Organisation & Application Process – Outbound Bachelor

Have you thought carefully about whether a long stay of four to six months (one semester) is an option for you? Have you discussed your plans not only with your company, but also with your family and friends? Do you have sufficient financial means to support the stay abroad? Despite partial scholarships, such as Erasmus+ funds, you will have to shoulder additional costs: Flight, double accommodation or travels during your stay at the host university.

If a full semester is not convenient for you, consider a Summer School or Winter School. These usually last three to five weeks and may fit in well with your practical phase during which you can take a vacation.

On which continent, in which country, at which university would you like to spend your semester or summer school? Please have a careful look at our partner universities and inform yourself in detail about the destination of your choice via teams. Read the testimonials and, most importantly, check the list of courses available locally. When making your choice, think about the possible advantages and disadvantages that a country or a particular university can bring. 

If you are unsure, talk to other students, friends, your family, teachers and/or the International Office team at HSBA and start narrowing down the destination. 
When applying for a study abroad position, you can indicate several options, according to preference.

Do you have sufficient financial resources to cover the costs of your stay abroad? Please bear in mind that, despite partial scholarships, such as Erasmus+ funds , you will have to shoulder additional costs: Flight, double accommodation or travel abroad during your stay at the host university.

A destination within Europe is certainly more cost effective than outside as you will have less costs for travel to and from the destination. A flight to Taiwan costs more than a train trip to Rotterdam. A room in Oslo might be more expensive than a room in Ningbo, but you will have costs for a China visa.  Play through different scenarios, read expereince reports and check the information provided in the on institution-specific fact sheets that have been uploaded. Generally, our partner institutions summarise information about financial issues also on their Erasmus+/Study Abroad/ Student Exchange/ International Students pages on their websites.

If a whole semester is too expensive for you, consider a Summer School or Winter School. These usually last three to five weeks and may be a better financial fit.

Credits earned during a semester or summer school/winter school may be eligible for credit towards your HSBA degree. Especially for the one-semester stay, it is essential that a large number of the modules you take abroad are eligible for HSBA credit. Check the course lists of the potential host universities carefully, and ask at the International Office if you have questions about the course selection. 

At the time of application (15 March for the following academic year), you do not need to have submitted an application for recognition of your foreign achievements, but you should have studied the possible modules of your future host university to ensure that the achievements from abroad can be approved. 

More about this in step 4: Application for credit transfer from abroad

Under certain circumstances, academic achievements obtained abroad can be approved to counts towards the HSBA degree programme, provided that the modules of the host university and HSBA are comparable. An examination board checks this for each student individually. A guideline explaining the matter in detail and a credit-approval-application-form are available in Teams-Channel Outgoings. The application for credit approval should be submitted about six months before the start of the stay abroad or as early as possible - as soon as the course offer of the host university has been published. Please ensure to submit the required documents mentioned in the process guideline; the credit-application-form is sent to the International Office.

Generally, 25 ECTS should be acquired during a semester abroad (Summer/Winter Schools are excluded). In case you will return with less than this sum, please contact the International Office as soon as possible.

We recommend that you have several combinations of credits pre-approved. There often are course cancellations at a short notice or overlaps of modules at the host universities.

For the purpose of recognition, the examination board evaluates two factors: equivalence of competence and equivalence of workload.

Depending on the situation, there is the possibility of a lump-sum recognition for the entire semester, or a 1:1 recognition of each individual module.

The number of credits earned abroad for a course should correspond to the respective HSBA credit points.

For universities that do not work with ECTS (European Credit Transfer System), the local credits are converted accordingly. For this, the workload per foreign credit must be known. One ECTS at HSBA is based on a workload of 25 hours. 

After the official allocation of study places, the International Office invites all prospective outgoing students to an information meeting on course selection and credit transfer. 

For some countries it is necessary to apply for a visa - also depending on the length of stay. Please enquire about the regulations of the destination country in good time. In most cases, the host university will assist you with the visa application or the required documents. The process often takes several weeks, and various medical examinations and certificates may have to be submitted. Therefore, do not wait too long to take this step.

Sufficient insurance cover is obligatory for a stay abroad - whether for a semester or a shorter stay!  

In addition to your existing health insurance, you should also take out adequate foreign health insurance. Even the existing EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) does not cover all services in other European countries, and it is advisable to take out additional insurance. Please consult with your current health insurance provider in good time. 

Please clarify directly with the respective insurer whether your liability and accident insurance for a stay abroad apply or need to be extended. 

For students within the ERASMUS+ programme, another EU or DAAD funding, there is also the option of DAAD group insurance, which combines health, accident, and personal liability insurance. 

Start early to look for suitable accommodation near your host institution. The International Office of your host will inform you as soon as possible about accommodation options. If you do not receive any information, start looking for accommodation on your own or ask for information.

Please note:

At some institutions there are specially reserved places in dormitories for foreign exchange students, but even for these you must apply early.

In many countries, the accommodation otpions, especially for students, are different from the ones you know from Germany. Often students live in shared flats or in a dormitory, in the USA rooms are usually shared. The quality of the rooms/apartments is not always comparable to Hamburg.

Depending on the country, the costs for a room in a shared apartment are much lower than in Hamburg (e.g. in Spain or Poland) while the rent for a room in a dormitory can be higher (e.g. in Finland). On the campuses of US universities, meals are usually charged directly within the fees for accommodation.

Depending on your chosen destination you have naturally different options to get there, and back. 

Flying may not always be the best, nor most sustainable, option. Check train options or consider if it may come in handy to have your own car while you are abroad. 
Those on an Erasmus+scholarship have the option to get a top up (extra financial support) when travelling "green". Check out the Erasmus+ page for more information. 

Your host institution will send your Transcript of Records directly to the International Office at HSBA. These are usually in a digital format, and you may be given the option to download a copy of the transcript yourself, too. In case you requiere a hard copy, you will have to enquire at your host directly. 

The International Office, together with the Examination Management Team, will convert your grades from abroad into HSBA grades. This will be done as soon as possible.  Questions regarding the process should be directed to the International Office. 

Erasmus+ Studierende reichen bitte die auf der Checkliste aufgelisteten Dokumente bis spätestens vier Wochen nach Ende des Auslandssemesters ein.

PROMOS-Stipendiat_innen reichen bitte bis vier Wochen nach Ende des Auslandsaufenthaltes einen detaillierten Erfahrungsbericht ein. 

All students are required to write an expereince report which will be shared with future Outbound students. A written summary of your stay abroad helps with your own self-reflection too, and should be seen as a useful exercise. 

Inbound Students at HSBA
You have been abroad and know you know how it feels to be a study abroad students, trying to find your way around a new city, culture, university. At times, you may have felt lonely or lost, especially at the beginning.  Here at HSBA, too, there are inbound exchange students from within HSBA's partnership network, both at undergraduate and at postgraduate level. Keep an eye out for them- they will be pleased to be noted! Do you want to be a buddy to one of them? Help them have an enjoyable time at HSBA and in HAmburg? Then let the HSBA International Commitee know that you're happy to get involved. Join the Committee to support in arranging events and to make the foreign students feel at home. 

Future HSBA Outbound Students 
Share your experience with other students and tell furture Outbound students about your stay aborad.
Record a Podcast, do an Insta takeover, join an International Evening or support the International Office at an info session. If you want to get involved, let the International Committee know. 

The SkillMill app
The Skill Mill App tells you how to make the most of your experience abroad. It helps you to put your newly aquired soft skills, project managment skills or intercultural communication skills into the spot light and how to boost these in your CV and at interviews.