International

Outgoings

ERASMUS

The ERASMUS programme (EuRopean Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students) is a funding programme of the European Union that enables students to study abroad at a host university within the EU. Bachelor’s and Master’s students can study at a partner university with financial support for one or even two semesters abroad during their studies. All 27 EU member states and five other European countries (Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Turkey) participate in the programme. Find out more about whether an ERASMUS study programme is suitable for you, which ERASMUS partner universities the Faculty of Business and Economics has and how you can apply.

The Faculty of Economics and Business Administration cooperates with over 60 ERASMUS partner universities in more than 20 countries. An overview of our ERASMUS partner universities can be found here, along with the current application deadlines here. For further details on the ERASMUS exchange, our global exchange programmes, and international activities, please refer to the presentation „Wege ins Ausland WiWi 2025“.

Application

We look forward to receiving your application for an ERASMUS semester at one of our partner universities!

Administrative information on the application

You can find an overview of the deadlines here. Unfortunately, applications not received within the deadlines cannot be considered
You can only apply for an exchange via our online application form. We do not accept applications by email or by post.
To access the online application form, you must log in with your RUB login ID.
For the success of your application it does not matter when you submit it – as long as you do it within the given deadline. All applications will be reviewed collectively after the deadline. So you don’t have to hurry and submit your application as soon as possible.
Our aim is to give you feedback on whether we can offer you an ERASMUS place within 8 weeks of the submission deadline. You will then still have enough time to process and submit the documents necessary for your official nomination. You will receive more detailed information on these documents at the information event for ERASMUS outgoings; you will be informed of the exact date if you are accepted.

Contents of the application

The online application form asks you for some personal and contact information. In addition, you will be asked to upload some documents. Please note that the online form only accepts PDFs with a maximum file size of 1 MB. The following documents should be uploaded:

PDF documents

Curriculum vitae (including photo)
Letter of motivation in English, approx. 1-2 pages long. In it you should briefly explain why you are applying for the ERASMUS programme, why you should be admitted and why you have chosen (a) specific host university(ies).
Current Transcript of Records and previous degree certificates; Bachelor students should upload their current Transcript of Records and their Abitur certificate, Master students their current Transcript of Records and Bachelor certificate.
Please note that your current RUB Transcript of Records should be verifiable. To do this, select the option “generate (checkable)” under the menu item “data sheet” in your Flexnow access. The verifiable data sheet contains a password with which the authenticity can be checked.
Most host universities do not require an official certificate, but only recommend a certain language level. Accordingly, we do not necessarily require official certificates for your application either. If you have already taken a language test in English or the otherwise relevant national language and have a corresponding certificate, please add it to your application. If you don’t have an official certificate, you don’t have to spend money on it; we know that official certificates can cost several hundred euros and we don’t want you to spend money on an application that may or may not be successful. In this case, you can argue in your motivation letter that you already know the language for other reasons (e.g. because you have studied the language for many years at school or have spent a few months in the country, etc.) or how you plan to learn the language before you start your possible stay abroad.

Our Centre for Foreign Language Education (ZFA) offers various language courses as well as international tests, such as IELTS for English, DELE for Spanish, DELF/DALF for French and Swedex for Swedish.
The ZFA also offers a DAAD language certificate, which is accepted by most universities as proof of language proficiency. Please check the ZFA website for information on official tests and language certificates and make sure you take the test in good time.
You must indicate at least one and can indicate up to five preferences for host universities. Here you will find a list of all current ERAMUS partner universities. You should consider the following points when choosing your preferences: Compatibility of the semester times of the host university with those of RUB, possible (official) language requirements, courses offered at the host university (are you interested in the modules offered? Do you have the necessary prerequisites? etc.). You can also visit the pages of the International Office In addition, you can access the testimonials of former ERASMUS exchange students here to get an impression of their experiences on site.

Financing options

As an ERASMUS student, you do not pay tuition fees at your host university and also receive a financial allowance for the stay abroad from RUB. This grant is intended to cover the extra costs you incur during a stay abroad. The ERASMUS participating countries are divided into three groups. The following grant rates will be paid for a study visit in the academic year 2025/2026:

600 EUR/month for country group 1:
Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Finland, France, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Sweden, UK.

540 EUR/month for country group 2 and 3:
Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Malta, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Czechia, Cyprus; Bulgaria, Croatia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Turkey, Hungary

Extra support for students with special needs
Students with children or disabilities can apply for additional funding.

Testimonials

Here you will find testimonials from former ERASMUS students at the respective host universities.

Information material

Erasmus Partner 2025

1 file(s) 742.38 KB

Download

Wege ins Ausland WiWi 2025

1 file(s) 2 MB

Download

RUB Fact Sheet 25/26

1 file(s) 3.03 MB

Download

Questions on the application

Fragen über das Learning Agreement

Questions during the ERASMUS exchange

Questions after the ERASMUS exchange

Further questions

Questions on the application

Fragen über das Learning Agreement

Questions during the ERASMUS exchange

Questions after the ERASMUS exchange

Further questions

Worldwide exchange programmes

Wollongong, Australien (B.Sc.)

Student exchange with the University of Wollongong (UOW) (Australia)

Background

Each year, up to four RUB students enrolled in the Bachelor’s programme “Management and Economics” have the opportunity to spend one semester at the University of Wollongong (UOW) in Australia.

UOW is a research-intensive university with an excellent reputation for its teaching in a wide range of disciplines. UOW is a young and vibrant university and is ranked in the top 1% of universities in the world.

The city of Wollongong is one of Australia’s larger cities and is located in New South Wales, around 80 kilometers south of Sydney. The city is also known for its surfing beaches.

Courses offered
For a list of courses offered at UOW, please visit the UOW website.

Academic calendar
Autumn term: February – June
Spring semester: July – November

Costs, scholarships and funding
RUB exchange students are exempt from tuition fees at the University of Wollongong. In order to finance your living expenses, various helpful scholarship programmes are available.
For more information on funding opportunities, please contact the International Office.
The PROMOS programme (a scholarship programme of the German Academic Exchange Service) might be of particular interest and can be found here.

Accommodation
Information on student accommodation can be found here.

Application
The application for the exchange is done via Moodle. If you are interested, please send an email from your RUB email account to wiwi-exchange-students@rub.de. We will then manually add you to the Moodle application course.

Application deadlines see table “Overview Deadlines” at the bottom of this website.

Tongji, China (M.Sc.)

Exchange with Tongji University (China)

Background
Up to ten RUB students enrolled in one of our faculty’s Master’s degree programs can spend a semester at Tongji University in Shanghai (China).
Tongji University Shanghai was founded in 1907 by the German doctor Erich Paulin, initially as a medical faculty, and has had a close relationship with Germany ever since. Today, Tongji University offers its 50,000 students a comprehensive range of subjects and is one of the most renowned universities in China.

The Bochum Faculty of Economics has been cooperating with Tongji University since the early 1980s and maintains a particularly close relationship with the Chinese-German University College CDHKa joint institution of the German Academic Exchange Service and Tongji University. The CDHK covers the following academic disciplines: Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Automotive Engineering and Economics.

A special feature of the CDHK are the 23 endowed chairs, which are financed by well-known companies. These donations have significantly improved the study conditions at the CDHK. In addition, the donors provide students with extensive industry contacts. In addition to funding from industry, the CDHK is also supported by funds from the German Foreign Office.

The lecturers at the CDHK are Chinese academics (most of whom studied or completed their doctorates in Germany) and German visiting professors. Lectures are held in German and English. Lectures by visiting professors usually take the form of weekly block courses. In addition to the courses offered at the CDHK, RUB students also have the opportunity to attend lectures at Tongji University’s School of Economics and Management (SEM). These courses are held entirely in English. Please note that the focus of the courses at the CDHK and SEM is on management.

Courses offered
If you are interested in the courses offered at the CDHK, please visit the Tongji website for more information. A list of the courses offered at the SEM can be found here.

Academic calendar
Spring semester: February – July
Fall semester: September – January

Costs, scholarships, and financial aid
RUB exchange students are exempt from Tongji University tuition fees. Various helpful scholarship programmes are available to help you finance your living expenses (estimated between €350 and €500).

Further information on funding opportunities is available from the International Office.

For students interested in an exchange with Tongji University, the PROMOS program (a scholarship program offered by the German Academic Exchange Service) may be of particular interest and can be found here.

Accommodation
Information on student accommodation can be found here.

Application
Interested students are requested to send their application to Prof. Dr. Bernhard Pellens and/or Dr. Martin Seidler. The following documents are required:

Letter of motivation
Curriculum vitae
Official academic transcript
bachelor’s degree certificate
Baccalaureate certificate
Documents about experience abroad

You can find more information about the application here.

Application deadlines see table “Overview Deadlines” at the bottom of this website.

PHBS, China (M.Sc.)

Student Exchange with Peking University HSBC Business School (PHBS) (China)

Background
Two of our master’s students have the opportunity to spend a semester at Peking University HSBC Business School (PHBS). PHBS was founded in 2004. On August 30, 2008, HSBC Bank donated funds to support the university. This later proved to be a successful model of educational modernization in China through collaboration between a top university in China and a world-class financial institution.
PHBS is located in the emerging region of Shenzhen, directly adjacent to the financial center of Hong Kong. Together with the cutting-edge academic research of Peking University, PHBS is improving connections between Hong Kong and mainland China, as well as relations between China and the world

Costs, scholarships, and financing
Students are responsible for travel and living expenses. There are no tuition fees. Detailed information on funding opportunities during your studies abroad is provided by the International Office and can be found here. The PROMOS program (a scholarship program of the German Academic Exchange Service) may be of particular interest and can be found here.

Accommodation
PHBS offers accommodation for international students. For more information on accommodation and student life at PHBS, please visit the PHBS website.

Academic Calendar
Fall semester: September – January
Spring semester: February – July

Further information on relevant dates is provided by the HSBC Business School and can be found here.

Courses offered
Information on the courses offered can be found here.

Application process
The following documents must be submitted with the application:

bachelor’s degree certificate
Official transcripts (in English)
Letter of motivation (in English)
Curriculum vitae (in English)

Application deadlines see table “Overview Deadlines” at the bottom of this website.

Free Mover

General information
Important information for students who wish to study at a university that is not a partner university of RUB or the Faculty of Economics (free movers) can be found on the International Office website.

Learning Agreement
If your host university requires a learning agreement, please contact Katharina Haaf. The easiest way is to send the learning agreement by email. Once the document has been checked and signed, you will receive the signed agreement by email.

Internships and university-wide exchange

In addition to our exchange opportunities at partner universities in our faculty, you can also go abroad or do an internship abroad through other partner universities of Ruhr University via the International Office. You can find more information here.

An internship abroad is an excellent opportunity to gain experience in a company, gain insight into the corporate culture of another country, and get to know the culture and language of another country. Unfortunately, we cannot directly assist you in finding an internship. However, it is possible to receive funding for an internship through the Erasmus+ program. The relevance of the internship to your field of study is important for funding. Further information can be found on the International Office website here.
If you need confirmation of the relevance of the internship for the scholarship, for example, please contact Katharina Haaf.

Summer Schools

BOCHUM INTERNATIONAL SUMMER SCHOOL (BISS)

Every year in August, the Faculty of Economics invites students to attend the Bochum International Summer School (BISS) – an academic highlight at the end of the summer semester.
International guest lecturers offer excellent courses with practice-oriented and forward-looking content that enriches the academic spectrum of our faculty. The program includes a balanced mix of management and economics courses that enable students to broaden their academic profile.
All courses are conducted in English and are worth 5 ECTS credits. With a maximum of 30 participants per course, we guarantee a personal learning atmosphere – ideal for deepening knowledge and improving English skills at the same time.

Courses

The next BISS will take place from 17.08.2026 – 29.08.2026.

You will find the latest information from the beginning of April 2026 in the Moodle course “Bochum International Summer School (BISS)”.

Preliminary course overview (as of 09.04.2026) -> The following courses were offered as part of BISS 2025:

Course	Lecturer	Field of study	Open for	Date
Introduction to the Geography of Innovation	Tom Brökel (University of Stavanger Business School, Norway)	Economics / Management	Bachelor’s and Master’s students	August 18–22
Experimental and Behavioral Approaches to Environmental Economics	Stephan Kroll (Colorado State University, USA)	Economics	Bachelor’s and Master’s students	August 18–22
EU Integration and Policies in a Globalized World	Silvia Leoni (Universitas Mercatorum, Rome, Italy)	Economics	Bachelor’s and Master’s students	August 18–22
Ideate your Venture	Rainer Harms (University of Twente, The Netherlands)	Management	Bachelor’s and Master’s students	August 25 –29
Organizational Behavior (in Practice)	Tomas Farchi (HEC Paris – Doha Campus, Qatar)	Management	Bachelor’s and Master’s students	August 27 –30

Summer School an der Tongji-Universität, China (B.Sc. & M.Sc.)

RUB students studying the Bachelor’s degree programme “Management and Economics” or the Master’s degree programmes “Management”, “Management and Economics” and “Economics” at the Faculty of Business and Economics can participate in the Summer School of the Sino-German Graduate School CDHK of Tongji University in Shanghai, one of the most renowned universities in China.

Program

The Summer School is organized by the Technical University of Berlin (TU Berlin) (contact: Dr. Sigrun Abels).
Up to 30 students from Tongji’s partner universities (TU Berlin, TU Darmstadt, TU Munich, and RUB) can participate in the program.
The Summer School takes place regularly over a period of three weeks. In the 2025 summer semester, the Summer School will take place from September 8 to 26, 2025.
The Summer School focuses on Chinese society, economics, politics, law, and culture. All lectures are held in German. The courses are also accompanied by a cultural program and excursions to various companies.
Further information on the Summer School program can be found here.

Credit Recognition

A certificate will be issued upon successful participation and completion of the course. Students enrolled in a bachelor’s program at the Faculty of Economics at RUB can earn 5 ECTS credits by successfully participating in the summer school, which will be credited by the Chair of International Accounting.

Application

Information on the application procedure can be found on our website. The application deadline for the Summer School in 2025 is May 5, 2025.

Costs and funding

The cost of the program (including travel and accommodation) will be approximately €2,840. Students are responsible for financing the cost of the summer school themselves.

Research stays/
Sponsorship opportunities for doctoral students and lecturers

Are you a doctoral student considering a research stay abroad? You can apply for funding for this through the RUB Research School, for example. Funding is available for research stays, as well as participation in conferences, summer schools, or workshops. Further information on the opportunities and requirements can be found on the Research School website here.

In addition to the RUB Research School, you can also apply for funding for a teaching assignment at some of our partner universities through the Erasmus+ program.

Exchange opportunities for doctoral students

Doctoral students also have the opportunity to participate in an exchange program as part of the ERASMUS+ program. This applies to the following partner universities of the Faculty of Economics:

Bulgaria
Free University of Burgas [Bulgarski Swoboden Uniwersitet], Burgas

Finland
Lappeenranta University of Technology [Lappeenrannan teknillinen yliopisto], Lappeenranta

France
University of Lorraine [Université de Lorraine], Nancy

Iceland
University of Akureyri [Háskólinn á Akureyri], Akureyri

IItaly
University of Naples Parthenope [Università degli studi di Napoli Partenope], Naples
Universität Chieti-Pescara “Gabriele d’Annunzio” [Universitá degli studi “G. d’ Annunzio” ], Chieti

Croatia
Josip Juraj Strossmayer Universität [Sveučilište Josipa Jurja Strossmayera u Osijeku], Osijek
Juraj Dobrila Universität Pula [Sveučilište Jurja Dobrile u Puli], Pula
Universität Rijeka [Sveučilište u Rijeci], Rijeka

Portugal
Universität Évora [Universidade de Évora], Evora
Universität Minho [Universidade do Minho], Braga/Guimarães

Romania
Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest [Academia de Studii Economice din București], Bucharest

Slovakia
Comenius University Bratislava [Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave], Bratislava
Technical University Košice [Technická univerzita v Košiciach],

Czech Republic
Brno University of Technology [Vysoké učení technické v Brně], Brno
University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice [Jihočeská univerzita v Českých Budějovicích], České Budějovice
Technical University of Ostrava [Vysoká škola báňská – Technická univerzita Ostrava], Ostrava

Turkey
Bogaziçi University Istanbul [Boğaziçi Üniversitesi],

Hungary
University of Debrecen [Debreceni Egyetem], Debrecen
University of Szeged [Szegedi Tudományegyetem], Szeged

If you are interested or have any questions, please contact Katharina Haaf at wiwi-erasmus-outgoings@rub.de.

Exchange opportunities for lecturers

The ERASMUS+ program also supports visiting lectureships (mobility for teaching purposes) at partner universities. Funding is available for professors and lecturers with a contractual relationship with RUB, lecturers without endowed positions, adjunct lecturers with work contracts, emeritus professors and retired teachers, research assistants, and company personnel.
Depending on the agreement, teaching stays last between two days and two months; the teaching load is at least eight hours per stay or per week started

Exchanges for teaching are possible at the following partner universities of the Faculty of Economics:

Bulgaria
Burgas Free University [Bulgarski Swoboden Uniwersitet], Burgas [1×5 days; min. 8 hours]
University of national and world economcy [Universitet za nacionalno i svetovno stopanstvo], Sofia [2×5 days; min. 8 hours]

Denmark
University of Southern Denmark [Syddansk Universitet], Odense [1×5 days; min. 8 hours]

Finland
LUT University [Lappeenrannan teknillinen yliopisto], Lappeenranta [2×10 days; min. 8 hours]

Greece
University Ioannina [Panepistimio Ioanninon], Ioannina [1×5 days; min. 8 hours]

Iceland
University of Akureyri [Háskólinn á Akureyri], Akureyri [1×5 days; min. 8 hours]

Italy
University Neapel Parthenope [Università degli studi di Napoli Partenope], Neapel [2×10 days; min. 8 hours]
University Chieti-Pescara “Gabriele d’Annunzio” [Universitá degli studi “G. d’ Annunzio”], Chieti [1×6 days; min. 8 hours]
University Padua [Universitá degli studi di Padova], Padua [1×5 days; min. 8 hours]
University Udine [Università degli studi di Udine], Udine [1×7 days; min. 8 hours]

Croatia
University Nord [Sveučilište Sjever], Kopreinitz [2×7 days; min. 8 hours]
Josip Juraj Strossmayer University [Sveučilište Josipa Jurja Strossmayera u Osijeku], Osijek [1×5 days; min. 8 hours]
Juraj Dobrila University Pula [Sveučilište Jurja Dobrile u Puli], Pula [2×5 days; min. 8 hours]
University Rijeka [Sveučilište u Rijeci], Rijeka [2×5 days; min. 8 hours]
University Split [Sveučilište u Splitu], Split [1×5 days; min. 8 hours]

Norway
NHH
[Norges Handelshøskole], Bergen [1×5 days; min. 8 hours]

Poland
Kraków University of Economics [Uniwersytet Ekonomiczny w Krakowie], Krakau [1×5 days; min. 8 hours]
Technical University Opole [Politechnika Opolska], Opole [1×5 days; min. 8 hours]
University of Economics Posen [Uniwersytet Ekonomiczny w Poznaniu], Posen [1×5 days; min. 8 hours]

Portugal
University Coimbra [Universidade de Coimbra], Coimbra [1×5 days; min. 8 hours]
University Évora [Universidade de Évora], Evora [1×5 days; min. 8 hours]
University Minho [Universidade do Minho], Braga/Guimarães [1×5 days; min. 8 hours]

Romania
Bucharest University of Economic Studies [Academia de Studii Economice din București], Bukarest [2×5 days; min. 8 hours]

Sweden
University Göteborg [Göteborgs universitet], Göteborg [1×14 days; min. 8 hours]

Switzerland
University Bern [Universität Bern], Bern [1×2-60 days; min. 8 hours]
University Neuenburg [Université de Neuchâtel], Neuenburg [1×5 days; min. 8 hours]

Slovakia
Comenius-Universitäy Bratislava [Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave], Bratislava [1×5 days; min. 8 hours]
Technical University Košice [Technická univerzita v Košiciach], Košice [1×5 days; min. 8 hours]

Slovenia
University Maribor [Univerza v Mariboru], Maribor [1×5 days; min. 8 hours]

Spain
University Jaume I [Universitat Jaume I], Castellón de la Plana [2×5 days; min. 8 hours]
University Oviedo [Universidad de Oviedo], Oviedo [1×5 days; min. 8 hours]
University of the Balearic Islands [Universitat de les Illes Balears], Palma [1×5 days; min. 8 hours]
University La Laguna [Universidad de la Laguna], San Cristóbal de La Laguna [1×7 days; min. 8 hours]

Czech Republic
Technical University Brünn [Vysoké učení technické v Brně], Brünn [2×5 days; min. 8 hours]
University of South Bohemia [Jihočeská univerzita v Českých Budějovicích], Budweis [1×5 days; min. 8 hours]
Technical University Ostrava [Vysoká škola báňská – Technická univerzita Ostrava], Ostrava [1×5 days; min. 8 hours]

Turkey
Bogaziçi University Istanbul [Boğaziçi Üniversitesi], Istanbul [1×5 days; min. 8 hours]

Hungary
Eötvös-Loránd-University Budapest [Eötvös Loránd Tudományegyetem], Budapest [1×5 days; min. 8 hours]
University Debrecen [Debreceni Egyetem], Debrecen [1×5 days; min. 8 hours]
University Szeged [Szegedi Tudományegyetem], Szeged [1×5 days; min. 8 hours]

Cyprus
University of Cyprus [Πανεπιστήμιο Κύπρου / Kıbrıs Üniversitesi], Nikosia [1×5 days; min. 8 hours]

If you are interested or have any questions, please contact Katharina Haaf at wiwi-erasmus-outgoings@rub.de.

UNIC European University

RUB is part of the international university consortium UNIC – European University of Cities in Post-Industrial Transition. This is an association of ten universities (Bilbao, Bochum, Cork, Istanbul, Liège, Łódź, Malmö, Oulu, Rotterdam, and Zagreb) dedicated to promoting student mobility, joint innovative teaching, and new perspectives in research and transfer. The focus is on addressing the challenges facing our post-industrial cities

All universities offer the UNIC Open Online Courses virtual teaching and learning opportunities that can also be attended by students from other universities. These courses offer a unique opportunity to exchange ideas with fellow students from all over Europe, to get to know new teaching styles and learning methods and to choose courses from a wide range of courses offered by the ten UNIC partners.

All current UNIC Alliance events are published on the UNIC Events page.

Further information can be found here:

Overview deadlines

Program	Period	Deadline
ERASMUS Outgoings	Winter semester 2027/2028 and summer semester 2028	December 06, 2026
Worldwide programmes
– Wollongong Universität (B.Sc.)	Austral. Spring Semester 2026 Austral. Autumn Semester 2027	February 1, 2026 August 1, 2026
-Tongji-Universität (M.Sc.)	Winter semester 2026/2027	April 26, 2026
– PHBS University (M.Sc.)	Winter semester 2026/2027 Summer semester 2027	March 01, 2026 October 01, 2026
Summer Schools
– BISS	17.08.2026 – 29.08.2026	May 01, 2026 – May 15, 2026
– Tongji-University	Summer semester 2025	May 5, 2025
– UNIC Summer Course “Migrations – local consequences of global movements”	24.08.2026 – 11.09.2026	March 15, 2026

Crediting and recognition of credits earned abroad

There are generally two different types of credit recognition

If you take a module at a foreign university that is equivalent to one of the modules offered at our faculty in terms of content and requirements, you can have it credited as the corresponding RUB module. You must obtain approval for the credit transfer from the chair that teaches the module at our faculty.
If you take an economics module at a foreign university for which there is no equivalent module at RUB in terms of content and requirements, you can have it credited as a so-called “dummy” module (“(Advanced) Applied Management/Economics”). In this case, the credit transfer is also carried out by a chair that offers courses with similar content

Please remember that you must obtain credit transfer confirmations for all courses you wish to take at your host university before your stay abroad. If you wish to take additional modules during your stay at the host university, you must also obtain the corresponding credit transfers for these.

After your stay abroad, you can submit the transcript of records issued by the host university together with the credit transfer forms to the Examination Office of the Faculty of Economics in order to have your modules recognized.
Please also note that the examination regulations of the Faculty of Economics stipulate that you must complete at least 60% of the total ECTS credits for your degree at RUB. Exceptions to this rule are only made for double master’s programmes.