ERASMUS+ Application Procedure - Double Degrees - Partnerships (Departmental Programs)

• You have to be enrolled at TUM in a a full-time degree program
• At least in 4^th Bachelor semester at the beginning of the stay abroad
• Knowledge of the language of instruction
• Non-EU citizens can also apply!
• You must be studying in a degree program in the field of Informatics during your stay
• Applications from other TUM subject-areas will not be accepted, with the exception of students who pursue a teacher's degree in Informatics, Bachelor's students in MSE and students in a Bachelor's degree program (see below) who will continue their studies in a Master's degree program at TUM CIT Informatics during their planned stay abroad.
• Applicants in the 3^rd Bachelor's semester must have successfully completed the first two semesters of the respective curriculum at the time of application.
• If you have questions, please contact Martina von Imhoff.
• With the ERASMUS+ program, you can go abroad for up to 12 months per study phase (Bachelor/Master/PhD). You can divide these 12 months between the duration of your studies as well as your ERASMUS+ studies and ERASMUS+ internship. You can therefore apply again despite a previous ERASMUS+ stay.

TUM CIT Informatics is expecting you to submit the following application documents for ERASMUS+ & SEMP, Partnerships Overseas (Departmental Programs) and/or Double Degree in MSc Informatics:

1. Fill out the online application form "Bewerbungsformular der TUM Informatik für einen Auslandsaufenthalt im akademischen Jahr 2024/25 für die Austauschprogramme: ERASMUS+, SEMP, Double Degrees und Partnerschaften in Übersee" (application period: early/mid December, 2023 - Jan 15, 2024, 12:00h noon - Important: do not use the central form of the TUM Global & Almuni Office!) and upload the following documents (2. - 7. as one PDF file).

2. Motivation Letter in German (in English, if you're not a German native speaker) - one letter for up to eight universities of your choice from the list of our ERASMUS+ & SEMP partner universities, Partnerships Overseas (Departmetal Programs) or Double Matser Degree Programs.

• Why exactly these universities? Which courses?
• Detailed explanations, why the universities were chosen from the complete offer and why you ranked the universities as you did
• Explain your course choice and why the academic offer is suitable
• Your letter shouldn't be too long but not too short either, try to find the right balance. Insert titles and paragraphs, so we can follow your argumentation.

3. CV in table form in English with photo [incl. hobbies, language skills, internships, social engagement (e.g. MINGA mentor)]. You can get advice and useful tips for your CV at TUM Career Service and English Writing Center of TUM language center.

4. Study program: preliminary courses abroad

• Please use our template (.docx) - the format is optimized for .docx, please adapt if necessary.
• We expect you to attend at least 20 ECTS per semester in your academic field of study, you can add language courses/Support Electives to that amount of credits. (If the indicated courses can be recognized later on or not, is not relevant at this point in time.)
• Please be flexible indicating some additional courses.

5. Language Certificates:

• In English at least a B2 level
• For destinations in France, French speaking Switzerland & Spain (exception: Barcelona) at least a B1 level in French or Spanish, even if the language of instruction is English.
• If existent, in official language of the respective country
• If necessary, language plan for planned language level in one of the Romance languages (see Language Certificates): mandatory declaration of intent as a substitute for a language certificate that is not yet available. 

6. Academic grade reports:

• TUMonline grade report(s) or Transcript of Records (no individual grade reports!), i.e. Transcript of Records of your Bachelor's and Master's degree program.
• If concluded, your Diploma of a prior degree program (e.g. Bachelor's) in English (if existent). If you did your Bachelor's at a different university than TUM, you can also hand in a grading table or ranking.
• Certificate of your A-Levels

7. Other:

• Study Progress Plan - Please use our template.

Please hand in all documents as one large PDF file (1.-7.), if necessary compress the file (max. 5 MB). Title of the document: Country_University1^stChoice_YourFamilyName_YourFirstName_ExchangeProgram (e.g. Switzerland_ETHZürich_Müller_Thomas_SEMP, France_EURECOM_Schmidt_Claudia_DD or Denmark_DTU_Yilmaz_Mete_ERAMUS)

NB: We can only consider complete applications. The regulations on the Informatics/Computer Science websites apply for an application at TUM CIT Informatics, not the regulations of the TUM Global & Alumni Office or other subject-areas.

• Suitable integration of the stay abroad into your TUM studies (see study progress plan incl. credits you've already achieved)
• Academic project
• Personal motivation
• Personal interview (not all applicants get invited)
• Evaluation of the application documents, in form and content
• Language skills in the country's official language
• Grades of applicants (especially for poular destinations or excellent partners as ETH and Ecole Polytechnique or if there are many applications for one university)
• For applicants who did their Bachelor's at a different university than TUM: TUM credits achieved and grades in your Master's (if necessary, we will wait with the acceptance until March but we will reserve you a spot)

The general aim is to promote the students' mobility. Grades alone are not the decisive factor for a successful application. Particularly important is a well coordinated and planned integration of the stay abroad into the personal curriculum.

You can find detailed information on scholarships on the websites of the TUM Global & Alumni Office. Please note that the application procedure of TUM CIT Informatics differs from the ones of other schools/departments. Only the regulations on the TUM CIT Informatics websites apply for the application procedure in Informatics/Computer Science. Please do not apply via the application form of TUM Global & Alumni.

1. You have to submit a language certificte for the respective language of instruction: For English and all other languages you can submit DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) certificates, passed language courses with a CEFR level, certificates of your A-Levels or other certificates. It is not mandatory anymore to hand in a DAAD certificate but we recommend it nevertheless. Important is that your language certificate indicates a CEFR level.

2. English at least B2: We expect all applicants to have a B2 level in English, since all students have already attended modules in English in the first year of study. So, your English certificate has to indicate a B2 level.

3. Attention: For applications at institutions in France, French speaking Switzerland and Spain, even if partly the courses are in English, you have to submit additionally a language certificate or, as an alternative, a language plan for a min. CEFR B1 level in French or Spanish. For Italy and Portugal a A2 certificate or language plan is sufficient. See also the overview of our partner universities.

4. If you are selected by TUM CIT Informatics, it is your responsibility, in a second step, to be able to submit an accepted language certificate in time for the application at the partner university. 99% of our partners accept a DAAD language certificate. A TOEFL or other fee-based tests are not necessary in the ERASMUS/SEMP program. Please note: During the semester break (March and April), there may be fewer or no DAAD certificate dates offered.

5. Studying in a language other than English: Language certificate or language plan that indicates at least a B1 level at the start of your stay abroad, some institutions also require a B2 level at the start of your stay (not at the time of application).

5. Please take the following information into account when it comes to language certificates:

• TUM students who have already successfully completed a language course - for any language - at the TUM Language Center in recent semesters can have a DAAD language certificate issued at the level of the course passed, even without a test. Please contact the lecturers at theTUM Language Center directly. For the internal TUM CIT Informatics application, you can also always submit an individual TUM grade report.
• Language tests you have to pay a fee for or "official" language tests are of course also accepted: English: TOEFL; Cambridge; IELTS; French: DELF; DALF; TELC Francais; Spanish: DELE, CELU and others.
• Please note: Some partner universities require a certain language level before arrival, i.e. at the time of application.
• For applications to Italian, French, Portuguese and Spanish universities, you can alternatively submit a language plan (example for Spanish) instead of language certificates, if you have not yet reached the required language level (see partner universities) in the country's official language. This will also allow you to follow courses in the country's offial language, if necessary. The higher your language level at the start of your stay abroad, the more lasting and intensive your experience will be. If you have any questions, please contact Martina von Imhoff for advice.
• A lower language level at the time of your TUM application can be compensated for by a realistic language plan. (Exception: In English we always expect you to have a B2 level.)
• We strongly recommend that you acquire at least a basic knowledge in languages other than Romance languages (e.g. Swedish or Dutch) before your stay abroad. Even if the language of instruction on site is English, knowledge of the local language is an advantage. On the one hand, for you personally, as you can prepare yourself better and more intensively and then settle in, on the other hand, acquired knowledge of a language is taken into account in the selection process.
• Native speakers also have to provide a language certificate for the language of instruction - as listed above. Please contact the TUM Language Center for information on how to obtain confirmation. (A passport is not a language certificate.)
• Bachelor's theses, written in English, are therefore NOT accepted as a language certificate, since the CEFR level is not indicated.

Where can I find my current GPA in TUMonline?
In your TUMonline account, click on "Study Status/Curriculum" => "Name of Degree Program" => on the top right "Grade" (in red), that's you current GPA

As a Bachelor's student, can I also take Master's courses at the partner university?
Yes, that's possible at most of the universities, except for Spain. Of course, you must meet the academic requirements. If you have any questions, please come to the consultation hours.

What should a language plan look like?
Take a look at the example above (see language certificates). Complete your personal language plan with tandem partners, language café, courses at the Volkshochschule München, TUM block courses during the lecture-free period, language courses at the partner university or abroad, intensive courses at language institutes in Munich and Germany, self-study, etc.

I have already received a spot for TUMexchange. Can I still apply for ERASMUS?
No, double/parallel applications are not accepted.

Do I have to hand in the original/printed documents for the application or send them again by email?
NO, please submit the application only via the ERASMUS application form of TUM CIT Informatics. Please do not send any additional emails. The confirmation email of the application form may be sent with a delay (20-30 minutes), especially if you send your application last minute. You can find your submitted application in the TUM Wiki application form in your files (menu bar on the left), which is also a confirmation.

Can applications also be rejected for formal reasons?
Yes, we reserve the right to reject particularly "sloppy" applications. Please prepare the documents carefully so that we can understand your plans and your application in order to select the most suitable candidates.  

Why should I choose 8 universities?
Due to the possibly high number of applications, it is highly reccomendable to take a broad approach and list eight serious options. 

I am not sure yet whether I would like to go abroad for two semesters. What are the advantages?
You will receive an ERASMUS+ scholarship for 8 months and can therefore plan your stay differently from the very beginning. This applies, for example, to subletting your flat in Munich or improving/learning a foreign language. You also usually have a better chance of finding accommodation abroad if you stay longer. It is very likely that in 2023/24 again, no ERASMUS+ scholarship for an extension can be paid (i.e. extension without scholarship possible). An academic year usually lasts 8-9 months, not 12 months.

• You can apply for a stay abroad in the winter semester 2024/25 and/or summer semester 2025 until Mon, Jan 15, 2024 (noon) (other TUM schools/departments may have different deadlines or forms)
• Interviews don't take place with all applicants. We will let you know by the end of January (check your indicated email adress!).
• If necessary, individual interviews in late January/early February
• Notification of acceptance or rejection by the end of February
• Registration at the partner universities from March

Information on the selection procedure: Not all applicants will be invited to an interview, as we will probably not have questions about all applications. Many applications are good enough that we will be able to make a decision based on the submitted online application. Whether or not an invitation to an interview is issued does not therefore say anything about the chances of success of an application.

Please understand that we are unable to provide any feedback on the selection, distribution and chances of applications at this time. Thank you for your patience and flexibility.

With regard to our ERASMUS agreements, please do not, under any circumstances, contact one of our partner universities on your own!

Students who have already been selected for a spot in TUMexchange cannot apply for the exchange programs of TUM CIT Informatics.

• The application for ERASMUS can be an application for the Double Degrees in MSc Informatics at the same time. You can select this option in the online application form. Please submit exactly the same documents by the same deadline for an application for Institut Polytechnique de Paris (IPP) (formerly l'X and TELECOM Paris), EURECOM, University of Queensland or KTH Stockholm as for an ERASMUS application.
• Applications for Georgia Tech follow a different application procedure.
• You can find further information on the Double Degree Programs in MSc Informatics on the respective website.

Are you interested in a stay abroad outside of Europe? Then have a look at our partner universities: Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh/USA (only in spring semester 2025 & for Master's students), Nara Institute of Science and Technology in Japan (olnly for Master's students) and Hong Kong Baptist University. The application deadline is the same as the one for ERASMUS, thus mid-January (2025: Wed, Jan 15, noon). You can apply for our partnerships via the same online form. For further information on our partnerships overseas, please visit the respective website.

Bachelor's students of other TUM schools/departments who will continune their studies in a Master's degree program at TUM CIT Informatics (e.g. Robotics or CSE) in the upcoming summer semster or winter semester, are supposed to apply directly via our TUM CIT Informatics form. Thus, you do not have to apply to the department where you did your Bachelor's degree. Your study project has to respect the guidelines of TUM CIT Informatics.

Students who pursue a teacher's degree in Informatics or MSE Bachelor's students can apply for a spot in an exchange program during their Bachelor's studies. A recommendation from your own department must be requested and added to the required application documents to TUM CIT Informatics in time. You apply in your own department, which then forwards the application to TUM CIT Informatics in mid-January. This is only possible because TUM.EDU and TUM.MSE offer very specialized degree programs and the number of partner universities is very small. Some/most of the courses abroad must also be taken in the field of Informatics/Computer Science, as our exchange agreements were concluded for the field of Informatics/Computer Science.

Applications from other TUM schools/departments are not accepted at TUM CIT Informatics.

The above-mentioned requirements regarding documents, language skills and language certificates apply for the application for the ERASMUS+ and SEMP partners of TUM CIT Informatics. Only after a successful selection, TUM Global & Alumni (TUM International Center) will contact you in spring with further information on the ERASMUS+ scholarship and the necessary documents. You can apply to the ERASMUS+ or SEMP partner university or our partnership university in spring after successful application and nomination (not before March).