Introducing the Faculty of Law

The Ruperto Carola is Germany's oldest university. It boasts a broad spectrum of academic fields and is, with its rich tradition, a living centre for interdisciplinary scholarly discourse.

Since 1386, the university has established itself as a centre of high-quality research and teaching. Famous academics, including ten Nobel laureates, have contributed to the university's reputation. Due to its long tradition and internationality, the University of Heidelberg offers students the ideal conditions for their academic and personal enrichment. Today about 31.000 students are enrolled in its thirteen faculties, with 6.000 students coming from abroad. Students from all over the world as well as hundreds of visiting professors and researchers contribute to the Ruperto Carola’s international atmosphere. International affairs are of special importance to the University of Heidelberg. The university has exchange programmes with more than 900 academic institutions all over the world and many university partnerships.

General information about your ERASMUS stay at Heidelberg University, including information about how to find an accommodation and the orientation week at the beginning of the semester, can be found on the ERASMUS website of the International Relations Division.

The Faculty of Law is one of the four founding faculties of Heidelberg University. Since its foundation, it has excelled through its high academic standards. Today it is among the most prominent faculties of law in Germany and recognised for its excellence all over the world. The faculty puts special emphasis on research on a European and international level.

With the ERASMUS programme, students can discover languages and cultures, educate themselves in other countries and further their education through a study or research stay at a foreign partner university. The Faculty of Law co-operates with over 50 partner universities in 20 European countries. Last year, around 500 ERASMUS students were enrolled at Ruperto Carola, with more than 50 at the Faculty of Law.

A study visit with the ERASMUS programme requires an existing cooperation agreement between your home university and the Faculty of Law at Heidelberg University. If such an agreement does not exist, students can still study at Ruperto Carola by a short-term study for international students.

Following your ERASMUS studies abroad, you can apply for an internship abroad with the ERASMUS Placement Programme: Three to six-months' internships that are closely related to your studies are supported.

If you would like to study at the Faculty of Law at Ruprecht Karls University in Heidelberg as part of the ERASMUS programme, you must first apply to your home university. This requires an existing corresponding cooperation agreement between the two faculties. If there is no such agreement, there is the possibility of short-term study for international students outside of the ERASMUS programme. Please refer to the information under the heading „Short-term studies“ on the website Research and other study visits.

After you have successfully applied to your home university and have been selected by it for an ERASMUS stay at Heidelberg University, your home university will nominate you to the ERASMUS Coordinator of Heidelberg University. You will then receive further information on the procedure and organisation of your ERASMUS stay (enrolment, orientation days, general questions about studying and life in Heidelberg) directly from the International Relations Division.

An individual learning agreement will be drawn up at the beginning of the programme. The ERASMUS coordinator of the Law Faculty can provide professional advice on this. 

The Learning Agreement can include lectures offered by the Law Faculty and other faculties of the University of Heidelberg as well as language courses.

Among others, you can select courses from the following areas of law and specialisation:

• European law
• International law
• Comparative law
• Civil law
• Private International law
• Public law
• Environmental law
• Tax law
• Criminal law
• Criminology

This list is only an example, with many other subjects offered. Further information can be found in the online course catalogue in heiCO. Please look under the heading „Course Catalogue“ on the website Lectures and Courses. Courses at the Faculty of Law are generally held in German (B1 level). However, there are also numerous courses in English and in other foreign languages. Further information can be found under the heading “Courses in foreign language courses” on the website Lectures and Courses.

In addition, teams from the faculty take part in various moot courts and competitions.

In general, it is possible to attend lectures at other faculties of the University of Heidelberg. Please make sure to take note of possible participation requirements, deadlines, the number of ECTS credits and examinations in advance. Please consult the responsible ERASMUS coordinator and the individual professors/lecturers at the beginning of the respective course. There is also the possibility of completing a research stay funded by the ERASMUS programme to write a master's thesis or doctoral dissertation.

Ruperto Carola and the Faculty of Law offer special introductory events for international students. These include, for example

• Orientation days for new international students
• Introduction to law course
• Service and events for international students with the International Relations Office

You can find an overview of the various programmes under the heading „Events for international students“ on the website Lectures and Courses. The Tandem program at the Faculty of Law also offers a good opportunity for academic support as well as for linguistic and cultural exchange with other law students.

Before and during your stay, there are numerous opportunities to improve your language skills with various language courses.