During the entire application process, the FHDW and the partner university in Spain supported me throughout and the application process went smoothly. I was also lucky enough to be selected by the FHDW Business Forum an additional scholarship for study abroad, which I was very pleased about and which made it much easier for me to finance my plans.

A visa was not necessary due to the European Union. I took out international insurance at home beforehand, which I can only strongly advise everyone to do, so that you are adequately covered in case of doubt.

In August, the time had finally come. I traveled to Bilbao by plane on a direct flight from Düsseldorf. However, it is also possible to fly from Paderborn to Bilbao. From the airport in Bilbao, you can then take a bus or cab into the city.

I looked for an apartment myself via badi.com, which has been a good experience. My flat share in Spain consisted of another German and a Spaniard and was located in the city center, just 10 minutes from the university. Many of my fellow students found their accommodation through the university, which I also only heard good things about. The average rent was between 350 and 470 euros including utilities.

In general, the cost of living in Spain is somewhat lower than in Germany. With the well-developed subway and bus network, everything can be reached quickly and easily (even at night at weekends). As Bilbao is a rather small city, most things can be easily reached on foot.

Bilbao offers numerous possibilities for activities. The beach and the mountains are not far away. Thanks to the many offers for Erasmus students through the Happy Erasmus Bilbao association and the Erasmus Student Network (ESN), it is also easy to make friends. As far as food is concerned, you should definitely try the typical Basque country pintxos – finger food that can be found in bars and restaurants everywhere.

The university offers an intensive Spanish course for Erasmus students, in which students are first tested and then assigned to a language course at the appropriate level. They then spend two weeks intensively practising and improving their Spanish skills. I was initially on the B2.2 course and then switched to the C1.1 level after the final test for the permanent language course during the semester. The lecturers at Deusto were very welcoming and made the course very appealing and varied. Personally, the language course helped me a lot and I would therefore recommend it to anyone, also to make initial contacts after arrival.

The Universidad de Deusto has an impressive campus. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take all the courses that were initially selected in the Learning Agreement as planned, as some of them weren’t offered in the same way or the timetables overlapped. After making a few changes, however, I was able to take all the courses that were specified. My lecturers were all very open-minded, friendly, helpful and always endeavored to present their teaching content in an interesting way. If I had any questions or problems during my stay abroad, I could always turn to the FHDW International Office or the Deusto International Relations Office, where I always received competent help.

You should be aware that the standard at Deusto is very high and that the university requires a very high learning effort, as the university enjoys a very good reputation throughout Spain. The university system in Spain is designed for a continuous learning process. This means that several submissions in the form of presentations and essays are due every week in addition to the final exams, as well as intermediate exams. Added to this is the increased challenge of the language, as not all courses are offered in English. If you decide to study at Deusto, I think you should have a very good knowledge of Spanish, take at least one course in Germany in advance and be prepared for a high failure rate. Due to the dual system at the FHDW, FHDW students have to take a comparatively high number of courses. Deusto recommends three to five courses for Erasmus students. This means that it is not easy to achieve good to very good grades.