Students at Ulm University of Technology (THU) can spend a semester studying at one of our more than 70 partner universities across the globe.
You will discover new teaching methods and specialist areas of focus, whilst gaining valuable academic experience abroad. At the same time, you will improve your language skills and develop intercultural competencies. This will help you prepare for an international career.
On this website, you will find all the information you need to plan your semester abroad.
The following steps will help you plan a successful semester abroad. Start planning your semester abroad as early as possible. You can start right away with the first steps.
Bachelor's students can go abroad as soon as they have successfully completed their undergraduate studies. The semesters before or after the internship semester and semesters with specialization and elective modules are often suitable, as these can usually be more easily replaced by courses abroad.
Master's students should start planning particularly early, as the duration of study is shorter. In some cases, you can also complete the remaining modules abroad after submitting your Master's thesis.
Many students already have a target country or a specific partner university in mind that they are particularly interested in. For example, because of the culture, personal interests, existing language skills or attractive funding opportunities. It is important that you check your pre-selection carefully:
You can find further information and experience reports in the section Our partner universities.
Improve your language skills right from the start of your studies, for example through courses at the Language Center or English-language courses at THU. Foreign-language podcasts, films or specialist content related to your hobbies can also help you. This will give you a good foundation for a successful study experience abroad.
Once you’ve explored our website and started thinking about your semester abroad, you can schedule an online or in-person consultation with the International Office:
Send us an email to request an appointment for your consultation at outgoing(at)thu.de
You can prepare many of the components for your application for the semester abroad at an early stage. You can find all information about the application in the section Your application.
After you submit your application, you will generally receive a response regarding your placement at a partner university within 14 days.
The THU International Office will guide you through the rest of the process and inform you in a timely manner about the next steps:
Ulm University of Applied Sciences cooperates with numerous universities in Europe and worldwide to offer all THU students a suitable tuition-free place for a semester abroad.
In our world map, you can search for specific countries or individual universities to narrow down your selection. In the partner universities you will find a lot of information for your planning, such as the responsible contact persons at THU, fact sheets and websites of the partner university as well as the language or special application requirements.
All THU students can apply to spend a semester studying at a partner university abroad. The application deadline for your semester abroad is approximately one year before your planned stay:
For stays during the summer semester: June 1
You will need the following information and documents for your application. All documents must be submitted in English.
Choose 3 partner universities of your choice
You can specify up to three partner universities of your choice in your application. If there are no more places available for your first choice, we will consider your subsequent choices.
Please note the important information in the section Planning your studies abroad when selecting your preferred universities.
Language certificate
You must submit a language certificate in English or in the language of instruction of your host country at CEFR/CEFR level B2.
As a rule, all partner universities accept the internal language test of the THU Language Center.
If individual universities, such as California State University (USA), have special requirements, you will find this information in the overview of partner universities on our world map of partner universities.
Letter of Motivation
Write a one-page, informal letter of motivation in English or in the language of the country in which you wish to study. Among other things, explain your motivation for the semester abroad, the subject relevance, the choice of partner university and country as well as the added value for your future.
Curriculum Vitae
Create a current English-language curriculum vitae in tabular form
Transcript of Records
You can download your current English-language transcript of records in your SELMA account.
If you have not yet successfully completed all modules of your undergraduate studies (pre-Bachelor's degree) at the time of application, indicate in the application form by when you will make up the missing credits before the start of your semester abroad.
Additional application documents from the partner university
Please check our world map of partner universities to see whether your partner university requires additional application documents and upload these in your application if necessary.
Passport / identity card
For destinations outside Europe, you must upload a passport.
For destinations within Europe, an identity card is sufficient.
Make sure that your identity document is valid for at least 6 months after your return.
As part of the DAAD “TechInternational” project, THU awards special BMFTR/DAAD scholarships for study periods at Kauno Technologijos Universitetas (Kaunas, Lithuania), La Salle Universitat Ramon Llull (Barcelona, Spain), and Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Occidente (Guadalajara, Mexico).
As part of the project, THU awards special scholarships for study periods at the three partner universities. One scholarship per university may be awarded per semester:
| Partner University | Travel expenses | Monthly Amount (up to 4 months) | Total |
| Kauno Technologijos Universitetas in Kaunas, Lithuania | 400€ | €1,200 | up to 5,200€ |
| La Salle Universitat Ramon Llull in Barcelona, Spain | 550€ | €1,150 | up to 5,150€ |
| Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Occidente (ITESO) in Guadalajara, Mexico | 2,125€ | €1,400 | max. 7,725€ |
If you're interested, please feel free to contact techinternational(at)thu.de.
THU scholarships are intended for students enrolled at THU who are spending a semester abroad or writing their thesis at a partner university in a non-European country.
Scholarships are awarded based on academic performance, foreign language proficiency, and involvement in volunteer and extracurricular activities. Motivation and the objectives of the study abroad experience are also taken into account.
for stays
You apply for all THU scholarships through the central scholarship application process after you have been accepted to a partner university. The required documents are the same as those for your exchange placement.
The Baden-Württemberg-STIPENDIUM (BWS) for students is a program of the Baden-Württemberg Foundation. The aim of the program is to maintain and improve exchange programs with foreign partner universities. The scholarship is awarded in equal parts to particularly qualified THU students and students from our partner universities. The aim is for scholarship holders to expand their professional, social and intercultural skills and make an active contribution to international understanding and global networking.
The scholarship amount is €800 per month (as of May 2026)
With PROMOS scholarships, the International Office of THU supports in particular study semesters and theses for Bachelor's and Master's students at partner universities outside Europe.
The DAAD PROMOS program is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).
The partial scholarship rate is between € 350 - € 550 per month, depending on the destination country (as of May 2026)
The International Office of THU awards travel grants for semesters abroad and theses at non-European partner universities, which are funded by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts (MWK).
The grant is usually between €500 and €1000 (as of May 2026)
In the DAAD scholarship database, you’ll find information about DAAD scholarship programs for stays abroad, as well as opportunities from other selected funding organizations.
Use the database to search specifically for scholarships based on your destination country, your academic background, or your type of mobility.
