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Inbound exchange students

Exchange programs are an essential part of our atmosphere. We are happy to welcome you as an exchange student here in Hamburg. We will help you to make your stay here a unique experience - on the academic side as well as on the personal side when you discover a new culture, make new friends and build international networks.

About us

The Kühne Logistics University – Wissenschaftliche Hochschule für Logistik und Unternehmensführung (THE KLU) is a private University based in Hamburg. THE KLU is dedicated to teaching and research of logistics as a core element of globally organized management. Our students and professors don’t see logistics in the literal sense of the word, but rather as a leadership function in all sectors of the international economy. Almost no other area of expertise prepares future management leaders for tomorrow's global challenges better than a broad understanding of logistics.

THE KLU is located in the heart of Europe’s largest urban development project, the waterside HafenCity in Hamburg. Hamburg, as the world’s ninth-largest seaport, is an important logistics center.

Admission

Once nominated by your home university, you will be contacted by a representative of KLUs International Office, who will guide you through the admission process. Please be aware that the KLU as a general rule accepts exchange students only in the fall trimester, dating from Mid September to Mid December. However exceptions are possible based on individual arrangements.

Incoming students participating in the fall trimester have to be nominated by their home institution by the latest March 31st.

Please by aware that if you are not a native English speaker you will need to proof your proficiency in English by the TOEFL (550/213/79) or IELTS (band 6.5) in order to follow the classes at the KLU. Moreover a bachelor’s degree or equivalent usually in the field of business or economics from a recognized university or college has to be proven as well.

Courses

The general course outline of our Global Logistics as well as the Management program is available online on our website in the section http://www.the-klu.org/programs/. Exchange students are allowed to take at maximum 4 courses equivalent to 5 ECTS each (in total 20 ECTS) from trimester 1 and 4 in both programs. As a general rule you should consider 1 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) to be equivalent to 30 hours of workload. Please consult with your home university, which courses will be creditable for your studies at home. A detailed course description will be sent to you after you were nominated for the exchange. A final choice of your courses has to be made by June 30th.

Exchange Schedule

Mar 31st	Application deadline for incoming students
September 1st	Trimester start
Within September	3 days of mandatory introduction program
December 12th – 21st	Exam period (Do not book you return tickets until your final exam dates are confirmed)
As of December 22nd	Holidays

Arrivals later than the first day of the introduction week program have to consult with the International Office in person prior to scheduling their inbound travel.

Visa

In accordance with international treaties and agreements, Germany does not require a visa from citizens of the EU, Australia, Japan, Canada, Israel, New Zealand, USA, Switzerland, Honduras, Monaco, Norway, and San Marino. Citizens of all other nations have to obtain a visa to study in Germany. However, there are different kinds of visas and you have to pay attention as not every type of visa is applicable. There are two kinds of visas:

• Student applicant visa: a visa for applicants for a place to study, valid before university confirmation of acceptance for a maximum of three months. Directly after admission, the student applicant visa has to be converted into a student visa.
• Student visa: The duration of a student visa is dependent on your available funds to cover your living cost in Germany. In order to receive it, the candidate has to present the official letter of admission of KLU as well as other documents. One of the most important documents is proof of sufficient financial funding to finance the candidate’s stay in Germany for at least the period of the exchange program. Please contact the German diplomatic representation in your home country for more details concerning the application requirements and procedure. It may be advisable to start the visa application process before receiving the admission from KLU as, in some cases, students have to wait for three or more months before getting final confirmation.

Please note that a tourist visa or a so-called „Schengen visa“ CANNOT be converted into a student visa. Therefore do not apply for such a visa if you want to do an exchange program with the Kühne Logistics University.

If you intend to enter Germany more than once (e.g. after travelling), we recommend that you get a „multiple entry visa“.

Important documents

To ensure that you have all the documents required for your stay in Hamburg, please check the list of essential documents below:

• valid passport or equivalent document
• valid student visa, if required (please check above)
• official letter of admission to the KLU degree program
• admission kit
• proof of income
• original and certified translations of:
  
  • birth certificate
  • marriage certificate, if applicable
  • secondary school leaving certificate(s)
  • university degree certificate(s)
  • international driving license, if you wish to drive in Germany
  • if you are insured by a health insurance company in your home country, a copy of their regulations in German or English and your non-German insurance policy subject to a validity review (only for EU-Nationals).
  • if necessary, essential medical information (in German or English)
  • biometric passport photographs for identification cards

To facilitate and accelerate the visa application process of KLU students, KLU can directly fax a "visa letter of support" to the German embassy or consulate in your home country after having received from you the contact details of the German Diplomatic Representation you intend to apply to.

Health Insurance

When you enroll at the KLU, you must demonstrate proof of health insurance as prescribed by German law. Furthermore, you will usually not get a residence permit without proof of adequate health insurance. Foreign health insurance policies are only accepted if the country has an official agreement with Germany. This applies mainly to EU countries.

Students from the EU, including Norway:

There is an EU agreement which guarantees free medical treatment for EU citizens, including Norway, in Germany. Therefore students from these countries should contact the health department in their home country in order to obtain a European Health Insurance Card (which replaces E111 (B), E110, E119 and E128). It is imperative that your health insurance is valid for the whole period of studies; otherwise, please make sure that you are able to renew your insurance from Germany before its expiry date. If you are not covered by statutory health insurance, you must submit confirmation that your stay in Germany will be covered by private health insurance.

Students from other countries:

Students from other countries that have an agreement with Germany regarding social security, including an insurance clause, can continue to be insured in their home countries. In order to be exempt from German health insurance you will need confirmation from a local health insurance agency.

All other students:

Students from other countries that don’t have an agreement with Germany regarding health insurance are required by law to take out a German student health insurance upon arrival.

Students who have spent less than 14 semesters studying at a university and who are under the age of 30 (with some exemptions) are eligible for the Statutory Health Insurance scheme. If you are 30 years old or above, you can opt for a private insurance scheme. However, once you have opted out of the state insurance scheme, it is almost impossible to opt back in. Therefore you should consider very carefully the advantages and disadvantages of both schemes. Non-EU citizens who reside in Germany at least 6 but no more than 60 months can get special health insurance policies with substantially lower premiums.

Housing

The KLU cannot offer on-campus housing at all. However we do have a reserved contingent of student dormitory places close by. If you notice us with enough time in advance, there will be a high likelihood to obtain a room. If you prefer an independent apartment or housing with a roommate please check out Wohnbörse Hamburg International (Flat exchange) at http://www.studierendenwerk-hamburg.de/wohnboerse/?cat=angebote_anzeigen. KLU students leaving for their exchange might also make their apartments available and inform the International Office of such opportunities. Please take care of your housing as early as possible as the living situation for students in Hamburg gets tight over the summer period.

If your home university included housing provision into the student exchange agreement, the International Office will take care of that for you.

Living Cost as a KLU student

Students of the full-time programs should budget at minimum €3,800 per trimester of study (4 months). This amount has to be deposited or proven when applying for a student visa at German embassies or consulates.

Students’ requirements may vary significantly depending on choice of housing, living or travel expenses. Estimated expenses for a single person per trimester in Euro:

Health insurance (up to 30 years of age)	280 euros
Health insurance (over 30 years of age)	480 euros
Liability insurance (mandatory)	20 euros
Housing / accommodation	1,600 euros
Food, clothing, books, misc.	1,900 euros
Total	min. 3,800 euros

You should take into consideration that you might want to travel as well as do some sightseeing during your stay in Germany, for which you should account some extra money. However you should also remember that some cost such as visa fee, airfare and books might occur out-of-pocket prior your arrival on-campus.

Before you leave your home country please discuss with your outbound exchange coordinator if you can possibly get financial aid. THE KLU has no financial aid program covering living cost in Germany to offer to our exchange students. However you can apply for scholarships of the German Academic Exchange service (http://www.daad.de/en/index.html).

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