Study and internship abroad/Outgoing

Opportunities for a stay abroad

Students have various opportunities to spend a few weeks, months or one or two semesters abroad as part of their studies:

Erasmus+ cooperation agreements are concluded between universities at the level of the individual institutes. Overviews of the partner universities and exchange places of the respective institutes at the School of Cultural and Social Sciences can be found on the  school's cooperation website.

The  cooperation database of the International Office provides an overview of all partner universities and exchange places of Osnabrück University (both Erasmus and university cooperation).

As a rule, coursework completed at a partner university abroad can be recognized for studies at Osnabrück University. However, the recognition procedure is regulated individually and differently depending on the degree program. The prerequisite is the conclusion of a so-called Learning Agreement. In order to clarify credit recognition options, students should contact the person responsible for credit recognition at their institute in advance.

The next application deadline for studying abroad in the academic year 2025/26 (WS 2025/26 and SoSe 2026) is February 6, 2025.

Dates of the information events on studying abroad with Erasmus+ can be found  here.

The application procedure and the documents to be submitted depend on the type of cooperation for which students wish to apply. As a rule, students can apply for a total of three universities per application deadline, sorted by priority. The different types of cooperation can be combined among the three requests (e.g. first request university cooperation, second and third request Erasmus cooperation). All requests are entered in an  online application. Please note, however, which additional documents must be submitted for the respective cooperation and to whom.

University partnerships

The application management and selection procedure for the university cooperations is carried out by the International Office (applications for overseas university cooperations to Beate Teutloff, university cooperations in Europe to Laura Rohe). As a rule, university cooperation programs are available to all Osnabrück University students across all subjects, provided there are suitable courses on offer. An overview of the application documents for this type of cooperation can be found  here.

Erasmus+ partnerships and departmental partnerships

The application for a place on an  Erasmus+ partnership or departmental partnership (non-Erasmus) of the School of Cultural and Social Sciences takes place via the Office for Study Abroad & International Cooperation (Mareike Tudor). All applications for partner universities of the institutes at FB01 (History, Geography, Art/Art Education, Textile Design, Social Sciences and Art History) are submitted there. The selection is then made in cooperation with the respective international coordinators of the institutes. Further information on the application documents and selection criteria can be found on the  Application and Organizational Information website.

There are different ways to apply for various financial support programs for both a study abroad and an internship abroad. Criteria for determining which type of funding is suitable include the region in which the stay abroad takes place, the involvement in exchange programs (especially Erasmus), the duration, the purpose (study or internship) and the institution.

Studying abroad

As a rule,  financial Erasmus funding is granted for study abroad via the Erasmus+ partnerships of the respective institutes (subject to sufficient funds for all applicants). Students with fewer opportunities can also receive a so-called social top-up. You apply for Erasmus funding directly in the online application when applying for an exchange place. A separate application process is not required.

Students can apply for various types of funding to study abroad via a departmental cooperation outside of Erasmus, at a university cooperation or for a self-organized stay abroad. For example, funding via the PROMOS program or other  DAAD scholarships are possible. Specific deadlines and requirements must be observed when applying for these funding programs. Funding is not directly linked to the application for an exchange place, but must be applied for separately.

An overview of the various funding programs, the funding amounts, deadlines and the application process can be found on the  website of the International Office.

Internship abroad

Various funding options are also available for internships abroad. Erasmus funding can be applied for internships that take place in Erasmus program countries. Internships must last between 2 and 6 months to be eligible for funding. Applications can be submitted as soon as the internship has been accepted and no later than 6 weeks before the start of the internship. Information on how to apply can be found on the  website of the International Office.

Internships in international organizations and EU institutions are generally not eligible for Erasmus funding. However, a financial grant can be applied for via the  DAAD's Carlo-Schmid program. It is possible to apply for funding for internships you have found yourself (program line A) as well as to apply for internships advertised in this program (program line B); it is important to observe fixed application deadlines here.

For internships outside the Erasmus area, students can also apply for the PROMOS program, the university mobility grant or other  DAAD scholarships, as is the case for studying abroad. Here too, fixed annual application deadlines must be observed.

You can find an overview of funding opportunities for internships abroad  here.