FAQs exchange at HSD

If you study at one of HSD’s partner universities, please get in contact with your own International Office. Your home university must nominate you for an exchange at HSD. After receiving your nomination, we will get in contact with you via e-mail to inform you about the application proce​dure​.

Yes, in this case you can apply as a free mover student. Please write us an e-mail​ if you wish to apply as a free mover. Then we will explain you the application procedure.

• ​Copy of student identity card
  
• Transcript of Records (translated in English or German)
• Learning Agreement (overview of courses to be taken during the exchange)
• Proof of language proficiency
  
• Portfolio (if you are applying for the Faculty of Architecture or the Faculty of Design)​

Winter Semester: 15 June (or 15 May if you would like to be considered for a room in the dormitory)

Summer Semester: 15 December (or 31 October if you would like to be considered for a room in the dormitory)

• ​Faculty of Architecture: B1 German or English 
  
• Faculty of Design: B1 German or English 
  
• Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology: B1 German 
• ​Faculty of Mechanical and Process Engineering: B1 German or English 
• Faculty of Media: B1 German for general lectures or B1 English for semester projects 
  
• Faculty of Social Sciences and Cultural Studies: B1 German or English 
  
• Faculty of Business Studies: B1 German or English 
  

The proof of language proficiency must include your name and your language level according to the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). Acceptable proofs are official language certificates (e.g. TOEFL, IETLS, Cambridge English Language Assessment, Goethe Zertifikat, TestDaF, etc.) or an official confirmation from your home university with your current language level.

We will send you your Letter of Acceptance once your application has been accepted. Please allow us some time to check your application. 

Non-EU nationals will need the Letter of Acceptance to apply for a v​​isa​. ​

You can find information on the faculties, their study programmes and their courses here.

That depends on the faculty at which you wish to do your exchange:

• Faculty of Architecture: All lectures and most of the seminar courses are offered in German only. However, most of the design labs and some seminar courses are accesible with English language skills as you can work on your projects and be supervised in English. Please find further information on the webs​ite of the faculty.
  
• Faculty of Design: All lectures and most of the seminar courses are offered in German only. However, some of the courses are offered in English and most of the lecturers speak English. In the courses with a practical focus you can work on your projects and be supervised in English. Please find further information on the website of the faculty​.
  
• Faculty of Electrical Engineering & Information Technology: All courses at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology are conducted entirely in German, so you must have a knowledge of German of at least B1 to follow the lectures.
• Faculty of Mechanical and Process Engineering: Some courses are offered in English. Please find further information on the website of the faculty​.
• Faculty of Media: You need at least B1 German knowledge to follow the general lectures. The semester projects can be joined in English.
• ​Faculty of Social Sciences and Cultural Studies: Some courses are offered in English. Please find further information on the website of the ​faculty​.
• Faculty of Business Studies: The Faculty of Business Studies offers an international programme in English for exchange students wh​o do not speak German. Please find further information on the website of the faculty.

Yes, HSD offers free language courses during the semester. Two beginner courses and one intermediate course are usually offered. You will receive information about the offered German language courses during our orientation week.

The German language course does not appear on the transcript, but you will get a separate certificate. It is decision of your home university if they accredit the certificate. The workload of the German language course is equivalent to 4 ECTS.

You must select the majority of your courses from your faculty. However, you may take up to two courses at other faculties. Please get in contact with us if you are interested in attending courses from other faculties.

Yes, you can change your Learning Agreement within 4 weeks after the beginning of the lecture period.

No, you are not automatically registered. You will get information regarding the registration procedure of your faculty during the orientation week.​

The dormitories for students in Düsseldorf are administered​ by Studierendenwerk Düsseldorf. Each semester, the International Office receives a limited number of rooms for exchange students. The number of rooms which we can distribute is unfortunately not sufficient to provide accommodation for all exchange students. We therefore cannot guarantee for a room, even if you apply within the deadline. Please find further information here.

We would like to point out that accommodation in the dormitories cannot be arranged for free movers due to limited capacities.​

With your application for an exch​ange at HSD you can also apply for a room in the dormitories of Studierendenwerk Düsseldorf. You just need to tick the respective box in our application form. That's it! Please make sure to submit your complete and correct application within the stated deadline.
Please note: You can​not apply to Studierendenwerk on your own but must make the application through the International Office. Please be aware that we have no influence on the location of the dormitory or the type of room you may be offered. ​​

The distribution of the rooms in the dormitories takes place in the course of June for the winter semester and in the course of November for the summer semester. You will be informed after that. 

Most of the dormitories are located off-campus in the south of Düsseldorf, near to Heinrich-Heine-University (which is another university here in Düsseldorf). The HSD campus can be reached easily by public transport.

The rent for the rooms in the dormitories ranges between EUR 300 and 400 per month (incl. heating, electricity, water), depending on the type of accommodation you will be offered.

Yes, the rooms are furnished. However, kitchenware, blankets, sheets, pillows, towels have to be brought from home or bought after arrival in Düsseldorf. It's possible to book a "Sleeping Package" which includes bed linen, bed sheet, pillow and blanket.

You can information about the dormitories on the website of Studierendenwerk Düsseldorf.
Please be aware that we have no influence on the location of the dormitory or the type of room you may be offered. You cannot apply to Studierendenwerk on your own but must make the application through the International Office.

If you don't get a room in the dormitories, you must search for accommodation on the private market yourself. We provide support with room hunting through an online information session before your exchange, by sending you a guide on finding accommodation and by forwarding you private accommodation offers. However, you are responsible for finding accommodation yourself. 

Non-EU nationals generally require a visa to study in Germany. To apply for a visa, you need your Letter of Acceptance which we send you once we have received and accepted your application​. You must apply for a visa at the nearest consulate of the Federal Republic of Germany in your home country as soon as possible.​ Please find further information he​re.

Certain nationals are allowed to enter Germany without a visa but need to apply for a residence permit at the nearest authority for foreigners upon arrival (e.g. nationals of the United Kingdom, the USA, Japan, the Republic of Korea etc.). However, since the authority for foreigners in Düsseldorf is extremely overloaded and it takes about 6 months to get a residence permit, we strongly recommend these nationals to apply for a visa in their home country in any case.

If you have a residence permit for study purposes in another EU country, you do not have to apply for a visa at the embassy. Instead, you must submit the requested documents to us and we will transmit them to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF). Please get in contact with us to start the process. For further information, please check the following website.

If you are a non EU-national and your visa expires before you return to your home country, you must apply for a residence permit at the local authority for foreigners immedialty after your arrival in Germany. Please find further information here.

If your visa is valid until the end of your stay you do not need to apply for a residence permit.

On average, the cost of living is about 934 EUR per month for students in Germany. Not included here is the semester contribution which must be paid before enrolment (and before re-registration if you are staying two semesters). You will have more expenses than usual at the beginning of the semester. ​

No, we do not charge any tuition fees, but we have a semester ​contribution​ which every student (local and international) must pay. The semester contribution is a solidarity payment and you must pay it for enrolment. It covers free public transport everywhere in North Rhine-Westphalia, subsidized meals in the student cafeteria, university sports etc.​

You can pay the semester contribution either via bank transfer before your arrival at HSD or​ you can pay by card during our orientation week. Cash payment is unforutnately not possible. For more information please click here.

The International Office has tutors who support all HSD exchange students. The tutors can answer you many questions concerning your stay in Düsseldorf, have lots of valuable advice and know Hochschule Düsseldorf very well. Furthermore, the Erasmus Student Network (ESN), offers a buddy programme for international students in Düsseldorf. We will send you the registration link for the ESN buddy programme before the semester starts.

For your exchange at HSD you must provide proof of a health insurance that meets the requirements for enrolment at a German university. Please find further information here .
In addition, we advise you to voluntarily take out a private liability insurance ("private Haftpflichtversicherung") during your stay in Germany. According to German law, you are 100% liable for any damages you cause to others and their belongings. A liability insurance prevents you from any damage claims. It is best to take out a liability insurance that also covers the loss of keys.

For your enrolment at HSD you need to pay the semester contribu​tion​ and you need to provide proof of sufficient health insurance.

You will get your student ID card after we have completed your enrolment at HSD during the orientation week​.​

• You must participate at the orientation week.
• Within two weeks after moving into your accommodation, you must register with the city.
• You must register with the broadcasting fee.
• If you are coming from a non EU country and your visa expires before the end of your stay you must apply for a residence permit at the local authority for foreigners.
• For some students it makes good sense to open a German bank account.

Students from the European Union have the same rights as German students. However, if you work more than 20 hours per week you must pay contributions into the scheme and join a statutory health insurance (like German students).

Students from other countries must check their visa or their residence permit in order to find out if they are allowed to work in Germany. 

Please find further information he​re.

You can find the current university's sports programme here. Most of the sports courses are free of charge. If you want to use the weight room, you must pay a fee of 35€ per semester. For more information, please click here.