The German Department maintains a regular, fully funded exchange program with the Free University in Berlin. Each year, one student from the FU joins the graduate cohort at U-M, and one current PhD candidate from U-M spends the academic year in Berlin.
The Sturm/FU Exchange student will be enrolled at the Freie Universität Berlin during the Winter and Summer semesters, from October through July, and is encouraged to identify and work closely with faculty at the FU and other institutions of higher education at Berlin and Potsdam.
The 2025-26 Fact Sheet can provide additional details of the program.
Application Requirements
Applicants must outline their research project and what they hope to accomplish during their year in Germany. Applicants must also identify a faculty member, or several faculty members, of the FU and/or other institutions of higher learning in Berlin/Potsdam with whom students would plan to work on their projects. U-M faculty can assist students in establishing contacts in Berlin. Applicants must also request a short letter of support from their advisor.
Applications are due at the beginning of the Winter term. The Department’s Executive Committee chooses one student from amongst the applicants for the exchange each year, and decisions are typically announced by mid-January.
Sturm/FU Fellowship
Graduate students of GLL may apply for a ten-month study abroad exchange at the Freie Universität in Berlin, funded jointly by the Freie Universität and the Department’s Sturm Endowment. The fellowship amount is at least equal two semesters of GSI stipend at U-M for the corresponding academic year.
The Department is grateful to the Sturm Family for its generous endowment of study abroad opportunities for GLL students.
