Erasmus and exchange students (Incoming)

1. Application for Exchange

• ERASMUS IDENTITY CARD Burg Giebichenstein Kunsthochschule Halle

Application Documents for Erasmus and Freemover Incomings

In order to apply to an Erasmus exchange or as an exchange student, please fill out our Application Form for exchange students. Note that the application is possible only for one semester and not for a whole academic year.

Please send all application documents only via email and in PDF- format to international(at)burg-halle.de (Portfolios via WeTransfer or similar if the file is too large for an email). Please do not send applications via post office.

Necessary documents in German or English (to add)

• 1.  Application form for exchange students
• 2.  Curriculum Vitae
• 3.  Letter of Motivation
• 4.  Transcript of your current studies
• 5.  Portfolio* 
• 6.  Copy of ID card
• 7.  Digital Photo of yourself (Portrait for ID)

* Advice for applicants for interior architecture: A 4 format; should contain at least 25 pages of own works, max. size 20 MB.

* Interior Architecture – particularities: Earliest possible semester for applying is 4th. Only applications from ‘Interior Design’, ‘Interior Architecture’ or similar can be considered.

* Advice for applicants for design studies: please send a portfolio if you have one, depending on your background. Otherwise, we will require a writing sample. You may send us (preferably) your bachelor thesis or papers, articles etc. composed by you. By all means, please provide a precise and detailed motivation letter. 

Please note: There is no need to send any Learning Agreements to the International Office in order to apply. If you do, however, have to hand in a Learning Agreement for your home university prior to your arrival in Halle, we recommend that you contact your academic coordinator / academic tutor in Halle, since all details concerning study plans cannot be addressed by the International Office.

After contacting your academic coordinator please use the following study course plans to complete your Learning Agreement.

For further information about the content of the courses please refer to the course catalogue on the right side. 

Nomination

• Winter term (October – February): from 1st April until 15th April
• Summer term (April – July): from 1st October until 15th October

Application

• Winter term (October – February): from 16th April until 1st May
• Summer term (April – July): from 16th October until 1st November

Please send the application by email to: international(at)burg-halle.de

We cannot guarantee it, but we make an effort to communicate the outcome of your application within 3 weeks after the application deadline. Due to internal schedules, feedback for applications in Interior Architecture and Communication Design can only be given at the end of July (winter term) or January (summer term).

Language Requirements

For an exchange, there are either German or English skills required (level B2). If you have a good command of English language, no German skills will be required. Exception: for an exchange in our MA Design Studies programme a good command of German language is mandatory.

Selection Criteria

The selection is done by the professor(s) of the corresponding course. Prerequisite is a complete application containing all requested documents. The selection is based on the artistic aptitude for the course as derived from your portfolio and transcript of studies. Furthermore, your motivation is very important and pertinent language skills (English and / or German). 

 

2. Important advice for accepted exchange students

Semester Dates

Please check the following link: https://www.burg-halle.de/hochschule/studium/semestertermine/wintersemester-202324/

For incoming exchange students, international introduction day (mandatory) will take place some day before the regular introduction week (end of Sepetmber for winter term / end of March for summer term). We will communicate the exact semester date once you are accepted.

Teaching Language

We would like to punctuate the fact that the teaching language in all courses here at BURG is German. We do not offer regular courses taught in English at present time.

If your application is accepted and you arrive without any German skills, please be aware that the extent to which you can be mentored in English highly depends on the teachers and professors you will be working with and that we cannot guarantee one-on-one translations for you. We do offer a buddy program which teams you up with a fellow German student in the first weeks of your stay but this does not replace any language skills. Without German, you are always able to participate in practical courses and do your projects. Presentations of your projects in English are possible. However, access to theoretical courses might be limited.

Online Learning Agreement (only applicable for Erasmus students)

Please consult the International Office of your home university how to log on to the OLA. Before your exchange, we will create a preliminary version with "dummys" for your courses here since the precise names of your semester project might not be clear yet. Please read the following guidance on how to fill out the document: After acceptance: advice on Online Learning Agreement (OLA). Afer starting your semester at BURG you might change the courses in your OLA of course. 

Grading system

Please be advised that our university applies the standard German grading system. For more information on our grading system, the statistical distribution of our grades and the conversion of our local grades according to the European Credit Transfer System, please consult the following document.

You may consult the Egracons country report for an outline of the German grading system (page 21). You may use the table on page 15-16 in the guide from the University of Heidelberg which provides another possibility to convert your grades.

We are also part of Egracons. If your home university is a member of Egracons your International Office may convert grades you received from us to your local grades.

Please discuss with your home university which conversion they prefer to use. 

Erasmus App

You may find some guidance on the use of the app here. 

Inclusion: Information for students with special needs

For further information, please consult our strategy for the inclusion of Erasmus students, available in English and German. Some general information on our institution are also available on https://inclusivemobility.eu/.

Please discuss your needs with the exchange coordinator at your home university. Your International Office shall inform us with the nomination to make sure that we can meet your specific needs. You can find guidance on the support that we can offer in our inclusion strategy.

Depending on the guidelines of your national agency and the implementation of the Erasmus programme in your country, you may be eligible for additional Erasmus grants. Please ask your International Office for guidance on this matter.

We will be in touch with the department and the representative for students with special needs in order to evaluate if we can meet the conditions of your stay here. Hereafter, we will contact you.

Application: If we can offer the possibility to come for exchange, the next step will be your application. We guarantee a fair application process. Our departments will assess your documents equally to the other candidates and there will be neither a disadvantage nor an advantage for you. Please inform us and indicate in your application if you have any impairments that impede creating or handing in parts of the application. If so, we will try to find a solution. Please note that – as for all applicants – we cannot guarantee an acceptance since the number of applications does exceed the capacity in our departments.

After acceptance: Please do communicate your needs further to examinations or assignments to your responsible professor after acceptance and during your stay here. If you have any difficulty completing an assessment in the ordinary manner, we will assist you finding a solution. Please advise us if you intend to stay in the student dorm. We will communicate your need to our provider of student accommodation. That provider does offer accommodation for students with disabilities. Students with disabilities are treated with priority in the allocation of a suitable accommodation. However, availability of accommodation is always subject to the number of free flats / rooms and thus cannot be guaranteed upfront.

Civic Engagement

If you intend to be committed to social voluntary work there are different options both on campus and in the city of Halle. Please check out the following overview which does present some examples: civic engagement. 

Green Travel

We encourage you coming to Halle using green means of transport, such as train. Please mind the advice given in our exchange guide ("Green BURG"). You may also find useful guidance in the following brochure and handbook. The platform Green Erasmus might also give you some guidance on realizing a more sustainable exchange. 

Student Life

Please check out our exchange guide which you may find in the download section on the right side. You may find some tipps about Halle or our university on the plattform „Compass“ in case previous exchange students indicated them: https://compass-youthmobility.eu/

Complaints / Appeals: in case you encounter problems during your exchange (for example in the class or your study programme) or cases of non equal treatment please contact us and we try to solve them with you. In case this is not possible the Head of Student Affairs does serve as our complaints board and we would bring you in contact.