Prepare your stay

Finances

Mobility grants

Except in a few rare cases, any period spent abroad under a university exchange agreement entitles you to the payment of a mobility grant, the amount of which is shown in the agreement information sheet, which you will find in the exchange agreements database. There are no particular formalities to complete to request a mobility grant; if you are selected for a university exchange, you are automatically entitled to the grant provided for the destination concerned.

However, for some destinations, no grant is paid; instead, the host university covers the costs of meals and accommodation.

Once you have been selected and your name put forward to the host university, SASME will contact you in good time to sort out the practical arrangements for the payment of your grant.

Additional grant for students in financial difficulty

If your financial situation makes it difficult or impossible for you to consider studying abroad, don’t panic! SASME can offer additional funding for students in financial difficulty, on top of the standard mobility grant.

To apply for financial assistance, you should contact SASME and complete the financial assistance application form on its website (in the “Student support” section) and attach the information requested. If your application is accepted, the amount you are awarded will be paid at the same time as your mobility grant.

Course enrolment fees

When you take part in a university exchange for one or two semesters, you are classed as an exchange student, which means you are entitled to a reduction in course enrolment fees. You will therefore pay UNIL only CHF 180 per semester instead of CHF 580. In addition, studying in your host university under the agreement signed with UNIL exempts you from paying enrolment fees at the host university. It can therefore be very advantageous to study abroad in these circumstances.

Accomodation

One of the major concerns of students who are preparing for an exchange is finding accommodation in their host city. How easy it is to find accommodation at a reasonable price will depend on your destination. Some partner universities have a campus and may offer you accommodation but this is far from the norm in the majority of cases.

Whatever the circumstances, it is worth finding out about the state of the local housing market and its conditions, well in advance. Follow the advice from your host university carefully and don’t hesitate to contact the relevant department for help, once the university concerned has confirmed your enrolment.

We recommend you to use the website student.com, which lists over a million accommodation offers in 25 countries, to help you find somewhere to live. The accommodation offered is mainly in student halls managed by private firms.

Finally, we recommend that you attend the UNIL ambassadors’ evening which takes place in May every year, mainly to make contact with former students who have taken part in an exchange and can offer you plenty of practical advice such as the areas of your host city to focus on, the average price of an accommodation, a local search platform for accomodations, and much more.

Calendars

Academic calendars

The maximum duration of an academic exchange is two consecutive semesters, usually in the same academic year. However, academic calendars differ significantly from one region of the world to another, and from one country to another, even in Europe. In Switzerland, the academic calendar consists of the first semester which runs from August to January and the second semester, from February to July. On the other hand, in the southern hemisphere for example, the academic calendar is based on the calendar year and starts in January. There are many other variations such as in Germany where the first semester starts in October and ends in March and the second runs from April to September. It is thus your responsibility to get information from your host university about the dates of the academic calendar. These are generally available on the official websites of the universities.

Exams

Because of the differences in academic calendars between countries, it could happen that if you are leaving for the spring semester according to the UNIL calendar, you may need to leave already in January. Therefore, you should make arrangements with the heads of your faculty, section or school in order not to have to take your exams in January. There are indeed various solutions that will allow you to complete your mobility as smoothly as possible, such as moving your exams to the August session, for example.

Length of exchange

An exchange program can be from one to two semesters long. However, some countries (Canada, for example) split their academic year into three terms, it is therefore important to communicate with the host university to define exactly when you plan to study there. Your mobility advisor will be happy to provide you with more detailed information on this point.

Insurance

It is essential to get information on how you will be covered during your exchange in terms of insurance, particularly for illness and accidents, before you depart.

Your compulsory health insurance in Switzerland should also cover you against accidents, provided you are in regular employment and your employer covers you for this risk. If you are intending to terminate your employment contract in preparation for your exchange, it is essential to ask your LAMal insurer to cover you against accidents.

Once you have done this, you must contact the relevant local authorities in your host country about the requirements for health and accident insurance. Some countries will recognise your Swiss insurance (which will be the case within the European Union, if you have a European Health Insurance Card), while others will require you to take out local insurance.

In the first case, you should check the limits to your cover while you are living abroad with your LAMal insurer and, if necessary, take out top-up insurance to provide additional cover.

In the second case, it is not unusual for the host university to require you to take out additional insurance. However, you should still check that it provides appropriate cover during your stay.

Finally, UNIL has partnered with the assistance company International SOS, which offers assistance services abroad in case of need. You will find information on this subject in the section: Assistance and insurance while abroad.

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