15 countries represented, 25 participating students – outgoing alumni and current exchange students – , countless interested students and unique stories. That was this year’s Go Abroad Fair on 6 May 2026 at TU Hamburg.

For the first time, the Go Abroad Fair took place in Building A in collaboration with the Career Service and alongside the Career Forum. The main focus was on a country fair and on facilitating dialogue between Alumni Outgoings, current Exchange Incomings, and students interested in spending time abroad.

The LUK in Building A was packed with curious students looking for the right country for them. Inspired by the flags on the noticeboards, they wandered from stand to stand. The choice was vast and not an easy one. Fifteen countries were represented at the fair. And it wasn’t just European countries on display, but also hotspots such as UC Berkeley in the USA, the University of Waterloo in Canada and several partner universities in China, Taiwan, Japan, Malaysia and Uzbekistan.

The countries and partner universities were represented by incoming exchange students and former outgoing students who had already successfully completed a study period abroad. This allowed interested students to find out first-hand what it’s like to study abroad and to have discussions on an equal footing. The outgoing alumni know from their own experience what matters and what’s important: What is university life like there? Is it similar to the TU in Hamburg, or completely different? How is my degree programme represented, and which subjects can I take? Will I receive support if things don’t go as expected? These are questions that students are far better placed to answer than the staff from the Outgoing Team. The aim of this year’s fair was to facilitate an open exchange between students and encourage them to engage in conversation with one another.

The International Affairs department, the fair’s organiser, and the ECIU team also had a stand at the event. The Incoming and Outgoing teams provided information on the various language courses and intercultural preparation programmes available at TUHH, and addressed the questions most frequently asked by those interested: how can I finance a stay abroad? What funding opportunities are available to me? When are the application deadlines?
The ECIU team, TU representatives of the European Consortium of Innovative Universities, provided information on challenge-based learning programmes and short-term mobility opportunities within the European network. Some of the partner universities represented at the country fair are also part of ECIU, such as the University of Twente (Netherlands) and Kaunas University of Technology (Lithuania).

There was also a Global Quiz Challenge – students were invited to answer 11 questions on the topic of student exchange. Three winners were drawn at random from among the participants who submitted the correct answers, and they received small prizes.

At the end of the day, the students looked very pleased with what they’d learnt and are perhaps now eagerly looking forward to their time abroad!
There will be another Go Abroad Fair in May next year – we’ll keep you updated.

“Thank you for arranging the Go Abroad fair! I had a great time showing what the University of Waterloo is like.” Sharon Lee, University of Waterloo, Canada