: https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/ReiseUndSicherheit
• Make sure you have valid travel documents (e.g. passport, residence permit, visa, etc.)
• Organise accommodation at the partner university.
• Make sure that you have sufficient funding for your stay abroad. If necessary, apply for BAFöG.
• Find out about medical preventive measures (e.g. vaccination advice) from the public health department or a travel medical advice centre and follow the medical recommendations.
• Ensure that you have sufficient health insurance cover valid in the host country, including repatriation, as well as international accident insurance.
• German citizens are recommended to register in the crisis prevention list "Elephand" of the Federal Foreign Office, regardless of the country they are visiting and the duration of their stay abroad: https://elefand.diplo.de/