Exchange students - Incoming students at Fachhochschule Dortmund

The enrollment documents will be provided by the International Office. You will be informed about the enrollment process by email after the application process is completed.  Please read your emails regularly.

In order for the enrollment process to be easy, please bring the following documents with you:

• Your valid passport or identity card (EU).
• Proof that you have paid the semester fee for the current semester
• Proof of health insurance for enrollment /European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or exemption from compulsory health insurance (if you have private health insurance in Germany or if you have one from your home country)
• Signed rental contract, if you have rented a room in the Studierendenwerk Dortmund dormitory.

After enrollment, your student ID will be generated, which will give you access to the Online Services for Students (ODS) or the Study Portal. In accordance with the guiding principle "We focus on students.", Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts offers its students selected student administration processes online. You can also print out the NRW semester ticket via the Online Services for Students (ODS) or the Study Portal. The semester ticket is initially valid for one semester after enrollment.

ODS or the study portal will remain open for you for 6 months after you have finished your stay at Dortmund University of Applied Sciences. This way you can easily print out the Transcript of Records in your home country.

All students of Fh Dortmund  need to pay a semester contribution, so-called »Semesterbeitrag« of approximately 320 € for each semester.

The first contribution must be paid before the enrollment and a proof of it must be brought with to the enrollment.

Afterward you will have to pay the semester contribution each semester and will be informed about it via email to your FH-email-address by the Office for Student Affairs/ Studienbüro - this process is called enrolment renewal and in German "Rückmeldung". 

The payment "Semesterbeitrag" must be done before the enrollment - you must bring a confirmation of the payment to the enrollment with you!

We recommend you to pay the contribution fee in advance from your home country! Please note that additional costs may be incurred if you transfer the money from outside the country! Make sure that our University receives the full amount otherwise you will not be enrolled until the missing amount will be paid.

Cash payments can only be made at the banks (Banken/Sparkassen) – and not at International Office or Office for Student Affairs.

After your stay at Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts, you will need proof of examinations passed and services rendered. This refers to your Transcript of Records. You can easily create the automatically generated document - depending on your study program - via ODS (Online Services for Students) or the study portal itself once all your ECTS points have been entered. The document is valid without signatures. 

ODS or the study portal will remain open for 6 months after your stay. So you can easily print the Transcript of Records in your home country.

We are pleased that you would like to stay longer at Dortmund University of Applied Sciences than agreed. Please note that exchange students are only enrolled at our university for a limited time. The duration of your stay depends on your selected study program and is already determined when you apply. For this reason, the extension of your stay does not happen automatically.

Unfortunately, it is not always possible to extend your stay abroad at our university. There are only a limited number of places for exchange students - depending on the home university and the academic year.

If you would like to stay longer than agreed upon at the beginning of your stay, there are important steps you need to fulfill.

Contact the International Office early - at least one month before the end of your stay and before the official re-enrollment period begins.
Ask your home university if they agree to the extension. In that case, the responsible person at your home university must approve the extension to the International Office at Dortmund UAS.
Contact the International Officer* of your department and discuss your courses, as he/she will have to sign your Learning Agreement again.
If necessary, contact the Studierendenwerk Dortmund to extend the contract of your dormitory room. It may happen that there is no more room available and you have to look for a new accommodation. 
If the extension of your stay is accepted, you will have to pay the semester fee during re-registration.

The Studierendenwerk Dortmund offers room reservations to program students. If you would like to use this option, please inform us about this as part of your application.

Please note: Recently, the request for rooms has exceeded the available supply. So, for that reason, and despite our best efforts, we may not be able to reserve a room for you. Therefore, please wait until the official confirmation (or cancellation) of a dormitory room by Studierendenwerk Dortmund. In case of a cancellation, your already paid deposit will of course be refunded. There is no legal claim to a room reservation.

We assist our students in finding a room on their own through the following website.

Almost all courses are taught in German, so you should be well prepared for your stay abroad. German courses are certainly offered in your home country by the Goethe Institute or other service providers. Be sure to take advantage of such offers. To apply for a German-language degree program, you must provide proof of German language skills at a level of at least B 1 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. The certificate must be submitted with the application documents.

Even if you complete your studies in English, you should learn the German language in order to find your way in everyday life in Dortmund. Studying in English is currently possible in the following degree programs .

It is often not possible to make a list of all preferred seminars in advance, as most teaching assistants do not publish  their seminars until the beginning of the semester.

An international coordinator in your department will be able to answer your questions about seminars, projects and semester hours. You can find the contact information for your contact person at the top of this page.

Please make sure that all exams you have selected are offered within the time frame of your stay. At FH Dortmund, exams are offered in two exam sections. The second examination period usually always extends into the following semester. This examination period is often outside your period of residence, makes it necessary to re-register at Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts by paying the semester fee, and overlaps with the restart of your studies at your home university.

If you want to add or remove a seminar in the "Learning Agreement", please use the designated form for changes and remember to get all signatures.