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 (Nomination by home institution required)
• University of Alberta (Nomination by home institution required)
• University of British Columbia (Nomination by home institution required)
• University of Toronto (Nomination by home institution required)

England, Great Britain

• Imperial College London (Nomination by home institution required)

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 (only New York City campus)
• Northwestern University
• Princeton 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 (Nomination by home institution required)
• 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)
• Nominations by home institution, if required, see below "nominations" 
• Compliance with required project-specific skills
• Participation in TUM PREP is only possible once

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.

• Choose up to three research projects from over 80 offered research projects of all TUM Schools and spend your summer in or around Munich. Experience and combine research and leisure time in an international environment.
• No tuition fee
• Accommodation: TUM  Global & Alumni Office will offer each student accommodation in a residency by Student Union Munich-Upper Bavaria as there is no on-campus housing.
• Certificate: TUM PREP participants will obtain a certificate with a written evaluation of their research work from their project supervisors. Additionally, 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.
• TUM PREP Buddies: Additionally, TUM PREP participants will be supported by TUM student buddies.
• Kick-off Event & Reception: 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 in order to get to know each other, TUM and the city.
• Framework Program: TUM PREP offers a special framework program with activities, day trips and lectures. Admissions and costs are covered. 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.
• Individual Support: The TUM PREP Program Manager of the Global & Alumni Office will act as single point of contact for program participants.

There is no tuition fee 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 can 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 or two projects as their second or third choices in the online portal in order to enhance their chances of getting placed. Find over 80 interesting and challenging research projects available for TUM PREP 2025 in our TUM PREP Project Database. Please take a look at the guidelines in case of questions regarding its usage.

Special provision - Nominations

The following institutions are exclusively pre-selecting and nominating their students. Please contact the Study Abroad Office of your home insitution to get nominated: 

Canada

• University of Alberta (Contact: goabroad(at)ualberta.ca,  Learning Abroad Programs)
• University of British Columbia (Contact: go.global(at)ubc.ca, Jennifer Lemche, Advisor Research Abroad at the Go Global Office)
• Université of Montréal (Contact: echange(at)umontreal.ca, Jennifer Lachance, Student Mobility Advisor)
• University of Toronto (Contact: global.EL(at)utoronto.ca, Cindy Xin, Learning Abroad Coordinator)

USA

• University of Wisconsin-Madison (Contact: internships(at)international.wisc.edu, Amani DeHolton, Intern Abroad Advisor)
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) (Contact: mdeising(at)vt.edu, Maureen Deisinger, Assistant Director for Partnerships & Affiliations, Global Education Office) 

UK

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

Application deadline

November 24, 2024 for research stays in summer 2025.

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 will be informed about their acceptance or rejection. All partner institutions will be informed about the outcome of the TUM PREP applications in early February.

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.

After you have chosen up to three research projects, please apply via the online TUM PREP application form (= online registration) and submit the following documents in a PDF format. 

The letter of recommendation has to be e-mailed directly to prep(at)tum.de within the given deadline.  

• Online application portal “Incoming TUM PREP students” (= online registration)
• Letter of Motivation* (at least 1 letter each for project priorities 1,2 and 3)
• Resume / CV (picture is accepted)
• Transcript of Records*
• Letter of Recommendation* (e-mail to prep(at)tum.de) within the given deadline
• Declaration of Insurance*

Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

*Templates and further information can be found under "Downloads".

In Germany, all students are obliged to have health and long-term care insurance, i.e. one must prove sufficient health insurance coverage and pay a contribution to the long-term care insurance in order to be entitled to enroll at a German school of higher education.  Please await the receipt of the TUM Admission Letter before arranging your health insurance for enrollment. For that, please contact a German statutory insurance provider (see contact list below) as described in the following for either:

1. receive an exemption letter from a German statutory insurance provider      or
2. take out a health insurance policy for students with a German statutory insurance provider. Please note, health insurance contributions are due from the first day of enrollment, even if you arrive later in the semester. 

⇒ The German statutory insurance provider will send the confirmation electronically to TUM.

Enrollment is only possible after receipt of verification of coverage. Presentation of an insurance policy from the home country (in the form of a insurance card or an insurance policy) is not sufficient for enrollment; likewise, a travel insurance policy will not be accepted. Please note that the monthly insurance contributions are due from the day of enrollment, i.e. April 1. 

General information about health insurance in Germany

• Important information about health insurance in Germany
• Health insurance for foreigners in Germany: the German health system explained in 40 languages
• A German health insurance agency for students
   

Details about obtaining health insurance in Germany