Language courses and short-term programs abroad
Not all students can afford to spend a semester or a whole year abroad, and a prolonged stay may not always fit everyone’s schedule either. Intensive language courses and summer and winter schools allow students to gain experience of living abroad and hone their international skills on a short-term academic program.
Intensive language courses
Intensive language courses are a kind of “crash course” in language learning. They last around three weeks, teach languages at various levels and are a good way to either learn a language from scratch or consolidate your existing knowledge. The language courses usually end with an examination, and you will be given a certificate or another form of proof showing the level you have achieved. Some courses also award credits. Please ask your department whether you can have these recognized at the University of Bonn.
Intensive language courses (apart from English) can be funded with a PROMOS scholarship. You can find the application criteria on the PROMOS scholarships1 website. The DAAD scholarship database (only available in German) lists scholarships for other specific language courses.
Summer and winter schools
Summer and winter schools are two- to four-week short-term academic programs3 for students. Completing the program earns you credits, which might be able to be recognized at the University of Bonn. You should clarify with your department in advance whether you can have your course recognized in this way.
We have put together a selection of courses from partner universities below. If the university of your choice is not listed, we recommend that you search for courses directly on the website of the desired university.
The courses are subject to a fee. Some universities will give you a discount. Discounts are only possibly if explicitly emtioned in the listings below. Please contact us before you apply.
Summer and winter schools can be funded with a PROMOS scholarship4. You can find the application criteria on the PROMOS scholarships website.
Countries and courses
Below you will find an overview of courses that are currently open for applications. Please contact the organizers directly if you have any questions about applying or how your stay will be organized.
Note that we primarily include courses offered by partner universities on this page and are not allowed to recommend any commercial providers of language courses.
Countries and courses
Learn more5
Antwerp Summer University
Learn more6
Europe Inside Out: A Summer School 2025, Catholic University of Leuven
Learn more7
The University of British Columbia
Applications are currently closed.
The University of British Columbia (UBC) offers two versions of the UBC Vancouver Summer Program for one month each. Bachelor students can experience Canadian university life up close in various course packages from a wide range of subjects.
Information on the programs, application documents, costs etc. can be found on the website.
HKU Summer Institute (HKUSI)
Students of the University of Bonn may receive a “partnership” discount.
Summer Undergraduate Research Programme (SURP) at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)
Please note that it is not possible to be nominated by the University of Bonn as an exchange student for this program and that you must apply as a fee-paying student.
International Summer School at the Chinese University of Hong Kong
Please note that it is not possible for the University of Bonn to nominate you as an exchange student for this program and that you must apply as a fee-paying student.
Global Research Immersion Program for Young Scientists (GripS) in Nanjing
Global Summer School at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University
SDU International Summer School
UniTartu Summer School
Turku Åbo Summer School
Summer schools at the Université de Bordeaux
Learn more17
Ginsen Summer School 2025, Université Grenoble Alpes
Learn more18
Summer School 2025, Université Toulouse Capitole
Philosophy Summer School University of Aberdeen
Learn more20
Warwick Summer School (different subjects)
Learn more21
Summer Programmes at Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford
Learn more 22
Spring School 2025, University of St Andrews (Ph.D. Students/PostDoc)
University of Tokyo Global Unit Courses (UTokyo GUC)
Students of the University of Bonn may receive a discount for students of USTEP universities.
Sophia Summer/January Sessions
Please note that the University of Bonn does not allow nomination as an exchange student for this program and you must apply as a “fee-paying student”.
ICU International Summer Program in Japan (ISPJ) 2025
Waseda Summer Session
2025 Summer Short-Term Intensive Japanese Program in Ikebukuro Campus, Rikkyo University
Learn more31
Summer and Winter Programmes at National University of Singapore
Language courses at the Swedish Institute (Svenska Institutet) for students of
Scandinavian Studies
Summer school at the University of Bern
Summer School of Economics and Business, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
Climate Change Summer School, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid
International Summer School, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid
Skills Summer School, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid
2024 National Chengchi University International Summer School (NCCU ISS)
Applications are currently closed.
The International Summer School includes 4 weeks of intensive English-taught program (containing 8 courses) and Mandarin courses, and 4 optional excursions in 2024 to allow applicants with various interests and cultural backgrounds to discover the unique charms of Taiwanese cultures.
NTU Plus Academy
Applications are currently closed.
National Taiwan University offers a selection of topic-based short programs designed to give students from around the world the opportunity to gain experience abroad and learn about different cultures. Program dates vary depending on the course.
Fulbright Summer Studies Program “Leaders in Entrepreneurship” in Virginia
Learn more43 (only available in German)
Fulbrigt Summer Studies Program “Diversity Initiative” in Texas
Learn more44 (only available in German)
Contact
Celestina Trost
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Poppelsdorfer Allee 53
53115 Bonn (Germany)
Links
- https://www.uni-bonn.de/de/studium/studium-und-praktikum-im-ausland/studium-im-ausland/free-mover/finanzierung/promos
- https://www2.daad.de/ausland/studieren/stipendium/de/70-stipendien-finden-und-bewerben/
- https://www.studieren-weltweit.de/infocard/kurzaufenthalte-im-ausland/
- https://www.uni-bonn.de/en/studying/study-and-internship-abroad/study-abroad/free-mover/financing/promos/promos?set_language=en
- https://international.uni-graz.at/en/incoming-students-and-staff/incoming-students/gusegg/
- https://www.uantwerpen.be/en/study/programmes/antwerp-summer-winter-university/
- https://www.kuleuven.be/english/summer-schools/europe-inside-out-2025/home
- https://vancouversummerprogram.ubc.ca/
- https://www.summerinstitute.hku.hk/programmes/undergraduate-postgraduate-programmes
- https://www.summer.cuhk.edu.hk/surp/
- https://www.summer.cuhk.edu.hk/
- http://grips.zju.edu.cn/
- https://global.sjtu.edu.cn/en/studyatSJTU/summer
- https://www.sdu.dk/da/summerschool
- https://ut.ee/en/unitartu-summer-school
- https://turkuabosummerschool.utu.fi/?utm_source=emaileri&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Affordable%20and%20High-quality%20Summer%20Studies%20in%20in%20Turku%20in%20August%202024&utm_term=Visit%20our%20website&utm_content=u-4936139-77304124-2480151-0
- https://www.u-bordeaux.fr/en/education/study-offer/bordeaux-summer-schools
- https://www.grenoble-inp.fr/en/academics/grenoble-international-smart-engineering-summer-school-ginsen
- https://www.ut-capitole.fr/home/international/internationalisation-at-home/summer-schools/summer-school-artificial-intelligence-quantitative-methods-for-empirical-legal-research
- https://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/go-abroad/incoming-students/summer-schools/philosophy-summer-school/
- https://warwick.ac.uk/study/summer-with-warwick/warwick-summer-school/
- https://www.lmh.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/documents/2024-11/LMH%20Summer%20Programmes%202025%20-%20Information%20Booklet.pdf
- https://staccs.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/2025/02/26/call-for-applications-careful-participatory-and-emancipatory-research-methods-spring-school/
- https://international.unitn.it/incoming/winter-school-sustange
- https://www.iisc-edu.com/en/corsi_estivi/corsi-estivi-residenziali-latino-greco-roma-2023/
- https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/prospective-students/guc.html
- https://piloti.sophia.ac.jp/eng/studyabroad/short-term/january/
- https://sites.google.com/info.icu.ac.jp/icu-ispj/home
- https://waseda-summer.com/
- https://cjle.rikkyo.ac.jp/english/sijp/application.aspx
- https://www.rtu.lv/en/studies/short-term-studies/summer-schools
- https://nus.edu.sg/gro/global-programmes/summer-and-winter-programmes/summer-programmes-at-nus
- https://summer.snu.ac.kr/
- https://summer.sogang.ac.kr/
- https://si.se/sa-arbetar-vi/svenskan-i-varlden/sommarkurser-i-svenska/
- https://www.unibe.ch/studies/programs/summer___winter_schools/index_eng.html
- https://uamsseb.education
- https://climate.spacie.education/
- https://blogs.upm.es/summerschool/english-courses/
- https://skills.spacie.education/
- https://nccuiss.nccu.edu.tw/
- https://oia.ntu.edu.tw/short-term-programs/programs
- https://fulbright.de/stipendien/programm/leaders-in-entrepreneurship-sommerstudienprogramm-uni-und-fh
- https://fulbright.de/stipendien/programm/diversity-initiative-sommerstudienprogramm-uni-und-fh
- https://www.daad.de/de/im-ausland-studieren-forschen-lehren/praktika-im-ausland/goeast/sommer-und-winterschulen/
- https://ecampus.uni-bonn.de/login.php?target=crs_1966032&cmd=force_login&lang=en