Exchange programmes

Our academic year is divided into the winter semester (WiSe), taking place from 1 October to 31 March of the following year, and the summer semester (SoSe), taking place from 1 April to 30 September. Study exchanges are based on these periods and usually last one or two semesters.

Departments

An overview of all courses can be found in the Course Catalogue of our Campus Management System TUCaN. Most courses are offered annually, so you can use the previous semester's course catalogue to plan future semesters. You can generally choose lectures, seminars, tutorials and excursions as courses. More information about a course like syllabi and credit points can be found in the module handbooks of the study programmes. They can be found here. For assistance and further information, please contact your respective departmental coordinator. If you come to TU Darmstadt as part of the Erasmus+ programme, you also have the opportunity to write a BA/MA thesis (opens in new tab) . More information

The 13 departments of TU Darmstadt cover engineering, natural sciences as well as humanities and social sciences overview

In addition to the departments, 5 fields of study have been created for interdisciplinary research and teaching:

Computational Engineering

Energy Science and Engineering

Information Systems Engineering

Mechanics

Mechatronics

Please check here for the department’s website for incoming exchange students:

Department of Law and Economics

Department of History and Social Sciences

Department of Human Sciences

Department of Mathematics

Department of Physics

Department of Chemistry

Department of Biology

Department of Materials Sciences

Earth Sciences

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Department of Architecture

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology

Department of Computer Science

Courses in English

You can complete an exchange study programme at TU Darmstadt even without extensive knowledge of German. Many courses are taught entirely in English. An overview of the courses offered in English can be found in the course catalogue and the Campus Management System TUCaN, under English Courses.

German language courses

If you would like to improve your German language skills during your stay, you can take courses at the Language Resource Centre. Please note the separate procedure for the allocation of places.

In order to study at TU Darmstadt as part of an exchange programme, you must be enrolled at one of our partner universities.

The possibility of organising a stay without a cooperation agreement, i.e. as a freemover, is limited. To do this, please contact our colleagues at the department international admission (international.admission@zv.tu-…) stating your name, your university of origin and the planned period of your stay. Alternatively, you are welcome to find out more about completing a degree course at TU Darmstadt.

Language requirements

• In the Erasmus+ programme:
  For you to take part in courses offered in German, two requirements have to be met:

1. You require a proof of German language proficiency showing at least an A2 level (CEFR), written in German or English.

2. For students submitting a German language proficiency of A2 level (CEFR) the participation in the four-week-long intensive German course held one month before the start of the semester is mandatory.

If you cannot prove that you have at least A2-level German language proficiency, you can only take part in English-taught courses. To do so you require a proof of English language proficiency of at least B2 level (CEFR), written in German or English.

In both cases we offer many opportunities to improve your German according to your level. Inform yourself about the offered courses at the Language Resource Center and the free intensive language classes before the start of the semester. This allows you to optimally prepare for your everyday university life in Germany.

• For students from non-European partner universities:

For exchange students from Asia, North and South America and Oceania there are no minimum requirements for German language skills.

Please note, however, that most of our courses are held in German. We therefore strongly recommend that you consolidate your German language skills before your stay in Darmstadt. Many exams at the TU Darmstadt are also in German and if you have knowledge of German, it makes daily life in Germany much easier.

Inform yourself about the Language Resource Centre and the free intensive language classes before the start of the courses. Students with a good knowledge of German are also cordially invited to these classes.

If you plan to take courses in English only, please provide evidence that you have at least B2 level English language proficiency.

ECTS credits (Erasmus+ students)

TU Darmstadt uses the “European Credit Transfer System” (ECTS):

• An ECTS credit point (CP) requires 25-30 hours of work.
• 60 CP result in one academic year,
• 30 CP per semester.
• Students also receive ECTS credit points for internships and the preparation of their final dissertation.

Further information can be found in the ECTS Guidelines.

In order to get detailed information (ECTS, requirements, etc.) on specific courses, please contact the coordinator of the offering department.

Transcript of Records

As proof and recognition at your home university, you will receive a Transcript of Records (ToR) of all your academic achievements after completing your exchange. The contact point is the Office for Student Affairs (Studienbüro) or your departmental coordinator at TU Darmstadt.

Visit the Office for Student Affairs of your department in good time before your departure to clarify the receipt of your Transcript of Records:

• if all your grades are already registered in TUCaN (Campus Management System of TU Darmstadt), you can pick up your ToR after consultation with the Office for Student Affairs
• if your grades are not known until after your departure from Darmstadt, please clarify with your Office for Student Affairs to which home address the ToR should be sent after completion.

Applications are submitted in two steps. At first you have to apply at your home university for an exchange place at TU Darmstadt:

1. Application for the exchange programme at the home university, selection of TU Darmstadt as destination.

2. Nomination for the exchange placement by the home university

3. Application to TU Darmstadt

Create an account in our online application system and complete the online application. Upload the following documents to complete your application in the application system (Please note that a single upload document should not be larger than 4 MB):

• Copy of passport / identity card (as .pdf file)
• Passport photo
• Proof of your language proficiency: Please refer to the “Language Requirements” section to find out which proof you need.
• Transcript of Records: List of all your university grades so far
• Learning Agreement/Study Plan: This is the overview of all courses you want to take at TU Darmstadt. If you have any questions about your planned courses at TU Darmstadt, please contact the coordinators or Erasmus representatives at your home university as well as the coordinators of your department at TU Darmstadt. Please complete the Learning Agreement/Study Plan typed (not handwritten) in German or English, stating all the courses you wish to attend. Signatures will only be provided by TU Darmstadt AFTER your admission, not during the application period! The templates of the document can be found in the download section, but you can also use the templates of your home university.
  For ERAMUS students only: As soon as you received your letter of admission you can start concretizing your learning agreement. There are two kinds of Learning Agreements (LA) accepted at TU Darmstadt. The normal/pdf one (Download area at www.tu-darmstadt.de/incomings. It is sent directly to the departmental coordinator) and the Online Learning Agreement (OLA) within Erasmus without Paper (EWP). Concerning the OLA please follow your home university´s instructions in order to initiate the OLA. In any case the Learning Agreement has to be checked and signed/accepted by the departmental coordinator of TU Darmstadt. Here you will find the list of departmental coordinator (opens in new tab) . For any questions concerning your study program at TU Darmstadt your departmental coordinator is your contact person. Once you are in Darmstadt there is still the possibility to modify your learning agreement.
  If you come to TU Darmstadt for a research stay or participate in a short-term programme (IREP, AESG, INSPIRED…), please upload a letter of motivation.
• If you already have a degree (Bachelor/Master): Scan of the certificate as .pdf file

We also require proof of your nomination by your home university:

• Erasmus students: After the online application has been submitted, the next step is to complete the Confirmation of Application (opens in new tab) . It contains, among other things, the application number (INC No. at the top left of the pdf document of the application). The confirmation of application must be signed and stamped by the home university. It then has to be sent as e-mail attachment to e-mail.
• Exchange students from non-European countries: We require an e-mail from the International Office of your home university for an informal confirmation of your nomination.

Please note: Only complete applications with all the above documents will be considered.

Deadlines:

• April 30th for the coming winter semester
• October 31st for the coming summer semester

We need to receive the nomination from your home university at least 1 month before the application deadline.

The Departmental Coordinators provide support in all academic questions concerning your study program at TU Darmstadt. They are the right people to contact regarding the Learning Agreement (LA), the course selection at TU Darmstadt, the Transcript of Records (ToR), etc. You can find your contact person in list of the Departmental Coordinators (opens in new tab) .

We will be happy to assist you with any questions you may have regarding entry, visa, accommodation, etc. Further information can be found on our pages on the organisation of your stay .