Students at the Department of Business and Economics can apply twice a year for study abroad. The application deadline for study abroad in Summer Semester is May of the previous year, while study abroad in Winter Semester has a deadline of November of the previous year. The exact application deadline and the date for the English test are announced on a separate flyer. It is published online in May and November and in the International Office and on the Schöneberg Campus.

Please note that significantly more places are advertised for Winter Semester places than for Summer Semester places at partner universities. This is due to different academic calendars used at partner universities, which often do not correspond with HWR’s semesters.

Students of HWR Berlin apply online für ein Auslandssemester. for a semester abroad. Once you have completed the first step of the registration process, a link will be sent to your email address. Continue the registration process via the link, upload your documents and complete the application. You can specify your preferences for places overseas and in Europe as well as in the Double Degree Programme. Only completed applications will be considered.

The following documents must be uploaded to the online portal: 

1. Questionnaire about your motivation, filled out in German (for non-German native speakers allowed in English)
2. Curriculum vitae in German.
3. Proof of language ability in corresponding language of instruction: if you apply for a place at an English-speaking university, you must pass an English test. This is organised by the International Office of HWR Berlin. Upon completion of the application, you will receive an invitation to the test via email. Participation in the English test is not required if proof of a valid TOEFL certificate or comparable test can be provided. A detailed list of other accepted tests is available from the International Office. For all other languages, it is possible, for instance, to have your language teachers issue a DAAD-Language Certificate Survey.
4. Current matriculation certificate from Campus4U.
5. Current list of grades (Campus4u - version with overall average; students in the Master’s degree program: Copy of Bachelor's degree certificate)
6. If applicable, evidence of volunteer work (not more than two years old).

Selection is made by a commission. The selection criteria are your average grade, your motivation and language skills, the overall impression of your application as well as, if necessary, your volunteer work (if not more than two years old). Furthermore, it is expected that you represent HWR Berlin appropriately abroad and that you state this in your letter of motivation.

HWR Berlin’s International Office registers you at the partner university. This takes place in February/March for stays in the Winter Semester and in September/October for stays in the Summer Semester. At a later date, you will usually receive everything you need to know about enrolment, course selection and accommodation directly from your host university. Please be sure to observe the deadlines set by the partner university!

Students must sign a Learning Agreement with the ECTS department coordinators of their degree programme. The Learning Agreement specifies which courses abroad are recognised. This form can be obtained from the International Office at HWR Berlin.

ECTS Recognition Officer by Department / Degree Programme:

Department 1: Business and Economics

• B. A. International Business Management: Prof. Dr. Sabine Haller
• B. A. Business Administration: Prof. Dr. Ewa Ostaszewska
• B. A. Economics: Prof. Dr. Jochimsen
• L. L. B. Business Law: Prof. Dr. Sebastian Schunke
• B. Sc. Business Information Systems: Prof. Dr. Marcus Birkenkrahe
• B. A. Entrepreneurship and Corporate Succession: Prof. Dr. Birgit Felden
• B. Eng. Business Engineering – Energy and Natural Resources: Prof. Dr. Stefan Klinski
• Cooperative Studies Programme: Prof. Dr. Susanne Hannappel
• Double Degree Programme: Prof. Dr. Michael Faustino-Bauer
• For Master’s degree programmes: the relevant Academic Director

Fachbereich 2 Duales Studium

• The relevant department head is responsible for recognition.

Fachbereich 3 Allgemeine Verwaltung

• Prof. Dr. Berit Adam (Public and Nonprofit-Management and Nonprofit Management and Public Governance)
• Prof Dr. Fran Osrecki (For students from all other degree programs.)

Fachbereich 4 Rechtspflege

• Prof. Dr. Rainer Goldbach

Fachbereich 5 Polizei und Sicherheitsmanagement

• Prof. Dr. Vincenz Leuschner

Before you visit an ECTS recognition officer, you should:

1. inquire about study regulations and the sample booking plan at HWR Berlin (Student Counselling).
2. select courses at the partner university and enter them in the Learning Agreement. list even those modules that are not eligible for the degree.
3. if necessary, print out the course descriptions including their respective credit points.

The Learning Agreement is to be signed by the student, the responsible ECTS representative at HWR Berlin and - only for the Erasmus+ programme - by the coordinator of the partner university.

A visa is usually required for a study semester outside the EU. To apply for a visa you will need a valid passport as well an Acceptance Letter from the host university. The Acceptance Letter is usually sent directly to the International Office at HWR Berlin. You will be notified when it arrives. Please do not forget to apply for a passport, as it can take up to eight weeks to be issued. Students who are not German citizens should enquiry at the consulate of their host country about the visa requirement.

Students who are insured in Germany and wish to study in other European countries can apply at their health insurance company for a European Health Insurance Card. Please note that this insurance usually only covers the absolute basic services. Additional services are often not included. We recommend that you inform yourself which services are covered and possibly take out supplementary insurance.  
For study outside the EU, you will always require supplementary insurance. Some host universities require that you take out their own university insurance.  
In any case, any previously held health insurance in Germany must continue to run during your stay abroad. In addition to compulsory health insurance, liability insurance and accident insurance with foreign coverage are recommended. 

Vaccinations for your stay abroad can be obtained from your doctor or advice can be sought at the Institute of Tropical Medicine and International Health.

For the duration of your stay abroad you must remain registered at HWR Berlin and pay all fees required. You may obtain an exemption from the semester from the Student Council upon presentation of a confirmation from your host university. Please pay attention to all deadlines!

It is possible to register a leave of absence semester at HWR Berlin during your studies abroad. Services provided abroad may nevertheless be accessible. However, you should be aware of any other knock-on effects, for example on the payment of child benefits.

HWR Berlin organises a Buddy Programme for exchange students who spend study periods at HWR Berlin. As part of the Buddy Programme, HWR students take on one or more visiting students and help them find get used to everyday life in Berlin. For HWR students this is an ideal opportunity to acquire language skills, to get to know other cultures and to form contacts abroad. Putative exchange students are expected to make an active contribution to HWR’s welcoming culture and to become buddies themselves. You will receive all other important information along with your offer for studying abroad.

After returning from abroad, your grades will be recognized by the ECTS department coordinator Prof. Dr. Ewa Ostaszewska. Please submit all necessary documents by e-mail (ewa.ostaszewska(at)hwr-berlin.de). The recognition will be processed digitally only.

If you have consulted Prof. Dr. Ewa Ostaszewska during her ECTS consultation hours prior to your stay abroad, the recognition procedure will be considerably simplified. A Learning Agreement must be finalised prior to the study abroad period for the recognition of all grades.

In order to have the grades recognized, the following documents must be submitted via email:

1. The original transcript of records from the partner university or or a digital copy "verified" by the International Office.
   
   Currently, the originals of the Transcripts of Records are in most cases issued by the partner universities in digital form only. The digital document must be certified by the International Office.
   
   Afterwards, students can download the verified PDF copy from the Mobility Online Portal and submit it together with all other documents via e-mail to Prof. Dr. Ewa Ostaszewska for grade recognition.
   
   However, in order to download the Transcript of Records, the student must first upload in Mobility-Online a report of his/her experiences during the stay abroad. A separate request will be sent by e-mail for this purpose.
    
2. Learning Agreement, completed before the semester abroad and signed by the responsible ECTS coordinator (or copy).
   In case of any subsequent changes to the original Learning Agreement, please include them in the e-mail.
    
3. Grade Recognition Application
   A "Grade Recognition Application" must be completed and signed in order for grades to be converted and recognized. You can download applications for the following degree programs here:
   [PDF] Bachelor Business Administration (Examination regulations version 16)
   [PDF] Bachelor Business Administration (Examination regulations version 19)
   [PDF] Bachelor Business Engineering in Environmental Science
   [PDF] Bachelor Business Information Systems
   [PDF] Bachelor Business Law
   [PDF] Bachelor Economics
   [PDF] Bachelor Entrepreneurship and Corporate Succession
   [PDF] Bachelor International Business Administration Exchange (IBAEx)
   [PDF] Bachelor International Sustainability Management (ISUM)
   
   IBMAN students can find documents and information in the Moodle course "Infos for IBMAN". In order to have your grades recognised, please contact the IBMAN office directly (ibman(at)hwr-berlin.de).

Once the grade conversion has been completed, Prof. Dr. Ewa Ostaszewska will send your application by mail directly to the relevant study office and put you in CC. At this point, the grades are first entered into the system.

The recognition of attainments abroad is determined by applying the “modified Bavarian Formula” to the grade obtained locally:

x           German grade
Nmax    best possible score in foreign country's grading system
Nmin     lowest passing score in foreign grading system
ND        obtained foreign grade for conversion into German grade

Only the first decimal place after the decimal point is taken into account, all other figures are deleted without rounding.
For some countries, such as France, the United Kingdom Ireland, the Netherlands or Australia, a modified grading scale is used, which is regularly assessed and adjusted if necessary.

Determining the grade for a topic area:

The grades for the individual courses are determined as described above. The overall grade for a subject area is calculated is calculated as the average of all individual grades (weighted with credits). Only the first decimal place after the decimal point is taken into account, all other figures are deleted without rounding.

In the Department of Cooperative Studies, the Division Director is responsible for the recognition of academic attainments achieved abroad.

In the Department of Public Administration, there are two contact persons available for the recognition of academic attainments achieved abroad. 

• For students in the Public and Nonprofit Management (BA) and Nonprofit-Management and Public Governance (MA) degree programmes: Prof. Dr. Berit Adam
• For students from all other degree programmes: Prof Dr. Fran Osrecki

For the conversion and recognition of grades for the degree programs Public and Non-profit Management and Nonprofit Management and Public Governance, an application for "grade recognition" must be completed and signed. The applications can be found on the Moodle page of the International Office FB 3/4/5.

In the Department of Legal Studies, the recognition of academic attainments achieved abroad is undertaken by Prof. Dr. Rainer Goldbach.

In the Department of Police and Security Management, the recognition of academic attainments achieved abroad is undertaken by Prof. Dr. Vincenz Leuschner .