Erasmus+ exchange
Table of contents
Principles of the Erasmus programme
To participate in the Erasmus student exchange programme, you must fulfill the conditions related to students' access to exchange programmes, for example:
- You are a registered degree or post-graduate student of the University of Jyväskylä for the whole duration of the exchange
- Undergraduate (Bachelor's) students shall have completed the study load of one academic year and graduate (Master's) students one academic semester prior to the start of the exchange period
An Erasmus exchange can last between 2 and 12 months, but JYU recommends that the minimum exchange period lasts for one semester.
You can participate in an Erasmus period (study exchange or work placement) for a duration of 12 months at each level of study (Bachelor's/Master's/Doctor's).
It is possible to participate in e.g.
- max. 12 months of study exchange or work placement during your Bachelor's studies
- max. 12 months of study exchange or work placement during your Master's studies, and
- max. 12 months of study exchange or work placement during your Doctoral studies
If you have been on an Erasmus exchange/work placement before the academic year 2014-2015, the Erasmus months used will be taken into account when granting new placements. NB! The faculties may, if they wish, give priority in selection to those who have not been on an Erasmus exchange/work placement before.
Application and nomination
Application period
The annual Erasmus application period for the following academic year starts on the 15th of January and ends on the 15th of February.
The application round for the remaining places opens on the 1st of April and ends on 31st of May. 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. The applicant should check the application period of the host institution. If the application deadline of the host institution has passed, it is no longer possible to apply. The application period of each university can be found on their website (search for "application deadlines for incoming Erasmus students").
Application form
You can apply for the Erasmus programme by filling in an electronic Erasmus student exchange application in the Mobility-Online application system.
You can apply to 1-3 different universities. As application attachments, you will need a document that you have studied the language of the host university. If you have studied the language at JYU and the studies appear on your transcript, there is no need to attach a language certificate to the application.
If you are applying for a placement with another faculty, you are required to attach an endorsement letter from your home faculty to the application (the endorsement form is available in the application system).
Doctoral students must also include the support of the doctoral study supervisor in the application, which you can find on the Student Exchange Forms page.
Nomination
The nomination decisions are made by the faculty whose placement you have applied for. The nominations are made according to the criteria for Student access to Exchange Programmes at the University of Jyväskylä.
You will need an endorsement letter from your home faculty if you are applying for a placement with another faculty. Even if there are placements available, the faculty may deny the application/endorsement based on, for example, the timing of the exchange, insufficient progress of studies, or lack of sufficient language skills.
Language skills
- The language of instruction in the exchange universities is usually the language of the host country. In addition to the UK, Ireland and Malta, courses in English are offered in the Nordic countries, the Netherlands, Eastern Europe and Cyprus. Business studies in English are also available in some French and German universities.
- Students are required to be sufficiently proficient in the language of instruction used during the study abroad period. The required proficiency level should be attested either by previous studies, language examination, or by other means accepted by the home and host universities. In most cases the partner universities do not require the completion of a specific language test, such as TOEFL or IELTS (with a few exceptions).
- All of the students nominated for Erasmus exchange who will study in Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, German, Greek, French, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Slovak, Slovene or Swedish have to complete an online language test before and after their exchange period in the OLS (Online Linguistic Support) service. The purpose of the language test is to evaluate the need for language training and to assess the development of language skills during the exchange. The test result have no effect in your possibilities to go on exchange and they won't be given to your host university. After the OLS language test, you will have the opportunity to participate in an online language course to improve your language skills before and during your exchange. The language courses are optional.
- It is also advisable to brush up one's language skills before the exchange by participating in the Language Centre courses.
Work placement period
It is possible to include a work placement period in the Erasmus student exchange. The prerequisites for a work placement combined with Erasmus student exchange are that
- the work placement period is supervised by the same university as the student exchange period
- the student exchange and work placement periods take place right after each other
The combined student exchange and work placement period must last for a minimum of three months, e.g. one month of studies followed by two months of work placement. The grant will be paid according to the rules of the Erasmus student exchange grant. Students must find the work placement on their own.
It is possible to get an Erasmus grant for a work placement only as well.
Benefits of Erasmus exchange
according to a Europe-wide study
- nearly 90% of those who had taken part in an Erasmus exchange were either satisfied or extremely satisfied with their Erasmus exchange period
- 65% felt that they were able to work in a foreign language after the exchange
- a large part of the students said that the exchange gave them an opportunity to start/continue learning a third of a fourth foreign language
- 80% felt that their receiving and sending universities respected their study plans and their credits from the exchange were transferred to their degree
- Erasmus exchange shortens the job-seeking period after graduation: the main reason for getting employed faster is language competence
- Those who have participated in the Erasmus exchange are more often hired for work positions in an international environment
Contact us
Questions about internationalisation? For guidance on student exchange, please contact us through HelpJYU.