GERMANY - ISEP Katholische Universitat Eichstatt - Ingolstadt

To be eligible to participate in this program, students must meet the following requirements:

• Good academic and judicial standing during time of application AND time of participation in program
• Undergraduates must have completed at least two semesters of study at Lake Forest College AND have second-semester sophomore status or higher before participation. 
• At least 18 years of age by the program’s departure date. 
• Be able to stay at the host program for the duration of the semester, including through the exam and travel periods
• Minimum GPA of 2.75.  
• Language Requirement: 2 semesters of German is recommended. 3-4 semesters of German is required to follow courses conducted in German. Students wishing to enroll solely in English-taught courses are not required to provide German proficiency (provided courses are available). 
• The student must submit ISEP language proficiency report in the application, even if native speaker.

Students applying to ISEP must apply for an Exchange option (in any country) as a first choice but may apply to a Direct option as a back-up. Direct options may have an additional cost (see a financial section for more information).

Eichstaett is situated in the middle of Bavaria, 70 miles north of Munich, an area of rolling hills and valleys which has been designated a national park. The creations in baroque style by architects such as Jakob Engel, Gabriel di Gabrieli, and Maurizio Pedetti have helped give the city a reputation as one of the most beautiful in Bavaria. The central university administration is housed in the former summer residence of the bishops. The newer buildings of the university are situated around the garden of the summer residence and on the bank of the river Altmuhl.

Ingolstadt is situated in the heart of Bavaria between Nuremberg and Munich. The city is an economic, scientific and cultural center. It combines tradition and modernity in a charming way and offers students an attractive environment. The WFI campus is conveniently situated close to Ingolstadt’s historic city center. The cafeteria, residence halls, soccer fields and swimming pools can be reached within a few minutes of each other by foot. The inner city offers many cafes, restaurants, and the famous Bavarian beer gardens to enjoy in your leisure time. Therefore, it will not take you long to get anywhere in Ingolstadt. During winter, many students take a trip to the Alps to ski or snowboard.

The university’s faculties of philosophy and theology date back more than 400 years. Eichstaett became a state-recognized University in 1980 but retained its independent status as a Catholic university open to students of all faiths. An attractive feature is its personal atmosphere: students, professors and administration officials at Eichstaett enjoy a closer relationship than is typical at many German universities. 

Eichstaett is a picturesque city located on the Altmuhl River, in the lower Bavarian region. As the smallest university in Germany, students here can expect an intimate classroom environment and easy access to professors. The university is divided into two campuses:

Eichstaett: Just 70 miles north of Munich, this is one of Bavaria’s most historic cities. Students can take courses in humanities, language, literature, philosophy, education, and theology!

Ingolstadt: Ingolstadt is home to the Faculty of Business and Economics (WFI), which offers a full curriculum of courses in English and is located just a short shuttle bus ride away from Eichstaett.

The university considers its humanities programs especially appropriate for ISEP participants. Eichstaett is particularly strong in modern languages (including computer linguistics) and literature, combined with an interdisciplinary approach to the history, society, and regions in which the languages are spoken. The university library at Eichstaett has been ranked number 1 in Bavaria and number 3 nationwide (after Konstanz and Bielefeld). The WFI (Faculty of Business Administration and Economics in Ingolstadt) has already been ranked among the top German universities in a number of respected polls. Therefore the Ingolstadt School of Management is continuing to prepare tomorrow’s managers and executives optimally for the economy of the 21st century. Note: US students need to have a minimum of 15-20 US credits in Business/Economics to be admitted at WFI.

KU offers English-taught classes, which might be especially interesting for students with only a basic knowledge of German. Classes taught in English: History, Journalism, Business and Economics, Sociology as well as nearly all classes offered in the department of English and American Studies. 

Language Notes: German language courses are offered in addition to regular classes during the academic year through the university language center. ISEP participants may be able to take additional German language courses by individual arrangement. 

Pre-session: A pre-session German language course is offered at all levels and is included in ISEP benefits.

SPECIAL ISEP APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Eichstaett can accept students who are in their second year of studies. Students applying for courses on the Ingolstadt campus should submit their applications as early as possible to guarantee housing close to their lecture halls and indicate their preference on their application.

HINTS FOR RESEARCHING COURSES

Researching courses in English on a German university homepage can be difficult and confusing. Here find a quick guide to navigating a German website, finding courses in both English and German, and some translations of common words and major fields of study. 

Academic Environment and Teaching Style

Please understand that the academic system is quite different. Classes are usually lecture-based, instead of discussion or group work. Classes are often much larger than those found at Lake Forest College. Grades are based heavily, at times almost entirely, on one end-of-term exam, though some courses will also offer a midterm.  Professors are often more formal than those in the United States.

All courses/modules may have prerequisites.  Some departments may have limitations on numbers of courses that can be taken within or outside it.  Be aware of these limitations.

Classes
At most universities, the winter semester runs from mid-October to March and the summer semester from mid-April to Mid-July. The period of study is generally counted in semesters rather than years.

While often friendly and helpful to foreign students, professors may be far more formal and less easy to approach than their U.S. counterparts.Teaching at the universities includes lectures and seminars. Vorlesungen (lectures) will, as a rule, take up the full amount of time designated, and the number of students is not limited. Discussion and questions concerning the lecture take place during the accompanying Übungen, small discussion groups. The Übungen usually feature homework assignments, research and the writing of papers.

The Seminar, dedicated to small-group learning, is headed by a professor. It covers a subject area in more detail and requires that each student contributes, by way of an oral presentation on a specific topic. Students are encouraged to participate intensively in two to four seminars per semester. Proseminare makes up the Grundstudium (first few terms of study) until successful completion of the intermediate exam, after which Hauptseminare are taken to finish the course of study. Proseminare may also be taken in the Hauptstudium.

A common practice is the akademische Viertel. Classes are scheduled on the hour, but do not actually begin until 15 minutes past. This is signified by a “c.t.” (cum tempore) after the listed time of a meeting. If this practice does not apply to a particular meeting, an “s.t.” (sine tempore) will appear after the posted time. Check with other students before assuming that the akademische Viertel is practiced by individual instructors.

Coursework
Independent, self-directed study is heavily emphasized at German universities. There are usually no definite assignments of a certain number of pages to read in textbooks. German students are expected to do independent primary and secondary reading during the course of their studies. Independent study is a crucial element of the academic freedom of a German institution and is designed to encourage self-motivation and promote interesting discussion since not everyone has read the same material. While less demanding on a daily basis than study at a U.S. institution, independent study may ultimately be more rigorous in its demands.

Grades
Assessment is based on oral and written reports in seminars for which the student receives a Schein, or certificate (a grade can be requested). A certain number of Scheine are required in order to take the intermediate exam. The state exam, for which the student receives a grade, assesses the quality of his or her entire course of study. Grades are given on a five-point scale: 1, very good, to 5, unsatisfactory or failing. However, by introducing the ECTS credit system, the German „Schein“ is becoming less common.  Students need 30 ECTS credits to earn 4 Lake Forest credits.

ORIENTATION

Students should always inform their host ISEP coordinator of their arrival time, which should be during regular business hours (M-F). KU International and your tutor will pick you up from Eichstatt train station and accompany you to your dorm or your apartment. Should you arrive outside of business hours, Germany has a safe and reliable network of public transportation which will take students from the airport to their host site easily and most people in Germany will speak fluent English. 

The International Office and Welcome Teams of both Eichstatt and Ingolstadt have designed a special orientation program for all incoming international students. The orientation weeks include tutorials on How to register for classes, meet your academic advisors, excursions to famous Bavarian sites, an official welcome reception, movie nights, guided city tours, and other welcome evening events.

STUDENT ACTIVITIES

The International Office offers an attractive leisure program for international students including excursions to famous Bavarian, Austrian and German sites such as Salzburg, Munich, Nuremberg, Regensburg, Berlin (upon request), and much more. Apart from that international students can join the campus sports center as well as the choir and orchestra.

Excursions: The International Office offers an attractive activity program for international students including excursions to famous Bavarian, Austrian and German sites such as Salzburg, Munich, Nuremberg, Regensburg, Berlin (upon request), and much more. Some excursions will require a small fee.

The university arranges for single-occupancy rooms in university residences. A stipend is provided for meals.

For all approved programs for guaranteed financial aid transferability, students pay their Lake Forest College tuition plus a program fee. The program fee for a semester with the ISEP Exchange program includes orientation, on-site director, college fees, housing and a stipend to cover the equivalent of 19/meals per week.

Here is an estimated budget for the Fall 2018/Spring 2019 programs:

Tuition rates and program fees are subject to change each year, but this information was up-to-date as of February 2018. We will notify applicants, and update this page if the program fee or other estimates change.

You can discuss with Financial Aid your specific aid package and your expected family contribution.

Keep in mind that you may spend more or less in certain areas like personal expenses, travel, meals, or airfare, depending on exchange rates and your own spending habits. Classroom or lab fees are not included in this estimate and will depend on your course registration choices.  

Don’t forget to apply for scholarships! A great listing can be found here.