Exchange programme for incoming students

Are you planning to join us as an exchange student? On this page, you'll find everything you need to know about applying, choosing your courses, and preparing for your stay in Ghent. Whether you're coming for one semester or a full academic year, we are excited to welcome you to our vibrant and international community. Below, we guide you step-by-step through the application process and provide key information to help you get started.

Exchange students are students that only stay at Ghent University for a limited time as part of an exchange programme (for example Erasmus) but are registered and pursuing their diploma at their home university. If you are not enrolled as a student in your home university, you should directly contact the faculty department that is hosting you. Your registration as a visitor will be arranged by this department.

Watch the webinar for exchange students

Submission deadlines

Application procedure

Before you start your application, check with your local coordinator if your home university supports the Erasmus Without Paper (EWP) protocol.

• Application procedure if your home university supports EWP
• Application procedure if your home university does not support EWP

Depending on your exchange objective, different rules apply at our faculty:

• Course exchange
• Master's dissertation exchange
• Internship or research stay exchange

Check this tutorial clip on the application procedure

Language requirements

Applicants need to provide one of the following certificates (please note that the requirements at Faculty of Bioscience Engineering may differ from the general Ghent University rules):

• TOEFL IBT 86 (online-based)
• TOEFL PBT 570 (paper-based)
• ACADEMIC IELTS 6,5 overall score with a min. of 6 for all subscores
• CAMBRIDGE English B2 First

For an internship or master thesis, these rules can be overruled by the promoter at the UGent hosting department.

A certificate indicating English was your language of instruction is no longer accepted!

Following students are exempt for providing an English language certificate:

1. Applicants who obtained a diploma (Secondary Education, Academic Bachelor Degree, Master Degree) at an education institution in the Flemish Community

2. Nationals of all EU and EEA countries, and specific countries with English as language of instructions, on condition that they:

   • can provide a stamped and signed certificate of English proficiency issued by their home university

   • have obtained at least 60 ECTS credits with English as the language of instruction during a previous bachelor's or master's level programme.

Upon arrival

The OnBoarding@FBE programme

This preparatory programme is designed to make your transition to Ghent University and university life as smooth as possible. With this programme you will find a wide variety of sessions, events, and social gatherings helping you getting around in the university and the city, finding answers to your questions, and getting to know fellow students.

Student card

1. Exchange students following courses or doing a master's dissertation
   • Enrollment will be done back office, no further action needed 
   • Your student card will be ready for you to pick up during the OnBoarding programme at the faculty.
2. Exchange students doing an internship, a traineeship or a short PhD research stay
   • Don’t forget to enrol upon arrival: email your Letter of Invitation and your Passport (or ID) to enrol@ugent.be
   • Your Ghent University account will be activated 48 hours after enrolment. You can pick up your student card at the Student Centre

Change of learning agreement and/or curriculum

The first two weeks of the semester you have time to make changes in your course selection and to register your final curriculum.

Contact

International Training Centre

in.fbw@ugent.be

Campus Coupure, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Gent

Building A, Room A0.097A