Information for International Students

Bielefeld is a multicultural city in the north of Germany, located between Hanover and Dortmund. With more than 300,000 inhabitants, it is a center of the Ostwestfalen region. In addition to its university and football team, Bielefeld is known for its strong economic activity (e.g. Dr. Oetker and Schüco) and its location in the Teutoburg Forest. Due to its central location, it is also a good starting point to travel in all directions of the country. Cities such as Cologne, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Bremen or Berlin can be reached in up to 3 hours.

With well over 20,000 students, Bielefeld University is the largest university in the region. The 14 faculties cover a wide range of social sciences, humanities, natural sciences, technology, and medical sciences. Campus life offers many cultural and sporting activities and events. This creates a lively learning culture. The large number of international students allows for exchange with other cultures, also to gain valuable experience and develop global perspectives.

More information on Bielefeld University: uni-bielefeld.de, Wikipedia

Our faculty comprises the three disciplines of Business Administration, Economics, and Statistics as well as the Institute of Mathematical Economics ("Institut für Mathematische Wirtschaftsforschung", "IMW"). It is is known for a quantitative orientation in research and teaching. This is clearly reflected in our areas, networks, and projects of our research as well as the study program we offer.

Students and staff of our partner universities in other European countries can participate in the Erasmus program.

The application for the Erasmus program takes place at your home university. For responsibilities and application requirements, please refer to the information provided by your university.

The course catalog of Bielefeld University is called "eKVV". Click here for the faculty of business administration and economics and here for the entire university.

The courses for the summer semester will be published in mid-January and for the winter semester in mid-June. Before, you can use the courses offered in previous semesters for orientation.

You are allowed to use the entire course offering that fits your course of study. In consultation with your home university, you may also attend selected courses offered by other faculties if they fit your course of study.

In general, you should take those courses that correspond to your study cycle. In exceptional cases, it is also possible for Bachelor's students to take courses from the Master's program. However, you should justify your choice well and discuss your participation with your Erasmus coordinators and the respective teachers of the course.

The typical number of ECTS credits is 30 credits per semester. It includes participation in courses and the exams as well as language courses.

We generally expect German and English language skills at level B1 of the European Framework of Reference. Both before and during the stay in Bielefeld we offer German courses for Erasmus students.

Most Bachelor's courses are offered in German. This also applies to Master's courses in business administration. Solid knowledge of German is therefore particularly helpful and expands the study options. The selection of English-language courses is greater in the winter semester than in the summer semester.

The typical exam time is the first two weeks after the lecture period. For some courses, there is a second exam before the next lecture period. Please refer to Universität Bielefeld - Termine & Fristen to check the dates of the lecture periods.