Before Your Semester Abroad

If you will be studying at a partner university abroad within the framework of Erasmus+, you will need to sign Learning Agreement. Students who complete a semester abroad outside of Erasmus+ are not required to sign a Learning Agreement +.

• Online Learning Agreement: To create your learning agreement, first select courses from the partner university’s course catalog. They should correspond to courses you would have taken at EUF, i.e., the courses for which you want to receive credit from your courses abroad. After that you will need to check with your EUF degree program coordinator to make sure the courses you chose can be recognized. Then fill out the Online Learning Agreement at www.learning-agreement.eu. Your EUF coordinator and the host university will receive automatic emails with a link to the LA for their review and signature. All the parties involved (the partner university, your EUS coordinator, and you yourself) must approve of the Learning Agreement before your semester abroad begins.

Please contact your degree program coordinator (coordinator.eus@uni-flensburg.de) sufficiently early to check that your courses can be recognized.

All the parties involved (the partner university, your EUCS contact person, and you yourself) must sign the Learning Agreement before your mobility phase begins. Please download the finished Learning Agreement and send it to: hiwi-outgoing-PleaseRemoveIncludingDashes-@uni-flensburg.de You will find instructions about how to prepare the Online Learning Agreement under "Downloads."

Note: You do not need to in Studiport for the courses you wish to receive credit for.

It may happen that you cannot take all of your chosen courses, for example because of scheduling overlaps. You can change your course selection in the Online Learning Agreement ("During the Mobility" section) up to 5 weeks after the semester has started. First ask your EUF degree program coordinator to confirm that the new courses can be recognized, and then update the Online Learning Agreement. Your degree program coordinator and the host university both need to approve the changes in your Online Learning Agreement. After they have confirmed the change, please download a copy of the revised agreement and send it to hiwi-outgoing@uni-flensburg.de.

The partner university will provide you with a transcript of records for all the courses you successfully completed there. As soon as this transcript becomes available, please submit it and your completed application for foreign course recognition (see downloads below) to your recognition officer at the EUF International Center. It is important that we receive the original transcript of records. In other words, either send us the original document by mail, or have the partner university email it directly to outgoing@uni-flensburg.de.

The courses will then be recognized for transfer credit to EUF. To learn about the method and assessment criteria, please see here.

You should keep a copy of the course description (in English or German) ready, in case any questions come up about the courses you took abroad.

Please apply to have your foreign coursework recognized as soon as the transcript of records becomes available from your host university abroad. Some partner universities send the transcript directly to the International Center at Europa-Universität Flensburg, while others send it directly to the student. In the former case, please ask us whether the transcript has already arrived at EUF.

EUF recognizes foreign coursework in accordance with the principles of the Lisbon Convention. One of the most important key points of the Lisbon Convention is the paradigm shift from "equivalence" to "essential difference." The latter states that differences between two courses at the host/home university do not, in principle, constitute an obstacle to recognition. Rather, learning outcome is the most relevant criterion when determining whether a specific course can be recognized.

Method and Evaluation Criteria:

When determining whether significant differences exist between two courses, the following five key elements are considered:

1. Quality: The foreign (host) university and, if applicable, the degree program offered at the foreign  country are examined to determine whether the courses in question have been duly accredited in accordance with the legal regulations in force in the host country.

2. Level: The degree level (bachelor, master) of the course taken at the host university is checked.

3. Learning outcomes: Course recognition focuses on learning outcomes. When comparing courses and assessing the potential for recognition, the focus is not on the detailed micro level, but rather on how well the course prepares students for further university study.

4. Scope: In general, accreditation may not be denied due to differences of quantitative scope between the two courses under comparison (i.e., differences in the number of ECTS credits of each course).

5. Profile: The learning outcomes of the host university course are checked to ensure that they fit with the goals and focus of the degree program at the home university (e.g. focus of study, qualification goals, skills goals, etc.).

Further information:

Guidelines for the recognition of foreign coursework (nexus HRK project)

Summary of the main principles of the Lisbon Convention (Project nexus HRK)

Grade conversion: Grades are converted in accordance with this table. For countries not listed in the table, grades are converted using the modified Bavarian formula.

Appeal: In the case of a negative recognition decision, students receive a notification of recognition (reasons for the decision and instructions on how to appeal it).

Erasmus+ Online Learning Agreement (Study Agreement)

Access to the Online Learning Agreement

The agreement must be completely filled out and signed by both parties (Europa-Universität Flensburg and the partner university) before you depart for your host university.

Please use the instructions for filling out the Learning Agreement.

Application Form for Foreign Course Recognition

You can download the application form for the recognition of courses taken abroad here. Please complete the application and submit it (as a Word document) to your degree program coordinator, along with your transcript of records.