Application process

On this page, you will find instructions and tips for applying for an exchange and answers to frequently asked questions.

The application for student exchange has two stages. First, an exchange place is applied for using the University of Jyväskylä's electronic exchange application form in Mobility-Online. After this, the students selected for exchange are appointed to the exchange university, and the appointed students fill out the exchange university's own exchange application with attachments. The host university ultimately accepts the exchange students.

Kaksi nuorta naista poseeraa värikkäiden talojen edessä

Application deadlines

The annual application periods are:

1.10. - 1.11. - destinations outside Europe (bilateral and ISEP exchange)
15.1. - 15.2. - European destinations (Erasmus+, Nordplus, Nordlys)
15.1. - 15.2. - potential additional application period to destinations outside Europe
1.4. - 31.5. - application round for the remaining Erasmus+ placements
- Selections are made on a rolling basis throughout the application period. Applications are in most cases processed in the order in which they are received.
May and December (the exact dates vary slightly each year) - Application for the university's travel grant for those who have obtained an internship independently takes place twice a year. Check the application dates from the application announcement.

Nordplus networks are coordinated by faculties and, therefore, the application periods may vary. Please contact the faculty-level coordinators for further information.

The application periods will be announced on the Internationalisation and Student Exchange website, via the JYUsletter and departmental e-mail lists.

Application instructions for student exchange

The application for the majority of JYU exchange programmes is done through the Mobility-Online application system:

Application to the host university

Most students nominated for an exchange have to fill out the host university's own application/registration form by the deadline given by the host university. You will receive more information on this after your exchange application has been approved. Some partner universities (mainly in North America) require proof of language skills through a specific language test (such as the English language TOEFL test).

How to apply for an exchange

Mobility-Online portal

Begin planning your exchange by looking at the available destinations on the programme's webpage.
- Find specific details about your desired destination in your faculty's Erasmus Guide or the programme's pages. Not all destinations are always open, so check the Mobility-Online portal during the application period to see which ones are currently available.
Explore the study options, language requirements, etc. of the exchange destination on their website. Look for information for exchange students, which is often available in English. Use search terms like 'exchange student' or 'Erasmus exchange' to help you find the relevant information.
Check out the exchange reports of previous exchange students in the Travel Reports tab in Mobility-Online (in the top bar of the page).
Create a study plan based on the courses listed on the exchange destination's website.
- This plan is preliminary and may change because the courses for the next academic year are usually not available yet. However, you can often predict the types of courses offered by looking at the current academic year's offerings. If you can't find the course information on the destination's website, reach out to the exchange university directly for assistance.
Prepare academic justifications for your exchange application, for example in Word. These justifications can be copied and pasted onto the application form, which is in English. Keep in mind that your application will be processed at the University of Jyväskylä, not sent directly to the host university.
If you plan to study abroad in a language other than English.
- Find a language certificate and scan it.
- This certificate can be a matriculation certificate, transcript of records, language course certificate, or similar document that shows your proficiency in the language used at your exchange destination. You don't need an official language proficiency certificate during the initial application stage.
- After submitting your application in the system, you'll be asked to upload your language certificate to Mobility-Online. When filling out the application, you'll need to specify your language proficiency level using CEFR proficiency levels (A1-C2). Make sure to read the descriptions of these skill levels before completing the application.

CERF proficiency levels

Go to Mobility-Online and choose the exchange program you're applying for. Use the portal search function as necessary and click "Show details" to see more information. Look for your desired exchange destination, you can learn more about it by clicking the information icon on the left side of the university's name. N.B.! Mobility-Online is a slow program, so please wait for it to load.
The level of exchange you can participate in (bachelor's or master's) depends on the available courses at the destination.
- In general, a master's level student can apply to a bachelor's level exchange destination, and a final bachelor's student can often apply to a master's level destination.
- The specific level is determined by the available courses and the degree and part of the degree for which those courses are primarily intended to be credited. For example, master's students can earn credit for bachelor's level courses as electives.
To apply to a particular destination, click on the green circle next to the study option you're interested in. If you are applying for multiple exchange programmes or different subjects/departments/faculties, you must prepare a separate application for each of them and state in each application the order in which you are applying to the exchange destinations.
In total, you can apply to three destinations in the Erasmus and ISEP applications and two destinations in the Nordplus, Nordlys, and bilateral applications. When processing your application, it is assumed that you have placed the applications in order of priority.
Fill out the application. At this stage, you should preliminarily think about the study plan for each of your study options; and how your studies will advance your degree. At this stage, you often have to plan courses according to what is available for the current academic year or by studying exchange reports. The study plan for the application is only preliminary.
Once you have submitted your application, note that your application is not yet fully complete. You will receive a message by email - follow the email address you provided on the application form and remember to check your spam folder as well.
- The application will not be complete until you fill out your contact information as requested in the message.
- The message also states that you must supplement the application and add a language proficiency certificate to the system if you intend to study at the exchange destination in a language other than English.
- If you are applying for an exchange destination at another faculty, you will also need a favorable opinion from the international affairs planner of your faculty/department. You will receive the support form with your email. Without this stage, the application will not proceed to processing.
- The attachments must be uploaded to Mobility-Online before the end of the application round.
The selections are made within one month after the end of the application period. You will be notified of the result by email. Please remember to check your spam folder as well.
If you are unable to participate in the exchange, please inform your international coordinator as soon as possible so that the exchange place can be offered to someone else.

If you were selected for exchange on behalf of the University of Jyväskylä, the next step in the application process is to be nominated for an exchange university. This means that the international affairs planner sends your information to the host university. Those going on exchange for the autumn term or the whole academic year are usually named during the spring and those going on exchange for the spring semester during the (early) autumn. Once the nomination has been made, you will be notified by email.
Prepare the actual exchange application to the host university. Check the application deadline on the host university's website. Many universities send application instructions directly to nominated students by email, but if you do not receive a message from the host university after the nomination, you can also find the application instructions and information on the attachments required for the application on the host university's website. If you cannot find the information, please contact the exchange university.
Check the exchange university's website to see if they ask for a certificate of language proficiency to be attached to the exchange application and, if so, whether a language test taken at the home university is sufficient or whether a simple language reference will suffice. In general, you do not need a separate certificate of language proficiency for an Erasmus exchange, but this varies from one host university to another.
Some host universities require a reference letter from the University; some may require a letter, some may have a particular (electronic) form. Please contact your Faculty International Coordinator for a references. Please attach the form (if any) and state the deadline for the reference.

Selection criteria

The selection criteria for student exchange are academic standing (grades and the number of completed credits), preliminary study plan and motivation. Language skills will also be taken into account in destinations with specific language requirements.

The selection is mainly done based on the applications. For a few of the most popular destinations outside Europe (Australia, Canada) and for ISEP Exchange, the applicants may also be interviewed.

The selections for Erasmus and Nordplus programmes are made by the faculty which has signed the exchange agreement. Different faculties might emphasize different things when making the selection.
The selections for the university's bilateral exchange, ISEP and Nordlys programmes is made by the Director of Student and Academic Affairs based on the proposal of the nomination group. The nomination group consists of members of the staff of the International Office and the student union JYY.
If the applicant cannot be nominated to the universities s/he is applying for, s/he can be offered a placement in another university in the same host country, provided there are available placements.

University-level basic prerequisites for student exchange nominations and selection criteria to all JYU student exchange programmes.

Rector's decision 4.11.2009

The University of Jyväskylä aims at offering equal opportunities for study abroad to the degree students of the university, free of discrimination based on such factors as gender, age, disability, ethnic or socioeconomic background or nationality. However, individual exchange programmes, host universities and host countries may set their own restrictions, which need to be communicated to applicants and which must be taken into consideration when nominating outgoing exchange students.

The objective of the university is to implement student exchange in such a way that the study abroad period is a well-planned and well-timed part of the studies, and that it will enhance the skills and international competence of the student.

Students applying and participating in the student exchange shall be regular degree students at the University of Jyväskylä.
Undergraduate students shall have completed studies corresponding to the normal study load of one academic year by the commencement of the exchange period. The studies may have been completed at the University of Jyväskylä or some other institution of higher education, provided that the credits have been recognised by the University of Jyväskylä.
Students pursuing advanced studies leading to a Master’s degree or studying in separate Master’s programmes shall have completed degree studies of at least one semester by the commencement of the exchange period. International joint programmes that include a study abroad period during the first term will make an exception.
Postgraduate students shall have an approved plan for postgraduate studies and a recommendation for study abroad period from the supervisor by the time of applying for an exchange programme.
The students shall prepare a study plan for the study abroad period indicating that the studies included in the plan can be transferred to full compensation to the degree that is to be completed at the University of Jyväskylä.
The candidate shall be sufficiently versed in the teaching language used during the study period abroad. The sufficiency shall be attested by previous studies, language examination or by other means approved by the host university.
The selected candidate for the exchange shall have successfully completed the studies to that extent that it can be expected from him/her to manage the studies in the host university abroad.
As a rule, students are given the possibility to participate in the exchange programmes of the University of Jyväskylä once during undergraduate or graduate studies. A student may be selected for a new exchange period, if the studies the student is pursuing require a new study period abroad. As an exception, a new exchange period may also be granted in case the first period has covered only one term, and the new period abroad would be of special relevance to the studies.

Students for exchange programmes that concern either one department, one faculty or the whole university are nominated amongst those students that fulfill the requirements set for the access to student exchange. Furthermore, special provisions concerning each exchange programme (e.g. Erasmus mobility) shall be considered. The final decision on the approval of the student is always made by the host university.

Departments or faculties shall submit their proposals to the host universities when nominating candidates for the exchanges that concern one department or one faculty only. When candidates are nominated to exchanges that concern the whole university, the faculties first put their own students into order of priority, and send their proposal to the nomination group, which consists of members of the staff of the International Office. The nomination group will submit its own proposal for the candidates, based on the faculty proposal, to the Director of Student and Academic Affairs, who in turn will make the decision on the exchange candidates offered to the partner university.

When faculties or departments decide on the candidates for their own partner institutions or submit their proposal for the candidates for exchanges concerning the whole university, the following common nomination criteria will be used:

Faculties and departments may use further criteria, if applicable, in the nominations concerning student exchange agreements of their own. Faculties and departments also determine the nomination procedure as regards their own exchanges.

After having received the proposals of the faculties the nomination group for student exchange shall ensure that the candidates proposed by the faculties show proof of required language skills. The nomination group will submit its proposal for exchange candidates (and possible reserve candidates) taking into consideration the proposals of the faculties and the earlier mentioned general criteria. Furthermore, the nomination group shall pay attention to the balance between the faculties as regards the amount of candidates. Some exchange agreements may also include agreed quota for students of certain subjects.

Academic achievements
Timing of exchange period into a relevant phase of studies
Academic grounds for the exchange (applicability of studies abroad to the degree) and study plan in the host institution
Language competence in the teaching language of the host university

Previous exchange periods: Applicants with previous exchange periods offered by the University of Jyväskylä will be discarded.
Phase of studies: Applicants, whose studies are at too early a stage or too far advanced, will be discarded.
Second master’s degree: Applicants pursuing a second master’s degree at JYU will be discarded.
Success in a candidate interview, if there has been one. This requires that the candidate shows fluent spoken skills in English, sufficient familiarity with the University of Jyväskylä, and is well equipped for marketing the University of Jyväskylä as an exchange destination.

Cancellation of the exchange

You should apply for student exchange after careful consideration. However, if your situation changes in such a way that you become unable to go for the exchange, you may cancel the exchange. You should contact the international coordinator about the cancellation as early as possible, so that the student potentially on the waiting list can be notified in time.

Attn! In line with the safety policy of the university, the International Office observes the safety situation of the exchange destinations and when necessary, can recommend cancelling the exchange due to a deteriorated safety situation of the destination.

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Questions about internationalisation? For guidance on student exchange, please contact us through HelpJYU.

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Application process

Table of contents

Application deadlines

Application instructions for student exchange

Application to the host university

How to apply for an exchange

Step 1: Applying for an exchange place in the Mobility-Online Portal

Part 2: Applying to destination university

Selection criteria

Premise

Prerequisites for participation in student exchange

Nomination procedure and general nomination criteria for the exchange programmes and the exchange agreements of the university

Additional criteria for candidates to especially popular exchanges

Cancellation of the exchange

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