Mobility and exchange
Diversifying your experience and deepening your knowledge abroad is an invaluable part of your studies. That's why UNIL encourages and supports exchanges. Whether you want to go abroad or come to study at the University of Lausanne, this page and the related sections are dedicated to you.
Services to encourage student mobility
SASME is the department at UNIL responsible for student mobility. It works in close cooperation with the International Relations department and mobility managers and coordinators in UNIL’s various schools, sections and faculties.
While the International Relations department is concerned with promoting UNIL internationally and entering into or renewing student exchange agreements with our international partners, SASME is responsible for implementing them in practical terms.
For example, SASME is responsible for the process of selecting students who would like to take part in an exchange as part of a general exchange agreement. It sets up an inter-faculty selection committee to run the selection process and follow up applications with both students and the partner universities where the students selected will be taking part in their exchange.
SASME is also responsible for paying the mobility grants available to UNIL students taking part in an exchange and for advising them on the practical aspects of their stay, such as visa or accommodation issues.
Finally, SASME is responsible for negotiating with partner universities the number of places available each year under general exchange agreements.
For international students taking part in an exchange at UNIL, SASME is responsible for welcoming them, in particular by organising a welcome day each semester, the week before classes begin. It also provides students with information on the formalities they need to complete when they arrive in Switzerland, for example in terms of insurance or residence permits.
Finally, they organise events (cultural outings, Christmas evening, meals, etc.) during the year, aimed specifically at international exchange students, sometimes in cooperation with the association ESN-UNIL.
The academic aspects of student mobility, i.e. developing their study plan during their exchange, recognising credits obtained during the period of study abroad and obtaining equivalencies, are the responsibility of the faculties and more specifically, the mobility managers and coordinators. They are the people who are best placed to advise you on the suitability of your study plan during your exchange in relation to your course and profile, and to guarantee as far as possible, that the classes you choose and credits you obtain will be recognised.