International Office for KLU students

Kühne Logistics University

International Office for KLU students

Kühne Logistics University

Exchange semester

All bachelor students spend an exchange semester at one of our partner universities. Master students in the standard track have the opportunity to spend their third semester abroad. Enrolled as a full-time student at the host university, you will acquire first-hand insights into new cultures and countries and have unique experiences.

Facts on the semester abroad

We use the online tool Mobility Online as the platform for detailed information on our partner universities, for the application process as well as for the administration of your time abroad. 

We have established a broad network based on exchange agreements with more than 60 partner institutions around the world. 

There are limited numbers of places available at the partner universities, for more detailed information on each partner university visit our Mobility Online portal or contact us.

During the application process for your semester abroad, you may indicate three choices of your preferred destinations. Exchange places are allocated based on your average grades, and a motivation letter. The application form will be available on Mobility Online in due time.

Deadline:

  • For all students: mid Februray (the concrete date will be communicated)

The International Office and the Academic Representative of International Relations evaluate the applications. The students will be informed about the results of the selection process approx. 2-3 weeks after the application deadline.

You will be nominated by the International Office at the host university that you have been selected for. This means that the KLU International Office will contact the host university and will send your name and e-mail address to the coordinator there. Your host university will then inform you on how to proceed with the application, the visa process, the housing and everything else you need to know.

Students with an optional exchange semester: Your decision to go abroad during your third semester is binding by accepting your allocation to a partner university.

Any administration/visa/travel/insurance/personal costs in connection with the planned exchange semester will be borne by the student.

To fulfil the KLU requirements you have to

  • Master students: follow courses worth at least 20 ECTS of the graduate level (Undergraduate courses do not count!)
    Bachelor students: follow courses worth at least 18/24 ECTS of the undergraduate level.
  • You are free to attend courses worth more than 18/20/24 ECTS. A normal semester workload would be not more than 30 ECTS. The courses with the best grades will count for your average on your transcript and for your diploma. Additional courses can be listed on the official documents if you wish so.
  • You can choose courses from the following sections: Management, Logistics, Economics and Leadership Skills. According to the KLU examinations regulations, your final course selection has to be approved by the KLU Board of Examiners.
  • Language classes do not count.
  • It is not permissible to choose courses identical to those which you have passed at the KLU already.
  • If the host institution allows you to attend additional courses from other areas like culture, history, arts, etc. then it is also is okay for the KLU. But your focus of your course selection has to lie on courses in the above mentioned four sections. These additional courses do not count for the requested 18/20/24 ECTS.

Get your visa

Depending on your nationality and your destination you might have to apply for a visa. Please check the website of your embassy and the embassy of the destination to find out which visa you need, about the application procedure incl. what documents you have to prepare and the costs which might incur. Take as a thumb rule that the earlier you deal with the visa issues the better because it can take many weeks.

Book your flights

You are responsible to book your flights to and from your partner institution. When you do it depends on you and your plans during the summer. Have in mind that the internship is scheduled after the second semester and before the semester abroad and you might want to spend it not in Hamburg but somewhere else. If possible, it is recommended to arrive a few days early at your destination to being able to settle down a little bit before the welcome sessions and the lectures start.
Students sometimes receive special discounts on flights. Check the relevant websites and search engines.

Health insurance

During your study abroad period you are continuously enrolled at the KLU (as specified in your enrollment certificates). Within the European Union, health insurance agreements between the EU countries are in force. Outside the EU mutual risks are not covered. Thus, each student must buy an additional health insurance.

Since you are enrolled at KLU during the whole period you cannot quit the German health insurance. It is mandatory to stay insured via your German health insurance provider during your internship and semester abroad. Please ask the inbound coordinator at your university abroad for insurance details.
Please contact KLU Student Services if you have further questions concerning the health insurance during your semester abroad.

Students who go abroad independently to a university of their choice are called free movers.

In case that you do not find a suitable exchange destination among KLU's partner universities you can choose to be a free mover student at a foreign university.

Quality requirements

When considering a free mover exchange it is crucial that students make sure that the academic content and quality at the exchange destination corresponds with that of KLU. As a general rule, free movers of KLU should be enrolled as non-degree students at the host university. Moreover, degrees awarded by the host university should be accepted by the German Zentralstelle für ausländisches Bildungswesen (Central Office for Foreign Education).

The proposed host university must be either a partner university of KLU or has to be approved by the KLU’s International Office.

Rules for Free mover

1.    Free movers organize their study abroad themselves. They will be applying directly for an exchange place at the university of their choice, following the application guidelines of the university they apply for.
2.    Free movers bear all costs themselves, incl. tuition fees at the host university.
3.    Free movers cannot attend a university located in their home country.
4.    The free mover is also required to acquire sufficient information on the credit transfer so that he/she will be able to complete the required number of credits during his/her exchange. Course contents are made comparable by the usage of the ECTS system. Whenever this system is not applicable equivalence will be evaluated based on workload and course content by the board of examiners.


5.    If a student wants to be a free mover, he/she has to summit his/her study plan for the host university incl.
a.    a course overview plus course descriptions of the planned courses
b.    information about the applied (ECTS) credit system
c.    the grading scheme
d.    the procedure for retry exams

This study plan then has to be approved by the KLU Board of Examiners (BoE).

Deadline:

  • for all students 15 January


6.    If they cannot document that they have managed to acquire a place, but still want to go as free mover, their application for the regular KLU exchange places will be considered last.

A number of exchange agreements are based on the European Union’s ERASMUS+ program, which has several benefits for KLU students, inter alia monthly grant.

Outgoing KLU students do not have to apply for the ERASMUS+ program. Once you are nominated for one of our ERASMUS+ partners, you will be automatically guided through all the paperwork and requirements via our online tool Mobility Online. 

PROMOS is a performance-based scholarship program designed to promote student mobility. The program aims to provide students whose destinations are ineligible for funding from one of the structured DAAD programs (Erasmus+) with the opportunity to stay abroad. The mobility scholarship grants a one-time payment, depending on the country of destination. A list with funding amounts per country can be found here .

Selection process and approval

The PROMOS scholarships are awarded by KLU in the following selection procedure:

A committee made up of representatives of the International Office, Dean of Programs and Academic Director will decide on the applications soon after the respective deadline:

  • for Master student: May
  • for Bachelor students: November

Students will be informed about the concrete deadlines.

Following the selection process, individual e-mail notifications are sent to the applicants.

After Your Return

Upon your return, you must upload the following documents to the portal right away without being prompted:

  • Official Certificate of Stay from your host institution confirming the exact dates of your stay
  • Proof of your coursework, such as a transcript of records or an internship certificate
  • Experience report written by you

After submitting the documents listed above, you can request a PROMOS scholarship certificate.

 

Contact

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Madlen Hebeler

Interim Head of International Office

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Dr. Mersida Mokci

International Office Managerin

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Hamaidi Stulos

International Office Manager

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Melissa Gürtler

International Office Project Administrator

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Friederike Bölle-Kutscher

Head of International Office (currently on leave)