During your exchange, you will complete courses offered by the host university. After the exchange, your studies will be included in your degree at UEF based on the transcript of records issued by the host university. For more information about the credit transfer process, see Including exchange studies into your degree.
Course offerings for exchange students
Many host universities have a specific course catalogue for exchange students. In practice, this means that you may not be able to freely choose from all courses the university offers to its own degree students. Host universities may also exclude certain fields from exchange studies altogether. These restrictions are university-specific, and you can usually find more information on the host university’s website.
When researching host universities, look specifically for information aimed at international and exchange students – not at degree students. As an exchange student, you are not a degree student at the host university, so the same courses may not always be available to you.
Choosing your courses
The courses you take during your exchange are selected from the host university’s offerings for exchange students. Your course options may be influenced by several factors:
- The host university’s exchange programme: Does the university have its own, limited course selection for exchange students, or field-specific offerings?
- Field of agreement (in field-specific exchange destinations): In Erasmus+ destinations, you should primarily choose courses from the field for which the exchange agreement was made. If you go on exchange through your major, you should complete major subject courses. If you go through your minor, you should complete minor subject courses. As a general rule, you cannot go to a minor subject’s host university and complete courses from your major – or vice versa.
- Language of instruction: In which language does the host university offer teaching? Is the English-language selection more limited, meaning you may need to be more flexible with your course choices? It is your responsibility to check the language of instruction – keep this in mind when researching host university websites.
Discuss your possible course choices and credit transfer with your departmental coordinator.
Writing your thesis during an exchange
You can work on your degree thesis during an exchange, provided that the following conditions are met:
- Your thesis supervisor and study programme coordinator at UEF approve of the thesis being completed during the exchange period.
- The thesis must meet UEF’s guidelines and requirements, and you must submit it to UEF according to your department’s instructions.
- If you plan to work on your thesis as the primary activity during the exchange, you must also have a supervisor or contact person at the host university who can document your progress at the end of the exchange.
Important sequence of steps:
- Discuss your plans with your thesis supervisor at UEF well in advance.
- Only seek a supervisor at the host university after you have been selected for exchange in UEF’s application process and after your thesis supervisor and department at UEF have approved of the plan.
Thesis work during free time: You can also work on your thesis in your free time during the exchange, as long as you complete approximately 20–30 ECTS credits’ worth of courses from the host university’s offerings. The primary focus of your exchange should therefore be either host university courses or thesis work (if approved by your department).
Combining a thesis with a traineeship: You may benefit from a traineeship abroad while working on your thesis – especially if the thesis is done in collaboration with a host organisation or if your traineeship placement is with a research group at a foreign higher education institution.
Credits abroad
You should aim to complete approximately 20–30 ECTS credits’ worth of courses per semester at the host university. Host universities often have their own recommendations for exchange students regarding the number of credits or courses (minimum/maximum), which roughly correspond to the 20–30 ECTS workload. Follow the host university’s guidelines on course and credit loads as your primary reference.
Good to know: Any UEF courses you complete remotely during the exchange (e.g. online or distance courses) are not counted towards the exchange period credit total. During your exchange, you should primarily complete courses offered by the host university. Completing UEF courses remotely during an exchange is considered to be a free-time activity and they are not included in the primary activity of taking courses at the host university.
For more information about converting credits, see Including exchange studies into your degree.
Study plan during the exchange: Learning Agreement
All exchange students must prepare a study plan – known as a Learning Agreement (LA) – before departure or at the latest at the beginning of the exchange. The Learning Agreement is a plan for the courses you will take during the exchange and how they will be credited towards your degree.
The format of the Learning Agreement depends on your exchange programme:
| Exchange programme | LA format |
| Erasmus+, YUFE, Nordplus/Nordlys | Digital (Digital Learning Agreement / Online Learning Agreement), completed directly in SoleMOVE |
| Bilateral exchange, ISEP Exchange, north2north | UEF’s own PDF form, which you will receive by email |
Good to know: The Learning Agreement is generally prepared only after you have been selected as an exchange student in the first stage of UEF’s application process. Follow the instructions sent to you by email – the forms may vary depending on your exchange programme.
You can also find all necessary forms and instructions on Kamu’s Forms and reporting page.
Signing and submitting the Learning Agreement
The LA is signed by three parties:
- You
- Your departmental coordinator
- The responsible person at the host university
International Mobility Services do not sign study plans.
How to proceed (non-Erasmus+ funded exchanges):
- Choose your courses from the host university’s website and fill in the Learning Agreement form sent to you by your exchange coordinator.
- Have your departmental coordinator sign the LA.
- Remember to sign the LA yourself.
- By the start of your exchange at the latest, have the responsible person at the host university sign the LA.
- Scan or take a high-quality photo of the form and upload it to your application in SoleMOVE.
Erasmus+ funded exchanges (Erasmus+, YUFE, Nordplus/Nordlys): You complete the LA directly in SoleMOVE electronically – no separate form needs to be submitted. Your exchange coordinator will send you instructions for completing the digital Learning Agreement.
You can also find LA forms on the Kamu page Forms and reporting of outgoing student exchange, if needed.
Important: Regardless of your exchange programme, go through your Learning Agreement with your departmental coordinator before any signatures are collected. For more information about credit transfer methods and how to plan them in your LA, see Including exchange studies into your degree.