University of Erfurt welcomes 44 new international students for the summer term

In the summer semester of 2025, 44 new international exchange students from 18 nations will be studying at the University of Erfurt. The majority come from Italy, South Korea, Turkey, Spain, Greece and the USA. All of them come from one of the University of Erfurt's many partner universities, with the majority participating in the Erasmus programme. Overall, the proportion of international students at the University of Erfurt is around ten per cent. Most international students are enrolled at the Faculty of Economics, Law and Social Sciences – they have opted for the Bachelor's or Master's degree programmes in International Relations, Economics and Social Sciences. In addition to English Studies, German Studies and Literary Studies, other incomings at the Faculty of Philosophy study History, Communication Studies and Philosophy. Teaching, Learning and Training Psychology, Primary Education and Educational Science are popular subjects among exchange students at the Faculty of Education.

More than half of the international students have already arrived at the University of Erfurt four weeks before the start of the semester to complete the intensive German courses. These are suitable for anyone with little or no knowledge of German. For many, the course is a good way of arriving in Erfurt anyway: Course participants get to know other international students and can familiarise themselves with the campus and the city. The intensive German courses take place twice a year, one month before the start of each semester. Subjects offered by the Faculty of Economics, Law and Social Sciences, in particular International Relations, are very popular with students from partner universities as they offer courses and examinations in German and English.

In the first week of April, there were several programmes to help all newly arrived students find their way around: In addition to a large information event and campus tours, formalities and unanswered questions could be clarified during consultation hours, while a welcome coffee and a city rally were all about getting to know each other, networking and exploring. Even before arriving, students can take advantage of online services that provide information about registering for courses and a pre-arrival Q&A for frequently asked questions. Nevertheless, it is not possible to completely avoid being surprised by the German study system, cultural differences and the language barrier when shopping or travelling around the city – these experiences are ultimately part of the study exchange, as Sandra Schmidt from the International Office knows. She supervises international exchange students from their nomination at their home university to their departure after their studies. When asked why international exchange students are a benefit for all students, Sandra Schmidt answers:

Of course, the self-image of a university is generally characterised by cosmopolitanism and tolerance and the vast majority of students certainly identify with this. If we didn't have intercultural exchange, students would miss out on important skills that arise from intercultural encounters during the intensive and formative period of their studies. Especially in today's world, it is extremely important to experience interculturality, to retain the knowledge gained from it and, above all, to pass it on. Take our Buddy Programme: our exchange students and our buddies who have been at the University of Erfurt for a longer period of time benefit equally from an intercultural environment. It is not unusual for long-lasting friendships to develop between them. And our Buddy Programme has contributed to this - it's an extremely satisfying feeling!"

For the 44 newly arrived international students, as for everyone else, the lecture period for the summer semester 2025 starts on 7 April and we say: Welcome!