- A public research university located in Bonn, Germany
- It was founded in its present form as the Rhein University on 18 October 1818
- 27,000 students of which 4,000+ are international students
- The main building is in the center of the city, other faculties are housed in the surrounding districts of Poppelsdorf, Endenich and Venusberg hill
- Bonn is connected to three autobahns (federal motorways) and the German rail network
- Downtown Bonn is surrounded by a number of traditional towns and villages which were independent up to several decades ago.
- Green and bicycle-friendly city
- Birthplace of Ludwig van Beethoven
- Home to 18 organizations of the UN
Visa + Requirements|Travel advice + advisories
Partner university’s areas of study
- German is the main language of instruction
- Limited options available in English
- Students must have at least a B1 level to study in German (To determine your level, please self-assess with: European Language Portfolio Global Scale)
Eligibility and Timing
Terms Offered
Who can go?
- Only Arts and Science students are eligible to apply to this partner university
Term Dates
- UBC Term 1 (German Winter Semester): October to Mid February
- UBC Term 2 (German summer semester): Early April to Late July
- Short-term Summer programs: Early August to Late August
Timing
- Students who wish to attend Term 1 only (German Winter Semester), will not be back to UBC in time for Term 2
- There is a pre-semester orientation course which takes place in September and March (subject to a fee)
Credits
Course equivalency formula
- ECTS credits divided by 2 = UBC credits
Credit transfer process
The transfer credit process takes approximately 16 weeks following each submission deadline. You should allow sufficient time to meet important deadlines that may affect you (e.g. application for graduation, registration in courses that require prerequisites that you took on exchange, entry to a major/honours program, etc.)
For more information about Go Global transfer credit
Course Information
* Students who have special requirements or require academic accommodation should contact a Go Global advisor regarding their needs at least six weeks prior to the application deadline.
Type of Go Global Experiences
Course information and restrictions
- All faculties are open for exchange students and the international office offers a number of classes especially designed for students coming from abroad
- Most universities in Germany provide a “Schein," which you will receive for each course completed - Make sure to keep it for your records and provide a copy to Go Global upon return from exchange
- The course catalog (Vorlesungsverzeichnis) can be found here (please note that course catalogs are published 2-3 months before the beginning of each semester)
- If you would like to familiarize yourself with the layout and get an idea of what kinds of courses are offered, you can check out the previous winter and summer semesters (be aware these are subject to change)
Full course load information
- Students are required to take between 12 and 18 contact hours/semester; approx. 30 ECTS/semester
Transfer Credits And Equivalent Courses At This University
Check out the courses that previous students have transferred back to UBC in the last 5 years using our Course Search Tool. If you don't see a particular course you listed, it simply means you need to submit it as a new course request through the Transfer Credit Portal while on your Go Global experience. For more information, please visit the Go Global Transfer Credit webpage.
Exchange Tuition
- 15 credits or equivalent full-time program fee per term, paid to UBC
- For summer programs, tuition and other fees, aside from the application fee, are paid directly to the partner
- Some exceptions may apply
Scholarships and awards
The Go Global Award $1000
All students accepted to Go Global for Exchange, Research Abroad, or Study Abroad travel programs are automatically considered for this award. If you meet the eligibility criteria, you'll be notified of your award after you're accepted to Go Global and after you get nominated to apply to the partner university.
Additional awards
Students who are eligible for awards may receive one UBC or UBC-affiliated international learning award. If you're eligible, you are always offered the highest-value award. Unless stated otherwise, you need to meet eligibility criteria set out by the University Senate regarding awards.
Check out international learning awards and eligibility.
- Universität Bonn normally provides a scholarship of 500 Euro per month to exchange students from UBC (scholarship available annually to one full academic year student or to two students coming for one semester each). The availability of this scholarship depends on annual funding from the German government to Bonn University. If the scholarship is available, eligible students nominated for exchange at Bonn will be notified of the application process.
Information for US students:
If you are a student from the United States, please check the US Department of Education Lookup Tool to ensure that any partner institution you wish to attend on Exchange is Title IV ‘eligible’ for Federal Student Aid for the year in which you intend to study there. For institutions outside of the US, select “Foreign Country” from the “State” dropdown menu.
If you attend an eligible institution, then you may receive Title IV federal student loans while on Exchange.
If you attend an ineligible institution:
- You will not be eligible for US federal student loans,
- You may invalidate any US student aid you have previously received for your studies at UBC,
- You may be required to immediately begin repaying your US student loans, and
- You may not be eligible for any future US student aid for the remainder of your studies at UBC.
Types of accommodation available
Housing notes
- It can be difficult to find affordable accommodation in Bonn, especially for international students
- However, the Studentenwerk has more than 1,000 rooms available for international students
- 40 student dorms to house 4200 students of the University of Bonn and the Hochschule (Fachhochschule) Rhein-Sieg
- An additional 500 inexpensive rooms or apartments are offered by various other student dorms, of which some are private and others are run by religious institutions.
- Students who wish to apply for on-campus accommodation have to apply directly to their choice of dorm (either with or without sharing a bathroom/kitchen) when they apply for the exchange program online
- The UB International Office will apply for the dorm at the Studentenwerk for the student prior to their arrival
- There is also the private housing market: offers for apartments or rooms can be found on the university's bulletin boards, in local newspapers or on the notice-boards in the University