General Info

California Polytechnic State University, known as Cal Poly, is located in San Luis Obispo, California. With approximately 20,000 students, it offers 64 bachelor’s degrees and 32 master’s degrees in six different departments.

The university’s campus spans a vast and picturesque area in San Luis Obispo. This city of 45,000 people is located between Los Angeles and San Francisco, about 10 miles from the Pacific Ocean.

Cal Poly offers a vibrant campus life with a variety of student organizations, sports teams, cultural events, and academic clubs. The university emphasizes diversity and inclusion and fosters a supportive community where all students feel welcome and supported.

Learn More
Cal Poly

How To Apply

Before you apply for an exchange program, we recommend that you attend one of our information events, have a consultation with the international coordinator if necessary, and read experience reports on our website.

1. General requirements for participation

  • You must be enrolled at Munich University of Applied Sciences.
  • You must have completed your first year of study at the time of application. Master’s students can apply from the 1st semester onwards.
  • An application is only possible in the academic year when the stay is to take place (e.g., Bachelor’s students cannot apply for a semester abroad in the Master’s program). During your semester abroad, you must complete at least half a semester’s workload (equivalent to 15 ECTS) of courses and examinations.
  • During your semester abroad, you must complete at least half a semester’s workload (equivalent to 15 ECTS) of courses and examinations. 
  • You must be able to be present at the partner university on time at the beginning of the semester or on the preceding Orientation Days. Please note: The semester times of the partner universities often do not coincide with those of HM.
  • Ensure that you have the required language skills and if necessary a language certificate is required.

2. Submit all application documents by the deadline

The International Office is responsible for allocating places at our partner universities. First log in to the online portal and fill out the forms.

Link to online portal

After that, the signed printouts of the online application must be submitted to the International Office by email with all other relevant documents. Ask the International Office for the complete list of all documents, or read it on the website.

List of required documents

3. Course selection

Your faculty is the contact for the provisional course selection or for the recognition of courses, but everything else is organized directly by the International Office.

4. Selection criteria

Munich University of Applied Sciences would like to nominate interested and open-minded students for an exchange at the partner university that represents Munich University of Applied Sciences and Germany abroad in a worthy manner. Participation in the exchange program requires self-motivation, language skills, (extra-)academic commitment, compliance with deadlines, and academic achievements.

deadlines

Winter Semester

May 1 -  July 1 of the previous year

Summer Semester

October 1 - December 1 of the previous year

After Applying

After reviewing all applications, a selection is made. This usually involves additional selection interviews.

After the selection, we will nominate you at the partner university.

You will receive information about the further application process by e-mail from the International Office or directly from the partner university.

If necessary, you will clarify the recognition of courses with the examination board or the relevant departments of your faculty. You can use Annex H.

You complete the application documents of the partner university and submit any additional documents required. (e.g. proof of funding, letters of recommendation, etc.). 

You will receive a letter of acceptance from the partner university. The re-registration process may take some time. Please be patient. Remember to apply for a leave of absence for the exchange semester if necessary. If the stay has to be canceled by the partner university or by Munich University of Applied Sciences due to force majeure, there is no entitlement to automatically postpone the stay to a subsequent semester. It will be canceled accordingly, and a new application must be submitted.

Before starting (by 1.8. or 1.12.) and after returning (no later than 30 days after the end of the stay) from the semester abroad, compulsory intercultural courses for preparation and follow-up must be completed on moodle. You will also receive a certificate of attendance for your documents. It is not necessary to send it to us.

After returning from the semester abroad, you must prepare an experience report within 30 days and send it to us by e-mail.

After Nomination

1. Consult with Coordinator
Consult with your home campus exchange coordinator. If you have been approved by your home campus exchange coordinator, they will notify Cal Poly of your nomination.
2. Prepare to Apply

Prepare to submit the following with your application

  1. Proof of English language proficiency may be either a recognized English language test score certificate from a test taken no more than two years prior to applying showing minimum scores (or the equivalents) of
  • TOEFL ibt 80, paper 550
  • IELTS 6.0
  • CEF B2

 

Or a letter from your institution verifying your language skills are sufficient to be able to do well in an academic setting where only English is used

  1. Transcript of previous work and work in progress
  2. Statement of Academic Exchange Objective (why you wish to study at Cal Poly)
  3. Course List Form

3. Apply at Cal Poly

To apply to come to Cal Poly on exchange, first, obtain a nomination from your home University’s study abroad exchange coordinator, then apply to the Cal Poly International Exchange Program.

Read more about the Cal Poly exchange application!

Preparations

Visa

International students who study in the USA for one or two semesters abroad require a student visa for the USA. As a rule, this is the so-called F-1 visa for academic students. Please apply for the visa as soon as possible. Until you get it, it can take 2-4 weeks. How to proceed can be found in the accompanying letter from Cal Poly. The visa costs about 400 dollars.
Insurance
International students need health insurance for the USA for the duration of their semester abroad. Many US universities offer insurance packages with enrollment. In most cases, however, international health insurance taken out in Germany is cheaper. You will be covered by Cal Poly health insurance for the duration of your studies. Depending on the quarter, the insurance costs 400-600$. However, teeth and eyes are not covered.
Flights
It is important that you book your flights early. The price and travel costs vary depending on which airport you fly to in California. Depending on this, the journey and costs from the airport to San Luis Obispo will differ. When entering the USA, it is important to have all the important documents at hand. The police officers at border control will ask you where you will be staying, what the reason for your visit is, which degree program (major), and where you will be studying.
Accommodation
When you apply to Cal Poly for the semester abroad, it is possible to apply for on-campus housing. This is an easy option, but also quite expensive. An alternative is to look for off-campus housing yourself. To find off-campus housing, we recommend the Facebook group “Cal Poly (CP) Housing, Sublets & Roommates,” “Furnished Finder,” or “Craigslist.”
Organization afterwards:
Before starting (by 1.8. or 1.12.) and after returning (no later than 30 days after the end of your stay) from the semester abroad, you must complete mandatory intercultural courses for preparation and follow-up on moodle. You will also receive a certificate of attendance for your documents. It is not necessary to send it to us. After returning from the semester abroad, you must prepare a report on your experience within 30 days and send it to HM by e-mail.

Financial support

You have the opportunity to receive a PROMOS scholarship for financial support. Hochschule München is offering a Non-EU partial scholarship for durations ranging from one to four months. Additionally, there is the possibility of receiving a travel allowance based on your circumstances.

Read more about funding rates!  

Requirements

Persons with German citizenship as well as persons who are treated as Germans in accordance with Section 8 Paragraph 1 Numbers 2, 2a and 3 BAföG, as well as non-German students if they are enrolled in a course of study at a German university with the aim of graduating.

You can only be funded once in your bachelors or masters degree.

How to apply
The application for PROMOS takes place as part of the application for a semester abroad. In the associated online form you will find the opportunity to apply for PROMOS under the funding section. A separate process is not necessary.
Deadlines

The application periods for the non-EU semester abroad apply:

Winter semester: October 1st to December 1st
Summer semester: May 1st to July 1st

Criterias:

  • previous academic achievements (grade average, academic progress)
  • Motivation and meaningfulness in relation to previous studies
  • social and university commitment
  • Language competence, i.e. proven command of the national language or language of instruction
  •  
Learn More

Activities

Wine Tasting

The San Luis Obispo region is known for its world-class wineries. Visitors can take part in wine tastings, enjoy the picturesque landscape and sample local wines.
Pismo Beach

Hiking

For nature lovers, Bishop Peak and Montaña de Oro State Park offer a great opportunity for hikes and breathtaking views of the San Luis Obispo area.
Vineyard

Pismo Beach

Just a short drive from San Luis Obispo is Pismo Beach, a popular destination for beach goers. Visitors can relax on the sandy beach, swim, surf or take part in water sports activities.

FAQ

Most frequent questions and answers
As an HM student, you can apply for your exchange program twice a year (winter and summer semester). The application has to be submitted about one year before. For example if you want to go abroad in Summer 2026, your application deadline will be 1st July 2025.
You can do the exchange after your first year, so starting in 3rd semester. You will also need proof of your English language skills to ensure that you can cope with the courses in the foreign language.
Yes, there is a scholarship in which you will receive financial support. There are 4 ISPA scholarships per semester abroad that you can apply for. You will receive an allowance for your arrival and departure as well as monthly allowances. To apply, please contact Prof. Moosheimer, HM.
No, you can still complete your studies as planned. During your semester abroad, you will take courses that will be credited to your studies as usual. Just be aware of the different credit transfer procedures so that you can complete as much as you want.

If you have any further questions, please get in touch with the appropriate contact person for the exchange program: 

HM – Prof. Ulrich Moosheimer: ulrich.moosheimer@hm.edu

CalPoly – Prof. Malcom G. Keif: mkeif@calpoly.edu

International office Munich

Contact person for Cal Poly

Contact