Are you studying at one of the partner universities of HSHL? Then you can spend a semester abroad at HSHL and even receive funding from the EU if there is an Erasmus cooperation between our universities. It is important that you first apply through your home university for a semester abroad at HSHL and that you apply soon enough. Your university then decides which students it will nominate for a semester abroad with us. You can find more details about the application process under "Application".

In the Erasmus program, each university has an Erasmus code. The code of HSHL is: D HAMM01.

If your university does not currently cooperate with HSHL, but you would still like to come to us as a guest student, please contact your International Office. They can then contact us to discuss a possible cooperation.

As a young university, we are just beginning to develop short-term programs for international students. For example, we have summer school sessions, i.e., special programs that last only 2-3 weeks and take place independently of instruction in the degree programs, usually during the summer break. These programs are particularly suitable for students who either do not want to or are not able to spend an entire semester abroad but would still like to enjoy an international experience.

Since these stays can theoretically take place at any time of the year, feel free to browse through the DAAD website, where all short programs are listed here.  Offers from HSHL can be found there. If you have any questions, you can also contact the HSHL International Office.

• First of all, you have to meet the internal application deadline of your university.
• We need the nomination of your university by

1. 1st of May for the following winter semester (starting in September)
2. 1st of November for the following summer semester (starting in March)

• We will then send you an email about the application process. The deadline for submitting the application is

1. 1st of June for the winter semester
2. 1st of December for the summer semester

• Application form (which you receive from us)
• Letter of motivation
• Current transcript of records, incl. the grading system
• Language certificate for German or English
• Copy of your passport

Most study programs are taught in German. In order to study with us, guest students must generally have a German language level of B2 (CEFR).

By now, HSHL also offers some study programs and courses in English. Proof of English language proficiency at the B2 level (CEFR) is usually required for these courses. For further information on courses in English, please contact the International Office at HSHL.

Even if you plan to study in English at HSHL, it is a good idea to have some German skills for everyday communication off-campus.

The university offers various German courses through the Language Center, which you can attend free of charge in order to learn or improve your German. In addition to the language courses at HSHL, there are also online opportunities to learn German on your own, independent of time and place.

For more information, please contact the Language Center. Of course, further courses cost time and energy in addition to your studies. However, with such courses you pay directly into the success of your stay in Germany!

Contact details and offers can be found here.

After your application has been reviewed and approved, you will receive your letter of admission. You can then start preparing for your arrival. The checklist gives you a good overview of what you need to consider when planning your stay with us. It informs you about the next steps such as how to apply for a visa application, how to search for an apartment as well as the cost of living in Germany, health insurance, and registration on site after your arrival.

After you have received your letter of admission from HSHL, you will also be asked to submit additional documents to complete your enrollment. At the same time, you will have to pay the semester fee. This is not a tuition fee but rather covers the costs for the “NRW ticket” for bus and train as well as some fees for the AStA (General Students’ Committee) and university sports. Further information about the semester fee can be found here.

Enrollment will be done digitally as soon as all documents are available.

• Documents to be submitted:
  • Enrollment application
  • Proof of health insurance
  • Certificate of study from your home university for the semester you will spend with us
  • Proof of payment of the semester fee

• After enrollment you will receive:
  • Certificate of study
  • Student number
  • Your HSHL email address
  • Access to MyHSHL.de (learning platform)

After your arrival, we will arrange an appointment with you to get to know each other and to explain the next steps. In addition, you will have the opportunity to clarify any unanswered questions in a direct conversation.

• Module system
  • Bologna process: Study programs consist of modules
  • A main module can consist of various courses and submodules, such as lectures, exercises or lab courses. There is usually one lecture and one exercise per week in a module. In degree programs with a high level of practical training, lab courses are often added, which either also take place weekly or as a block 1-2 times per semester.
  • In order to receive the complete ECTS number of the module mentioned in the module handbook, you must attend all the submodules and subcourses of the module and pass the exams.
  • Full-time students at HSHL must take all modules in their entirety in order to successfully complete the program. Guest students are free to choose and can also take submodules, depending on their interests and the requirements of their own university. In this case, they will only receive ECTS credits for the parts of the module actually taken.

• Course selection / ECTS / grading system
  • The course selection depends on the agreement between your home university and HSHL
  • HSHL has 2 locations: courses are taught either in Hamm or Lippstadt. For your housing and travel arrangements it is important to know the location where you will be studying!
  • Course overviews can be found in the module handbooks on the websites of the study programs. It is not common to choose courses from different programs.
  • Courses are usually offered in either the summer or winter semester. Semesters 1, 3, 5, and 7 are in the winter semester; semesters 2, 4, and 6 are in the summer semester. Information on when a course is offered can be found in the module handbooks.
  • Guest students may choose courses from different semesters. Please keep in mind that after the schedules are published shortly before the start of the semester, courses may lie in parallel. If this occurs, you need to change your course selection. For this case, it may be useful to discuss substitute courses with the supervisor at your home university.
  • A full-time course of study in Germany comprises 30 ECTS. In addition to the ECTS, the module handbooks also list the SWS (semester hours per week) for each module, i.e., the time calculated for attending the courses per week.
  • HSHL grading system:

• 1.0 – very good / excellent performance
• 2.0 – good / performance that is significantly above the requirements
• 3.0 – satisfactory / performance that meets average requirements
• 4.0 – sufficient / performance that, despite its deficiencies, still meets the requirements
• 5.0 – deficient / performance that no longer meets the requirements due to significant deficiencies
• N.A. – did not participate

First, with the help of the module handbooks, you will create an initial learning agreement while still at home. The HSHL International Office will check whether you have selected courses from the correct semester and program and whether the courses are available.

After the timetables have been published, you must be check whether any selected courses are parallel and therefore cannot be attended. In this case, you need to make the necessary changes and the supervisor at your home university must approve them.

It is important to finalize the Learning Agreement with the International Office about 3 weeks after the start of the semester.

At HSHL there is usually no obligation to attend lectures. The situation can be different for exercises and lab work. Especially in the case of lab work, attestations often have to be handed in at the beginning of the course and protocols of the work have to be submitted regularly. With regular attendance and after review of these documents, a lab course often concludes with a "pass" or "fail" rather than a grade.

To ensure passing grades at the end of the semester, it is important to attend all sessions regularly and to be actively involved. It may seem difficult at the beginning due to possible language barriers, but you will soon realize that if you actively and regularly engage in the foreign language, you will see a great improvement by the end of your stay in Germany. Our instructors are happy to help with questions and problems when they see that students are actively studying and doing their best.

At HSHL, we do our best to ensure that our guest students have a successful and enjoyable stay, with many exciting impressions and new insights for their own careers. In exchange, we expect you to take advantage of the support offered to you and, most importantly, to take an active role in the study process.

You will participate in the final examinations like all full-time students. There are written exams (in German “Klausuren”), but some instructors also require that you write small term papers or project papers during the semester. In some courses, you will give a presentation that will determine your grade. More detailed information on examinations can be found in the module handbooks and also in the examination schedule. This is another reason why it is important to attend all of your classes regularly so that you can also take part in mid-term examinations and not find out at the end of the semester that such exams have already taken place.

MyHSHL.de is the HSHL portal that contains all services for students. Here you will find the learning platform with your courses, the "Study Assist" with all offers of the service facilities of HSHL, your library account, and the blog where news is posted regularly. Further information can be found here.

All details about the semester ticket, which grants access to bus and train transportation in NRW, can be found here. After enrollment you can download the ticket with your student number and print it out if needed.

All dates and deadlines of HSHL, such as lecture periods or the dates of the examination period, can be found here.

For a first impression of the cities of Hamm and Lippstadt, feel free to visit their websites:

City of Hamm: https://www.hamm.de/freizeit-in-hamm#

City of Lippstadt: https://www.lippstadt.de/kultur-tourismus/tourismus/ 

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In Germany, students need on average about 900€ per month to cover rent, insurance policies, internet/telephone, food, study materials and other costs.

You can find an overview at the DAAD: https://www.daad.de/en/study-and-research-in-germany/plan-your-studies/costs-of-education-and-living/

Both campuses offer a dining hall where you can get a coffee or snack between classes and where you can have lunch. The dining hall also offers takeaway meals. With your certificate of study, you can get a dining hall pay card at the Mensa, which you can use to pay for food and drinks. Here you can find the daily meal offers.

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Guest students can participate in HSHL's sports activities just like all other students. This is a great way to stay fit and meet other students. Here you can find more information.

The General Students´ Committee (AstA) is the body of student representation at HSHL. It organizes many events for students during the semester, such as a barbecue at the beginning of the semester or parties in various locations. You can contact the student members of AStA at any time if you have questions about your studies or leisure activities. You can also get involved yourself: https://asta.hshl.de/?lang=en

Stud.Int is a group of students who want to promote international exchange at HSHL. It features a buddy program and various activities. More information can be found here.

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After your stay with us, you have to de-register from the study program so that we can delete your details from the HSHL system. You will receive information about this by email at the end of your stay.

After your exams, HSHL will issue a transcript of records, which shows your exam results and explains the grading system of HSHL.

In our checklist we list all the important points you need to consider when you leave HSHL and Germany. This ranges from de-registration to health insurance to termination of your rental contract. Since some topics need to be taken care of early on, it makes sense to read and save the checklist already at the beginning of your stay.