In order to become an exchange student at HTW Berlin, you must be nominated by your home university. The first step is therefore to contact the coordinator at your home university and inform them about about your intention to study as an exchange student at HTW Berlin. 

This only possible, if your home university has an agreement with HTW Berlin for your Bachelor's or Master's programme. 

Please note the deadline for nomination for exchange at HTW Berlin: 

• winter semester: 15th April
• summer semester: 15th October

If you wish to study at HTW Berlin in the summer semester 2027, your home university must nominate you by 15th october 2026, at the latest.

Please note that nominations can only be made digitally. We do not accept nominations by email. The coordinator at your home university will receive a nominationn mail with a link via our Mobility Online portal.

Once your home university has nominated you for an exchange programme at HTW Berlin, we will send you an invitation to apply. This mail will contain a link to register with our Mobility Online portal. Once you have registered as a user, you can start with the application process.

Important information about the application process:

• Please check your inbox regularly! If any documents are missing or incorrect, we will inform you by email. The application deadline will NOT be postponed in this case. It is your responsibility to correctly and promptly upload all necessary documents to our Mobility Online portal. 
• Before starting the application process, please ensure of the necessary proof of language proficiency. This must be obtained prior to the application deadline and should not be more than 2 years old.
• Do the courses offered at HTW Berlin are the courses of your choice and match the requirements of the degree programme at your home university? Please read all the information about the Learning Agreement on this website in time. 
• Additional application conditions apply to students on design programmes and to students who are planning to complete their final thesis/project at HTW Berlin. Are you one of them? If so, please check the further information on design programmes or final thesis/project. Carefully read the additional instructions for design programmesor final thesis/project on this website.

Which documents are required?Please note that all documents must be either in German or English. 

1. Application form
   After registering for our Mobility Online portal you can automatically generate the application form.
   Please note that you must sign the application form!
2. Copy of your passport or national identity card:
   please scan the front and back of your passport if you are from outside the EU or national identity card (EU citizen).
   Please note that your identification document must be valid for the duration of your studies at HTW Berlin! For example, you are staying for two semesters, including the winter semester of 2027/28, your identification document must be valid until at least the end of February 2028.  
3. Proof of health insurance coverage:
   please scan the front and back of your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). After receiving the letter of acceptance the student's health insurance provider must send an electronic notification (M10) to HTW Berlin in order for the student to be enrolled. Please carefully read our health insurance guideline that we will send to you. Students who have a private insurance or who live in a Non-EU country, must take out health insurance in Germany. Take out a German health insurance policy before travelling to Germany or immediately upon arrival.
   Please note that the proof of health insurance coverage must be valid for the duration of your studies at HTW Berlin! It is not sufficient to provide proof only for the time of your arrival. Travel insurance does not provide sufficient health insurance cover.
4. Proof of language proficiency 
   Please check the detailed information on proof of language proficiency as soon as possible!! 
   As a general rule: The proof should not more than two years old at the time of application. To study International Business (Bachelor's degree) you need a C1 level and for any other programmes taught in English you need a B2 level. For programmes taught in German, a level of B2 is required.
5. Transcript of Records
   This is an overview of your grades so far, issued by your home university.
   Please note that a screenshot of your grades is not sufficient. Please make sure you generate or request an offical Transcript of Records from your home university.
6. Learning Agreement
   In the corresponding workflow step in Mobility Online, please download the Learning Agreement template and fill it in with the courses you would like to attend during your exchange semester at HTW Berlin. The English-language courses available are listet in an Excel table in the previous step of Mobility Online process. 
   Please filter the table according to your degree programme at HTW Berlin. 
   Please note that you can only select German as a foreign language. You can also find the corresponding German courses in the Excel table in the previous step. Use your current German level as a basis of choosing the course, adding it precisely to your Learning Agreement (German as a Foreign Language: A1, A2, etc.).
   Note that signatures from both you and your coordinator are necessary for the application.

Tip: If you apply for an exchange at HTW Berlin you will also have the chance to apply for accomodation in our Student Residence. Please note that the places are limited and acceptance is not guaranted. Please check our website on accomodation webst for further information.  

In the corresponding workflow step in Mobility Online, please download the Learning Agreement template and fill it in with the courses you would like to attend during your exchange semester at HTW Berlin. The English-language courses available are listed in an Excel table in the previous step of the Mobility Online process. 

Please filter the table according to your degree programme at HTW Berlin.

Course descriptions for the English programmes can be found on our HORIZON website.

Course descritptions for the German programmes can be found on our website Studiengänge.

Please note that you can only select German as a foreign language. You can also find the corresponding German courses in the Excel table in the previous step. Use your current German level as a basis for choosing the course, adding it precisely to your Learning Agreement (German as a Foreign Language: A1, A2, etc.).

Please note that signatures from both you and your coordinator on the Learning Agreement are necessary for the application.

Please make sure that your have got the appropriate proof of language profiency for the exchange programme and courses you are applying for early on. 

What proof of language proficiency is required?

The Common European Framework of Reference for Language (CEFR) is accepted.

• International Business (Bachelor's degree): English, C1
  TOEFL iBT: minimum 95, IELTS: minimum 7.0, TOEIC: at least 945 points in total (listening: at least 490 points, reading: at least 455 points), Cambridge Certificate: Certificate in Advanced English (CAE)
• Other HORIZON programmes (Bachelor's/Master's degree): English, B2
  TOEFL iBT: minimum 72, IELTS: minimum 5.0, TOEIC: at least 785 points in total (listening: at least 400 points, reading: at least 385 points), Cambridge Certificate: First Certificate in English (FCE)
• Programmes taught in German (Bachelor's/Master's degree): German, B2
  TestDaF: minimum TDN3, Goethe Certificate: minimum B2, Certificates of a German Abitur (general university entrance qualification) or a 'Doppel-Abitur' (e.g. German-French Abitur)

Which language proficiency certificates does the HTW Berlin accept?Please note that the proof of language proficiency must not be older than two years by the time of your application. The same applies to Cambridge Certificates.

English:

• TOEFL iBT
• IELTS
• TOEIC or
• Cambridge Certificate

German:

• TestDaF
• Goethe Certificate
• Certificates of a German Abitur/'Doppel-Abitur'

Please note that if your are studying in English or German at your home university, your outgoing coordinator may also confirm your language proficiency. In this case, please contact the international office (or the Language department) at your home university. A signed and stamped statement explicitly stating the appropriate level of English (or German) can also be accepted as an alternative. For this purpose please use this template. Are you a native English (or German) speaker?

If English (or German) is your native language (depending on the exchange programme and courses you are applying for), HTW Berlin needs confirmation of this. For this purpose please use this template.

Students applying for an exchange on a design programme must submit the following additional documents: 

1. Curriculum Vitae (CV)
2. Letter of Motivation
3. Portfolio (8-10 page portfolio showcasing the projects most relevant to the design programme at HTW Berlin you are applying for)
4. Transcript of Records

Students who wish to complete their final thesis/project at HTW Berlin must also submit the following: 

• a confirmation from your HTW Berlin supervisor
  
  Please note that the confirmation must contain your research topic. You must find a supervisor by yourself. Please use this template for the confirmation. Thank you.