Study abroad
Students in the English department are encouraged to spend some time in an English-speaking country in order to improve their English. The most usual way of doing this is to participate in an exchange programme, spending one year of your studies in an English-speaking university and collecting credits from the courses studied there.
Students applications are for the academic year 2025/2026.
For all the BA and MA students who would like to study abroad, the English Department is organizing an info session on October 10 at 12:00, Anthropole 5196. For preliminary information please watch this video.
Click here for information about bringing back credits for the BA and MA programs.
Exchange places in the UK and Ireland
These places are all organised under the "Swiss European Mobility Programme" (SEMP). Please check the International office database of exchanges here for further information about the exchange agreements (number of places, level of study, etc).
For one-semester stays, please contact Dr. Enit Steiner, who'll provide you with a letter that attests your English competency.
Click on the university name in the list below to visit their English department homepage.
To apply for these exchange places, you should submit a dossier containing:
- SEMP Application form
- 1 Learning Agreement (pdf form below) for each discipline (e.g. English, Art History) you will follow for credits during the exchange
- a letter of motivation containing the names of two members staff who know you and your work
The Learning Agreement for English (UK and Irish universities) should be approved and signed by Enit Steiner by 15.01.2025 before submitting it with your dossier to the Conseillère mobilité, Léona Giddey.
The complete dossier should be submitted to the Conseillère mobilité, Léona Giddey, by 10.02.2025.
MA and PhD
MPhil (one year) at Trinity College, Cambridge.
Full information about this exchange opportunity can be found here.
Deadline for applications 01.12.2024.
Should you have any questions about the UK exchanges, you can contact Enit Steiner.
TOP ^
Exchange places available to all UNIL students
This service handles many more exchange places. These are run on a university-wide basis, so if you apply for them you will be competing with students from other faculties in the university. There is a wider range of English-speaking countries available through the Relations internationales, including places in the United States. Click on the university name in the list below to vist the departmental home pages of English departments in universities in English-speaking countries with exchange places available for Lettres students.
* The final database offer will be available by mid to end of November.
You can also search the Relations internationales database to find possible destinations, and further information about individual exchanges (amount of bourse, etc., and the name of the person to contact for further information).
Deadline for applications for the United States and Canada: December 1st - but check information for individual exchanges.
The result of the TOEFL exam must be included with your application, so apply to take this test as soon as possible. See http://www.ets.org/toefl.
The deadlines for Australia and other exchanges vary. For precise dates and contact information visit the International Relations office or consult their website.
Fullbright Scholar and Foreign Student Program
There are two Fulbright Grants available to students interested in studying or researching in the United States. The Scholar Program is for post-doctoral research, and the Foreign Student Program is for students with a BA who would like to pursue an MA or PhD. Both grants allow a stay in the U.S. for 4-10 months.
The application for Fulbright Student and Scholar grant is open again. The deadline for the academic year 2026/2027 is early August 2025.
For any further information, please contact Matthew Scully (Matthew.Scully@unil.ch)
Berrow scholarships
Visit the Berrow scholarship website for more information about this fully-funded opportunity for Swiss students to pursue an MA or PhD at Oxford University. For more information, you may also contact Prof. Denis Renevey.
TOP ^
Teaching abroad
Programme d'assistants de langue (PAL) in Great Britain
This offers Swiss students an opportunity to teach their native language (French or German) for one year in a British secondary school.
Information and application forms (in French for French language assistants and in German for German language assistants) can be downloaded from this page.
N.B. In your dossier you must include a health certificate and confirmation that your casier judiciaire is clean, so start preparing as soon as possible.
For all questions about the programme, please contact Movetia directly or see the website.
NB This application process works for Swiss nationals only. If you are a national of another country and would like to participate in this scheme, you will have to contact the relevant agency in your own country. See the British Council site for details.
As a general rule, this programme applies to students whose native language is French or German who have attended a university for four semesters or more.
Teaching assistantships in the USA
The Amity Institute provides many openings to teach your native language (French, German or Italian) in an American school for one year. It's a great opportunity to learn teaching techniques.
Applications are accepted throughout the whole year.
Further information and application forms from Agnieszka Soltysik Monnet.
TOP ^
