Partner Universities

+24

Columbia College Chicago
United States of America/Chicago

Middle Tennessee State University
United States of America/Murfreesboro

QUT Creative Industries Faculty
Australia/Brisbane

Music and Audio Institute of
New Zealand MAINZ
New Zealand/Auckland

Akdeniz University
Turkey/Antalya

Istanbul Technical University
Turkey/Istanbul

Université Gaston Berger
Senegal/Saint-Louis

Ballyfermot College Of Further Education
Ireland/Dublin

CodArts
Netherlands/Rotterdam

Conservatorium van Amsterdam
Netherlands/Amsterdam

Fontys Academy of Music and Performing Arts
Netherlands/Tilburg

Herman Brood Academy
Netherlands/Utrecht

HKU University of Arts
Netherlands/Utrecht

Conservatorio Luisa D'Annunzio
Italy/Pescara

St. Louis College of Music
Italy/Rome

Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya
Spain/Barcelona

Gustav Mahler Privatuniversität für Musik
Austria/Klagenfurt

University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna
Austria/Vienna

Hochschule der Künste
Switzerland/Bern

Zürcher Hochschule der Künste ZHdK
Switzerland/Zurich

Kazimierz-Wielki-University
Poland/Bydgoszcz

Leeds Arts University
United Kingdom/Leeds

Leeds Conservatoire
United Kingdom/Leeds

University of the Highlands and Islands
United Kingdom/Perth

Linnaeus University
Sweden/Kalmar

Malmö Academy of Music / Lund University
Sweden/Malmö

Örebro University
Sweden/Örebro

University of Gothenburg
Sweden/Gothenburg

Metropolia University of Applied Sciences
Finland/Helsinki

Rhythmic Music Conservatory RMC
Denmark/Kopenhagen

University of Agder
Norway/Kristiansand

Akdeniz University
Turkey/Antalya

Istanbul Technical University
Turkey/Istanbul

Columbia College Chicago
United States of America/Chicago

Middle Tennessee State University
United States of America/Murfreesboro

Music and Audio Institute of New Zealand MAINZ
New Zealand/Auckland

QUT Creative Industries Faculty
Australia/Brisbane

Université Gaston Berger
Senegal/Saint-Louis

With 28 university partnerships in 17 countries, the topic of internationalisation is firmly anchored at the Popakademie and is being continuously expanded. We support both Popakademie students who wish to study abroad and students from external universities who wish to gain experience at Popakademie.

International projects such as the International Songwriter Week, the International Band and Business Camp and the International Summer Camp build on these partnerships.

Student Exchange Program

Students can benefit in so many ways from a semester abroad - a unique experience on a personal and academic level. Going abroad allows you the chance to get to know another country and culture while making new friends from diverse backgrounds. In addition, it can be immensely advantageous for your further studies and future career. New teaching methods and a fresh approach to relevant content allow you to see your studies in a completely new way and provide valuable inspiration for bachelor’s and master’s theses.

Any questions?

Phone: +49 621 53397212
Mail: ulrike.sieler@popakademie.de

We offer exchange programs for all courses of study at the Popakademie. You will find some general information about the exchange program in the International Exchange Program Fact Sheet.

Specific information concerning the individual degree programmes can be found on the following pages: B.A. Pop Music Design, B.A. Music Business, B.A. Global Music, M.A. Music and Creative Industries, M.A. Popular Music.

Philosophy and Goals

enable students to gain experience in other European countries and taking advantage of their courses of study to promote language skills, cultural understanding and academic knowledge.
Enriching the educational experience at the host university and promoting cooperation between the host and home universities.
Building intercultural networks between students, faculty and partner institutions in connection with European arts and European business.
Gaining insight into the music industry and pop-cultural mentality and work ethic in another country.
Generally enriching society through qualified, open-minded and internationally experienced young people.
Creating a European band that transports the idea of Europe into pop music.
Providing financial support for students who could not otherwise afford to study abroad.

Services for Students

Enrolment for one semester at a partner university.
For most partner universities, exemption from tuition fees at the host institution.
A mobility grant for disabled students is available to a limited extent.
Acquisition of external scholarship funds by the partner institutions.
Individual advising for potential study abroad students through responsible coordinator for all partner institutions.
It is possible to study at the Popakademie as a free mover, please contact the Manager Internationalization for more information.

Semester abroad at the Popakademie? This is how it works!

We offer exchange programs for all courses of study at the Popakademie. Information concerning the individual degree programmes can be found on the following pages:

Nomination deadline for partner institutions: 30.04.2025
Application deadline for nominated students/free movers: 15.05.2025

Nominations and applications by mail to Ulrike Sieler

Erasmus+ Programme

Erasmus+ Programme
In 2021/22, the Erasmus Programme initiated a new programme generation under the name “Erasmus+”. The Erasmus Programme is one of the European Union’s greatest success stories, supporting the mobility of university students, faculty and staff across European borders. Over 3 million students and university personnel have gone abroad with Erasmus.

Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE)
The Erasmus Charter for Higher Education 2021-2027 (ECHE) ) is awarded by the EU Commission. It confirms that a university meets all the requirements for successful participation in the Erasmus+ programme. The Popakademie Baden-Württemberg has received the Erasmus+ University Charter for the current duration (2021-2027) and is thus entitled to participate in the programme. The Erasmus Policy Statement declares the current higher education policy of the institution.

Funding opportunities for Popakademie students - Erasmus+ Studies

Through the Erasmus+ Study Abroad Program (SMS), Popakademie students can study for one to two semesters at a partner institution in another European country and receive Erasmus funding. Studying abroad at a partner institution outside the EU can be funded by ERAMUS+ worldwide. For Erasmus+ worldwide mobilities, a limited funding contingent is available on a first-come-first-served basis.

Funding opportunities for students of the Popakademie - Erasmus+ Internship
Erasmus+ Internship (SMP) funding is available to undergraduate and graduate students who wish to complete an internship in another European country during their studies or immediately after graduation.

Funding opportunities for Popakademie staff/lecturers - Erasmus+ Staff

Popakademie lecturers can carry out teaching stays (STA) in other European countries at partner institutions within the framework of Erasmus+. Staff members can participate in advanced training courses (STT).

The respective degree programme directors for Pop Music Design B.A., Music Business B.A., Global Music B.A., Popular Music M.A. and Music & Creative Industries M.A. select the students, lecturers and staff members for participation in the Erasmus+ programme. Besides, they provide information on selection criteria, recognition procedures and grade conversions. The International Office nominates the chosen persons at the respective partner institutions. Student services issue the Diploma Supplements and hand them out with the degree certificates.

Erasmus funding for Erasmus+ Studies, Erasmus+ Internships and Erasmus+ Staff is handled by:

Hochschule Karlsruhe – Technik und Wirtschaft
KOOR – Erasmus Services BW
erasmus.koor@h-ka.de
+49 (0)721 925-2521
Moltkestraße 30
76133 Karlsruhe

Baden-Württemberg-STIPENDIUM

The Baden-Württemberg-STIPENDIUM is a scholarship for students awarded by the Baden-Württemberg Foundation and announced every year at the state universities. The programme aims to promote the international exchange of highly qualified German and foreign students. It also provides universities with a flexible funding tool to support their internationalisation strategies to compete for the best, globally mobile students and graduates. The programme is intended for students of all disciplines enrolled at Baden-Württemberg universities who want to expand their subject-specific and intercultural competencies during a semester abroad at a recognized foreign university, as well as students from foreign universities wishing to spend a semester in Baden-Württemberg.

The Baden-Württemberg-STIPENDIUM will be offered annually and awarded to INCOMING as well as OUTGOING students of the Popakademie or its partner institutions. Students who are planning a stay abroad in the coming academic year can apply for the scholarship here.

General information about the Baden-Württemberg-STIPENDIUM, the programme, the Network of Baden-Württemberg Scholars and surrounding events can be found under the link .

PRIhME - Power Relations in Higher Music Education

PRIhME (Power Relations in Higher Music Education) is the first international project on power relations in higher music education. Together with the European Association of Higher Music Education (AEC) and 8 other higher music education institutions, the participants of the Popakademie Baden-Württemberg are investigating in four stakeholder assemblies how different forms of power relations affect the lives of students, lecturers and staff in higher music education institutions. In particular, the topics of gender and sexuality, socio-economic background, disabilities, and artistic standards are examined in more detail. What makes this project special is its participatory-democratic approach: The participants of the assemblies consist of students, lecturers and employees of the respective conservatories and develop recommendations on the respective topics in discussions and interactive exercises.

The aim of the project is to develop binding recommendations for action for the conservatories and then to implement them in the European conservatories. This should create an open and respectful atmosphere at the conservatories where everyone feels safe and comfortable.

More info about the project can be found on the website of AEC Music.

The PRIhME partners are

Royal Irish Academy of Music, Ireland
European Association of Conservatoires (AEC), Belgium
Popakademie Baden-Württemberg GmbH, Germany
University of Music and Performing Arts Graz (KUG), Austria
Musikene Centro Superior de Música del País Vasco/Euskal Herriko Goi Mailako Musika Ikastegia, Spain
Saint Louis Music Center Srl, Italy
Academy of Music, University of Zagreb, Croatia
Akademia Muzyczna im. Krzysztofa Pendereckiego w Krakowie, Poland
Malmö Academy of Music, Lunds Universitet, Sweden
Kharkiv I. P. Kotlyarevsky National University of Arts, Ukraine

International Projects

Songwriter week

Every summer semester, the Popakademie organizes an International Songwriters' Week. Under the guidance of top-class songwriters from around the world, teams of producing and songwriting students from the Popakademie Baden-Württemberg write on current briefings delivered fresh from the industry. During the songwriting week in the winter semester, students write for Popakademie bands and this project week also takes place in cooperation with the Talent Camp from the Mannheim International Film Festival in Heidelberg. Our students write and produce film music for the up-and-coming filmmakers from the camp.

Together with the instrumentalists from the various years, the ideas are turned into high-quality demos in the in-house studios, which are presented at the end of the week to the team of participants and artists who wrote the music, as well as those responsible from the music business and the Popakademie. The best titles will be forwarded directly to exploitation and offered to the industry. The International Songwriter Week takes place as part of the Popakademie's artistic degree programs.

Band and Business Camp

Pop music knows no boundaries - whether physical, cultural or linguistic. Our International Band and Business Camp supports the Popakademie in educating the next generation of artists who want to network and exchange ideas in a European context. Each year, music and business students of partner institutions gather to spend an intensive work week together.

During the Band Camp artists/performers work on existing songs and write new songs with the support of the band coach. The results are presented at a public concert at the end of the week. In the Business Camp, students found virtual business departments and take part in a role play to work through situations, tasks and obstacles in the creative branch.

International Summer Camp

Once a year, the Popakademie offers 80 musicians the chance to take part in an International Summer Camp.