International

If you want to apply for full-time studies – meaning a regular study programme over 4 to 10 semesters – at the HfK Bremen, please go to the application portal.

Applicants for full-time studies also need to pass an artistic entry exam in Bremen. Each study programme uses their own procedures. Detailed information on application deadlines, contents and processes of entry exams is available at the application portal.

Students from the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland are permitted to work for up to 20 hours a week without an additional work permit. Students from other countries outside of the EU are limited to work for pay on up to 120 days per year for up to 8 hours, or during up to 4 hours for up to 240 days. 

You need a work permit even for a part-time job lasting for more than 120 days. Permits are available at the local registration office for foreign citizens residing in Germany (BSU) and the Federal Employment Agency (Agentur für Arbeit). These institutions will assist you with any questions you might have around working in Germany.

The 120 day-rule does not apply if you are employed as a student assistant at the HfK.

• www.daad.de/en/study-and-research-in-germany/first-steps-germany/side-jobs/
• www.internationale-studierende.de/en/during-your-studies/jobbing

Graduates from abroad can stay in Germany after finishing their studies and join the workforce. Their residence permit can get extended for up to 18 months after their graduation so that they can hunt for an appropriate job.

Further information: Career Center

Erasmus+ supports teaching stays at European partner universities and staff mobility in programme countries. 

The Language Centre of the Universities in the Federal State of Bremen (SZHB) is an institution operated by the four public universities in Bremen: the University of Bremen, the Bremen University of Applied Sciences, the University of the Arts Bremen and the Hochschule Bremerhaven – University of Applied Sciences.

Students may take courses in around 20 languages at the SZHB and work on language programmes at their centre for self-learning. The programmes are designed to firm up and expand prior language abilities for a better communication with other students and teachers. Taking courses is also useful to prepare stays abroad.

The Language Centre offers courses in Arabic, Chinese, German as a foreign language (*), English, French (**), Modern Hebrew, Italian, Latin, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish and Spanish (***).

* at the Goethe-Institut at Bremen University, GW2, 4. level
** at the Institut Francais, Contrescarpe 18
*** at the Instituto Cervantes, Schwachhauser Ring 124

Info on fees is available on their website:
Centre for Languages SZHB – University of Bremen (uni-bremen.de)

You can acquire internationally acknowledged certificates and take preparatory courses at the SZHB:

• IELTS in cooperation with the British Council
• D.E.L.E. in cooperation with the Instituto Cervantes
• DELF and DALF cooperation with the Institut Français
• CILS in cooperation with the Università per Stranieri di Siena
• CNaVT in cooperation with the Universities Leuven and Amsterdam
• TestDAF in cooperation with the TestDaf-Institut Hagen and the Goethe-Institut
• UNICERT in cooperation with the AKS

If you need to provide proof of English proficiency on the language level B2, you can take the respective exam at the SZHB for a fee of 30 euros

Information and forms for online applications to the Language Centre are available here.

Information on language proficiency required for studying at the University of the Arts is available here:  Application / then follow the respective links

As an incoming / visiting student from one of our partner universities you are not required to present a certificate for a specific level of language proficiency. You can take a German course without paying a fee.

The Faculty of Music in Dechanatstraße offers courses in Italian for their students on a regular basis as part of their education. The Faculty is covering the cost.

There are around five places without fees available for the courses in French and Spanish. Applications are made online at www.sprachenzentrum-bremen.de. 

After you have applied, you need to inform the SZHB that you would like to use one of those free slots for French or Spanish: Ms Warms-Cangalovic (iwarms@uni-bremen.de)

Once they have cleared whether places are indeed available, you will be on the way to your cost-free language studies!

The HfK will assume the cost for your language course at the SZHB under certain conditions: Acceptance into studies or an internship abroad; or insufficient skills in German. The rules governing reimbursements are laid out in the Entgeltordnung § 15,

Rules governing fees and reimbursement at the HfK (PDF – German)

Please provide the following documents to the International Office for reimbursements of your fees for a German course at the SZHB:

• Proof of achievement from the Language Centre for the successful completion of the German course (a certificate of participation is insufficient!)
• bank statement documenting the payment to the SZHB
• a completed and signed application for reimbursement of the fee (PDF – German)

Each participating university introduces digital management for the various funding measures. New formats such as “blended mobility” and “blended intensive programmes” are also intended to support digital learning and exchange opportunities. The administration of the programme will gradually become digitalised. By connecting to the “Erasmus without Paper Network” (EWP), documents and data are exchanged digitally. The dashboard facilitates the coordination of learning agreements, the storage of university information (fact sheets) and the conclusion of cooperation agreements with partner universities (inter-institutional agreements).

Environmentally friendly behaviour will receive greater attention at all levels of the HfK. Topics include energy and resource conservation, energy analysis, waste separation, as well as transport and mobility. Sustainable development means to conserve resources and slow climate change. As a participating university in the Erasmus+ programme, the HfK Bremen supports “green travel” through financial grants from programme funds, in addition to other environmentally friendly measures. 

The University of the Arts is committed to ensuring that all university members are offered equal access to the funding programme. Participants with potential barriers (e.g. participants with disabilities, students with children) should be given the best possible support and can receive financial grants from programme funds. The new formats of short-term and blended mobility can also support inclusion efforts by reducing travel barriers through shorter stays abroad and through travel support, combined with online teaching and learning formats.

Art and music serve as laboratories and think tanks for society and can generate new concepts for a fairer, more inclusive and more sustainable coexistence across the boundaries of individual disciplines. 

Civic engagement and active citizenship are introduced to students through various measures. Even before mobilities, efforts are made to provide students with attractive information via the university website about topics, projects, lectures, etc. that go beyond normal teaching. Initiatives involving local universities, which deal with local/global issues and invite active participation and debate, are published within the university, through the website and the internal communication platform at the HfK Bremen. 

One of the core objectives of this EU funding programme is to ensure automatic recognition of achievements acquired abroad. The HfK Bremen has already taken the necessary steps to ensure this and to prevent students from having to go through a separate recognition process for their education. After prior acknowledgement in the Learning Agreement and with evidence from the transcript of records, students should be able to have their achievements fully recognised in accordance with the European Credit Transfer. The digital learning agreement will support the automatic recognition process.

The programme provides for these social top-ups (for 250 euros monthly each):

• First-time academics (students from families without academic education)
• Working students
• Students with children
• Students with disabilities
• Students with chronic diseases

The top-ups cannot be combined.

Detailed information is available under financing

Sustainable travel (by train, ship, etc.) is supported by a one-time top-up of 50 euros. In addition, depending on the duration of the trip, up to 4 days can be added to the scholarship as a funding period. 

Green Travel can be combined with the social top-ups. 

The HfK Bremen will gradually work on new programme components and aims to generate further funding opportunities. 

Blended Mobility: Mobilities of university members can now be carried out in a blended format. Students who are not able to participate in regular physical mobility of at least 2 months now have the option of combining a shorter physical mobility (5-30 days) with a virtual component. The period of the virtual component can be based on their own needs. The programme aims to enable participants to attend flexible and innovative learning and teaching. Collaborative online learning, exchanges and teamwork should be promoted within the framework of joint projects and/or online courses. Students must achieve at least 3 ECTS. 

Blended Intensive Programme (BIP): By developing short, intensive and shared mobility curricula and activities the programme intends to offer students and university staff the opportunity to participate in a short physical group mobility (5-30 days) combined with a virtual phase of open duration. The prerequisite for student mobility is the achievement of 3 ECTS. The minimum number of participants for a BIP is 15 and at least three ECHE universities from three different programme countries must be involved. Other universities or organisations from programme or partner countries can optionally take part in a BIP. The programme does not finance the participation of applicants from partner countries. The physical activity can take place at the host university or at another location in the country of the host university. 

Mobility with partner countries (non-EU countries): In key action KA131, the Erasmus+ programme will offer the opportunity to establish and expand long-term, sustainable collaborations with partner institutions outside Europe and thus offer students and employees more opportunities to gain international experience. If an inter-institutional agreement is concluded under the applicable Erasmus+ regulations, up to 20% of the approved project budget can be used to promote mobility from programme countries to partner countries.

Doctoral funding: The aim of doctoral mobility is to link higher education with the research world and create more opportunities for doctoral students. If a contractual relationship with the HfK Bremen is in place, doctoral students can be funded as part of staff mobility, optionally with a virtual phase, from the time of using Call 2021, or can take part in blended intensive programmes that are linked to a mandatory virtual phase.

33 programme countries are fully participating in Erasmus+. In each country national agencies are running the programme. (Exchanges within Europe)

Erasmus+ partner countries operates under the mission to promote academic exchanges and cooperations among all countries worldwide. Partner countries fully engaged in the programme facilitate the realisation of numerous Erasmus+ key actions in a large number of Erasmus+ partner countries. An overview on the different categories of these countries is available here: Erasmus+ Partnerländer – Nationale Agentur für Erasmus+ Hochschulzusammenarbeit – DAAD.

Further information on mobility between programme and partner countries is available here: Infos zu Programm- und Partnerländern im Erasmus+ Programm – Nationale Agentur für Erasmus+ Hochschulzusammenarbeit – DAAD 

The HfK Bremen has supported a cooperation in the study programme Fine Arts with Vietnam and Thailand by this a new programme component.

The DAAD has developed the PROMOS mobility programme to increase student mobility. Participating universities select funding measures, which may therefore vary from year to year. The focus of PROMOS at the HfK is on promoting non-European study stays. Furthermore, depending on our budget, specialist/masterclasses and travel for competition can also be funded. There is a separate tender for this.

Planning for the respective year (funding period January 1 – December 31) is subject to the approval of DAAD funding. 

The DAAD supports the combined scholarship and support programme STIBET with funds from the Federal Foreign Office. 

The programme serves to improve support for international students and doctoral students and provides scholarships for international students and doctoral students.

In addition, the DAAD provides the universities with funds from the Federal Foreign Office for the award (DAAD Prize) of outstanding students and doctoral candidates.

The call is published in the HfK portal every spring. As a student you cannot apply yourself; you must first be recommended by a teacher! You may ask the teachers about it.  

Faculties decide on the award in June/July of each year.  

It is possible to receive a scholarship to help you complete your studies (graduation within one year), a scholarship for particularly committed students (commitment in an international context) and a matching funds scholarship with the same criteria, which is co-financed by the non-profit association “Freundeskreis HfK Bremen”. The DAAD Prize is awarded to international students with excellent academic achievements and remarkable social/intercultural commitment.

The scholarships can only be awarded to regularly enrolled full-time international students. 

Questions about the award procedure and processing can be directed to the International Office. 

You can obtain the application form from the lecturers and/or the International Office. The application must be submitted to the International Office by email.

STIBET I & DAAD-Preis, STIBET II – Modellprojekte, STIBET III – Matching Funds und STIBET Doktoranden – DAAD