With the agreement between the State of Connecticut and the German state of Baden-Wurttemberg, all students enrolled at a four-year college or university in Connecticut are invited to study at institutions of higher education in Baden-Wuerttemberg. With 10 institutions to choose from, students with all majors and programs of interest can find the perfect fit, even if they don’t speak German!
The Baden-Wuerttemberg-Connecticut Exchange (BW-CT) is for both undergraduate and graduate students. Undergraduate students can participate any time after they have completed their freshman year. A GPA of 3.0 or higher is required for participation. Most German partner universities do not require CT exchange students to speak German. Please check with your study abroad advisor regarding exceptions
The participating German institutions are:
Pre-Semester Language Course & Orientation: September/March
Fall Semester: mid-October until early-February
Spring Semester: mid-April until end of July
Students will pay Central’s tuition and fees for the academic year or semester they plan to attend a BW-CT university. The BW-CT program charges a one-time fee of $650, and this fee is paid to the University of Connecticut. CT students must pay the student service fee at their German institution, it will range from 75-100 Euro per semester.
Each student is financially responsible for room and board and personal expenses while studying abroad. The program recommends students' budget 861 Euro per month for room and board.
Students may request housing in a dormitory. Students will apply for housing with their general application for studying at the German Host university. German dorms are single occupancy rooms, but students share a kitchen and one or more bathrooms with other international and domestic students. Costs for a room at a dorm range between 250 to 400 Euro per month.
Health insurance is mandatory for all student participants. German health insurance costs around 100 Euro per month.
For most universities, students are not required to speak German to participate in the BW-CT program. The Baden-Wuerttemberg Ministry has made special arrangements for a pre-semester intensive language and orientation program for Connecticut students for free. This program takes place at the host university campus in September/March. Students will participate in this program for 3-4 weeks. Before arriving at the host universities, CT students will take a test and will be placed in the appropriate level of language study. These guidelines do not apply to graduate students doing research in their field of study.
Depending on where students are staying and the size of their campus, they might want to purchase a bus pass, which ranges from 35-50 Euro per month. The majority of students walk or ride bikes to get around.
Students are advised by the BW-CT Exchange program to budget 861 Euro per month for room and board, then an additional 200 Euro per month for health insurance, transportation, books, and incidentals. Students should also budget money for spending, this will vary from student to student. Traveling to and from Germany will also be the student's responsibility to cover.
This program has made a number of scholarships available for Connecticut students. The maximum scholarship award is 4,000 Euro for students who go abroad the entire academic year. The maximum scholarship awarded to students who spend one semester abroad is 2,000 Euro.
For United States of American citizens, students do not need to apply for a student visa for this program. Students will apply for a residence permit on-site in Germany, and the cost is covered by the program.
The registration period for the spring 2025 BW-CT program is open. The deadline for applications is August 30th, 2024.
