Information for Exchange Students
On this website, applicants that wish to spend one or two semesters at TU Dresden within the ERASMUS+ Programme and within other exchange agreements and programmes (like ISAP, DAAD, etc.) or even freemovers will find further information about the application process and what to prepare and expect before coming to Dresden.
Please be aware that the information below is only meant for students/applicants coming for 1 or 2 semesters who do not want to obtain a degree at TU Dresden (i.e. they stay enrolled at their home university).
German
Lectures, seminars, and recitation/practical course components are held, for the most part, in German. Normally, successful participation in these classes requires at least intermediate (B1) knowledge of German (Medicine and Dentistry: B2).
If you intend to take courses in a programme that is taught in German, you must provide proof of competence in German with your application (native speakers are exempt).
English
In some cases, courses can be taken in English. First of all, this is the case if you intend to enrol in an English taught Master’s programme at the TU Dresden. In addition, projects and other assignments can be written in English if an agreement can be made with the faculty in question. If you intend to complete your studies in English, you must provide proof of competence in this language B1/B2 (native speakers are exempt).
However, basic German language skills are highly recommended!
German courses
Preparatory German course
Before the semester begins, you will have the opportunity to participate in an intensive German course. Language courses are conducted by the TUDIAS language school. You can find information about course offers, dates, times, and fees on the homepage of TUDIAS .
German classes during the semester
During the semester, you also have the opportunity to take German classes. These are free of charge and aim at many different skill levels. To sign up for a German course, it is obligatory in most cases to take a placement test online. More information regarding the online test.
- With your application to study at the TU Dresden, please create a learning agreement detailing your academic intentions ( form of your home institution or form: Learning Agreement) Then, have the coordinator of your exchange programme at your home university sign your learning agreement and include it with your other application documents.
- Your intentions will be looked over by the coordinator responsible for the faculty in which you intend to enrol, in order to make sure that your plans can be realistically accomplished.
- The standard number of credits to be attempted every semester is 20 - 30 ECTS. Individual requests to deviate from that number can be approved by your home university and the faculty coordinator at the TU Dresden.
- If you would like to do a research project or paper at the TU Dresden, please explain this in your learning agreement. Please find yourself a supervisor at the corresponding institute at TUD and add his confirmation letter to your application documents.
- If you have specific questions about instruction, earning ECTS credit or choosing a topic for your research or paper, please contact the ERASMUS contact person at the desired faculty.
Please look at the overview of courses and events offered at the TU Dresden on the next page. You will find, first of all, the Bachelor programmes and some Master courses in each faculty.
For unlisted subjects, please look at the homepages of the appropriate faculties.
- In order to make a choice regarding the classes you want to attend, please have a look at the current courses offered and module descriptions of the desired study programme. The module descriptions can be found at the end of the study guidelines of each programme, in the module description book or in the ECTS Course Catalogues.
- Please name the correct title of your desired classes/modules, if possible add the course number. If you want to participate in classes of other departments, please also note this down in your learning agreement with exact details.
- Should you have specific questions concerning your Course of Study, lectures or ECTS you may refer to the ERASMUS Contact Person of your department.
- In general, the language of instruction at the TU Dresden is German. In some courses there might be also some lectures in English. If you have questions about the language of instruction please, contact the departmental ERASMUS contact person or directly the respective professor.
- Courses of study that are completely taught in English are especially marked in the overview (Master's courses only). Unfortunately, there are only limited capacities.
- Please note: The catalogues of the upcoming semester and the schedules are published shortly before the semester starts. It may be necessary to make some changes to the learning agreement at the beginning of your studies.
Please select the programme you are applying for to see the respective course catalogue and a description of the existing modules and their credits. After clicking on the school or course you will be directed to the website of the department. Unfortunately, not all pages are available in English. Please do not hesitate to contact the respective department or the international office should you have any questions. There is also a general course catalogue available for the current semester (or see on selma).
SCHOOL OF SCIENCE
Faculty Biology
Faculty of Chemistry and Food Chemistry
Faculty of Mathematics
Faculty of Physics
Physics
Organic and Molecular Electronics / Master taught in English
Faculty of Psychology
Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering CMCB (incl. BIOTEC)
Molecular Bioengineering / Master taught in English
Nanobiophysics / Master taught in English
Regenerative Biology and Medicine / Master taught in English
SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
Faculty of Education
Social Pedagogy, Social Work and Welfare Studies
Teaching Degrees
Information for incoming students
Faculty of Law
Wirtschaftsrecht
International Studies in Intellectual Property Law
Information for incoming students
Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Science
Information for incoming students
Protestant Theology
History
Catholic Theology in an interdisciplinary context
History of Art
Media and Communication
Musicology
Philosophy
Political Science
Sociology
Faculty of Literature, Linguistics and Cultural Studies
Information for incoming students
English and American Studies
German Studies
Classical Philology
European Languages
Romance Studies
Slavic Studies
School of International Studies
International Relations
Information for incoming students
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING SCIENCES
Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Elektrotechnik
Informationssystemtechnik
Mechatronik
Regenerative Energiesysteme
Nanoelectronic Systems / Master taught in English
Information for incoming students
Faculty of Computer Science
Informatik
Medieninformatik
Computational Logic / Master taught in English
Computational Modeling and Simulation / Master taught in English
Distributed Systems Engineering / Master taught in English
Information for incoming students
Faculty of Mechanical Science and Engineering
Maschinenbau (wide range of specialisations)
Verfahrenstechnik und Naturstofftechnik
Werkstoffwissenschaft
Textil- und Konfektionstechnik
Information for incoming students (see: 1 - 2 Semester zu Gast)
SCHOOL OF CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
Faculty of Architecture
Architecture
Landscape Architecture
Faculty of Civil Engineering
Civil Engineering
ACCESS/ Master taught in English
Information for incoming students
Faculty of Environmental Sciences
Field of Hydro Sciences
Hydrobiology
Hydrology and Meteorology
Water Management
Waste Management and Contaminated Site Treatment
Hydro Science & Engineering / Master taught in English
Field of Forest Sciences
Forest Sciences
Wood Science and Technology
Tropical Forestry and Management / Master taught in English
Field of Geosciences
Geodesy
Geography
Geoinformation Technologies
Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing
Spatial Development and Natural Resource Management
Cartography / Master taught in English
Faculty of Transportation and Traffic Science
Transport Engineering
Transport Economics
Railyway System Engineering
Air Transport and Logistics
Information for incomings students
Faculty of Business and Economics
Business and Economics
Business Management
Business Informatics
Economics and Engineering
Business Education
Information for incoming students
SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus
Application deadlines
Summer semester (beginning of studies 1st April) until 15th January
Winter semester (beginning of studies 1st October) until 15th June
Application procedure
Please register online and send your complete application documents to the International Office of TU Dresden.
Documents to hand in:
- Signed print out of application form of the online registration (with photo)
- Learning agreement with detailed information about your study project at the TU Dresden approved by your home institution (form of your home institution or form Learning Agreement)
- Transcript of Records or proof of previous studies at the home institution (form of your home institution or form Transcript of Records) + english or german translation
- Language certificate (B1 German - in case language of instruction is German/ B2 for Medicine and Dentistry; if applicable proof of English B1/B2)
- Copy of passport or ID
In case you are already accepted by a department of the TU Dresden or institute in Dresden please hand in:
- Print out of the application form of the online registration (with photo)
- Statement of acceptance of the corresponding department or institute in Dresden
- Proof of enrolment at your home university
- Transcript of Records or proof of previous studies at the home institution (for PhD students e.g. Master's Certificate) + english or german translation
- Copy of passport or ID
O N L I N E A P P L I C A T I O N S T A R T
Please send your complete documents by email or by post to the following address:
Ina Deutsch-Gorski
Technische Universität Dresden
Akademisches Auslandsamt
D - 01062 Dresden
The Erasmus contact person can assist you in selecting courses and in setting up your learning agreement. Usually he or she is the person to sign your Learning Agreement. During your studies he or she can give you information about the exam registration at the respective institution or faculty. At the end of your studies he or she can help you with the Transcript of Records.
Admission
After your application is received by the International Office, you will receive an email confirming the receipt of your application and its completeness.
Your application will then be passed on to the programme coordinator of your desired subject, who will then examine the learning agreement and make a decision about your admission to the programme.
If you are admitted by your desired faculty, the International Office will send you an acceptance letter and the signed learning agreement.
Please note that the processing of your application at TU Dresden will require about 4 weeks, and may also take longer in some cases.
- After you have received your letter of admission and if you would like to reserve accommodation in a student residence hall, you can apply for a room at the Studentenwerk Dresden. Please apply immediately after receiving the letter of admission.
- Along with your notification of admission, you will receive information regarding arrival, enrolment, and commencement of studies.
ENROLMENT
To register for the summer semester, you are expected to enrol end of March. For the winter semester, you are to enrol end of September.
- Exact deadlines and time frames will be communicated to you with your admission notification.
- If you cannot arrive until the designated time period due to delayed issuance of visa, please come to our service desk during office hours.
- In general, enrolment before the designated arrival period is not possible.
Semester fees
To enrol at the TU Dresden, you must provide proof of payment of the semester fees.
You will receive information about paying these fees along with your admission. Payment may be made before you come to Dresden, or it may be completed with other enrolment formalities after you arrive. Please note that you can only pay cash at a bank - but not in the International Office.
Health Insurance:
In order to enrol, you must provide proof that you hold an insurance policy at one of the public insurance agencies in Germany, or a certification that you are exempt from this health insurance requirement. Being over the age of 30 you do not have to give proof of health insurance to TUD.
Please take out a travel health insurance policy ONLY for the period of your arrival, as travel health insurance policies are not valid for enrolment purposes. You can find detailed information about health insurance here.
Student Applicants from EU-Countries
If you are an EU citizen, no visa is required to enter or to study in Germany.
Applicants from other Countries (non-EU)
Please apply for a student visa at the Germany Embassy in your home country.
This also applies to applicants from countries, where a visa for entry into Germany is not required.
Application for a student visa at the German Embassy of your home country is no longer possible after entering Germany.
Please do NOT enter Germany on a tourist visa. The conversion to a student visa is NO longer possible!
This does not apply to citizens from the following countries (also see Foreign Office): Andorra, Australia, Brazil, El Salvador, Honduras, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Canada, the Republic of Korea, Liechtenstein, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland and the USA. Citizens from these countries only need a residence permit for study purposes. You have to apply for this residence permit at the appropriate Foreigners' Registration Office within three months of entry.
Further Information
An overview of specific requirements for each country may be found with the Deutsches Auswärtiges Amt (German Foreign Office).
To apply for a student visa in your home country, the following documents are required:
- confirmation of receipt of application
- notification of receiving a study place or
- letter of admission
Student Dormitories
If you would like to live in a student dormitory, then you should apply for a room at the Studentenwerk Dresden after having been admitted to the university.
Please submit the application for a dormitory room as soon as you receive your letter of admission from TU Dresden. Include a copy of your admission letter in your application. All information concerning student dorms, application procedure, and application forms can be found at Studentenwerk Dresden.
Private accommodation
Dresden offers a wide range of apartments and rooms in so-called "Wohngemeinschaften" (flat shares). Rooms in student flat shares are often ready-furnished and may also be available for a shorter period of time.
To live in a shared flat may be a good alternative and an excellent way to get into contact with German students and to get involved in students' life in Dresden.
studenten-wg.de site especially for students
WG-gesucht offers for flatshares
cybersax.de site of a Dresden newspaper
If you want to enjoy hotel-like comforts for your exchange semester at TU Dresden, check out The Student Hotel
Accommodation when arriving in Dresden
In case you have no place to stay when you first arrive, inexpensive accommodation can be found at:
- City-Herberge
Lingnerallee 3, 01069 Dresden
Tel.: +49 351 4859900
(Take tram no. 3 or 7 until stop "Pirnaischer Platz") - Lollis Homestay
Görlitzer Str. 34, 01099 Dresden
Tel: +49 351 810 84 58
(15 minutes by foot from station "Bahnhof Dresden Neustadt") - Hostel Mondpalast
Louisenstraße 77, 01099 Dresden
Tel: +49 351 56340-50
Fax: +49 351 56340-55 - Jugendherberge "Rudi Arndt"
Hübnerstraße 11, 01069 Dresden
Tel.: +49 351 471-0667
Fax: +49 351 4728959
(10 minutes by foot from Dresden main station) - A&O Hostel
Strehlener Straße 10, 01069 Dresden
Tel: +49 351 46 92 71 59 00
(5 - 10 minutes walk from Dresden main station or you can take bus no. 66 til stop "Uhlandstraße")

Counselling of international students
NameMs Ina Deutsch-Gorski
Exchange students
Send encrypted mail via the SecureMail portal (for TUD external users only).
International Office - International Students
Visitor Address:
Bürogebäude Strehlener Str. (BSS), room 657
01062 Dresden
- work Tel.
- +49 351 463-42000
- fax Fax
- +49 351 463-37738
Office Hours:
Please make an appointment at our Servicedesk.