Vrouwelijke studente met paspoort en wereldbol in de hand

Exchange during your studies 

Exchanges are only possible under the terms of a bilateral agreement.

You will need to express mandatory your interest to the faculty. 

  • Deadline: 15 December 2023 (exchange 2024-2025)

  • Bear in mind the teaching languages, which are often the local language (especially when following BA courses): e.g. French in Morocco & Canada, Portuguese in Brazil and Spanish in Mexico and Chile. The institutions in Asia have an offer in English. 

  • VUB has an offer in the following countries:

Africa

Morocco 

South Africa

Asia

China

Japan 

South Korea 

America

North America:

Canada 

USA

 

South America:

Brazil

Chile 

Mexico

Bolivia

Learning Agreement

You need to select one non-EU host institution for which your faculty will nominate you. Find more information on the VUB partner institutions and the offered programmes to decide: 

  • Course offer: Check whether the host institution has an adequate course offer for exchange students for your study field and/or programme. Once you narrowed down your choice to one, draft a Learning Agreement for Studies in agreement with your Exchange Coordinator. It is mandatory to have agreed on a draft Learning Agreement for Studies with your Exchange Coordinator prior to your nomination (see faculty deadlines). 

  • Conditions for participation: Check the conditions defined by the host institution and be sure you meet them (e.g. a minimum overall cumulative GPA required, one semester or whole year exchanges only, some (practical) courses not open to exchange students). 

As a student, it is your responsibility to check the course offer for exchange and whether you meet the criteria and conditions for participation.

If in doubt, contact the International Relations and Mobility Office  

Application procedure

  1. Apply at your faculty for this non-EU exchange according to their criteria.
  2. Your faculty will send your nomination to IRMO.
  3. IRMO will send your nomination to the host institution.

Have a look at the exchange procedure here. 

Remember you can be nominated for one non-EU host institution only and you need a draft Learning Agreement agreed with your Exchange Coordinator. 

Back-up EU destination: Often non-EU universities selections are very strict. That's why you can choose 1 back-up destination within Europe for which your faculty will nominate you.

If your intercontinental exchange cannot take place and you correctly applied for an exchange at the EU back-up destination, you can still go abroad. 

If the applications exceed the maximum number of slots, faculties will prioritise using their own standards. 

Prepare your application for the non-EU host institution 

Applications at non-EU institutions need to be prepared in more detail. Check the host institution’s website and start assembling the requested documents (e.g. proof of language proficiency, reference letter by VUB Professor, cover letter, proof of solvency) and information well in advance. (!) Note that you can only apply at the host institution once IRMO has nominated you. 

Application and acceptance at the host institution & official confirmation from your VUB Faculty 

You apply at the host institution once IRMO has officially nominated you at the host institution. Then, depending on their conditions for participation, the host institution will evaluate your application and inform you whether or not you are accepted as an exchange student. (!) Note that non-EU universities operate a strict selection procedure and we advise you to have a back-up application within Europe (see above). 

Your exchange also needs to be officially confirmed after the exam period by your VUB Faculty. See here.

Persoon die blauwe map overhandig aan persoon achter een laptop

Traineeships

General information on the opportunities to do a traineeship as part of your VUB curriculum can be found here. You need to contact your â€¯Exchange Coordinator if you wish to do this traineeship in a non-EU country. 

You need to meet the application criteria set by your faculty and/or programme. The general exchange procedure also applies for traineeships outside Europe, except for VLIR-UOS travel grants. Find more information here. 

If you wish to apply for a scholarship to help fund your stay abroad, have a look at the financial support page and follow the instructions.