FAQs: Life at LMU as an Erasmus+, UK, SEMP or LMUexchange student

You will need to plan your stay in Munich well before you arrive here. What kind of health insurance do I need? What language certificates do I have to provide? How can I register for courses and examinations? Find the answers to your questions here.

You can find information about starting your studies at LMU Munich in our guide (PDF, 11,061 KB) for international exchange students. For further information, our Welcome Day presentation can be downloaded here (PDF, 2,180 KB).

You can also find information on common administrative terms and processes in the ABC Study Guide.

Before you get here

The following certificates are regarded to be proof of your German language skills:

  • Goethe certificate
  • TestDaF
  • onDaF
  • telc German

We accept the following certificates as proof of English language skills:

  • TOEFL (online/paper based)
  • TOEIC
  • IELTS
  • Cambridge English Preliminary
  • First

These certificates must not be more than two years old. If you have not taken a test, your exchange coordinator can issue you a confirmation of language skills (PDF, 80 KB).

If you are a native speaker of one of the languages, or are already studying at a German or English-speaking university, no proof of language skills is required.

As an Erasmus+, UK, SEMP or LMUexchange student, you can apply to the Munich Student Union (Studierendenwerk München Oberbayern) for a place in student housing. This you can do in your application to study at LMU.

We have a limited number of rooms in student housing as part of the Servicepaket (service package) offered by the Munich Student Union. These are assigned at random. They are usually available from 1 March or 1 September for a stay of one or two semesters.

For questions and problems please contact housing-incoming@lmu.de.

Health insurance is mandatory for all students. Exchange students need a digital Versicherungsbescheinigung (insurance certificate) from a statutory health insurance provider (e.g. TK, AOK, Barmer, DAK or others). This digital certificate of insurance is a prerequisite for enrollment.

Holders of an EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) will receive a digital Versicherungsbescheinigung (insurance certificate) from a statutory health insurance provider. Other students must take out a German health insurance policy in order to receive the digital insurance certificate.

LMU offers an orientation program before the start of the semester, in cooperation with external partners. This consists of language courses and an extra-mural program with excursions in and around Munich. There are language courses across every level—all with a different focus. If you do not want to take a language course, you can choose just to participate in the extra-mural program.

The courses are subsidized by the International Office. If you need more information, you can find further details under our study preparation program.

You can submit documents such as language certificates or Transcripts of Records later if they were not issued in time. If you have questions about this, please contact the International Office.

In principle, yes.

  • Erasmus+, UK and SEMP students must take at least 60% of their courses in the subject area named in the Erasmus+/ UK/ SEMP exchange agreement. If the agreement is for more than one subject area (faculty-wide agreement), students should take at least 60% of courses in their major / minor.
  • LMUexchange students must take at least 60% of their courses in their major / minor only.
  • All students can take up to 40% of their remaining courses in no more than two further subject areas (example: 60% of courses in German Philology, 20% of courses in History and 20% in Political Science).

Some courses have limited capacity (for example, Business Administration or English language courses in Political Science). If you have no previous knowledge and experience in a subject area, you can only take introductory courses in that subject.

Further information on choosing courses

You can find the dates and times for the coming semesters in the ABC Study Guide. Examination periods vary depending on the subject and can also extend into lecture-free periods.

If you would like to participate in the preparation program you should be in Munich by 1 September or 1 March.

No, LMU can only accept temporary exchange students whose home university has an exchange agreement with LMU via Erasmus+, UK, SEMP or LMUexchange.

You can find information on how to choose courses here.

All courses can be viewed in the LMU online course catalog from the end of the previous semester. Please make sure that you choose courses for the correct semester.

While you are here

Both exchange coordinators (from your home university and LMU) must agree to any changes made to the Learning Agreement. If they agree, the Learning Agreement can be amended.

To register for LMU courses, please contact the relevant exchange coordinators for more information. This should only be done once your Learning Agreement is complete. Registering for a course does not mean that you are registered for the exam. You cannot register for courses on LSF.

To register for an exam, please talk to the course lecturer.

The International Office is only responsible for the administrative part of the study program. If you have any technical questions, please contact your departmental coordinators. This coordinator is also responsible for your Learning Agreement.

If you have any questions about LMU courses, please contact the course lecturer.

If your stay was only planned for one semester, but you want to extend it to two, you must first clarify this with your home university. If your university agrees to the extension, please contact your departmental coordinator at LMU. If you are able to stay, contact the International Office so that your dates can be changed and you are able to continue your registration.

Please note that your student housing cannot be extended. For the second semester you will have to find somewhere else to stay.

When it is time to leave

At the end of your stay at the LMU you will automatically be removed from our register of students. If you are here for the winter semester, your student status ends on 31 March. If you are here until the end of the summer semester, it ends on 30 September.

If you need an certificate of exmatriculation, please contact the Studentenkanzlei (Office of the University Registrar). You can then use this certificate to cancel your health insurance.

In addition to being removed from the LMU register of students, you must cancel your health insurance and deregister your address from the City of Munich.

If you are staying in student housing, you have to clean your room and return your key.

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