Study abroad - Outgoing

We are glad that you are considering a semester at a foreign university! At LMU Munich School of Management you will find the best conditions for a successful stay abroad.

From the initial idea to an integrated semester abroad

Great that you are considering a semester at a foreign university! At LMU Munich School of Management you will find the best conditions to successfully realize a stay abroad: Numerous partner universities, support in planning and realization as well as internationally compatible examination regulations that allow the integration of a semester abroad by way of credit transfer.

In addition to the straightforward organization, an exchange stay at one of our partner universities has the particular advantage that no tuition fees are charged and further financial support is available.

Ideally, a stay abroad should take place in the 5th semester of the Bachelor's degree or in the 3rd semester of the Master's degree. The lead time is between 6 and 12 months.

Five steps to a successful semester abroad

It is very important that you are clear about the different options for organizing a semester abroad, because different contacts/application formalities/deadlines may apply depending on how the semester abroad is organized.

Basically, there are three different ways to organize a study abroad:

  • You are applying for one of the approximately 260 exchange places of LMU Munich School of Management. We have European partner universities (this is usually automatically backed by "Erasmus") and non-European partner universities (this is automatically backed by a type of contract called "LMU Exchange"). Your contact is the IRC (our International Office at faculty level). Relevant for the application to our partner universities is only the information on the SOM websites. The application is done directly at the IRC, regardless of whether the target universities are European or non-European.
  • You make use of LMU's contacts and apply for one of the inter-faculty exchange places at LMU's partner universities. Some of these are also open to SOM students. The contact for an application for those places is the central International Office at university level and only the information provided by the International Office of LMU is relevant.
  • If you have another target university in mind, you can organize your stay abroad yourself, independently of cooperations. In this case, you will have to find out for yourself whether your desired university accepts guest students, if there are tuition fees and which documents may be necessary for the application, etc. Initial clues can be found, for example, by researching on the Internet, visiting the information desk of LMU's International Office, or contacting the cultural institutes of the respective countries. Please make sure that your target university is recognized in Germany (Anabin).You can then apply directly to the university of your choice. The IRC will be happy to assist you with the academic integration.
You are welcome to make use of the different possibilities in parallel and apply e.g. to both SOM and LMU to increase your chances of obtaining an exchange place. However, if there are faculty-specific exchange places at a university, there are no additional cross-faculty places available to you at that university.

Even if there is a cooperation with a university, this unfortunately does not automatically mean that we also have exchange places available every year. How many exchange places on Bachelor and/or Master level are available in an academic year (winter term + summer term) can be found in the current lists of exchange places in Europe (PDF, 280 KB) or non european exchange places (PDF, 169 KB). The information wil be updated towards the end of a calendar year for the upcoming academic year and also includes information on the languages of instruction.

Further information, e.g. on the academic calendar and courses offered, can be found on the websites of the partner universities linked here.

Applications for the SOM exchange places are possible once a year; the application deadline is always towards the beginning/middle of January. The application then relates to a stay that begins the following fall at the earliest.

First and foremost, all Bachelor students of LMU Munich School of Management in their 3rd semester who have already acquired at least 45 ECTS (GOP included) in the first two semesters as well as Master students in their 1st semester can apply. Unfortunately, other applications can only be considered on a secondary basis. Academic integrity is a prerequisite.

Your application may refer to a maximum of four of the partner universities of the Faculty of Business Administration, independent of whether they are European or non-European partners. Please indicate which partner university has which priority for you. Please apply only to those universities where you actually want to spend a semester.

If you are also applying to the colleagues at the LMU International Office for inter-faculty exchange places, please indicate this in the online application form so that we can recognise and consider your overarching priorities.

  • Current transcript of records
    Bachelor's students please submit a current grade report (end of second semester); Master's students please submit the final grade report from the Bachelor's degree.
  • Curriculum vitae in the language of instruction of the target university
  • Short statement of reasons for the application in the language of instruction of the target university (letter of motivation). You are welcome to focus on your first priority.
  • Erasmus cover sheet and application form
    If you are applying for at least one European exchange place, you must also enter and upload your application for the European places in the Erasmus-Portal of LMU. This is where the data for the EU ERASMUS scholarships is recorded and managed. The application documents required here are covered by the documents required for the application to the faculty.

    Language certificate(s)

    Required Level:
    The application requires that you are able to study in the language of the host university. If you are applying to a university where teaching is in two or more languages, proof of proficiency in one of the languages will suffice if you wish to study in that one language only.

    You have to proof the required language skills (for French, Italian and Spanish min. Level B1, for English min. B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) or minimum requirement of the partner university according to the list of exchange places) at the time of application.

    Language of instruction:
    For the language(s) of instruction of your target universities as well as any special requirements, please refer to the listings of exchange places: European cooperations (PDF, 227 KB) / Non-European cooperations (PDF, 168 KB)

    Acceptable language certificates:
    The type of language proof required depends on your target universities:

    If you want to apply for one or more of the following universities, you need one of the worldwide recognized English language tests, such as TOEFL or IELTS with a score on at least B2 level (standard or also online tests, home editions etc.).

    - all non-European partner universities (except Spanish-speaking universities)
    - all partner universities in Scandinavia
    - all partner universities in England, Scotland, and Ireland
    - all partner universities in the Netherlands as well as Leuven University
    - Bocconi University, ESSEC, and Paris School of Business

    For all other applications, the following alternative evidence is also acceptable:
    - Evidence by the “Abitur” certificate, if the required level is stated explicitly in your Abitur certificate.
    - Other recognized language tests (such as DELF, DALF, DAAD certificate, etc.)
    - Further information on language tests refer to LMU’s Language Center.

    If you wish to study in two or more different languages at your target university or if you are applying to target universities in different language areas, then all foreign language documents are required separately for each language.

Please note: Your application documents will not automatically be forwarded to the host university. After a successful application at the IRC, we will nominate you at your host university. After that you will have to provide your application documents to the host university yourself.

You have to apply with the International Relations Center of the faculty. Please submit your complete application documents digitally via the provided link.

You can apply from December 1st, 2024, until January 10th, 2025 via the following link: Applications Outgoings

Please note that only complete applications can be considered. You can start processing your application. Please submit your application once you are sure that your application is complete and can be sent to us. Following submission of your application, you will receive an email confirmation.

After you have accepted the exchange place offered to you, you will receive an invitation to an information meeting at which we will discuss the next steps together (enrollment at the partner university, planning the course selection for the semester abroad, etc.). Your host university, the IRC and the International Office of the LMU will be happy to support you with information on the organization of your stay abroad, but ultimately your own initiative is also and especially required.

The colleagues of LMU's International Office coordinate all processes related to the ERASMUS scholarships, while we at SOM help you with academic questions.

A semester abroad usually implies that you have to find your own, individual path to graduation. Here, too, the IRC, in cooperation with the ISC, will support you in the best possible way.

MMT students should seek advice from their academic advisor directly.

Credit transfer is based on so-called Learning Agreements. The preparation of a learning agreement is obligatory for all outgoings. Without a learning agreement, credit transfer cannot be guaranteed.

A Learning Agreement (LA) is a contract completed at the beginning of your stay abroad that specifies which courses you will take abroad and which LMU modules can be substituted by these courses. The LA thus provides the maximum frame for credit transfer.

For details on conluding a LA please refer to the information on credit transfer.

You have to complete your credit transfer by the end of the semester after your semester abroad at the latest.

Further questions? Answers to other frequently asked questions about the semester abroad and the application process can be found in our FAQ.

Impressions from our partner universities

University of New South Wales - Australian Business School

Prague University of Economics and Business - Main Campus

Universita degli Studi di Torino - Facolta di Economia

Beijing Normal University - Haidian Campus

Hanken University - Campus Vasa

© Johan Hagström

Forida State University - Deviney Hall

© FSU

Warwick University - The Piazza

EWHA Womens University - Campus in Winter

KU Leuven - Library

Mahidol University - Prince Mahidol Hall

Lund University - Atrium

Universidad Rey Juan Carlos - Campus Madrid

Georgia State University - Marching Band

EM Lyon - Campus Ecully

Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam - Plaza

Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria - Campus Valparaiso

Sophia University - Main Gate

National University of Ireland, Galway - The Quadrangle

Metropolitan State University Denver - Auraria Campus

Umea University - Main Campus

Universita di Bologna - Campus Forli