Taking the first steps toward a stay abroad can often feel challenging because of the large number of options available. To help you, we have put together some questions to help you get started and that can be used as a basis for planning a stay abroad.
Initial questions to consider when planning a stay abroad
If you are thinking about going on a stay abroad, you should first consider a few fundamental aspects about planning, from your goals and the duration of your stay to potential destination countries and financing options.
To begin with, we recommend deciding on the duration of your stay and what you hope to achieve there. Usually, the options can be split into studying or completing an internship.
A fundamental aspect of the planning is deciding which country you would like to visit. Language skills, safety and an interest in the culture play a decisive role. For study stays abroad, cooperations between FAU and universities abroad also come into play. These cooperations often have benefits such as simplified admissions procedures, tuition fee waivers and other advantages.
The options for exchange programs for study stays abroad can be roughly split into the regions Europe and overseas. Our interactive world map offers an overview of all partnerships and options for exchanges available at FAU.
Partnerships are less important if you intend going abroad as a “freemover” or to complete an internship. While this does provide you with more flexibility in terms of choosing your destination country, it does involve more considerably more research on your part.
Various options are available for funding a stay abroad. Some exchange programs are connected automatically to funding programs, whereas for others, an application must be made for scholarships for travel or living costs. We recommend that you still make sure you have sufficient financial means even if you do have a scholarship, as they are often only paid once you have started your time abroad.
It is also advisable to get an idea of the options available to you before going to an individual consultation. International Affairs does not offer detailed initial consultations, since all the basic information is available on our website.
The first place to go with your initial idea is usually the relevant department or faculty, who will advise you about specific exchange programs and destinations.
An overview of who to contact is available here: International service.
Insights into exchange programs and FAU students’ experiences abroad are available on this Instagram account: @uni_fau_internationalaffairs. In regular takeovers, students all around the world report on their everyday lives.
Go European: FAU as a member of the European University EELISA
The “European Engineering Learning Innovation and Science Alliance” (EELISA) is FAU’s European University Alliance – a partnership of ten European universities from Hungary, Turkey, Italy, Spain, Romania, France, Switzerland and FAU in Germany.
Under the motto “Building Bridges. Bridging Boundaries”, EELISA connects the partner universities with their complementary strengths and profiles to shape innovation and the future of society and master global challenges with intelligent and sustainable solutions through European collaboration. This leads to various exchange and networking opportunities involving short-term mobility or internships.
