General information for international students who would like to study at the University of Leipzig for one or more semesters. We have summarised the most important information for a smooth start in Leipzig on this page.
General Information and Application
To apply as a student at the University of Leipzig, please fill in the forms provided by the International Office, the “Stabsstelle Internationales” (SI).
The Stabsstelle Internationales (= International Office) takes care of all general organization routines during your stay here in Leipzig, including:
- application
- registration
- accomodation
- student card
- etc.
The head of the International Office, Dr Svend Poller, is your institutional coordinator.
The person responsible for academic advising is the coordinator at the Institute of Communication and Media Studies (KMW) Erasmus Office. Please contact the Erasmus+ Assistant if you have any questions.
The Institute of Communication and Media Studies (German: KMW Institut) is divided into the following departments:
1. Communication Studies
2. Empirical Research in Communication and Media
3. Journalism (print, radio, tv, and agency journalism)
4. Journalism Science
5. Media Studies
6. Digital Media Culture
7. Media Education
8. Book Studies
9. Public Relations & Communication Management
The Institute for Communication and Media Studies offers a large education program. Currently, we offer one BA degree program and four MA degree programs.
BA Communication and Media Studies
MA Communication and Media Studies
MA Global Mass Communication
MSc Journalism
MA Communication Management
The BA Communication and Media Studies includes modules from all departments. The MA specializes in different fields. You can find more information on the academic programs of the Institute of Communication and Media Studies by clicking the link.
The academic year at the University of Leipzig is divided into two semesters.
Winter Semester: October 1st - March 31st
(Lectures finish in January/February, followed by an approx. 4-week exam period and the semester break until the end of March.)
Summer Semester: April 1st - September 30th
(Lectures finish by the end of July, followed by an approx. 4-week exam period and the semester break until the end of September.)
Courses and Timetables
The full range of courses offered by the Institute for Communication and Media Studies can be found on the institute’s website.
We recommend the following COURSES FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN THE BACHELOR COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA STUDIES. For Master's students, the following overview of courses in the MA programs KMW, Communication Management and Journalism that are suitable for Erasmus students.
You can also get information about modules and courses from the institute's coordinator or the Erasmus assistant.
Please consider the specifications and requirements of your home university:
- How many courses do you need to attend?
- How many credits do you need?
- Do you need to recieve grades?
Course enrollment
You can find all the necessary information for your exchange semester on our faculty's website. You will find information on how to fill out the Learning Agreement and which modules you can choose from.
Generally; you should discuss this with the respective lecturer. You may choose courses offered by other faculties and institutes, but you need to get the lecturers' permission. If you are planning to attend a course at another institute, please write the respective lecturer an email and introduce yourself at the beginning of the first session.
Are there courses in English?
At the Institute for Communication and Media Studies, courses are primarily held in German. There is currently a small range of courses in English.
Where can I find courses to improve my German?
The website of the International Office offers various information on helpful courses and contatcs during your stay.
ECTS and Grades
There are different ways to earn credit points:
If you attend an entire module from bachelor’s or master´s programme and pass all exams, you’ll earn 10 ECTS. For two modules, you’ll earn 20 ECTS: Basic Module I and II in the BA programme.
If you choose to attend single lectures or courses (seminars), the ECTS credits are awarded as follows:
- 3 courses from one module (lecture/seminar): 3 ECTS per course + 1 ECTS per passed exam
- 2 courses from one module (lecture/seminar): 4 ECTS per course + 1 ECTS per passed exam
As there are no exams for a single course, your assessment modalities should be arranged individually with the Erasmus assistant and/or lecturer.
“Participation points” (Teilnahmepunkte) can only be awarded for an approximately ten minute-long conversation/interview with the lecturer at the end of the course. The certificate of achievement (Leistungsschein - see download section) is then signed by the lecturer.
Learning Agreement and Transcript of Records
The Learning Agreement is your individual course plan. Your home university needs the Learning Agreement along with other documents in order to be able to to track whether and what exactly you have studied at your host university.
Once you have chosen your courses from the course catalogue, you transfer them to the Learning Agreement.
Usually, the course programme (Vorlesungsverzeichnis) for the winter semester is published at the end of August and for the summer semester at the end of February. You will find the courses offered in the course catalogue.
It is possible that your course plan may change. This can happen if, for example, your preferences or the course catalogue change. This is common and unproblematic. If you have to submit your Learning Agreement very early to your home university, you can simply enter courses from the most recent course catalogue. You can still change your Learning Agreement later (after your arrival) according to your wishes.
In order to receive your final Transcript of Records, you must have a certificate of achievement ("Leistungsschein" - see the downloads section on the right side of this page) of each course you attended which is then signed by the respective lecturer before you leave Leipzig. Then you submit copies (!) of all your “Leistungsscheine” to the Institute for Communication and Media Studies Erasmus office by post or email.
Once your paperwork is complete, your Transcript of Records will be issued and you can collect it.
If you are leaving before you have received all your grades, please make sure that your certificates of achievement are forwarded to the Institute for Communication and Media Studies Erasmus office (P.O. Box number: PF 165121). Otherwise you will have to send them as a copy by post or email to the Institute for Communication and Media StudiesErasmus office. We will gladly send your documents to your home university or to your private address.