Anyone can go abroad

Staying abroad does not automatically entail a major financial burden. Depending on the type of stay, exchange program, or destination country, there are various financial support options. The following is a selection of the most common options:

Study abroad within Europe:
With the Erasmus+ program, you pay no tuition fees at the host university and automatically receive a scholarship, the amount of which depends on the destination country. Norway is too expensive for you? Also consider other countries where the cost of living is lower! If you are a student with what we call "fewer opportunities", you will receive a top-up amount of 250 euros/month in addition to your regular Erasmus+ scholarship. For example, this includes students who are in employment but have to take a break or give up their job to spend time abroad. Sustainability is also rewarded, seeing that if you arrive and depart 'ecologically', you will also receive a one-off lump sum of 50 euros.

Internships abroad within Europe:
The Erasmus+ program does not only award scholarships for study abroad periods, but also for internships in other European countries. In addition to the defined flat rates for each country, you will receive a monthly top-up amount of 150 euros. With internships as well, students with "fewer opportunities" have the possibility of receiving a top-up amount of 250 euros/month or a one-off lump sum of 50 euros if they travel in a more sustainable way to and from the destination.

Study abroad outside Europe:
Did you know that you don't have to pay tuition fees at our partner universities in the US, Canada, Latin America, Australia, Israel, Palestine, South Korea, and Georgia? This is a unique opportunity, especially in countries with high tuition fees. Although there is no automatic scholarship associated with your spot in the program, we will be happy to support you in your search for a suitable scholarship. For example, the University of Potsdam awards the PROMOS Scholarship and the Dr. Gerda Heinrich Scholarship for students facing disadvantages.
Our exchange options at partner universities are not for you? As a so-called freemover, you can also apply for scholarships or apply for BAföG financial aid for your stay abroad ("Auslands-BAföG"). For example, the "Auslands-BAföG" also covers tuition fees of up to 5,600 euros.

Good to know:
The first installment of the scholarships for Erasmus+ semesters administered by the International Office as well as the PROMOS Scholarship and the Dr. Gerda Heinrich Scholarship will be paid before the start of your stay abroad so that you have the best possible starting conditions abroad.
You can find more information on various scholarship programs, scholarship search engines and Auslands-BAföG on our financial aid pages: https://www.uni-potsdam.de/en/international/outgoing/financialaid

Neither a chronic illness nor a disability should be stopping you from spending time abroad. The possibilities for a stay abroad for people with a disability or chronic illness are as numerous and varied as those of any student with wanderlust, and we would like to emphatically encourage you to have a go at the adventure of studying abroad.

Nevertheless, there are individual requirements for a stay abroad, specific needs to be taken into account and planning must be more thorough when it comes to some of the details. For example, accessibility in terms of your accommodation and host institution may play a role or additional costs may arise for arrival and departure, accommodation, medication, or individual support services, among other things.

The Erasmus+ program (studies/internship) in particular offers special financial support for preparatory trips for people with disability ratings of at least 50 ("Grad der Behinderung"). It also covers additional financial costs abroad of up to 15,000 euros for people with disability ratings of at least 20 as well as monthly top-up amounts of 250 euros, so-called social top-ups, for students with a disability rating of at least 20 or with a chronic illness with additional financial needs abroad. But there are also many tips and funding opportunities outside of the Erasmus+ program, which you can find on the websites of the Association for Student Affairs ("Studentenwerke") and "Studieren weltweit".

So-called blended formats, which consist of a short physical and a virtual phase, or short-term stays, such as summer schools, can be a way to study abroad if a traditional semester abroad is not an option (see section "Timing-related concerns"). For example, we would like to draw your attention to the DAAD scholarship "Chancen.Digital", offering "scholarships for digital master's studies".

Depending on your concerns, we will support you in close consultation with the host university and, if necessary, with the support of the Commissioner for Students with a Disability at the University of Potsdam, Robert Meile.

If your language skills are not currently sufficient to study or work in a foreign language, you can still choose countries other than those with the same official language as yours . We have put together some tips below on how you can prepare for a stay in a country where another language is spoken:

Tip no. 1: Get all the information you need as early as possible! What language is spoken at the host university or internship institution? If you want to study abroad, are there really enough courses on offer in the languages you speak? Please note that the official national language is not always the same as the course language, i.e. you do not necessarily have to learn Finnish or Estonian! However, in countries such as France, Spain, Italy or Argentina, Brazil and Costa Rica, knowledge of the national language at B1 level or higher is essential.

Tip no. 2: Prepare for everything as early as possible! You do not currently have the right language level for your planned stay abroad? The Center for Languages and Key Competences (Zessko) at the University of Potsdam offers numerous language courses in various languages and levels, which you can use to acquire the necessary knowledge before applying for a stay abroad or starting your adventure abroad. In addition to the “standard” UNIcert language courses, the Zessko also offers support services for independent language learning as well as language tandems and language cafés for exchanges with other learners.

Tip no. 3: Take advantage of existing funding opportunities! Did you know that the PROMOS scholarship awarded by the International Office also supports language courses? You can find more details on this website. The Erasmus+ program not only offers a free language course and test for all Erasmus students going abroad – the so-called Online Language Support (OLS) – but you can also apply for reimbursement of the costs of a language course you have taken in preparation for your Erasmus semester. You can find out more from the Erasmus+ Outgoing Team.

Tip no. 4: Become a Buddy! As a Buddy, you support an international student in finding their way around the University of Potsdam. This will not only benefit your intercultural competences, but you will also gain insights into life in your Buddy's home country and can use this opportunity for exchange to practice your target language. You can find additional information on this website.