How to proceed

Taking part in a university exchange is a unique and fascinating experience, provided you prepare for it properly.

The first thing to remember is that you need to start the process well in advance, i.e. minimum one year before your anticipated departure date. For example, if you are aiming to study abroad in the 3rd year of your bachelor’s course, you need to start the process at the start of your 2nd year at the latest.

At the beginning of each academic year, each faculty organises an information session on exchanges, which is important to attend. Each faculty also has a page dedicated to exchanges, where you'll find lots of useful information about your exchange. Links to your faculty's mobility/exchange pages are available on this page.

SASME, the central mobility service, also organises a "Going on an exchange" webinar during the Spring semester to inform you about exchanges in general, the information sessions organised by the faculties and the need to prepare well in advance for an exchange, especially in terms of language (language tests required).

There are different types of university exchange agreement. Make sure you check which type of agreement you are intending to study under, as the deadlines for applying and some of the arrangements are different! See the PDF document in margin "A short guide to mobility".

• As a general rule, if you apply by 1 December for a destination under a general agreement as your first choice and you are not accepted, you will find out between the end of January and the beginning of February. You will then have the option of applying for a SEMP or faculty agreement by 20 February.
• If your first choice is a destination available under a faculty or SEMP agreement, you simply need to apply to your faculty by 20 February.

You will find detailed information on the procedure to follow for the different types of agreement below, as well as a summary in the "Short guide to mobility" available in margin.