Study semester abroad

Only the 1st part of the 2nd clinical year (= 1st part of the 5th academic year or, according to the standard period of study, the 9th semester) is eligible for a semester abroad via Erasmus+ in dentistry.

Prof. Dr Alfons Hugger is the international and Erasmus representative for the Dentistry degree programme. He will advise you on matters relevant to the dental medicine programme and provide information on the recognition of academic achievements.

The ‘International and Alumni’ office in the Dean's Office of the Faculty of Medicine takes care of all organisational matters and manages incoming applications.

Before you apply for an Erasmus+ place, you should make an appointment for an interview with Prof. Dr Hugger by email. During the interview, describe your plans to Prof. Hugger in detail and take the opportunity to clarify specific questions with Prof. Hugger, for example about the further course of your studies, suitable time for a stay abroad, creditable achievements, etc.

Please prepare for the interview! Firstly, do some thorough research on the university you are interested in and the study opportunities there. Most partner university websites provide information on the curriculum and courses on offer as well as useful information for interested students from abroad. This information also forms the basis for the subsequent creation of a study plan - the so-called Learning Agreement. Read the experience reports in ILIAS and see how your fellow students found their semester abroad and which courses they were able to complete abroad. You can access the experience reports in ILIAS in the right-hand column of this page.

If you have received approval from Prof. Dr. Hugger after the interview, you can contact the ‘International and Alumni’ office in the Dean's Office of the Faculty of Medicine for further organisational steps (see contact in the right-hand column).  The International and Alumni Office will advise you on the application process and documents.

• The minimum duration for Erasmus+ funding is two months
• The Erasmus+ scholarship supports students going abroad with a so-called mobility grant, which is intended to cover the additional costs. Erasmus students also have their tuition fees at the host university waived.

For further information on financial support via Erasmus+, please contact the International Office.

Each partner university requires a language certificate for its language of instruction and/or national language. At the top of the table you will find the required language level of the respective partner university. Each partner university sets its own deadline by which you must submit the language certificate with the appropriate level (usually 3-5 months before the start of the Erasmus semester). At the time of your application to the Office for International Affairs and Alumni (HHU) - i.e. by 16 March 2025 - you can submit a language certificate with a lower language level (see table above). 

We accept the following language certificates as part of your application until 16 March 2025 :

• DAAD certificate from the HHU Language Centre
• other recognised language certificates (IELTS, TOEFL, Cambrige, DELE, DELF etc.)
• Abitur certificate (if no further information, we consider LK = level C1, GK in qualification phase = level B2)
• School reports that certify language lessons from 7th to 9th grade (= level B1)
• Course participation (even if the level has not yet been fully reached, e.g. B1.1 = B1; B1/B2 = B2)
• Passport (for native speakers)

If the level is partially achieved, the level is assessed as completed (e.g. B1.1 --> B1).

If the certificate shows that you are between two levels, the higher level is assumed (B1/B2 --> B2).

Language certificates for the partner university (at a later date):

If you receive a place allocation from us, you must ensure that you achieve and prove the language level required by the partner university by the deadline. 

The partner university itself also determines which type of language certificate is accepted. So check the website of the partner university beforehand to see if you can find any relevant information. The DAAD language certificate is often recognised and accepted by the host universities. You can take the exams at the HHU Language Centre. Occasionally, some host universities will also accept your Abitur certificate and certificates from semester language courses at the HHU Language Centre as proof of language proficiency. 

For language preparation, it is advisable to take part in the semester-accompanying courses in the relevant language at the HHU Language Centre one or two semesters before your stay abroad. The languages offered can be found on the Language Centre website.

Prerequisites

• Approval by Prof. Dr Hugger
• Language skills in the language of the country or language of instruction
• Openness to new experiences and a different study system

Application documents

Please upload the following application documents in due time via the Erasmus+ application portal of the Faculty of Medicine:

• Online application
  Please complete the online application form. Please enter ‘Graduate’ in the form. After submitting the online application, a PDF file will be generated. Please upload the PDF via our portal. Please note: The online application has been optimised for Microsoft Internet Explorer version 8 or higher and Firefox 5 or higher. We cannot guarantee that the application will work properly with other browsers. 
• Curriculum vitae in tabular form in German
• Letter of motivation in German (max. 1 page)
• passport photo
• Language certificate with appropriate level (copy)
• Certificate of the second section of the dental examination (Z2 examination) (copy)

Please note: Only complete applications can be considered.

Incoming applications will be assessed according to the above criteria. If your application fulfils the necessary criteria and there are sufficient places available, you will be nominated for the Erasmus scholarship at HHU's International Office and an exchange place at the partner university.

The HHU International Office and the partner university will then send you further information and forms. Most partner universities require additional documents and possibly an online application. This will only affect you once we have nominated you for a particular university. However, please check the Erasmus pages of the respective partner university in advance to find out which additional documents are required (immunisation, special language certificates, etc.).

The contact person for all organisational matters abroad (any other necessary documents, accommodation, questions about the curriculum, etc.) is the respective partner university. Once you have been successfully nominated, please contact the Erasmus coordinator assigned to you in the host country.

Final documents for the International Office

In order to receive the remaining funding instalment, you must submit a number of final documents to the International Office. As a rule, the International Office (Ms Sandmann) will inform you of the documents to be submitted by email before your stay. You can also find the list in the International Office's checklist:
Checklist for Erasmus-Students (International Office)

Field report

In order to participate in the Erasmus programme, you must write an experience report after your Erasmus stay. After your return, please submit your report digitally (by e-mail) and in printed form to the Erasmus Medicine Office as soon as possible. You can find the form for the Erasmus Report Medicine here:

Form Erasmus-Report Dentistry - If possible, please complete the experience report digitally. If this is not possible in the browser, simply open the document with a pdf reader.

Good to know: You can also use the report to complete the final documents required by the International Office.

Recognition of academic achievements

1. Certificate of Equivalence and Recognition Outcomes
At the end of your semester abroad, you will receive a transcript of records from the partner university. After your stay abroad, please make an appointment for a final meeting with Prof. Hugger and present him with the Transcript of Records.
On the basis of the transcript of records and, if applicable, individual certificates and internship certificates, Prof. Dr Hugger will issue a certificate confirming the equivalence of the coursework completed abroad (certificate of equivalence). In addition, you will receive the document ‘Recognition Outcomes’ from Prof. Dr. Hugger, on which the recognised academic achievements are certified again separately.

2. Recognition
Recognition takes place after the final interview with Prof. Dr Hugger. Please submit the ‘Recognition Outcomes’ to Ms Sandmann at the International Office (Building: 21.02 (SSC), in order to receive the final instalment of the Erasmus+ scholarship.