During exchange

Things to do during the exchange.

Registration at the host university

After arriving at the host university you are usually expected to register at the local International Office or Student Affairs Office. Many universities arrange an orientation programme for incoming exchange students at the beginning of the semester. During the orientation programme you will find out about the study practices at your host university. In addition, find out who is your study coordinator at the host department who can help you with your study plan.

Residence permit / registration

In case you are required to get a residence permit or register at your host country, you should to do it at the local police station or a corresponding authority during the first weeks. The host university will also provide instructions on how to register with the local authorities.

Inform Kela of your rent

(*applicable only to students entitled to Finnish student financial aid, 'opintotuki' and studying in a country with low cost of living)

If you are studying in a country with low cost of living, where the housing supplement paid is lower than the average housing supplement abroad, please give an estimate of your rent, when applying for the student financial aid for your exchange period. You might be entitled to a higher housing supplement.

Networking and integration into the host culture

Get to know the locals through hobbies

Making local friends can contribute to adapting to a new culture. It may seem difficult to find friends outside the exchange circles but it is good to remember that not knowing anyone who represent the local culture can cause isolation. You can easily get to know the local people through different hobbies (sports, clubs, associations etc.).

Follow the local (online) news papers to get an idea of what's going on in your host destination and find common topics to chat with the local people.

Erasmus Student Network (ESN)

ESN is an organisation for exchange students which operates in many European universities. Although called Erasmus Student Network, their activities are usually open to all exchange students. The organisation supervises and lobbies for the exchange students’ interests and also arranges free time activities. You can check if your host university has a local ESN section: www.esn.org. Many ESN sections also have a Facebook group.

Informing your blog address

You can substitute your travel report by writing a blog during your exchange. In case you wish to substitute your travel report with a blog, create your blog in one of the blog services (e.g. blogspot.com) and inform the International Office of the address of your blog in your Mobility-Online workflow in the step "Travel report / blog".

Update your blog at least a couple of times per month and tell about your studies, the host university and practical things (e.g. housing). The idea is that your blog will help students heading for the same destination. Please notice that in order for your blog to be of use to the next exchange students, your blog must be valid for at least 2 years. This means that the blog should exist for 2 years, but there is no need to make entries to it after your exchange period.

You may also tell about your exchange experience by posting about it on @JYUstudyabroad Instagram account. The topics of the posts should be similar as the blog posts' topics. If you are interested to tell about your exchange by making Instagram posts, you can email international office (international-office@jyu.fi) to get the instructions.

Certificate of your studies abroad

Bring a certificate of your studies (i.e. a local transcript of records) with you from your host university. The certificate may also be sent to you afterwards. The number of credits you have received for each course or hours should appear in the transcript. It is also good to have a course catalogue of the host university about the contents of the courses you have taken. The credits obtained abroad can be transferred to your degree with the help of these documents.

If you have taken part in an Erasmus Intensive Language Course (EILC), make sure to keep the certificate of that course also and return a copy of it to the International Office.

Letter of Confirmation / Work Placement Confirmation

(applicable only to Erasmus students)

Erasmus students

Erasmus students are requested to submit a certificate of their Erasmus period to the JYU International Office. This certificate is called Letter of Confirmation and it states the dates of your Erasmus exchange.

Please ask the Erasmus coordinator of your host university to sign the document at the end of your stay and upload it to Mobility-Online within one month after your exchange has ended.

You will receive a pre-filled Letter of Confirmation document by email before the end of your exchange. Alternatively you can also use this Letter of Confirmation template.

Erasmus trainees

Ask your employer to sign your Work Placement Confirmation form or give you a letter of reference confirming your period of traineeship.

Keeping in touch

In addition to e-mail, Skype is a good way to keep in touch with your family and friends back home. By buying calling time you can call any phone in the world at a relatively low price. You can download Skype on your computer at www.skype.com.

Changing the length of your stay

If you would like to extend your exchange period, please contact the people at your host department and international office first to ask about the possibilities for extension. If they do not object, contact the JYU International Office (international-office[at]jyu.fi).

Applying for additional Erasmus scholarship

Usually JYU does not have any objections to extending Erasmus exchanges. Extending bilateral / ISEP / Nordlys exchanges is usually not possible. Erasmus exchange students can receive an addition to their Erasmus scholarship if the exchange is extended by at least 14 days. In order to receive the additional scholarship, contact the International Office of JYU (Erasmus exchange students) or Career Services (Erasmus work placement) at least 30 days prior to the beginning of the extension. Notify the new ending date of your exchange (= the last day that requires attendance, e.g. last day of courses or the last exam day). The International Office will calculates the amount of additional scholarship and sends you a new scholarship agreement for your approval. The additional scholarship will be paid to the account which it has been paid to before.

If the exchange is extended by a semester, Erasmus students have to either make a new Learning Agreement or reach an agreement about their study plan and credit transfer with the Departmental Coordinator of their home department/faculty at JYU via email.

Applying for additional Student Financial Aid

This concerns only those who receive Finnish Student Financial Aid.

You need to notify the Student Financial Aid Unit if the duration of your exchange changes. In order to receive Student Financial Aid for the extended exchange period, you have to apply for the Student Financial Aid in the Kela e-Services (www.kela.fi) or by sending the Notification of changes form to the Student Financial Aid Unit of JYU. Note that you can apply for additional Student Financial Aid from the beginning of the month when your application arrives to the Student Financial Aid Unit at the earliest.

Notifying the International Office

If you would like to return from your exchange period earlier than planned, please notify the international office of your host university as well as JYU International Office (international-office[at]jyu.fi). Remember that your scholarship is tied to the length of your exchange period. This means that if you decide to come back before the end of your exchange period, you will have to pay back either a part or the whole of your scholarship.

Cancelling your Student Financial Aid

This concerns only those who receive Finnish Student Financial Aid

You can cancel your Student Financial Aid with your online banking access codes at www.kela.fi or with the Notification of changes form. Remember to cancel your Student Financial Aid early enough in order to avoid the reclaiming of Student Financial Aid later. Inform the Kela office of your home municipality (e.g. jyvaskyla@kela.fi) about your return to Finland so that Kela can make a decision on your right to Finnish social security.

Problems along the way?

Challenges are a part of the exchange

Solving problems is part of the learning process, so embrace the challenges. If you run into overwhelming difficulties at the beginning of your exchange period (for example, due to a language barrier), try not to be discouraged. Contact the International Office of the host university and seek for their guidance. If this does not solve the problem, contact either the international relations coordinator of your home department or the JYU International Office.

Excluding acute serious illness and other drastic situations, it is not advisable to end your exchange period ahead of time without consulting the University of Jyväskylä first. Please remember that your scholarship is tied to the length of your exchange period. In case of early return you will need to refund either a part or the whole of your scholarship.

The scholarship is tied to the duration of the exchange, so if you decide to return to Finland in the middle of the exchange period, you are required to return the scholarship money or a part of it. The University of Jyväskylä will send you a bill for returning the money. The bill has a 30-day term of payment.

If an Erasmus exchange is terminated prematurely, but the reason for the termination could qualify as a force majeure case (the reason is something that the student has no influence on, for example a serious illness etc.), it is possible that the student can keep the scholarship in total or partly.

The decisions in these cases are done in the National Erasmus Office, who require the following documents:

• a medical certificate, if the reason for termination is health-related (from the exchange destination)

• an informal statement about the reasons for the termination

• a list of expenses related to the exchange (no receipts needed). Extra expenses for going and staying abroad (such as travel expenses and accommodation) are taken into account, but not normal living expenses (such as food).

• the receiving institution’s certificate of the exchange period (= Letter of Confirmation)

The Erasmus office processes the case based on the documents, and if it counts as a force majeure case, they confirm the amount of scholarship that you are entitled to keep.