Exchange Students Welcome

Welcome to HSBA and the City of Hamburg

Exchange Students Neumann Kaffee GruppeHSBA

Would you like to spend part of your studies in Hamburg? As a student of one of our partner universities, you can spend a semester at HSBA and thus gain international experience. International experience, knowledge of foreign languages and cross-cultural competencies are key skills in professional life. This is why HSBA promotes intercultural exchange on all levels.

Please contact the International Office at your home institution and check out our website for information on how to study at HSBA as an exchange student.

For information on visa regulations, residence permits, registering in Hamburg, accommodation and many more tips for living in Hamburg, please refer to the relevant sections on coming to and living in Hamburg. 

HSBA at a Glance

HSBA Hamburg School of Business Administration is the university of the Hamburg business community. Founded by Hamburg Chamber of Commerce in 2004, it now cooperates with more than 250 companies. As a state-recognised third-level institution, it offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business as dual and part-time courses for about 1,000 students. Our programmes are very ambitious and designed for "hard work-hard play" students. 

Currently HSBA has around 30 international partnerships covering universities from Europe, Asia and America. 

The Dual System

HSBA only offers dual bachelor's  and part-time master's programmes. The dual principle involves students learning at two locations, namely at the university and at the company. This principle has been in use in Germany for decades, particularly as part of dual professional training. Dual university degrees have existed since the 1970s, with more than 60,000 students currently registered at higher education institutions using the dual system. However, for exchange students the dual principle does not apply.  

Explained simply: Dual studies at HSBA

Course Offerings for Exchange Students

All undergraduate courses at HSBA are generally open for exchange students. All courses for the current and the upcoming academic year can be found in the download area down below.

The study programmes Maritime Management and Logistics Management are entirely taught in English and its core courses are equivalent to those in the Business Administration Programme. For the programme Business Administration students can also choose to have the whole Programme taught in English. 

Please be aware that when choosing courses from different study programmes and different years, they may overlap. Schedules will be available approximately two weeks before arrival. For certain courses prerequisites may be required. Please check our module descriptions.

Master students wanting to do an exchange at HSBA may join our MSc Global Management & Governance elective modules in Finance, Marketing or Entrepreneurship and a course in HR & Leadership from January to March/April (subject to availability). For more details, please contact us or the international office at your University.

Exchange dates

HSBA offers four terms of approx. three months each. Exams take place during the last week of each term. Students may come on exchange for one or two terms. Three terms may be arranged in exceptional cases by prior agreement.

Undergraduate exchange terms for 2019/20:

  • 26 July - 04 October 2019
  • 07 October - 20 December 2019
  • 06 January - 20 March 2020
  • 07 April - 19 June 2020

Undergraduate exchange terms for 2020/21:

  • 23 July - 02 October 2020
  • 05 October - 18 December 2020
  • 04 January - 19 March 2021
  • 08 April - 18 June 2021

In January and October there will an Induction Week taking place in the first week, in April and July one or two Induction Day(s) on the first day(s).

Exchange Student Calendar

  Summer '20 Autumn '20 Winter '21 Spring '21
Induction days/week 23 - 24 Jul 2020 5 - 9 Oct 2020 4 - 8 Jan 2021 8 - 9 Apr 2021
Course start 27 Jul 2020 5 Oct 2020 4 Jan 2021 12 Apr 2021
Exam preparation and exam weeks 21 Sep - 2 Oct 2020 7 - 18 Dec 2020 8 - 19 Mar 2021 7 - 18 Jun 2021

Nomination Deadline: four months prior to term start           
Application Deadline: three months prior to term start   
Public Holidays 2020/21: 1 Jan 2020, 10 - 13 Apr 2020, 1 + 21 May 2020, 1 Jun 2020, 3 + 31 Oct 2020, 25 + 26 Dec 2020, 1 Jan 2021,  2 - 5 Apr 2021, 1 + 13 + 24 May 2021, 3 + 31 Oct 2021, 25 + 26 Dec 2021   

We recommend students to stay for two terms (1 term equals 3 months) in order to manage the workload for 30 ECTS.

Application

To apply as an exchange student you will need to be officially nominated by your home university. After nomination you will receive the HSBA application form which you need to send along with the following documents:

  • Application form
  • Learning agreement (you may use either the HSBA or your university's form)
  • Transcript of Records in English
  • Passport sized photograph (JPG file with 72 dpi for student ID)
  • Proof of English and/or German proficiency at B2 level according to the European Framework of Reference (required from ALL students except native speakers). 
  • As proof of English proficiency we accept: TOEFL 90), IELTS (6.0), Cambridge Certificates: FCE with Grade A, CAE with Grade A, B or C, CPE with Grade A, B, or C OR academic tutor’s statement of competence in English. 
    As proof of German proficiency we accept: DSH-Test (DSH2 level), TestDaF (TDN 4 or higher), Goethe-Zertifikat C2: Großes Deutsches Sprachdiplom (GDS) OR academic tutor’s statement of competence in German. Other certificates on request.

Please send all required documents by email and name each file according to ist content!

ERASMUS+ and Other Cooperations at HSBA

International experience, knowledge of foreign languages and cross-cultural competencies are key skills in professional life. This is why HSBA promotes intercultural exchange on all levels.

The Student Exchange Programme ERASMUS+ provides the opportunity for university students to study and/or work in many different countries. Around 200,000 students take advantage of the ERASMUS scheme every year. HSBA is busy setting up bilateral agreements with European institutions of higher education.

For detailed information on the European Commission’s ERASMUS+ Programme please refer to their website.

Besides cooperating with ERASMUS+ partners, we are engaged in exchange programmes with institutions of higher education outside Europe, and we are constantly looking into extending our partnerships.