The Goethe Institute is not a University of Michigan Related Travel (UMRT) study-abroad experience unless the German department funds your student travel. Though the German department can assist you with the application process, you will need to send the completed application directly to the Goethe Institute. The Goethe Institute will bill you directly, and you will not billed through the University of Michigan. You are eligible to get transfer credit, but the German department does not manage the program.
The only way for you to receive funding from the University of Michigan to travel abroad, which would make your travel UMRT, is for your travel destination to be removed from University of Michigan Travel Restriction location page. In this case, you need to submit an Individual Safety Plan for International Travel application, which will need to be reviewed and approved by the International Travel Oversight Committee (ITOC). An example Safety Plan can be found here. The German department cannot release any funding until after a safety plan has been approved. This flowchart shows the steps of the Safety Plan approval process and additional COVID-19 & Travel FAQs are on Global Michigan.
Since Germany continues to have high levels of COVID-19 transmission (currently over 600 cases per 100,000 people over the last 30 days, which is far above CDC thresholds to be considered a "moderate risk" location), Germany will likely remain a travel restriction through summer.
You should not make any financial commitments to travel until after Germany is on the Travel Warning list and your Safety Plan has been approved.
