Staying Abroad for students of the Computer Science Department

Overview

Improve your language skills, make contacts, get to know other teaching styles and cultures - all this is made possible by a semester abroad. Discover the world during your studies! A semester abroad during your studies opens the doors to a wealth of opportunities. Immerse yourself in a new culture, broaden your horizons and develop intercultural understanding. Our international exchange programs offer you the unique opportunity to live and learn in a foreign environment. Improve your language skills and become fluent in a new language. Make valuable contacts, build a global network and prepare for a successful professional future.

If you are planning to spend a semester abroad, you need to start planning early - an application for an exchange place is usually required almost a year in advance. On these pages you will find an overview of the exchange opportunities offered by RWTH Aachen University's Department of Computer Science, as well as further information on application procedures and deadlines, the procedure for the recognition of credits earned abroad and other organizational aspects.

Please note that our pages are only aimed at students of the Computer Science department. For other degree programs, please contact the International Office or visit the pages of your faculty/department.

When and how long

In general, a stay abroad is possible as soon as you have completed your first year of study - from the 3rd semester of a Bachelor's degree course. However, there are recommendations as to when it makes sense to plan a stay abroad.

Bachelor Computer Science

Rein prinzipiell ist ein Auslandsaufenthalt ab dem 3. Fachsemester möglich. Aber man sollte zuerst etwas “Erfahrung” an der eigenen Universität sammeln, bevor man sich auf einen Auslandsaufenthalt bewirbt. Daher wird empfolhen, sich im 3. Fachsemester zu bewerben – für einen Auslandsaufenthalt im 5. Fachsemester. Zu diesem Zeitpunkt sind auch die meisten Pflichtvorlesungen der Informatik abgeschlossen und man hat viele inhaltliche Voraussetzungen für Kurse der Partneruniversitäten erworben.

If you want to spend two semesters abroad, the 5th and 6th semesters are suitable. A two-semester stay is recommended, as you have more time to absorb the new environment and culture and thus gain more personal experience.

In principle, courses can be taken at a partner university in the 5th and 6th semester:

Compulsory subjects Elements of Machine Learning and Data Science as well as IT Security. If similar subjects are offered at the partner university, these subjects can be recognized.
Up to three elective courses in computer science (up to 18 credits). Most partner universities have a wide range of courses that can be recognized as an elective. It is not necessary to find courses at a partner university that are also offered here; a course from a partner university can be recognized as an elective if it generally fits into our thematic areas.
Theoretical elective (6 credits). Whether it is possible to take a theoretical elective depends largely on the university selected. Many partner universities offer little or no theory in the sense of our study program.
Seminar (4 credits). Please note: Seminars are only offered at very few partner universities. It is very unlikely that you will be able to complete the seminar abroad. You should therefore try to do it in the 4th semester instead of the software project lab.
Software Project lab (6 credits). Many partner universities offer similar labs and the chance of recognition is high.
Non-Technical Elective (NTW) (4 credits). Language courses completed as part of a stay abroad can be reckognized as a non-technical subject.
Bachelor thesis (15 credits). If the Bachelor's thesis is to be written abroad, a professor from the Department of Computer Science must be found in advance to take on the role of second supervisor or at least give their approval to the topic. Without such an approval of the topic by the computer science department for an offered topic, it is not guaranteed that the thesis later can be recognized. This should be clarified at an early stage.
Elective courses from the application area (up to 18 credits). It is not possible to make a general statement on this. It depends on the respective partner university whether and to what extent it is possible to take non-computer science courses. Otherwise, the same statements apply as for computer science electives.

When planning a stay abroad, you should therefore bear in mind that you will probably have to complete the theoretical elective and the seminar at RWTH, as well as any compulsory subjects. In concrete terms, this means that you should find out at an early stage what opportunities a partner university offers; if possible, you should change your study plan accordingly in order to make up for any course that cannot be completed in the 5th (and 6th) semester. Unfortunately, this is not always feasible in practice - you will have to reckon with an extension of your studies to seven semesters, as you will have to take the missed courses after your return. However, if you take a leave of absence for your stay abroad, it is possible to complete your studies within six semesters despite the actual extension of your studies and thus continue to benefit from advantages such as the drop regulation. Further information on leave of absence can be found in section “Organization”.

Master Computer Science / Data Science / Software Systems Engineering / Media Informatics

Since the curricula in the Master study programs are much more flexible than in the Bachelor study program, a stay abroad is possible in every semester. However, it is recommended to plan a stay abroad as early as possible (1st or 2nd semester) - many partner universities have a comparatively small or thematically limited range of computer science courses. The more subjects you have already taken at RWTH before your stay abroad, the more limited the selection of courses at a partner university can become until, in extreme cases, there are no longer enough courses on offer at your chosen university that could be recognized in your own studies. If you want to go abroad later in your Master studies, you should plan your courses accordingly in the first two semesters.

The Master study programs largely consist of elective courses, so that the same statements on electives apply to the recognition of credits as for the Bachelor Computer Science. The same statements as above also apply to seminars, labs and theses.

The Master Data Science is an exception: the majority of the credits must be completed in the core area, which is relatively limited in scope. Recognition in the core area is only possible if a partner university offers very similar courses, which makes the recognition of credits more difficult. Data Science students should only take courses from the core area at RWTH if possible in order to be able to take credits for the specialization area (maximum 22 credits) and possibly the lab and a language course (additional skills) abroad.

It is not as likely as in the Bachelor that the stay abroad will extend your studies - however, only up to 30 credits are recognized. If you would like to spend two semesters abroad, your studies may be extended by one semester. However, even in this case it is possible to complete the studies in four semesters by taking a leave of absence.
Further information on leave of absence can be found in section “Organization”.

Combined stay: Bachelor & Master

For those who are planning to go abroad during their Bachelor studies, there is still the option of completing the studies without extending the overall duration if they stay at RWTH for their Master studies.

The Department of Computer Science offers the possibility to have credits from a stay abroad recognized partly in the Bachelor studies and partly in the Master studies. If you plan a stay abroad in the 5th and 6th semester of your Bachelor studies, the duration of your studies will most likely be extended to seven semesters, as you will have to take seminar, Bachelor's thesis and compulsory subjects, for example. If you only let approx. 30 credits be recognized for your Bachelor studies, you will complete your studies after the seventh semester (by taking advantage of the leave of absence option in six semesters). The remaining approx. 30 credits can be recognized as early Master's examinations, which reduces the subsequent duration of the Master studies to three semesters (which, however, is counted as four semesters due to the recognition). The time required to complete the overall studies therefore remains at ten semesters.

Restrictions

Please note: all of the above is based on the assumption that all credits earned abroad can be recognized and will be successfully completed. Furthermore, it is assumed that you will be able to reschedule your studies at an early stage in such a way that all outstanding achievements in the Bachelor program at RWTH can be completed in a single additional semester. This is not always feasible. Therefore, you must always be aware that your studies may be extended by a stay abroad (even if the number of semesters does not necessarily increase).

Requirements

The most important prerequisite for staying abroad is sufficient Language skills. Without sufficient language skills, it is not possible to follow the courses at the host university. Depending on the university, you may be required to demonstrate a language level of B1 - C1 in the language of instruction in order to be accepted for an exchange semester. At many partner universities, a language certificate from RWTH is sufficient - for this purpose, the language center provides language certifictates. Some partner universities do not require any proof at all or accept the Abitur certificate as proof of language proficiency, e.g. if you have successfully studied a language at school for five years up to the Abitur, which in the case of English is probably true for most students. However, you should take a close look at the requirements of the partner universities - non-European universities in particular often require official language certificates such as TOEFL.

If the language of instruction is not the respective national language, a basic knowledge of the national language is also extremely helpful. In most cases, no proof of proficiency in the local language is required, but without knowledge of the local language, daily life can be a challenge, depending on the country.

It is also helpful to be in the standard period of study and have a good to very good grade average. If there are several applications for an exchange place, selection is based on criteria such as average grade and academic progress. In addition, some partner universities set grade limits - if your average grade is too low, you will not be accepted.

An overview of the requirements of the individual European partner universities can be found in the Moodle room for staying abroad. The password can be requested from the Study Abroad Advisory Service Computer Science by e-mail For non-European partner universities, details can be found on the websites of the partner universities .

Further requirements depend on the exchange program. The Erasmus+ program, for example, expects students to take 30 credits of courses per semester, of which at least 15 must be successfully completed.

Options for Staying Abroad

In principle, any university can be considered for a stay abroad - there are fixed exchange programs with some universities, but you can also go to any other university by organizing it yourself. An overview of all universities that are eligible for exchange programs can be found on the RWTH's MoveOn database. The entries for the partner universities also include experience reports from studentswho have spent one or two semesters at the respective universities in recent years. You should definitely read through these, as they often contain helpful insider tips. (Further tips can certainly also be found via IPSA, a student initiative.

Erasmus+

Within Europe, exchanges are done within the Erasmus+ program. The Department of Computer Science has exchange agreements with more than 40 universities in 13 countries. These agreements regulate student exchanges and simplify the organization of a stay abroad:

No tuition fees have to be paid at the partner universities.
The partner universities have guaranteed a fixed number of study places for computer science exchange students.
Contact persons and course lists for exchange students are known
In most cases, the partner universities support in searching for accommodation (e.g. reserved contingent of places in dormitories).
Financial support of the stay abroad through an Erasmus scholarship (several hundred euros per month, depending on the destination country). Payment of the scholarship requires the successful completion of at least 15 credits per semester abroad. If these credits are not achieved, at least a partial repayment of the scholarship is required.

It is possible to go abroad for one or two semesters through these agreements. You can also go abroad several times per degree program via Erasmus, but for a maximum of 12 months.

The student exchange is organized by RWTH's International Office and the Study Abroad Advisory Service of the Department of Computer Science. The International Office takes care of the administrative aspects, the Study Abroad Advisory Service of the Department of Computer Science takes care of the organizational and subject-related aspects.

The list of the current Erasmus+ partner universities can be found in RWTH's MoveOn database The agreements all are individually specified: how many study places are available per year, are they intended for Bachelor's or Master's students. A more detailed overview of the number and type of exchange places can be found in the Moodle room for staying abroad. The password can be requested from the Study Abroad Advisory Service Computer Science by e-mail .

The following figure provides a graphic overview of the universities. Some data is currently being updated, therefore information is subject to change.

Although universities in Switzerland do not participate in the Erasmus programme, they have a national programme SEMP (Swiss-European Mobility Programme), which is organized in a similar way. Applications to universities in Switzerland are integrated into the Erasmus application procedure.

ENHANCE

ENHANCE offers another option for staying abroad within Europe with the European Education Pathways. This program involves cooperation with Chalmers (Gothenburg, Sweden), NTNU (Trondheim, Norway), Politecnico de Milano (Milan, Italy), Universidad Politecnica de Valencia (Valencia, Spain), Technical University of Warsaw (Warsaw, Poland) and TU Berlin. ETH Zurich (Switzerland), TU Delft (Netherlands) and Politechnika Gdansk (Poland) will be added in the near future. The aim of the programme is to simplify mobility by allowing students to take courses at the partner universities both in person and virtually, with the credits earned being automatically recognized in their own studies. The program is therefore similar to Erasmus, but simplifies some processes. The technical implementation has not yet been completed and the application for ENHANCE is integrated into the Erasmus application procedure. An ENHANCE stay also entitles you to an Erasmus grant.

University cooperation agreements: RWTHworldwide

There is no common funding program outside of Europe; but within the framework of RWTHworldwide , individual cooperation agreements have been set up with several non-European universities. The organization is therefore handled by the International Office, while the Study Abroad Advisory Service of the Department of Computer Science provides subject-specific support.

As these are bilateral agreements with individual universities, there are no fixed regulations. The best example is tuition fees - at some partner universities you have to pay them in full, at others to a reduced extent, and at others they are waived. You should take a close look at the universities you are considering and check the RWTH's MoveOn database for specific inforamtion before applying to a university.

These agreements also define how many places are available per academic year. However, these places are not exclusive to Computer Science; all RWTH students whose faculty is included in the agreement can apply for a place. As a result, competition is much greater and criteria such as average grade and academic progress play an even greater role than in Erasmus+.

Faculty agreements

In addition to university cooperation agreements, there are also agreements between individual faculties or subject groups and foreign universities. In principle, the same regulations apply as for university agreements, but the application is made via the department..

Currently, the Department of Computer Science only has one such agreement, which only covers research projects, not semester stays:

NII Tokyo - Application and place assignment is done via Prof. Torsten Kuhlen

UNITECH

A combination of semester abroad and internship is offered by the UNITECH program. This is a joint program of several leading European technical universities in cooperation with industry. The aim is to support particularly qualified students who wish to acquire management skills and practical experience during their stay abroad in addition to a usual stay abroad. Only two semesters abroad are possible - one semester of study at one of the partner universities and one semester of practical training in industry.

IDEA League Research Grant

The IDEA League is an association of leading European technical universities: TU Delft, ETH Zurich, Chalmers Gothenburg, RWTH Aachen, Politecnico de Milano. The IDEA League scholarships are intended to promote research cooperation between the participating universities. Bachelor's and Master's students as well as doctoral candidates can apply for these scholarships. The scholarships are intended to enable students to spend a short research period at an IDEA League partner university, for example to carry out research as part of a thesis or dissertation. Participation in lectures and seminars is not envisaged.

Internships and research stays

In addition to semester stays, practical placements abroad (industry or research internships) are an opportunity to gain experience abroad. An overview is given here.

Freemover

Through own organization (Freemover), it is also possible to do a stay abroad at any other university. In this case, you need to be more proactive: you must apply to the respective university yourself in accordance with the specific requirements and deadlines. You will also be treated according to the respective regulations of the university and may therefore have to pay tuition fees.

It is also important to clarify the recognition of courses in advance with the Study Abroad Advisory Service of the Department of Computer Science - when setting up cooperation agreements with partner universities, care is taken to ensure that the partner universities offer a reasonable level and that courses can be recognized; this is not generally the case for every university.

Application

Erasmus+ / ENHANCE / SEMP

General information on the application process can be found here. Applications for an exchange place within the frameworks of Erasmus, SEMP (Switzerland) and ENHANCE are made via the application portal of the International Office:

Application portal: https://rwthaachen.moveon4.de/form/56c6d17184fb969c51c1d171/eng
Application period: approx. 01.01.202X (0:00 a.m.) - 31.01.202X (11:59 p.m.) - for a stay abroad in WiSe 202X/2(X+1) and/or SoSe 202(X+1)
Second application period: 01.04.202X (0:00) - 15.04.202X (23:59) - for a stay abroad in SoSe 202(X+1). Note: this is only an assignment of remaining places. As many places as possible will be allocated in the first application period, so that only a small number of partner universities will be available for selection in the second application period.
Application documents:
- Study certificate
- CV
- Current transcript of grades, Bachelor's certificate if applicable
- Proof of knowledge of the language of instruction. The language certificates required by the partner universities are not yet necessary for this application - much more certificates are accepted. For example, the school leaving certificate is sufficient proof of English language skills, even if the partner universities require official language certificates.
- Preliminary course selection. This is usually based on course lists from the previous years, as there are no current course lists for the coming semesters. The initial course selection is not binding later on.
- Further voluntary achievements (awards, voluntary commitment, BeBuddy, ...)
- A letter of motivation is not required. Instead, some questions must be answered in the online application.

You can apply to up to three partner universities (with prioritization).

Places are assigned from 1 February (or from 16 April for the second application period). First of all, the Study Abroad Advisory Service of the Department of Computer Science compiles a ranking of all applications. The ranking is based on the following criteria (50% influence in each case):

Current average grade of the previous studies, weighted with the study progress (required credits to actual credits)
Appearance of the application: Motivation texts and sufficient language skills, spelling/grammar, completeness of documents, reasonable course choice, ...

According to the ranking, from the remaining free places students are assigned the place that was prioritized highest in the application. If all places at the chosen universities have already been assigned to higher-ranked applicants, no place will be assigned.

Place assignment is usually announced by the end of February / beginning of March (after the second application period between the end of April and mid-May). An acceptance is expected within one week. After acceptance, a nomination is sent to the assigned partner university.

After the nomination, a further application is required - at the partner university. This application is usually only a formality, but you will have to submit the documents required by the partner university. These may be different language certificates than submitted with the application to RWTH. Once the nomination has been processed at the partner university, you will receive an e-mail from them with further information on the application (e.g. required documents, deadlines), but also on other aspects of your stay abroad (e.g. accommodation, Welcome Week). The Study Abroad Advisory Service of the Department of Computer Science is no longer involved in this step. You are now responsible for submitting all required documents yourself (e.g. official language certificates, official Learning Agreement) in time.

Worldwide cooperation agreements, UNITECH, IDEA League

Applications must be submitted to RWTH's International Office. Required application documents can be found on the websites of the International Office as well as a description of the application procedure. The application deadlines can also be found on these websites. Here, too, there are two application periods - one around October/November and a second around May/June (only remaining places are assigned). The selection criteria are essentially the same as for the Erasmus+ program, but the selection is made by the International Office with support of the faculties.

Further information on the application process and deadlines at UNITECH can be found on the respective websites The same holds for the IDEA League.

Here, too, a nomination is then made to the partner university with subsequent application to this university.

(Online) Learning Agreement

When applying to RWTH, an initial course selection must be specified. This is not binding - you can still change your mind later. At many partner universities, however, you must specify an official course selection when you apply (although this can usually be changed again - how long depends on the respective partner university). This official course selection is written down in a so-called Learning Agreement, which must be signed by both the Stdy Abroad Advisory Service of the Computer Science Department and the partner university. This also serves as a kind of assurance for the students: it confirms that the courses can be taken and that they can be recognized for their studies afterwards.

Course selection and recognition

In general, any course from a partner university can be recognized if it fits into the thematic areas of the study program at RWTH and if the content has not already been covered by other modules in the study program. The selection should be discussed with the Study Abroad Advisory Service of the Computer Science Department before filling in the Learning Agreement.

How the content is recognized must be examined on a case-by-case basis. Courses at partner universities that are very similar in content to a module offered at RWTH are recognized as substitutes. This can also be done in blocks (e.g. replacing two locally offered modules with three courses of a smaller scope from a partner university that cover the same subject area).

If there is no direct equivalent to a course at a partner university at RWTH, but the course fits into one of the thematic elective areas of the study program, the course with the original title will be recognized as an elective subject in the respective area.

Unfortunately, it is not always possible to make concrete statements about the recognizability of the selected courses before the start of the stay abroad (e.g. missing course descriptions of the partner university) - in such cases, concrete statements are only possible after submission of more detailed tables of contents after the end of the stay abroad.

Additional courses that cannot be recognized as part of the curriculum can be included in the transcript as additional achievements.

Weitere Informationen zum Thema Anerkennung finden sich im Abschnitt “Anerkennung”.

Preparation of the Learning Agreement - Online Learning Agreement

If you are going abroad via Erasmus or ENHANCE, it is mandatory to submit a so-called Online Learning Agreement In the Online Learning Agreement, the courses taken at the partner university are entered as well as information on how each course is recognized at RWTH or reasons why it is not recognized. The Online Learning Agreement must be signed by all parties and submitted to the International Office up to two weeks before the start of the stay abroad. Changes can still be made to the Online Learning Agreement up to seven weeks after the start of the stay abroad; the revised Online Learning Agreement, signed by all parties, must be submitted to the International Office by this time. To help you fill out the Online Learning Agreement, there is a step-by-step completion guide.

Some Erasmus partner universities require you to complete and submit their pdf template as a Learning Agreement when you apply. In this case, you unfortunately have to do the work twice - the pdf templates of the partner universities do not replace the Online Learning Agreement required for the Erasmus scholarship.

When visiting a non-European partner university, no Online Learning Agreement is required; some partner universities require a simple Learning Agreement on which only the courses taken are entered, other partner universities do not require a Learning Agreement at all.

If a partner university requires a Learning Agreement, there is no general template from RWTH. If the partner university does not provide a document either, you can contact the Study Abroad Advisory Service for Computer Science.

It is strongly recommended to discuss the course selection with the Study Abroad Advisory Service for Computer Science even if no Learning Agreement is required, in order to avoid the courses taken not being recognized later.

Organization

General advices can be found hereAdditionally, it is recommended to consult the Group Advisory of the International Office on specific exchange programs or countries, and to contact the Study Abroad Advisory Service of the Department of Computer Science if you have any questions. Some important aspects are briefly addressed below.

Semester times / academic calendar

It is important to know that the semester times vary from country to country. At most partner universities, the winter semester begins in September and the summer semester in January or February. In some countries, the winter semester starts in August, and in Australia even in July. HAve a close look to examination dates - if they clash with your stay abroad, you should try to arrange alternative solutions with the examiners. For example, a “remote exam” is often an option - writing the exam at the partner university under private supervision, if possible at the same time as the date in Aachen. However, there is no guarantee that this will be possible, as both the examiners and the partner university must agree. If the partner university does not provide supervision, supervision via Zoom is another option if the examiners allow this.

In any case, you should discuss alternative solutions with the examiners at the beginning of the semester so that you can choose another lecture if no alternative exam is possible in one lecture.

Leave of absence (and semester counter)

It is possible to apply for the duration of the stay abroad (one or two semesters) for a leave of absence . This has a some advantages, but also disadvantages in exceptional cases.

Advantages: you pay a reduced semester contribution, and the semester counter is paused so that the semester abroad does not count towards the semesters of the study program at RWTH Aachen University
Disadvantages: possible loss of scholarships that are linked to studying at RWTH. This case is extremely rare.

In general, a leave of absence is recommended, as the semesters are not counted towards the study progress so that the stay abroad can be kept neutral in terms of semesters, even if not everything works well and the physical duration of the studies is prolonged by one semster.

After returning from a stay abroad, the obtained credits can be recognized. Please note: for every 30 credits of recognized credits which have been completed outside the course of study (i.e. the officially counted semesters), the semester counter is increased by one.

For example, if you are on leave of absence abroad for two semesters and then have 40 credits recognized for the courses completed abroad, the two semesters abroad are counted as one semester. If you are only on leave abroad for one semester, but have full 30 credits recognized, the stay abroad is also counted as one semester. Caution, there is a trap: the total number of credits obtained outside the official semesters are considered towards the semester counter. For example, if you complete 20 credits of early Master's courses in the Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, these are already completed outside the official semesters of the Master's degree in Computer Science. If you later have another 20 credits from a stay abroad recognized in the Master's in Computer Science, you will have a total of 40 credits and the semester counter will be increased by one.

Financing

Apart from the Erasmus+ scholarship, there is no guaranteed funding for stays abroad, and the Erasmus+ scholarship is also too small to fully finance the stay abroad. It is assumed that students will secure their own funding.

There are some scholarship programs for specific countries, and both RWTH and the DAAD offer a general scholarship database. You should also check whether you are eligible for "Auslands-BAFöG". An overview of funding opportunities can be found here.

It is recommended that you think about financing at an early stage.

Accomodation

Accommodation is often organized by the partner university - usually as part of a limited contingent of places in halls of residence. You should try to reserve such a place as soon as possible after you have been accepted; otherwise there is a risk that you will have to look for accommodation yourself and incur additional costs. However, most partner universities offer at least an overview of various options for accomodation.

Registration for freemovers / faculty agreement

RWTH keeps statistics on student mobility. If you go abroad via Erasmus+ or a university agreement, the mobility data is automatically recorded for the statistics. However, students who go abroad as freemovers or via a faculty agreement do not appear anywhere and are in principle unknown to the International Office. In order to enable the International Office to keep the statistics as complete as possible, such students are asked to enter their data themselves.

Recognition (transfer of credits)

After completion of the stay abroad, an application for recognition of the courses(transfer of credits) gestellt werden. Dies geschieht über den Antrag “Anerkennung von Studienleistungen” auf Paperless. Please note:

In the free text field, you must enter which achievements are to be recognized, and maybe also how and with how many credits.
In addition, you must enter (to the exact day) from when to when the stay abroad took place. (Or you can upload the Confirmation of Study Duration from the partner university).
In addition, links to course descriptions can be entered if the recognition has not already been clarified in advance. (Alternatively, course descriptions can be uploaded as pdf files).
The transcript of records from the partner university must of course also be uploaded.
As an alternative to using the free text field, everything can also be uploaded as a pdf. To do this, you can enter all the information for the recognition process in the following template: Latex template, example as pdf.

Before submitting the application, the Study Abroad Advisory Service can provide information on how the recognition would be done.

The recognition comprises three aspects: the content-based recognition, the conversion of ECTS credits and the conversion of the grade.

Content-based recognition

This aspect is largely clarified when the Learning Agreement is set up at the start of the stay abroad. If the recognition of individual courses remains open, the course's documents must be submitted after completion of the stay abroad. Basing on these documents, a decision is made how a course is recognized.

Conversion of the extend/workload (credits) of a course

RWTH uses ECTS credits as a measure of the workload of a course. Courses from partner universities that also use the ECTS system are generally transferred 1:1. Credits from other systems are converted into the ECTS system. There are often conversion specifications from the respective university; if not, the workload of a course is compared (1 ECTS credit = 30 hours).

An adjustment of the credits in the recognition process is necessary if the credit requirements at RWTH require this - e.g. fixed credit numbers for labs or also for compulsory courses in the Bachelor's degree. The adjustment may be necessary in both directions. If, for example, a subject from Aalto University (usually 5 credits) is to be recognized as a software project lab in the Bachelor's degree at RWTH, an increase to 6 credits is necessary. If, on the other hand, a subject from the University of Gothenburg (usually 7.5 credits) is to be recognized as a software project lab in the Bachelor's degree, it will be reduced to 6 credits. It may also make sense to recognize single courses with one credit more or less due to other circumstances in your own course of study. Overall, we will try to recognize approximately as many credits as have been earned by offsetting increases and reductions against each other wherever possible. In general, however, increases will only be made in moderation - e.g. no 3-credit course can be recognized with 6 credits.

Conversion of grades

RWTH provides a conversion scheme for the grades of foreign universities: N_RWTH = 10 * N_{host-university} / N_overall with

N_{host-university}: grade level achieved in the pass range of the external grading system
N_overall: total number of grade levels in the pass range of the external grading system
N_RWTH: converted grade level at RWTH

For many countries, the conversion already is done and listed in a grade conversion table.

After the application for credit transfer has been submitted, the examination board decides on the recognition and informs ZPA which achievements are to be entered into the student record at RWTH.

Additional achievements

If a subject completed abroad cannot be recognized for your studies, in most cases it is still possible to have the subject recognized as an additional achievement. Additional achievements are listed on RWTH's transcript with credits and grade, but do not count towards the credits/average grade of the study program.

Contact

Dirk Thißen
RWTH Aachen University
Department of Computer Science, Study Center Computer Science
Room 9014

Ahornstraße 55
D-52074 Aachen
E-Mail: student-exchange \at\ cs.rwth-aachen.de
Phone: +49-241-8021403
Fax: +49-241-80621403

Links & Documents

General information and advisory services

Exchange programs

Organizational information