Foreign credit acceptance
The acceptance of academic credits completed abroad is an important and central component of exchange programs at the Department of Sociology. Our goal is to facilitate credit acceptance and handle differences flexibly.
Before departure
Find out which credits can be accepted in order to ensure the greatest possible planning security for the rest of your studies - the earlier, the better.
If you are traveling abroad with Erasmus+, there are binding requirements. For example, all Erasmus students must complete the OLA.
Step 1: Course selection
Check your host university's website for information about courses offered during your stay and discuss your course selection with the exchange coordinator at the Department of Sociology.
Foreign creedits can be accepted provided that no significant difference is found in terms of the skills acquired and course requirements. Whether a significant difference exists is assessed based on the following criteria:
- Level of skills acquired or to be acquired
- Workload (ECTS)
- Profile of the study program
- Learning outcomes
Erasmus scholarships are always awarded for one semester or one year of full-time study abroad. Therefore, the general guideline for course selection is 30 ECTS per semester. The Department of Sociology recommends successfully completing at least 20 ECTS - whether you still require ECTS credits for your program or not.
As there are university and department-specific differences in the acceptance of ECTS credits, it is not possible to make general statements about the intended number of courses you should take per semester at the host university.
Please check with your host university and the specific course program and contact the program coordinator.
Find out which relevant and eligible courses are available at your host university or in your chosen program.
Contact the exchange coordinator responsible for your subject area at the Department of Sociology and discuss the eligibility of your chosen courses.
Step 2: Learning Agreement
The Learning Agreement is intended to enable transparent and efficient preparation for the stay abroad and to ensure that credits earned abroad can be accepted.
The purpose of the Learning Agreement is to record the intended academic program or course selection. Before the start of your stay abroad, this must be approved by all parties involved: the student, the sending institution, and the host institution.
You can create your learning agreement online—but only once your course selection has been agreed upon and the possible credits have been confirmed.
You can find detailed instructions on how to fill out the OLA in the International Office's Moodle course.
Upon return
Step 3: Credit acceptance
After your return, we are happy to assist you individually throughout the process of credit acceptance.