Location
  • Germany
Term
Academic Year, Fall, Spring, Summer
Need-based funding, Merit-based funding, General grants/scholarships
Health & Safety

Program Details

Program Type
Provider
Degree Level
Bachelors
Housing
Apartment Host Family
Language
English
Sep 24, 2024
Apr 24, 2024
20 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

In Luneburg, a beautiful, historical city dating back more than a thousand years, USAC students study intensive elementary, intermediate, and advanced German language. The USAC program is located at the Leuphana University Luneburg (formerly University of Luneburg), where you can participate in university activities and clubs and become acquainted with local students.

You can also take elective courses, taught in English or German, in subjects such as political science, anthropology, economics, and speech communication, and qualified students can apply for a work-study grant or for an internship at a local business. Field trips to regional sites of interest, for example to Hamburg, Schwerin, and Lubeck, are included in the program, giving you opportunities to learn more about the country, the history of the area, and the German people.

Video and Photos

Diversity & Inclusion

LGBTQIA+ Support

There are LGBTQIA+ friends, colleagues, and allies throughout the world. However, cultural understanding of gender identity and sexuality does vary from country to country. USAC has compiled a lot of resources to help you through that learning process.

Accessibility Support

USAC is dedicated to working closely with students with disabilities to ensure the best study abroad experience possible. You may request reasonable accommodations after your initial application is complete. We routinely receive requests for scheduling, material, and environmental accommodations for the classroom setting, which may include assistive technology, scribes and readers, printed material, and interpretation.

Impact

Sustainability

Environmentally-conscious students choose USAC because many of our programs are held in some of the most sustainable countries in the world. There are options to take coursework in sustainability and the environment, as well as field trips and studies where students can leave a lasting impact on their host country.

Program Highlights

  • Live in a vibrant university town and a beautiful medieval setting just 30 minutes away from Hamburg
  • Join in a wide range of extracurricular activities on and off campus and take advantage of the study and bus pass which is included in the program fee
  • Feel at home with the help of local students and language partners
  • Enjoy field trips and the tour of Berlin, where you can explore its history and exciting and diverse cultural life
  • Renewable Resources students (graduate and undergraduate) interested in study abroad should consider direct enrollment courses at Leuphana through USAC

Program Reviews

4.80 Rating
based on 35 reviews
  • 5 rating 88.57%
  • 4 rating 8.57%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 2.86%
  • Academics 4.2
  • Support 4.6
  • Fun 4.4
  • Housing 4.55
  • Safety 5
Showing 1 - 8 of 35 reviews
Default avatar
Emiliano
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

A wonderful experience!

I participated in the Lüneburg Germany USAC program from the fall of 2023 to the early spring of 2024. I was originally hesitant about going abroad alone for so much time. I was used to traveling but never really lived abroad. I was finally convinced by my family and professors to go, and it was amazing. Although I had a hybrid program as part of my home university I was able to fully experience the USAC program. Residing with a host family I was able to practice and experience German tradition and everyday culture to the largest extent. Taking courses on Leuphana's main German campus allowed me to meet local students from the city as well as from all around Germany. From locals to students, to professors, I met a wide array of individuals that enhanced my experience and introduced me to great opportunities and new findings. The program actively gave many opportunities to experience German culture, and visit great locations such as Berlin, Hamburg, and Lübeck! With a good work-life balance, I was able to experience German culture and travel far and wide across Germany and Europe. Geographical location helps a lot! I was able to spend a total of 8 months in Germany and ultimately truly fell in love with the food, culture, and Lüneburg. It is a program I fully recommend and advise for students. USAC does its best to provide its students with the best opportunities in internships, student events, German language learning, and travel.
Not to mention the great USAC staff and director! They were always attentive to help with every need and assisted in the whole process from the bureaucratic paperwork down to everyday life and bike options; which truly made it a better experience. It is a program that you get what you put in, it's all there but you have to go for it. Overall a wonderful experience that I am glad I took and would take again if I could.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Don't be afraid to take a leap! Living in a new country can be difficult at times, mainly due to the language barrier. Put in the effort and the results will come, it is a put-in is what you'll get out of it. It's the perfect opportunity to surround yourself with the language, on signs, restaurants, and people. Take every stop as an opportunity to read and step out of your comfort zone to learn new things, talk to people, eat new food, and experience a different culture.
As my director told me, "If you're not embarrassing yourself at least once a day speaking German, you're not trying!" There is no better place to learn German than in Germany.
Pros
  • Support Staff
  • Geographical Location
  • Language Opportunities
Cons
  • Takes place at a German University but you take American styled courses only with American students.
36 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Autumn/Otto
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

New me

When I went I was unable to grow as an individual in the comfort of my normal life. When I went I got to live the life that I wanted to live. I became a new person because of my friends and experiences I had. I got to have many different experiences were I went to Amsterdam, Rome, and Thessaloniki for a weekend with my friends. I got the ability to meet up with my German TA from my university. I recommend anyone that has the chance to travel to do it and go out of their comfort zone. I was able to learn so much about the language and the culture.

Pros
  • Cultural immersion
  • Language skill improved
  • Friends from other places
Cons
  • Stress of not knowing language
  • Living without your support group
  • Feeling lonely in the beginning
84 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Lucille
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

A Piece of Me in Germany

When I was little, I dreamed of studying abroad in Germany during my college years. Thanks to USAC's program, my lifelong dream of immersing myself in the culture that was rooted in my family for generations came to fruition. Studying abroad in Lüneburg, Germany was a life-altering experience that helped me to grow into the person I am today, especially thanks to my decision to live with a host family. They allowed me to achieve my personal goals of increasing my language skills and cultural immersion. In living with them, we now share an unbreakable bond woven with laughter, tears, and countless moments that will forever dance within our souls.

Pros
  • Lüneburg is beautiful and walkable
  • Making lifelong friends at the campus
  • Traveling to other Northern countries easily
Cons
  • The location is small with mostly American students
  • Traditional German food harder to find in this city
83 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Jaedyn
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Best Experience Ever!!

Let me give you the run-down:

Pre-Departure:
USAC needs to improve their stuff ASAP. The people helping me did not fill me in on the order I was supposed to complete the process and it was a nightmare. I was highly unprepared even when I thought I would be prepared — but don’t be scared, people will help you once you get there if it happens! Not to mention the actual USAC office is on my university campus and they still weren’t helpful. If you have questions ask old USAC students that are available pls. There are lots of us. Also ask people travelling with you — some of them have done this before!!! Otherwise, basic knowledge — pay your phone off before to use Airlo for phone plans and find a credit card that has no foreign transaction fees — also being at least 2 CC and 1 debit card — losing your stuff is possible.

Arrival/Experience:
The beginning is a lot, but stay active and your sleep schedule will adjust. I thought I was good at German and then I got there and it was HARD — but now I know soooooo much more German it’s amazing. The school campus is kind of far from Leuphana, but their plan is to integrate to the main campus so hopefully that happens for you! Otherwise, they have student leaders who are from Germany and speak great English and our two Leuphana student helpers were awesome, we used to go out with them and stuff and have fun. If you’re 18, go to the karoke bar in Lüneburg it’s awesome! Otherwise explore and don’t be afraid to mess up. One time I was ordering a bratwurst with this man at one of the markets and he turned out to just be a customer and not a worker and everyone laughed at me and I was so embarrassed but I laugh about it now — you will too. Try new things and put yourself out there. If you explore alone just make sure you know what you’re doing and are safe. Make friends with your USAC program people because they are awesome and all looking for friends just like you. Make friends with your apartment roomies (I still talk to mine because they were amazing — we’d have nightly dinners and chat for hours at a time together it was amazing and I miss them dearly) or if you have a host family go on family outings with them and practice your German with them — they’re very helpful. Make sure to explore other countries/German cities because it’s fun. Try to figure out public transportation and remember Deutsche Bahn is not reliable. If you’re a frequent traveler to long distance places or plan to go all over Germany, get a trial Bahn card — it’s cheap and discounts your tickets by 25% — just make sure to cancel it in time (like 6 weeks before it expires). Otherwise I can’t think of anything else, but have fun and put yourself out there! It’s a fantastic experience. You also may get home sick, but you can talk to your resident director or a therapist if you struggle with stuff it’s very helpful. I was only really home sick around the Super bowl, but otherwise it was nice. And go on the field trips!!! Our Berlin/Hamburg field trips were awesome and all of the history field trips they take you on are very educational/interesting and sometimes sad. Otherwise, I miss all my friends so use the time wisely. Locals are very nice and friendly.

Post-Germany:
I’m sad and miss it — post-study abroad depression is real. Getting back to normal life is hard, so remember to take lots of pics and stay in contact with your German/USAC friends to help missing it. And occupy yourself getting back helps too — hang out and catch up with your old friends :)

Pros
  • Making friends for life
  • Learning about German culture
  • Traveling everywhere
Cons
  • Post study abroad depression
  • Potential home sickness
  • School on top of travel/experience
92 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Jessica
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Experience of a Life Time

USAC's Lüneburg study abroad program brought great opportunity to create a new lifestyle around the German culture, allowing myself to improve myself. I greatly enjoyed stepping outside of my usual bubbles and talking in a foreign language, even with the knowledge that I wouldn't be perfect. I got to meet many different locals and explore Lüneburg with complete freedom. USAC was great with pairing people with neat and friendly host families and I was very pleased that I got to get to know the other students who came from different backgrounds from me.
My favorite part were the really neat field trips. They were very informative, but also really helped me focus my understanding of the German culture as a rich and varied people.
I would highly recommend this program to anyone who is interested in history and meeting really nice people. Bonus tons of castles!

Pros
  • Wonderful field trips
  • Great Staff
  • Good Housing
Cons
  • Was a bit cold
  • Gotta find your people
  • Be flexible
91 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Jordan
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

I wish I could do it again!

The three months that I spent in Lüneburg were easily the best three months of my life. The support of the staff and the friends that I met through the program was an amazing help to feeling safe and having fun! The classes were interesting and really helped me to better my language skills. It was clear that the instructors cared not only about us learning, but about us enjoying our experience as well. The program offers field trips, where staff took us to a few different cities nearby. These were great ways to see more of Germany without having to worry about the hassle of planning things ourselves. The city itself felt incredibly safe, as did the other students living in the apartments that they put our program's students in. I will say that the program itself did not make us really immerse ourselves in the culture. The USAC classes were in their own building, somewhat far away from the main campus of the university, which was a little disappointing because we didn't have that constant interaction with Lüneburg residents. Lüneburg is a beautiful city with lots to offer, and I can't wait to go back at some point in the future!

Pros
  • The city is beautiful
  • The staff were really nice and supportive
  • My language skills got much better
Cons
  • The pre-departure stuff did not feel super well-managed
  • We did not get to fully immerse ourselves in the culture, since our classes were so separated. It was a little bit difficult to meet people unless you had a host family (with host siblings) or your roommates helped you.
95 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Erin
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Lüneburg, Germany 2022

Spending a semester in Lüneburg was an unforgettable experience. From the minute I arrived, I felt comforted by the staff of USAC. It was challenging getting there and settling in primarily because of COVID, but the group advisor kept us all in the loop and aware of the regulations. We took classes online for the first part of my semester, which wasn't ideal but went very smoothly. Our transition to in-person classes was needed, especially if you are learning the language for the first time. As our classes progressed, I felt more comfortable speaking German in public. Also, people from Lüneburg were friendly and accepting of us, especially when we tried to interact with and speak their language. The food was amazing and there. are a bunch of really good places to eat around town. Lüneburg is also the perfect place for anyone interested in history. I enjoyed traveling around the area and meeting new people. I would 10/10 recommend this experience to anyone who has to opportunity to go.

Pros
  • Train and public transportation access
  • Restaurants
  • Local people
Cons
  • Very rainy
98 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Jerra
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Lüneburg, Germany Summer 2019

I spent 6 weeks in Lüneburg, Germany in the summer of 2019. I made some of the best friends and best memories while I was there. In that short time I visited Köln, Hamburg, Berlin, Paris, Aarhaus, Stavanger, and Bergen. Being able to experience the ease of transportation in the town of Lüneburg as well as Germany as a whole was something I’ll never forget. My classes were just challenging enough and my professors were some of the best educators I’ve ever had. My only regret is not staying longer.

If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change?
I would have stayed longer. There are two sessions during the summer and I only attended the first one. If I did it all again I would’ve stayed longer and maybe even done an entire semester abroad.
136 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers

Hi Diana, no you do not need a bachelors degree to go on one of our programs, a majority of them are actually for undergrads. Here are the general requirements to study abroad on a USAC program: USAC welcomes students from any US college or university who: Are at least 18 years old at the time of application and who will be enrolled in a university degree-seeking program while they are abroad...