FAQ

An exchange is only possible for students from our partner universities. You must be nominated for a semester abroad at the DHBW Heidenheim by your home university within the deadline: Study in Germany | DHBW Heidenheim

After you have been nominated, we will send you an application link.

In order to study classes taught in English, your English proficiency needs to be at a minimum of B2 European reference level. If you would like to participate in our Internship Program after your study period, you will need to speak German at a minimum of B1 European reference level. A proficiency of B2 or better will improve your chances of finding an internship.

Sure, if your German proficiency is B2 European reference level or better, you can do your exchange semester in one of our departments.

Yes, we do offer German language courses during the different exchange semesters if we have enough participants.

What you will need to do in order to enter Germany depends on which country you are coming from. Some countries have a special status with Germany that allows its citizens to enter the EU on a “tourist” visa for 90 days without applying for a visa beforehand, while other countries’ citizens must apply for a visa before they are permitted to enter the country. You will need to contact the German embassy in your home country to determine whether you should apply for a visa or not. As all countries and embassies have different rules and protocols, it is up to the student to contact their respective authority and determine what documents are needed.

If you enter on a student visa and would like to stay for longer than 90 days, you need to apply for a visa or a residency permit (if you are coming from a country that is allowed to apply for residency permits). This is done at the Alien Office at the City Hall in Heidenheim.

Yes, in order to travel abroad, you must have a passport that is valid for at least 6 months AFTER your study period ends, issued from your home country. If you do not have passport, or need to renew yours before you come, make sure to apply for it ahead of time as the processing of a passport can take quite some time. An invitation letter from DHBW Heidenheim cannot be issued until we have a scanned copy of your passport, therefore you will need to complete this process as soon as possible.

If you are an EU student you only need a valid ID card.

You can obtain an International Student ID Card from your home institution or online: Get your card | ISIC - Student Card

If you have to achieve a certain number of credits, you should make sure in advance that our range of courses (List of English-taught modules) Study in Germany | DHBW Heidenheim enables this. If you do not need a specific number of credits from your home university, the minimum requirement of DHBW Heidenheim is 20 ECTS (approx. 4-5 courses).

To find out exactly what credits you can transfer from the courses you take at DHBW Heidenheim, you will need to speak to an academic advisor at your home university.

Your learning agreement must be uploaded together with the application documents.

You should discuss the learning agreement with your coordinator at your home university in advance. If the module list with the courses taught in English is not available yet, you can orientate yourself on the modules of previous semesters (module list). Individual courses can be changed at the beginning of the lectures if a course is no longer offered due to a lack of participants or if a new course is added that you would like to attend then.

Your enrolment in the courses will be finalized during the “orientation” week. Once the enrolment is finalized, it can no longer be altered.

The “module catalogue” contains the module descriptions. Follow the link to view our courses: Study in Germany | DHBW Heidenheim

All students who are enrolled at DHBW Heidenheim have to pay a social contribution to the Studierendenwerk (Student Service) Ulm, which is a public institution.

The fee is 52 Euro for one semester (up to 6 months). Students who are going to stay longer must pay 104 Euro.

We not charge any tuition fee.

Students enrolled at DHBW Heidenheim pay a reduced semester fee (35-70 Euro) which means that a semester ticket is not available.

Due to the limited number of spaces available, only students from our partner universities will be accepted to participate in our International Program.

Generally, not all examination results will be available by the time of your departure from Heidenheim. The transcript will be issued once all exams of your classes have been graded and the results have been verified. Your scanned transcript will be sent as a PDF to you and your coordinator by email. If you need a hard copy of your transcript we will send this to your home university.

The Connect-Team is a group of students who work hard each semester to pair up our incoming international students with a ‘Buddy’. The Buddies are German students at the university who work to help you get settled in your new environment. This includes meet ups, assistance with communication, touring the town, fun trips, and extra help outside of school. The Buddies are here to guide you in whatever way they can, and with their support, our internationals have been able to settle into their new homes with ease.

Like many other university towns in Germany, affordable rooms for students are in high demand. Therefore, you should look for accommodation as soon as possible. Please note: You should not arrive in Heidenheim without having rented a room. You can find further information on our website: Study in Germany | DHBW Heidenheim

The International Office of DHBW Heidenheim cannot arrange accommodation for you, but we will support you by supplying as much information and advice as possible. When we receive offers from landlords about available rooms we will forward the information to you by email.

In Germany, most doctor’s practices close around 17:00, and are not open on the weekends. If you find yourself in need of medical care after normal working hours, you must seek medical care with Notfallpraxis. Notfallpraxis is an emergency facility of physicians who operate outside the normal German office hours. This group of physicians from various medical practices deal with medical emergencies. In major cities you can often find a central doctor’s office.

The local Notfallpraxis in Heidenheim is located in the hospital:

Schloßhaustraße 100, 895222 Heidenheim, Phone 07321-480050

Travelling in Germany is easy and you do not need a car to travel around the country. Due to Germany’s outstanding public transportation network, you can use the ICE high-speed trains, Deutsche Bahn AG, which cover the entire territory of Germany and connect to train systems all over Europe.

You can also discover Europe by long-distance busses for an affordable low price.

Domestic flights between major cities are also available and are increasingly used. Bus and Taxi services are also readily available. For those who enjoy cycling, special cycling lanes are widespread.

Heidenheim has a variety of restaurants for you to explore and enjoy. In addition to this, meals are provided in the cafeteria by the Studierendenwerk at a very affordable price. Each student must pay a student service fee when they begin their semesters at DHBW, and this fee allows students to purchase food, drinks, and snacks at a discounted price. With the meal card you will be given upon arrival, you are able to enjoy a full meal for a little amount.

At DHBW, the semesters for German students include three months of theory, followed by three months practicum. As a result, joining sports teams and other extracurricular activities an be difficult. This is where the StuV Heidenheim | Offizielle Website der StuV Heidenheim (stuv-heidenheim.de) comes in. The StuV is an organization run by students and designed to help arrange student access to sports and other local events in Heidenheim.

The legendary sport takes place on Mondays from 20:00 to 22:00 in the district sports hall Heidenheim (Heckentalstrasse 86). This free offer includes football, basketball and volleyball matches. In addition, there are local opportunities for tennis, Zumba, yoga, gym memberships, and boating licenses all at a discounted price.

For further details, visit their website, facebook page, or email them at:

http://stuv-heidenheim.de/

https://www.facebook.com/STUV.HDH

stuv@dhbw-heidenheim.de

Right next to the DHBW campus there is a well-equipped gym. However, the monthly fees are rather expensive. But the surroundings of Heidenheim (e.g. Schäbische Alb) are great for outdoor activities like hiking, climbing or biking. During winter you might even have the chance to go cross-country skiing around Heidenheim.

There is a limited number of stipends available from the Ministry of Education of the Federal State of Baden-Wuerttemberg, called Baden-Wuerttemberg stipend and we will always inform your home international office if there are stipends available for their students and how many.

If you have been selected for a scholarship by your home university they will inform us, and you will then receive an email from us providing you with the link to register for the scholarship. After uploading all required documents the Baden-Wuerttemberg Foundation will review your documents and if they grant you the scholarship you will receive an email confirmation and a template of the scholarship contract. This can take a few weeks. The Baden-Wuerttemberg Foundation will ask you to sign the contract and upload it on the bws world platform. You also need to hand in the original of the contract to us. This can be done when you start your semester here. You do not have to send the contract by mail.

Internships that are obtained with a DHBW Heidenheim partner company after your study period are considered a part of your educational study program. If you already know that you want to complete an internship when you apply for a semester with us, you should apply for a student visa at the German embassy in your home country before you leave. Your visa application should include the period of time you wish to work as an intern after your study period ends.

If you would like to be employed during your study period to cover some living expenses while you are here, you will need to check with the proper authority from your home country. Most citizens from non-EU countries will need to apply for a special visa that will allow you to work in Germany. This must be done before you leave home (although there are some countries that can do so after they arrive). Speak to the embassy in your home country before you leave to determine what you need to do in order to work while studying abroad in Germany.

There are numerous websites dedicated to internship listings that can make the process of finding an internship much easier. Beyond just providing job listings, many websites offer advice or tips for those searching for an internship, and helpful content like interviews with recruiters and Q-and-As with other interns. Often, these sites also highlight any events or job fairs that may be taking place and have a regular newsletter that goes out to job and intern-seekers.

Here is a good starting list of websites that may be able to help you either begin or refine your search:

• Xing
• Arbeitsagentur.de
• Stepstone.de
• Monster.de
• Gigajob.com
• Linked.in
• Jobscout24.de

If you cannot find anything through these websites, please have a look on our website: Study in Germany | DHBW Heidenheim

There, you can find further information how you can find an internship with one of our partner companies.

Pack enough clothing for your entire stay. During the course of you 90 days (or longer) you can expect to see all kinds of weather, so pack for sunny days, rainy days, windy days, snowy days (if you are going to be in Heidenheim during the winter), or warm days (if you are going to be here during the summer).

Bring some formal attire if you think you might like to go out to the opera or theatre. Don’t forget to pack some bath towels too!

Remember to bring power converter and adapter as European sockets are different from other places in the world. Your electronic devices will need a new cord or a socket adapter in order to be plugged in here.

If you take prescription medication, bring a large enough supply to last for your entire stay because we do not know if you can get the same medication here. Bring your laptop or tablet to connect to the Internet, as calling home using Skype or FaceTime or other such programs will be free (most rooms come with WIFI).

Bring some comfort items from home, like a favourite candy, brand of toothpaste, or even a tin full of grandma’s cookies. A little something from home can help to make your stay here more enjoyable.

We recommend all students open a German bank account. Having a German bank account will allow students to rent a flat or apply for insurance. Both of these processes require you to provide the bank details as most landlords do not accept cash and payment of insurance fees is usually done by bank transfer. If you have a credit card, you can use it in certain large and/or international business such as chain supermarkets, but cash and debit cards are the most commonly used forms of payment in Heidenheim.