Research Stays at KIT

KIT, the Research University in the Helmholtz Association, offers various options for internships, research projects, and graduation theses. Before choosing one of them, inform yourself about the different requirements in the table below. To conduct research at KIT, students must be enrolled at their home universities.

Students coming to KIT within a program (Erasmus Traineeship Program, RISE, WISE, etc.) may enroll as research students or conclude an internship agreement.

Visiting doctoral researchers may enroll as research students, if the following requirements are fulfilled.

 

Option A: Research Stays for Students

(Research or Study Projects, Graduation Theses, etc.)

A research stay of a student is a supervised research project.

Current information

Requirements

If your are a student interested in completing a research stay at KIT, you need a supervisor at KIT

While doing research at KIT, you must be enrolled at your home university.

Duration

As a rule, the research stay takes one or two semesters. In some cases, the duration may be up to four semesters. 

Costs

International students who need a residence title or visa, have to provide proof of financial resources in the amount of EUR 934 per month or at least EUR 11,208 per year in order to live in Germany. The proof of your financial resources (a blocked account, scholarship award notification, etc.) must be presented to the German embassy or the aliens' registration office.

Visa

When presenting your admission letter, you can apply for a student visa

Funding

KIT hardly offers any scholarships for international research students. In rare cases funding is possible. Contact your supervisor and/or consult the websites of DAAD (e.g. via the scholarship database https://www2.daad.de/deutschland/stipendium/datenbank/en/21148-scholarship-database/).

Enrollment

Enrollment is optional, but recommended. Please note that in spite of your status as a research student at KIT, you will not be allowed to join any courses at KIT and will not receive any ECTS credits. This means that you will not be entitled to participate in an examination. 

Searching for Projects

For research projects at KIT, click Job/Career at KIT and/or directly consult the websites of the departments and institutes of KIT. 

Contact

You will have to look for a research project and the supervisor at KIT on your own. 

Contact the supervisor directly. 

 

Optional: Enrollment at KIT

After having found a supervisor for your research project, you may enroll as a student. With your admission letter, you can apply for a student visa.

Please note that research students have to be enrolled at their home university when they want to enroll at KIT.

Enrollment at KIT is associated with a number of advantages. Enrolled students are allowed to work for up to 20 hours per week. Students coming from abroad and having a resident permit are allowed to work 120 full days or 240 half days per calendar year as outlined in Article 16, par. 3 of the German Residence Act (AufenthG). In addition, students are allowed to work as student assistants without any restrictions. After enrollment, students of universities affiliated to the Studierendenwerk Karlsruhe have a liability insurance, as they pay the charge for the Studierendenwerk. In addition, they are insured against accidents (Social Code, vol. VII). As a KIT student, you will benefit from cheaper cafeteria and canteen rates. You will have free library access and can buy cheaper public transportation tickets, etc.

We recommend enrollment for a research stay of at least two months.

To enroll at KIT, please proceed as follows:

  1. Apply online here.
  2. The duration of your research stay may be one or two semesters. Find the semester dates here.
  3. After you have completed and sent the application, you will receive an information letter outlining the next steps by email.

The enrollment fee includes an administrative charge of EUR 70 plus a charge for the Studierendenwerk per semester.

Please note that the enrollment fee is no tuition fee!

 

Option B: Internship

Your stay at KIT will be considered an internship, as soon as you will conclude an internship agreement. This means that you have an employment relationship with KIT.

Current information

Requirements

For an internship at KIT, you will need a supervisor at KIT. 

If you complete an intership at KIT, your employer must conclude an internship agreement with you.

It is possible to pass an internship even without studying. Three types of a voluntary internship are distinguished:

  • A voluntary internship during studies,
  • a voluntary internship after studies,
  • a voluntary internship in the so-called gap year between the conferral of the bachelor’s degree and the start of the master’s program.

Duration

When students or graduates complete several internships, the total duration must not exceed twelve months.

Visa

When coming from outside of EU/EEA states, you will usually need a visa that gives you the right to work in Germany within the framework of an internship. For this, you will need an internship place at KIT and the approval by the Federal Labor Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit (BA). Your employer (the KIT institute) should apply for this approval as early as possible.

Funding

Interns from abroad: EUR 500.00.

Enrollment

During an internship, it is not possible to enroll as a student or research student.

Searching for Projects

Jobs/Career at KIT.

Contact

The respective KIT institute as your employer and the Human Resources Business Unit (PSE).

Further information

An internship relating to the subject of your studies does not require any approval by the Federal Labor Agency, if at least one of the following requirements is fulfilled:

  • The intern has the nationality of an EU member state or one of the following countries: Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Switzerland.
  • The internship takes place within the framework of a program funded by the EU. The intern comes to KIT to write a graduation thesis exclusively. The intern does not do any practical work and, hence, does not acquire any professional skills. From the legal perspective, this is no internship

 

If you want to study at KIT for one or two semesters and are presently enrolled at a university that is no partner university of KIT, you can apply as a free mover.

Tuition Fees for International Students

Since winter semester 2017/18, tuition fees of EUR 1,500 per semester have to be paid by international students at the universities in Baden-Württemberg.
International students of EU/EEA citizenship are allowed to study without having to pay fees.
According to the new law, the following international students from third countries (with a citizenship of non-EU/EEA countries) have to pay tuition fees:

  •  Visiting students who are studying as free movers (without a cooperation agreement) for one or two semesters at KIT and do not aim at a degree of KIT.
  • Visiting students who are studying at KIT within the framework of a bilateral cooperation agreement and do not aim at a degree of KIT as from their third semester at KIT (two semesters are free of charge as part of a cooperation agreement, provided that mutual exemption from the payment of fees is agreed upon in the cooperation agreement).
  • Visiting students who come to KIT for a research stay or internship, who attend courses at KIT, and who receive ECTS credits for their study or examination achievements.

 

According to the new law, the following international students from third countries (with a citizenship of non-EU/EEA countries) are exempt from the obligation to pay tuition fees:

  • Visiting students who are studying at KIT within one of the Baden-Württemberg exchange programs or within the Erasmus programme and do not aim at a degree of KIT.
  • Visiting students who are studying at KIT for one or two semesters within the framework of a bilateral cooperation agreement, in which it is agreed on mutual exemption from the payment of fees (Overseas Direct Partnership), and who do not aim at a degree of KIT (as of the 3rd semester at KIT, however, tuition fees will have to be paid).
  • Visiting students who come to KIT for a research stay or internship, who do not attend courses at KIT, and who do not receive ECTS credits for study or examination achievements.
  • Visiting students who receive a scholarship of Baden-Württemberg foundation

 

Important: The receipt of a scholarship (exception: Baden-Württemberg scholarships) has no influence on the obligation to pay tuition fees.  Visiting students with a scholarship of DAAD, VDAC or Fulbright will only be exempt from the obligation to pay tuition fees in the cases mentioned above.
For further information, please click the Ministry's website.
Updated: May 2018