Exchange programs

Erasmus is the easiest way to spend a semester or a year abroad somewhere in Europe. ECTS credits earned during an Erasmus stay can usually be recognized for your studies at IMS. Furthermore, you get a little bit of money from the European Union and don't have to pay tuition fees at the host university. More information about Erasmus is given on the Erasmus pages of the International office (IZ).

This is a list of the universities that the IMS currently has an exchange program with. On the web pages of the institute or faculty, you can get a first impression of their profile.

• Universiteit van Amsterdam, Faculty of Science (Netherlands)
• Trinity College Dublin, School of Computer Science and Statistics (Ireland)
• L-Universita ta' Malta (Malta)

Students of the IMS can also use the contracts of other study programs at faculty 5; up-to-date information about possibilities and the responsible persons can be found on the list of partner universities of faculty 5 provided by the international office.

In principle, it is possible to make a new agreement with another European university. But please note that there is some processing time involved (the first contact should be established at least 1 year before application).

The application proceeds as follows: (You can find a detailed checklist on all required documents on the IZ websites on Erasmus+ Europe (German))

1. Application to erasmus@f05.uni-stuttgart.de (PDF format, signed)
   Deadline: 15. January
   Necessary documents:
   • Priority-ordered list of universities (template)
     Stamped by IZ!
   • Letter of motivation (max. 1 page)
   • CV in tabular form (max. 2 page)
   • Transcript of records from C@MPUS
   --> Selection of candidates is done by Erasmus coordinators
2. Application/nomination by the international office Stuttgart
   Deadlines and documents provided by IZ
   --> Nomination at host university by IZ
3. Application at host university
   Deadlines and documents vary between host universities

The IMS Erasmus coordinators are happy to help with any further questions.

The host university might have guidelines or requirements for specific courses. From our side, you can take any course you like, as long as the total number of ECTS credits is about 15 per semester. 

Note that the credits you get abroad are not automatically accepted in Stuttgart. This has to be discussed individually for each course with the Erasmus coordinators or the lecturer giving a corresponding class in Stuttgart. The confirmation of the course mappings has to happen before you submit your Learning Agreement and will be noted there.

Currently, you get a subsidy of around € 360-450 per month. Therefore, Erasmus is not a scholarship. The highest costs you have to account for yourself are the travel and accomodation costs. However, you do not have to pay tuition fees at the host universities, except for potentially an administrative fee for enrollment.

Many universities have courses in English, which is nice for Erasmus students. Sometimes, universities require a proof of English language proficiency with the application. The IZ has information on language tests like TOEFL or IELTS. Please read up on what is expected from you as early as possible.

Erasmus is not the only possibility to go abroad. Mainly, Erasmus is limited to European universities. You can get more information about other programs and scholarships at the IZ program coordinators.

If you are interested in spending a year at the Institute of Natural Language Processing (IMS) as an Erasmus exchange student, you should apply through the Erasmus coordinators at your home university. Applications for the academic year starting in October should be received by June the latest. Applications for housing should be done earlier. Note that there will be an intensive German course in September which is highly recommended for all visiting students, since courses at B.Sc. level at the IMS are taught in German.

You can only apply at the IMS if the Institute of Natural Language Processing (IMS) has an Erasmus contract with your university. You can see a list of the current partner universities above in the Erasmus Outgoings section (Where can I study?).

For more information about the Erasmus exchange programme and how to plan your stay in Stuttgart, have a look at the web pages of the Office of International Affairs. If you still have questions, you're welcome to ask our IMS departmental Erasmus coordinators.

If you are a student in Stuttgart and want to go abroad, try these pages for more information about the programs of the faculty or the university:

• All programs (international office University of Stuttgart)
• Erasmus outgoing (international office University of Stuttgart, German only)
• Ontario-Baden Wuerttemberg student exchange program

If you are an incoming student looking for more information, try these pages:

• General information for incoming students (international office University of Stuttgart)