Washington Summer Symposium on U.S. Foreign Policy

The Chair of International Politics offers a twelve-day excursion to the Summer Symposium on U.S. Foreign Policy in Washington, D.C., every August. The symposium is organised in cooperation with the Osgood Center for International Studies, our long-standing American partner. At the Summer Symposium, you will have the opportunity to intensively engage with US policy and pressing global political challenges on site in the American capital. The excursion is designed to be practical and interactive. Participants will discuss current issues in 25-30 sessions with politicians, academics, journalists, diplomats and lobbyists. Visits to government agencies, think tanks and international institutions round off the programme. At the weekend there is time to explore the American capital on your own.

Every year, up to 15-20 places are reserved for Regensburg students at the symposium - a total of around 40-45 participants attend the international summer school. These encounters offer lasting experiences. There are also credit points for this: the symposium is part of the International Politics teaching programme in Regensburg and can be flexibly credited to Bachelor's and Master's degree courses. Participation is open to students of all subjects.

The Summer Symposium has been running for more than 30 years. Over 600 Bavarian participants have now attended the symposium. For many, the symposium proved to be a door opener for their future careers - whether for an Internship or study abroad or an international career. Others have made friends for life.

Lisa-Marie Geltinger, M.A. leads the excursion and is your contact for all questions: lisa-marie.geltinger​(at)​ur.de (opens your email program)

The symposium always takes place in the summer semester. Participation in the Summer Symposium is open to students of all subjects at the University of Regensburg. Places are allocated on a first come, first served basis. The registration deadline is at the beginning of May.

There will be two information events for all interested parties beforehand, one in the winter semester and one at the beginning of the summer semester. For date updates, you can add your name to a non-binding list of interested parties at any time by sending an e-mail to Ms Reindl: sekretariat.bierling​(at)​ur.de (opens your email program)

To register for the Summer Symposium, two steps are necessary: registration using the registration form (not via SPUR!) and payment of the programme and hotel costs of around 1,540.00 euros by the deadline. The current dates can be found under Dates.

For the Regensburg participants, the symposium includes several preparatory sessions during the lecture period, the excursion itself takes place during the lecture-free period (end of July/beginning of August).

The symposium begins and ends in Washington, DC. Hotel accommodation for the period of the symposium will be organised as a group booking in a good and conveniently located city hotel. Arrival and departure are organised independently, i.e. all participants can organise their trip individually and stay longer if they wish.

The total cost of the excursion is around 3,000 euros per person. In addition to the fixed costs for the programme and hotel of around 1,540.00 euros, there are individual expenses for flights, transfers, meals, insurance, etc. In principle, participants must bear all costs themselves. We endeavour to obtain funding every year, but unfortunately the availability and amount of funding is not known in advance.

Registration

Information event: 11.12.2025 from 17-19 c.t., PT 1.04

20 January 2026 from 18:15-19:15, PT 1.04

Registration until: 3 April 2026; "first come, first served"

Please send the registration form (opens in a new window)as a Word file to the secretary's office (Mrs Reindl): sekretariat.bierling​(at)​ur.de (opens your email program)

Preparation in Regensburg

First meeting: casual Get-Together in May, TBA

Course sessions 17.06.2026 / 24.06.2026/ 08.07.2026 each from 4 to 6 pm

Excursion

Symposium in DC 02.08.2026 - 13.08.2026 (day of arrival is 02.08.2026 until 18:00)

The excursion to Washington, D.C., is not cheap for the participants, but worth every euro. Every year, generous sponsors support Regensburg's participation in the Summer Symposium. We would like to thank you very much!

• Forum International Youth Exchange Regensburg
• PROMOS, funding programme of the DAAD
• Friends of Universität Regensburg e.V., Regensburg
• Bavarian State Chancellery, Munich
• Faculty of Philosophy I, University of Regensburg, through tuition fees
• American Consulate General, Munich
• US Embassy, Berlin

Prof Dr Stephan Bierling and his team on behalf of all students

Osgood Centre for Study Abroad / International Studies (external link, opens in a new window)

The premier foreign policy programme in the heart of Washington, D.C.