The partner universities of the Department of Political Science are:

Belgium:

  • Gent Universiteit Gent (2 students – BA/MA – for two semesters each ; English courses)

France:

Italy:

Croatia:

Latvia:

  • Riga, Latvijas Universitate ( 2+2 ForThem places – BA/MA -for one semester each ; English course offer).

Norway:

  • Kristiansand, University of Agder (2 BA students for two semesters each + 3 ForThem places – BA/MA – for one semester each; English course offer).

Poland:

Romania:

  • Sibiu, Lucian Blaga University(2 BA students for one semester each + 2 BA ForThem places + 2 MA ForThem places – for one semester each)

Sweden:

  • Umeå, Universitet Umeå (2 students – BA/MA – for two semesters each ; English courses)

Sweden:

Spain:

  • Valencia, Universitat de Valencia(2 BA students for two semesters each, 1 ForThem place – BA- for one semester).

Czech Republic:

Turkey:

  • NEW! Antalya, Bilim Üiniversitesi (1 student – BA/MA -forone semester each ; English course offer)

UK:

Unfortunately, exchanges with the UK have become much more complicated since BREXIT. This is due to changes in visa requirements, language requirements and accommodation conditions. Please contact the Erasmus coordinator before applying.

Please note: In general, most partner universities require a language level of B1 or B2 in either English or the national language. However, please always ask your chosen higher education institution beforehand which certificate is required there. Most of these universities offer a wide range of interesting courses in English. The partner universities expect you to be able to actively participate in their courses. It therefore makes little sense to go abroad with rudimentary language proficiency.

Please note that we generally only award scholarships for the winter semester or the entire academic year, as most of our partners already start their “summer semester” in January or February (so that you would not be able to finish the winter semester here), but go on their well-deserved summer break at the beginning of June (our summer semester has long since started, however, so that you would not be able to “get in” here either).

At the start of your stay abroad, you must have completed two semesters of study and be regularly enrolled at JGU without a time limit (B.A. Political Science as a major or minor; B.Ed.; M.Ed.; M.A. PÖIB).

Applications should be submitted in writing (by post or by dropping them in the mailbox at the Office of Student Affairs) to Dr. Maria Paola Ferretti.

Your documents should consist of:

  • Letter of motivation (academic/professional reasons for a stay abroad at the desired institution. Language skills are a prerequisite)
  • Current Transcript of Records (i.e., a copy of the Abitur certificate/performance record as well as a list of all current or attended courses and module examinations that have already been taken but are not yet listed in the performance record).
  • Curriculum vitae in tabular form (including contacts, personal data; education, social commitment, hobbies, professional experience, time spent abroad, language skills)

Motivation: Why do you want to study abroad? Do you have what it takes to do this successfully? (Language skills/language certificates)

Professional qualifications: Do you study quickly and successfully?

Commitment: What do you do when you’re not studying?

Specialist coordinator Dr. Maria Paola Ferretti:

  • Questions about the application process
  • Issue of language certificates for the host university
  • Completion of an Online Learning Agreement before the stay abroad
  • Recognition of achievements from abroad/ToR Sending as proof to Erasmus+ after the stay abroad

International Office:

  • Access to the MoveOn platform (where the Online Learning Agreement is created and approved)
  • General information on planning and the process of studying abroad
  • Funding options: Erasmus+ scholarship and special grants (advice and application)
  • Information on other exchange programs

All fully enrolled JGU students studying Political Science in their Bachelor’s or Master’s degree, including minor in sth. or BEd or MEd, can apply for an Erasmus fellowship. Minimum requirements for an application:

– Sufficient knowledge, i.e. (at least) intermediate level (B1 completed, better: B2) of the language of instruction (English or national language). Ideally, you should have a language certificate. If you do not have a certificate, you must send us proof (A-level grades; proof of a stay abroad…).

– At least two academic semesters must have been completed (not necessarily by the time of application) and the introductory module must have been completed and passed at the start of the study abroad program.

As a rule, a semester abroad is recommended for Bachelor’s students in their fifth semester and for MA students in their third semester. Your subject coordinator or subject-specific academic advisor will be happy to advise you on the ideal time for you.

There is an application deadline for Erasmus places every year in January. As a rule, the places for the following academic year are called for proposals in November/December and an information event (Department of Political Science) takes place in December. An overview of the currently valid Erasmus+ contracts and the active subject coordinators can be found under the following link:

For each Erasmus place on offer, the number of semesters indicated refers to the maximum length of the stay abroad; if “two semesters” is indicated, this does not mean that you have to stay for two semesters.

Please refer to the JGU International website for information on financing Erasmus stays:

The complete application has three components:

  1. You must submit your application for an Erasmus+ place in Political Science to the Erasmus+ subject coordinator. The application phase usually closes in the second week of January for a stay abroad, which takes place in the next winter semester.
  2. Registration for an Erasmus fellowship takes place directly after successful nomination by the subject coordinator. You must log in online.
  3. The application to the partner university follows in spring (usually online, find out more after the nomination).

The following documents must be submitted in full and on time:

  • Completed application form (see Erasmus website of the Powi Institute)
  • Current transcript of records (transcript of records if available; copy of high school diploma, language certificates, etc.)
  • Curriculum vitae in tabular form (including contacts, personal data; education, social commitment, hobbies, professional experience, time spent abroad, language proficiency)

Applications should be sent in writing and in paper form to:

You can apply for a maximum of three universities (not cities or countries). The universities must be listed in order of priority in the application.

  • Motivation: Why do you want to study abroad? Do you have what it takes to do this successfully? (language proficiency/language certificates)
  • Professional qualifications: Do you study quickly and successfully?
  • Commitment: What do you do when you’re not studying?

If you are studying a two-subject program of study, you can apply via your different faculties. In this case, please let the subject coordinator of the respective subject know. If you receive several offers, let all Erasmus coordinators know as soon as possible which place you are accepting. No applications from non-subjects will be accepted.

Yes. Each person has a quota of 12 months for an Erasmus exchange per phases of study (Bachelor’s, Master’s degree, doctorate). This includes semesters abroad and internships abroad.

If you find out after your application or even after your nomination that you cannot take up your stay (e.g. for health, family or study organization reasons), please inform your subject coordinator and the International Office immediately. Withdrawal is generally possible, but should be done in good time so that your place can be given to another person if necessary.

Yes, many students apply for a semester on leave during their Erasmus stay. Please contact the Student Office in good time to find out about the deadlines and requirements. The credits earned abroad can still be recognized.

In principle, this is only possible in justified exceptional cases and must be agreed with the subject coordinator and the partner university. There is no guarantee of postponement.

No. As part of the Erasmus program, you are exempt from tuition fees at the partner university. If individual fees apply (e.g. for language courses or administrative fees), please contact the partner university directly.

All nominees (but also all non-nominees) will be informed in writing by the subject coordinator. Please send an e-mail immediately with a rejection if you do not wish to accept the place at the assigned university. Nominated students must then immediately register online with the International Office (Erasmus+ online scholarship registration for nominated candidates: jgu.to/studium/erasmus-anmeldung). You will receive access to the declaration of acceptance, i.e. a PDF form, which you must complete, sign and submit to the subject coordinator by email. The subject coordinator must then confirm that you have been nominated for the study place and forward the form to the International Office by the deadline. Nominated students will receive a copy.

Once you have been successfully nominated, you will receive an information package from the International Office in the spring, in which you will learn everything you need to know about the next steps and receive all the forms you need to complete and submit to the International Office. Once you have been successfully nominated, the host universities will send you e-mails asking you to register online. Each university has its own online system and needs different information from you. Please fill in the necessary form as soon as possible and take care of other necessary documents. You are responsible for enrollment at the partner university (as well as registration for any language courses, finding accommodation, taking out insurance, etc.).

A Learning Agreement is a study contract between the student abroad, the higher education institution in Germany and the higher education institution abroad and is filled out online (OLA). You will be activated for the “OLA” by the International Office. In the OLA, you indicate which courses you intend to attend at the partner university each semester, in consultation with the subject coordinator. The OLA must then be approved both by the Erasmus subject coordinator here in Mainz and by the responsible person at the partner university. The OLA often initially has the function of a wish list. You will often only find out what is actually on offer once you are there. And then it may be necessary to amend the original OLA again in consultation with the subject coordinator. The Online Learning Agreement should contain Political Science courses worth a minimum of 15 and a maximum of 30 credit points. The number of credits per course as estimated by the partner institution applies. The international currency for credit points is called “European Credit Transfer System cr.”.

We recommend completing the following modules abroad:

BA Core: Aufbaum. II and III; basic modules

BA Minor and Bed: Basic modules

MA: Module 2 and 3

MEd: Module 11 and 12

Courses that you have already taken in Mainz cannot be recognized. Likewise, no examination results may be recognized if you have already passed an examination in Mainz. For example, if you attend a course abroad and want to have it recognized as a PT basic seminar, but have already attended this seminar in Germany, it is logically not possible for us to recognize this course. If you have also written a term paper abroad and you want this to count towards the PT basic module, but you have already had an unsuccessful attempt at a term paper in Mainz, recognition is also not possible.

Changes are possible and common. They must be documented in the “During the Mobility” section of the Online Learning Agreement and approved by all parties involved. Please discuss any changes with your subject coordinator in advance.

In some cases, you will need to enter the Erasmus code of the host university. You can find this in the JGU partnership database (International).

For Political Science please enter 0312 (Political sciences and civics).

You must take at least 15 European Credit Transfer System (European Credit Transfer System) in Political Science and can take a maximum of 30 European Credit Transfer System courses.

This is generally possible as long as the courses can be recognized. Please discuss this with your subject coordinator beforehand. However, Political Science courses should be the main focus. Overall, however, it can be said that with 15 European Credit Transfer System credits, it does not matter what courses they come from, as long as at least 15 additional European Credit Transfer System credits come from Political Science courses.

The recognition of credits earned abroad is an important part of the ERASMUS program. The prerequisite is that you discuss in detail with your subject coordinator before departure which credits can be recognized. Inform yourself thoroughly about the courses offered at the partner university (Internet, reports, meetings of former ERASMUS students, etc.). The Learning Agreement (parts 1-3) and the transcript of records form the basis for the subsequent recognition of courses. You must apply for recognition of credits yourself after your return. The type of examination is particularly important: the examination form from abroad must correspond to the examination form of the respective module in Mainz. You can find out which modules allow which form of examination in their module catalog.

Please contact the JGU-EU Servicepoint (Erasmus+ internships).

The amount of the Erasmus fellowship depends on the country group and the duration of the stay. You can find an overview of the funding rates on the website of JGU’s International Office. Please note that the fellowship does not cover all costs.

Yes. Students with children, chronic illnesses or disabilities can apply for special funding. Further information and application forms can be obtained from the International Office or on their website.

First contact the International Office or the Erasmus coordinator at the partner university. Your subject coordinator in Mainz is also available to help you in an advisory capacity.

Travel abroad health insurance is mandatory. If you are staying temporarily in an EU or EEA country, you are entitled to medical treatment via the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). This card can be applied for free of charge from the respective health insurance provider.

Liability and accident insurance is also recommended. Some partner universities require proof of certain insurances at the time of registration. Please inform yourself in good time.

Yes, you must submit a short report (max. 2 pages), a Certificate of Departure, and a transcript of records from the partner university.