"Free movers": guest students
International guest students can also apply as so-called "free-movers," meaning they can study at Universität Hamburg for a limited time without being part of a specific exchange program.
After consultation with the department in question, free movers can attend courses and lectures and acquire credit points. To apply as a free mover, you must be enrolled in a program at your home university and a faculty member in a comparable program at Universität Hamburg must act as your supervisor for the duration of your stay.
Free movers cannot attain a degree from Universität Hamburg.
German language skills
As a free mover you have to provide proof that you are proficient in the language of instruction in your chosen program at level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. The language of instruction in the bachelor programs at Universität Hamburg usually is German. If you want to attend classes in English only, please ask your supervisor if this is possible. You will have to hand in proof of your language proficiency in connection with the preparation of the written confirmation that you have a supervisor.
Application steps
1. Programs
First, check out the guide to academic programs on the pages of Universität Hamburg's individual faculties to see whether or not the program or subject you are seeking is offered at Universität Hamburg.
2. Find a supervisor / Letter of invitation
Afterwards, please contact the International Office or the Academic Office responsible for the degree program (see below), whose staff will help you find a lecturer from the respective department to provide academic supervision for you. If the prerequisites are met, this person will issue you with a written confirmation of supervision. The confirmation of supervision will also specify the duration of your stay at Universität Hamburg.
Once you have received written confirmation from your prospective supervisor (for example a letter of invitation), you can submit your application as a "free mover."
The written confirmation can also be submitted when you apply for a visa to enter Germany as a student.
Below, please find the contact persons for free movers in Universität Hamburg's faculties:
- Faculty of Law
martina.lasczewski"AT"uni-hamburg.de
- Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences
- Faculty of Medicine
- Faculty of Education
international.ew"AT"uni-hamburg.de
- Faculty of Humanities
erasmus.geisteswiss"AT"uni-hamburg.de
- Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences
Department of Biology and Institute for Wood Science: rene.koenig"AT"uni-hamburg.de
Department of Chemistry: studienbuero"AT"chemie.uni-hamburg.de
Department of Earth Sciences: studienbuero.geo"AT"uni-hamburg.de
Department of Informatics: studienbuero"AT"informatik.uni-hamburg.de
Department of Mathematics: erasmus.math@uni-hamburg.de
Department of Physics: studienkoordination.physik"AT"uni-hamburg.de
- Faculty of Psychology and Human Movement
Institute of Psychology: erasmus-psychologie"AT"uni-hamburg.de
Institute of Human Movement Science: studienbuero.bewegwiss"AT"uni-hamburg.de
- Faculty of Business Administration (Hamburg Business School)
The Faculty of Business Administration does not accept free movers.
3. Submit enrollment application
You can submit the enrollment application by the beginning of the semester in question (1 October for winter semesters and 1 April for summer semesters respectively of the year in question) via STiNE.
Please state in your application the semester for which you would like to enroll and in which program you plan to attend courses. Please also include a German mailing address and your email address. If you do not yet have a mailing address in Germany, you can provide the address of your supervisor
Enrolling
Once you have submitted your complete application for enrollment, you will be provisionally enrolled for the winter semester from the end of August at the earliest and for the summer semester from the end of February.
You will receive new login detail for STiNE by e-mail after provisional enrollment.
Information on paying the semester contribution will be automatically made available to you in your STiNE account (Studying -> Documents). Information on the provisional semester ticket, which is valid for the first month of the semester, can be found on our semester ticket website.
To complete the enrollment
- the semester contribution must be transferred and
- your health insurance status must be sent to us by a German statutory health insurance provider (Information about the health insurance status notification for international students)
Once these two conditions have been met, your semester certificate will automatically be made available to you in your STiNE account (Studying -> Documents) within a few days, confirming your enrollment.
You and your supervisor at the University of Hamburg determine jointly which courses best supplement studies at your home university. At this point, you can register with the appropriate schools with the aid of the course manager.
Extension of stay
If you would like to extend your stay beyond the time specified in your confirmation of supervision, you must submit a new confirmation of supervision that specifies a new period of stay at the beginning of the semester in which the extension begins. No other documents need to be submitted.