Freie Waldorfschule Balingen welcomes foreign students on both an exchange and a non-exchange basis from Waldorf Schools around the world during the student’s ninth, tenth or eleventh grade year. The length of the visit or exchange is variable. We suggest a minimum of 3 months, but 6 months or one year or other times are also possible.

Please apply 4-6 months prior to the semester in which you are interested.

The schoolterm begins in early September and ends in late July. For details, please see our calendar (Ferientermine).

Exchanges

Exchange opportunities are very limited. You may begin the process of looking for an exchange by completing all parts of the application form, and then we will try to find a match for you. If accepted, then you continue to pay tuition in own school, and the Waldorfschule Balingen student does the same at Waldorfschule Balingen. An exchange works best when first one student attends the other’s school for a semester, and then the second student attends the first student’s school, rather than a simple swap.

Please download the application form and complete all parts. In addition, please send a copy of your transcript.

Please write a letter to our pupils, describing yourself and your interests. We will try to find a matching partner for you. If there is nobody suitable, you may suggest to be a visiting pupil.

Visiting pupils

When an exchange is not available, we can help you to find a host familiy. You will live there during your stay and go to Waldorfschule Balingen. Please complete all parts of the  application form.

There will be a tuition fee for your stay. It will be 200,-- Euro per month, payable before your arrival in Germany. 

There might be extra costs for excursions, bus ticket, school materials.

You will also need pocket money for your extra spendings.

Once we found a matching family, the teachers of our school decides about your application. If you are accepted, you get a contract. Please send it back with a medical certificate and a proof of medical insurance to cover your stay.

If you need a visa, you have to take care of that by yourself, but you can ask for help if needed. If you go on a excursion during your stay where you go in another European country, another visa might be necessary. Please ask before your stay.

If you need extra lessons either in German or any other subject, there will be 10,-- Euro extra costs per hour.

During your stay, there will be a contact person for your (usually a teacher). If you have any problems, he or she will be the right  person for your and he/she will try to help you to find a solution to your problem.

How to find our school:

You can take a flight to Frankfurt /Germany. Then you can take a train from Frankfurt to Balingen. If your host family agrees, you can take a train to Stuttgart and they will fetch you there.

You can also take a flight directly to Stuttgart and take a train from there to Balingen. If your host family agrees, they can fetch you at the Stuttgart airport.

From Frankfurt it takes about 2 hours to Balingen. The train station is at the airport.

From Stuttgart Airport it takes you almost as long, because you have to get to Stuttgart train station, which is 20 km in the wrong direction (north, and Balingen is south).