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International Office
Studierende laufen über den Campus. Es ist eine große rote Skulptur in Form von großen Zahnrädern zu erkennen. © Roland Baege​/​TU Dortmund

Program Details

The International Summer Program thrives on the internationality of its participants: students from Dortmund and­ from all over the world meet at the ISP. Together, participants can explore the Ruhr Area: in the past, the Ruhr area was dominated by steel manufacturing and coal, but today it offers a unique culture and many exciting events. With the "Deutschlandsemesterticket", participants travel free of charge throughout Germany!

After exploring the Ruhr Area, it is also worthwhile to look beyond your own nose: the Ruhr Area lies at the heart of Europe, so that even the major European cities can be reached quickly.

Make best use of your summer and gain experience abroad!

The ISP takes place annually from the beginning of June to the end of July (respectively the beginning of August), so that the lecture-free period at the home university can be used optimally. Since all ISP courses are offered during the regular summer semester, many students will be expecting the participants at the campus of TU Dortmund University! The ISP cultural program supports you in meeting new people and discovering the culture of the Ruhr Area. There is a lot to experience in Dortmund during the summer: Participants can experience art and music at the ­Dortmunder U or ride a bicycle around the Phoenix Lake.

The ISP offers courses in three different tracks. Participants can select and combine any number of courses from the tracks:

Track A: Engineering Track B: Humanities Track C: Entrepreneurship

For successful participation in the courses, participants receive credits which can be recognized as study achievements at the home university by arrangement. You can find all courses of the past ISP in the course catalog. 

Make the most of your summer and gain experience abroad!

The program fee for students from our partner universities is 2,200 euros and includes the following services:

  • Accommodation
  • Health Insurance
  • Semester Ticket (Student Ticket for Public Transport)
  • Cultural Program and Excursions
  • Buddies & Pick-up Service in Dortmund

The ISP fee must be paid by the beginning of April.

Additional costs for food and leisure activities, for example, amount to approx. 350 euros per month.

In some cases, additional tuition fees are charged by the home institutions. These individual fees are independent of the program fee at TU Dortmund University and cannot be reimbursed by TU Dortmund University.

If the stay has to be canceled due to medical problems or other personal problems, participants will receive a refund of the costs that are still refundable at the time of cancellation.

Participants are accommodated in student hostels/dormitories that are either directly on campus or close to campus. All halls of residence have a fast and safe connection to TU­ Dortmund University by­ public transport. ­Depending on availability, the rooms themselves are either single apartments or single rooms in shared flats, facilities varying between the individual halls of residence. All dormitory rooms are furnished and offer a wired internet connection, pillow and duvet. It is recommended that you bring a LAN cable with you. Washing machines and dryers are available in the halls of residence for a fee.  The dormitory room is only available to participants during the duration of the program.

The health insurance­ is valid for the duration of the ISP in all member states of the Schengen area. The health insurance covers all treatments that are medically necessary in case of acute illnesses, such as medical advice, medically prescribed medication, hospital stays, operations and necessary dental treatment.

Not covered by the insurance: treatment of pre-existing conditions, childbirth, abortion, treatment at a health resort if the illness is the result of drug addiction or an intended accident, mental illnesses, as well as treatments without medical necessity (e.g. plastic surgery).

ISP students receive a Deutschland-Semesterticket, which can be used on public transport as well as regional transport throughout Germany (no use of Intercity (IC) or Intercity Express (ICE)). These means of transport may be used: Bus, H-Bahn, tram, U-Bahn, S-Bahn, Regional Bahn (RB), Regional Express (RE).

In addition to the academic part of the program, an extensive cultural program is offered, which is put together individually each year. Excursions and outings are organized so that participants can get to know­ Dortmund and the Ruhr Area better. Of course, participants can also get to know the other ISP students better this way. In recent years, for example, a mining museum was visited where participants learnt more about mining in the region. In addition, the largest football stadium in Germany, Signal Iduna Park, was visited and participants were able to walk through the players' tunnel to the pitch on a guided tour. Sports activities such as a visit to the climbing garden were also organized.

ISP participants receive a “Buddy” for support.
Buddies are TU Dortmund University students who have already gained their own experience abroad or are preparing for a semester abroad. The buddies pick up the ISP participants from the train station in Dortmund and help them move into the halls of residence. They are the contact persons for questions and/or problems and will accompany the participants during their stay in Dortmund.

Due to the close proximity, it is recommended to land at Düsseldorf Airport (DUS). At the airport there is a train station with direct regional train connections to Dortmund main station. You can use these connections free of charge with the Deutschland-Semesterticket.
Alternatively, participants can land at Frankfurt Airport (FRA), for example. There is also a train station there with a direct train connection to Dortmund Central Station.  You can use the Deutschland-Semesterticket for the train journey. Please note, however, that you can only use regional train connections. It is not possible to travel on a high-speed train (IC/ICE/EC) with the Deutschland-Semesterticket. In this case, participants must bear the travel costs themselves.
The Buddies will then pick up the participants at Dortmund Central Station and help them move into the halls of residence.

To find out whether or not a visa is required to enter Germany, please consult the website of the Federal Foreign Office. For those who do not require a visa, please note that this only applies to stays of up to three months. Persons requiring a visa should apply for a Schengen visa.

You will need the following documents to apply:

  • the visa application form
  • a certificate of admission to the program (on request after transferring the program fee)
  • official letter of admission from TU Dortmund University
  • a financial statement
  • a confirmation that you will leave the country after the end of the ISP
  • a certificate of the conditions of your health insurance (on request)
  • passport photos

Further information can be found under the following links on the websites of the Federal Foreign Office and the DAAD.

Discover More!

How to Apply
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