Application and admission
Admission requirements
If you would like to come to FAU via an exchange or scholarship program, you must submit your application for admission to FAU’s International Affairs team in good time prior to the intended start of your studies.
Applications are submitted online. You will be sent a link to the application via e-mail after we have received the nomination from your home university or your scholarship organization. Nomination by the home university does not automatically qualify students for a place at FAU. Admission is only granted after the FAU subject coordinators have assessed the application documents.
Deadlines for applications at FAU:
- For the following winter semester: April 15 (students from non-EU countries, including KA 171 partner countries) or May 15 (students from EU countries/EEA states/Switzerland)
- For the following summer semester: October 15 (students from non-EU countries, including KA 171 partner countries) or November 15 (students from EU countries/EEA states/Switzerland)
The following documents must be submitted along with the application for admission:
- Evidence of one or two years studying a degree program in your home country (transcript of records). A translation in German or English must be submitted if the certificate is not in German or English.
- For Master’s degree students: Bachelor’s degree certificate (if applicable)
- Certificate of enrollment from your home university
- Proof of proficiency in German or English, for example issued by a language teacher (see below for a template you can download). Please ask your home university for the level of language you require.
- Letter of nomination from your home university
Students who are coming to FAU to finish a final thesis and will not be attending seminars or lectures must submit confirmation of supervision from an FAU professor to the International Affairs team along with their application. Please use the template we provide for a supervision agreement (“Betreuungszusage”).
| Bewerbung und Zulassung | File size |
|---|---|
| Nachweis der Deutschkenntnisse.pdf | 147 KB |
| Evidence of English Language.pdf | 86 KB |
| Betreuungszusage-Supervisors Confirmation.pdf | 104 KB |
The official language of instruction at FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg is German, in some areas English. The availability of courses in English varies depending on the faculty. Students can check in which language the courses of the respective degree program are offered with the help of the FAU course catalog in Campo.
The recommendations for incoming exchange students for studies in the individual subjects areas can be found in the table below. In addition, please note the information on language requirements in the cooperation agreements between the universities. Students can ask their home universities about this.
In general: If the desired degree program is not listed in the table below, B2 level according to the European Framework of Reference for Languages is recommended for the language of study.
| Department | Institute/Subject Area | Minimum Language Level |
|---|---|---|
| Classical World and Asian Cultures | Ancient Languages | German A2 |
| Classical World and Asian Cultures | Archaeology; Prehistory and Protohistory | German B1 |
| Classical World and Asian Cultures | Japanese Studies | Please consult the cooperation agreement. |
| Classical World and Asian Cultures | Languages and Cultures of the Middle East and East Asia – Sinology | Bachelor’s: German B1
Master’s: English B2 Note: If you are attending FAU in the summer semester, you must have basic knowledge of Mandarin. |
| English, American and Romance Studies | English and American Studies | German A2 or English B2 |
| English, American and Romance Studies | Romance Studies | German B1 |
| Didactics | German B1 | |
| German and Comparative Studies | German Studies | German B1 |
| German and Comparative Studies | Scandinavian Studies | German A2 or English B2 |
| History | German A2 and English A2 | |
| Islamic-Religious Studies | German B1 or English B1 | |
| Media Studies and Art History | German B1 | |
| Department of Education | Primary Education Research; Educational Science (Nuremberg) | German B1 or English B1 |
| Department of Education | Education (Erlangen) | German B1 and English B1 |
| Psychology | German B2 | |
| Social Sciences and Philosophy | Economics (Erlangen) | Bachelor’s: German B1
Master’s: English B2 |
| Social Sciences and Philosophy | Philosophy | German B1 |
| Social Sciences and Philosophy | Political Science | German B1 and English B1 |
| Social Sciences and Philosophy | Sociology | German B2 or English B2 |
| Sport Science | Teacher Education/State Exam: German B2
Master’s: English B2 |
|
| Theology | English A2 |
| School | Minimum Language Level |
|---|---|
| School of Business, Economics and Society
(WiSo Nuremberg) |
German B1 or English B1 |
| School of Law (Erlangen) | German B1 |
| Subject Area | Minimum Language Level |
|---|---|
| Dentistry | German B2 |
| Logopaedics | German C1 |
| Medicine | German B1 |
| Molecular Medicine | German B1 |
| Department | Subject Area | Minimum Language Level |
|---|---|---|
| Biology | Bachelor’s: German B2
Master’s: German B2 or English B2 |
|
| Chemistry and Pharmacy | Chemistry & Molecular Science | Bachelor’s: German B2
Master’s: English B2 |
| Chemistry and Pharmacy | Pharmacy | German B1 (English B1 also possible for final theses only) |
| Geography and Geosciences | Geography | German B1 and English B1 |
| Geography and Geosciences | Geozentrum Nordbayern | English B2 |
| Mathematics | German A2 or English A2 | |
| Physics | Bachelor’s: German B1
Master’s: English B1 |
| Department/Subject Area | Minimum Language Level |
|---|---|
| Chemical and Biological Engineering | German B2 or English B2 |
| Electrical Engineering | German B1 or English B2 |
| Computer Science | German B1 or English B1 |
| Mechanical Engineering | German B1 or English B1 |
| Medical Engineering | German B1 or English B1 |
| Materials Science and Engineering | Bachelor’s: German B1 and English B2
Master’s: English B2 |
| Institution | Minimum Language Level |
|---|---|
| FAU Language Center | German B1 and English B1 |
Applicants are notified in writing whether their application to FAU was successful as soon as possible after the end of the application period. The admissions letter contains information on the enrollment process. The admissions letter must be kept safely, as it is essential for applying for a visa and must be presented at enrollment. Exchange students or students participating in an exchange program may only be admitted to the University for one or two semesters.
Applicants may only be admitted in subjects included in the agreement between FAU and their home universities. However, exchange students are usually able to attend courses in other subjects and receive credits for them.