Talk to students who returned from their stay abroad (ideally but not necessarily at the same uni) about their experience and what you should prepare for. You can find some reports online. We at the Dept. of Computer Science can’t and won’t share any student’s contact details, but you should feel free to reach out to peers via your networks and also use the Fachschaft channels.
Gather information in particular about the courses offered in the respective course catalogues of the partner universities. Lectures and seminars from previous semesters can also be helpful. 

Exchange abroad at a university not listed as partner will not be recognized as part of your studies.

We recommend scheduling your semester abroad no earlier than your 3rd semester BSc / 2nd semester MSc. Partner universities may have individual requirements. 

During your stay abroad, you will still be enrolled in Tübingen, therefore, if necessary and possible, you can also attend courses at the University of Tübingen. These courses should also be recorded in the Learning Agreement (see below). 

There are various fixed-term opportunities and subject-specific exchange programs for studying abroad. 

General breakdown: Studying Abroad.

• First contact: International Office
  • address all your initial questions here in order to benefit from a large pool of experience 
• Erasmus program (EU and some partner countries): ERASMUS and Erasmus FAQs
  • contact Prof. Martin Butz for specific questions on Erasmus exchange abroad (outgoing) (e-mail: erasmusspam prevention@kogwis.uni-tuebingen.de) 
• Other programs (beyond Erasmus): Non-European Exchange 
  • contact Prof. Nico Pfeifer for specific questions that could not be clarified via the International Office.

List of non-European partner universities, their application processes and deadlines by region: Non-European Exchange. 

Due to longer application processes and earlier deadlines compared to European programs, please note that preparations are needed well in advance (depending on your destination, 1.5-2 years). The academic year may be divided in different ways across different countries and will likely not be identical to semesters in Germany. 

Please consider your financial situation and the necessary funding before applying. Ways for funding your stay (separately or in combination): 

• own/private funding 

• Scholarships and loans

Contact: International Office 

Depending on your exchange (program), you may be entitled to or apply for funding through various (mobility) grants or foundations. The exact amount and time of payment of the grant may vary and not cover all your expenses.

Before the start of your stay, the program for your semester abroad is laid out in the so-called Learning Agreement. In your Learning Agreement, you describe your learning objectives at the foreign partner university and the planned credit transfer in Tübingen:

• List your selected courses and study goals for your stay abroad.
• Establish the appropriate modules for recognition of your achievements (ECTS).
• Provide course descriptions, if possible, corresponding to the respective module and your level of study (especially matching BSc or MSc).
• You should obtain at least 15 ECTS, but we recommend setting a higher goal to avoid extending your studies in Tübingen unnecessarily.
• You cannot receive more credit points than completed.
• If a course does not fit any modules, it can still count as ‘additional’.
• Have your Learning Agreement signed (preferably digitally).
• After your return, you must request the Examination Board (Prüfungsausschuss) to recognize completed achievements according to the Learning Agreement (via Anerkennungsantrag).
• If you need to make changes to your Learning Agreement after arriving at your host university (for example, because a course is not offered (in the agreed form)), you should have these changes incl. the new courses and corresponding recognition requests confirmed as soon as possible.

You can complete a semester abroad to compose your Bachelor’s or Master’s thesis at a foreign institution.
Please ensure, that

• your thesis topic has been accepted and will be examined by a supervisor (Erstgutachter) from an area of computer science/cognitive sciences in Tübingen (for Master’s theses, a 2nd reviewer (Zweitgutachter) is also needed) who will grade your final thesis and presentation.
• you have (at least) one advisor (who may be the same person as your supervisor, or a person assigned/agreed by your main supervisor) from Tübingen to regularly accompany your thesis work.

Funding for your thesis semester abroad can be requested via PROMOS/DAAD scholarship (see funding opportunities described further above).