Practical Research Experience Program (TUM PREP)

TUM PREP applicants must be enrolled at one of the following institutions at the time of their application and during their participation in TUM PREP:

Canada

• McGill University
• McMaster University
• Université de Montréal
• University of Alberta
• University of British Columbia
• University of Toronto

England, Great Britain

• Imperial College London

USA

• Brown University
• California Institute of Technology
• Carnegie Mellon University
• Columbia University
• Cornell University
• Duke University
• Georgia Institute of Technology
• Harvard University
• Johns Hopkins University
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Michigan State University
• New York University
• Northwestern University
• Princeton University
• Purdue University
• Rutgers. The State University of New Jersey 
• Stanford University
• UC Berkeley
• UC Davis 
• UC Irvine
• UC Los Angeles
• UC San Diego
• UC San Francisco
• UC Santa Barbara
• University of Chicago
• University of Colorado at Boulder
• University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
• University of Maryland at College Park
• University of Michigan
• University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• University of Pennsylvania
• University of Pittsburgh
• University of Southern California
• University of Texas at Austin 
• University of Washington 
• University of Wisconsin Madison
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
• Washington University in St. Louis
• Yale University

• Enrolled at one of the eligible TUM PREP partner universities / institutions (see above) at the time of application and during participation in TUM PREP
• Bachelor or master students (at least 2 years of undergraduate studies completed when starting with the TUM PREP project)*
• GPA minimum: 3.0 (on a 4.0 U.S. scale)
• Compliance with required project-specific skills

Program participants are expected to get informed independently on which TUM campus the TUM School of their research project is located.

Program participants should further get informed about recognition and credit transfer regulations at their home institutions, if they need academic credits for their research stay.
 

* PhD students are not eligible for TUM PREP. For support with regards to an organization of a research stay at TUM, please contact TUM Graduate School.

TUM  Global & Alumni Office will provide the following services to program participants:

• Scholarship: Students not otherwise supported during the time of their participation in TUM PREP will receive a scholarship of € 1,000.00 € sponsored by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) (paid in two installments at the end of their stay at TUM and/or after the end of the program).
• Accommodation: TUM  Global & Alumni Office will support students in the organization of their accommodation (offer and reservation in a Student Union residency).
• Certificate: TUM PREP participants will obtain a certificate with a written evaluation of their research work from their project supervisors. The TUM Global & Alumni Office will issue a certificate of participation. 
• Credits (ECTS): TUM PREP participants may obtain ECTS credits, if needed. The rule is: 1 ECTS Credit ≙ 30 hours of student workload. 10 ETCS credits can be received and recognized.
• Individual Support: The TUM PREP Program Manager of the Global & Alumni Office will act as single point of contact for program participants.
• TUM PREP Buddies: Additionally, TUM PREP participants will be supported by TUM student buddies.
• Kick-off Event: A special information event for all program stakeholders (students, supervisors and buddies) will facilitate the start of the project phase.
• Orientation Days: During the first days of the program, various events and activities will be offered for the TUM PREP students: Munich city tour, German taster course, intercultural training, opening a German bank account etc.
• Framework Program: TUM PREP offers a special framework program with activities and events designed for TUM PREP students only. Moreover, program participants can join the activities organized by International Campus Life or the TUMi association, TUM's orientation and support program for international students. The framework program takes place in and around Munich. 
• Closing Event: This event will be a well-rounded conclusion of the participants' time at TUM and offers the opportunity to say goodbye to other participants. 

There are no fees for the participation in TUM PREP itself. Although individual figures may vary with regard to personal spending habits, TUM PREP participants should anticipate approximately the following total expenses for their two-month-stay in Munich:

General Expenses 

All students must obtain health insurance coverage in Germany. In individual cases, an existing international health insurance may be accepted, if it has no upper limits for payments in the event of damage. Only a German statutory health insurance can decide whether an excisting insurance will be accepted. In addition, it is highly recommended that students have sufficient liability insurance coverage which maybe even includes a laboratory insurance. 
 

One-time expenses (*to be paid before arrival)

UK, US and Canadian citizens do not need a visa, if their stay in Germany does not exceed 90 days. See country overview for visa requirement on entry to Germany. Please do not travel with a tourist visa to Germany, as it cannot be transferred for study purposes.

Application procedure

Students should only apply online via the application form and the online submission of the required application documents in PDF format (see below). Students applying for a specific project can name another one as their second choice in the online portal. Find over 60 interesting projects available for TUM PREP 2023 in our TUM PREP Project Database. Please take a look at this guideline in case you should have any questions regarding its usage.

Special provision

Institutions pre-selecting and nominating students are:

Canada

• The University of Alberta (Contact: whatmore@ualberta.ca, Tracy Whatmore , International Internship Coordinator, Education Abroad)
• The University of British Columbia (Contact: go.global@ubc.ca, Jennifer Lemche, Advisor Research Abroad at the Go Global Office)
• Université of Montréal (Contact: iqrah.tariq@umontreal.ca, Iqrah Tariq, Student Mobility Advisor)

USA

• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) (Contact: mdeising@vt.edu, Maureen Deisinger, Assistant Director for Partnerships & Affiliations, Global Education Office) 

UK

• The Imperial College London, UK (Contact: irop@imperial.ac.uk, International Relations Office)

Application deadline

November 22, 2023 for research stays in summer 2024.

Selection of projects and placement of applicants

Applications will be assessed in close cooperation with project supervisors. We always attempt to place TUM PREP applicants according to their priorities.

Admission letters

The selection of the TUM PREP applicants will be completed by the different TUM university chairs between mid-December and end of January. During this period, applicants and partner institutions will be informed about the outcome of their applications.

When accepting a TUM PREP participation, please check carefully, if you will be able to finance your stay. In case of a late cancellation, your TUM PREP spot cannot be given to another student.

The following documents should be handed in online and in PDF format together with the application form (= online registration):

• Letter of Motivation* (at least 1 letter each for project priorities 1,2 and 3)
• Resume
• Transcript of Records*
• Letter of Recommendation*
• Declaration of Insurance*

Late or incomplete applications cannot be considered.

*Templates and further information can be found under Downloads.