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For exchange students

Why choose FEA?

The Faculty of Engineering and Architecture (FEA) is one of the largest faculties of Ghent University. It combines state-of-the-art research with top-notch education in all significant engineering and architecture fields.

The faculty strongly focuses on international relations. It offers a wide array of master's programmes taught in English and is active in all major exchange programmes. 

Through research collaboration and educational links with top European institutions, the faculty strives to further enhance its international perspective. Each year, we host more than a hundred incoming exchange students from partner universities through the Erasmus+ programme and other global collaborations.

About Ghent University

Ghent University is an internationally renowned, open, pluralistic and socially engaged university in Belgium. Our credo is 'Dare to Think'.

Why choose UGent?

UGent is an enterprising university with an international appeal. In line with our motto "Dare to think" we encourage students and staff members to adopt a critical approach. During its 200 years of history, UGent has built a firm scientific reputation. The university can present an extensive record of international recognized research work.

For whom?

Exchange students for studies (courses and/or Master's Dissertation) 

Exchange students are students that receive their diploma at their home university, and only stay at UGent for a limited time (1 semester or 1 academic year). Most come on Erasmus programme, but other exchange programs (like eg. Basileus, ASEM-duo, Science without borders, etc.) are also possible.

If you plan on studying an entire bachelor of master programme at our faculty, with the aim of obtaining a UGent diploma, you are a degree student.

Exchange students for traineeship/research/PhD

Students in this category come to Ghent University for a traineeship or research stay, often as part of their Master’s thesis or PhD project. They remain enrolled at their home university, where they will ultimately obtain their degree. The focus of their stay is on practical training or conducting research, rather than attending regular courses and obtaining credits. This type of academic mobility is frequently supported by programmes such as the Erasmus+ Traineeship or similar international initiatives. 

Admission requirements

  • Exchange student for studies (courses and/or Master's Dissertation)

Agreement

    You can only become an exchange student if there is an agreement between your university and our Faculty in your study field. There are different possibilities:

      • Erasmus Bilateral Agreement for one or two semesters (Master level only, in EU only) with a department of our Faculty. 
      • Institutional Agreement between your university and Ghent University
      • An agreement between a professor of your university and one from our Faculty. Please state the name of the UGent professor. In this case, only exchange for a research stay or traineeship is possible (NO courses).
      • Any other exchange scheme that includes Ghent University and your home university (Erasmus Mundus, Lisum, Lotus, Basileus, Eurotango, ….)

      Your local International Office can tell you if such an agreement exists. They can also inform you about the conditions.

        Bachelor or Master?

        Exchanges are only possible at Master level.

        Exception: if your university offers 4 year Bachelor programmes, you could be accepted as exchange student after completion of three years Bachelor (equivalent to 180 ECTS) at your home university.

        Study programme at our faculty

        You need a minimum number of credits on your exchange learning agreement to be admitted.

        Language requirements

        All students (including Erasmus Belgica students) require a good knowledge of English (B2 level). You need to proof this with a relevant proof of proficiency.

          • Exchange student for research/traineeship/PhD

        Agreement

        If a student receives Erasmus+ Traineeship funding (provided by their home university) or is self-funded (through personal means or other scholarships), no formal exchange agreement is required—as long as a UGent supervisor is willing to host the student.

        Bachelor or Master?

        Exchanges are possible at Bachelor, Master level and PhD level.

        Language requirements

        All students (including Erasmus Belgica students) require a good knowledge of English (B2 level). You need to proof this with a relevant proof of proficiency.

        Application procedure

        • Exchange student for studies (courses and/or Master's Dissertation)

        Deadlines

        • If you want to start in the 1st semester, the deadline for application is 15 May.
        • If you want to start in the 2nd semester, the deadline for application is 15 November.

        There are more than 100 applications each year and any missing document will result in delays. Even in the best of circumstances expect between 4 to 6 weeks between your application and the receipt of your Letter of Invitation.

          Procedure

          1. Make sure you comply with the admission requirements.
          2. Follow the two-step application procedure.
            • Information about composing your study programme at the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture
            • If your Learning Agreement includes thesis work, you need to fill out the Thesis Information Sheet. Please take into account that there are two ways to add the thesis to your Learning Agreement depending on the contents:

              1) You apply for (Erasmus+ for) studies and you add the Master’s Dissertation with the corresponding course code (e.g. E091103)  to your Learning Agreement.  By doing so, you accept the course specifications as stipulated in the study guide. To earn ECTS credits, both the local and the UGent promotor should be involved in the written report as well as the public defence. The master’s dissertation is evaluated on the basis of the written report as well as on the public defence and presentation of the dissertation. The number of ECTS credits that should be awarded to the thesis by UGent have to be mentioned on the Thesis Information Sheet. This is the number of ECTS credits that need to appear on your UGent Transcript of Records; this number should be the same as the number of ECTS that your home university will award the thesis upon return. The place of the thesis defence also has to be mentioned.


              2) You apply for (Erasmus+ for) studies and you add the UGent course ‘Research for incoming students’ with the corresponding course code E999999 to the Learning Agreement. By doing so, you indicate that only laboratory work/research will be executed under the supervision of the UGent promotor during your stay. The course will be assessed by PASS/FAIL on the Transcript Of Records. In case the home university wants the laboratory/research work to be graded, a letter/evaluation form can be provided by the promotor.
              The number of ECTS that the laboratory/research work is worth has to be filled in. It is generally assumed that each week that the student conducts research abroad equals 1 ECTS credit.

              Make sure you have both local and Ghent promoters identified before you add thesis work to your program.
              Upload the Thesis Information Sheet under "Documents".

          3. Make sure your application is completely finished by the application deadline. Late applications will not be accepted!
          4. The IRO and faculty will check your application for completeness and validity. Please respond swiftly to any inquiries you receive about your application.
            When your application has been accepted, you will receive a formal Letter of Invitation and acceptance e-mail. Do not come to Ghent without the Letter of Invitation, you will be sent back home!
          5. You have to apply yourself for housing in Ghent. Do this early, as housing is scarce in Ghent. Do not wait until you receive your Letter of Invitation.
          6. Plan your trip to Ghent so you arrive at least 2 weeks before start of classes. Participation in both the UGent Welcome Day and the Faculty Welcome Day is obligatory! The start of the semesters can be found in the academic calender.

          • Exchange student for research/traineeship/PhD

          Deadline

          Deadline for application is 6 weeks prior to start.

          Procedure

          1. Make sure you comply with the admission requirements.

          2. To find a UGent supervisor, a student can consult the UGent Research Explorer or the Faculty Research pages.

          3. Follow the two-step application procedure.

          4. Together with the UGent supervisor, fill in the Learning Agreement for Traineeship, and if you can benefit from Erasmus+Traineeship funding (decision lies with the home university), this Learning Agreement will mention Erasmus+ for Traineeship.

          5. PhD students can either opt for the Traineeship exchange or a PhD exchange option. The only difference is the type of Learning Agreement used).
            The PhD Stay Learning Agreement is simpler to complete. In both cases, a UGent professor must agree to host you.

          6. All types of Learning Agreements, can be found at https://www.ugent.be/prospect/en/administration/application/application-exchange/overview.htm/la.htm

          7. Once the Learning Agreement is signed by all parties (student and both supervisors), upload it to Oasis.
            After submitting your application, please notify the International Relations Office via email at international.ea@ugent.be to expedite the approval process.

          8. After approval, you will receive a Letter of Invitation (useful for visa applications if needed).
            Upon receiving the letter, email enrol@UGent.be to activate your UGent account. You will then be invited to collect your student card (which grants access to university restaurants, sports facilities, etc.).

          9. When approved, if you wish to apply for UGent accommodation, you can do so via a separate tab in Oasis. Please note that availability is not guaranteed.

          10. Full details about the procedure and templates can be found here: https://www.ugent.be/prospect/en/administration/application/application-exchange (below "Exchange application").

          Study programme

          ECTS credits

          The number of ECTS in your UGent study programme depends on the length of your stay:

          • 1 semester: min. 20 ECTS, max. 30 ECTS
          • 1 year: min. 40 ECTS, max. 62 ECTS
          At least 15 ECTS of courses per semester must be from the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture (course codes starting with an E). Courses at another faculty are on request (will be checked by the International Relations Officer).

          Exceptions can only be made for students who need less credits to achieve their degree in their home university (for example only their master thesis). 

          In this case:

          • The student needs to provide a written statement signed by the home university to confirm this undoubtedly and also clearly indicating the amount of credits the student still needs to obtain their degree.
          • The Faculty of Engineering and Architecture of Ghent University requires the student to add a minimum of 12 ECTS credits per semester to the study programme and all courses must be taken from the Faculty (i.e., course codes starting with an E).

          Courses and Time tables

          • You can check our course offering by browsing the UGent Study Guide
          • to ensure there will be no overlapping courses, you can check the time tables for each course

          Get ready for your stay

          Before arrival

          Upon arrival

          Welcome Days

          Ghent University organizes welcome days for all new international students. Please attend both the UGent and the FEA welcome days to get all information and documents for a smooth start of your studies in Ghent.

          During your stay

          Your studies in Ghent

          Master's dissertation

          Manual

          Student administration

          Location

          Life in Ghent

          Departure

          Facebook

          International Relations Office

          The International Relations Office is the starting point for every international student and every local students that has interest in a mobility period abroad. Here you can get an answer to all your questions regarding your study, schedule, lecturers, administration etc.

          Contact

          Room 0.30 (ground floor, left wing)
          Jozef Plateaustraat 22
          9000 Gent

          Incoming exchange students

          • Students for courses and/or thesis: Fien Porrez 
          • Students for traineeship or research (no courses): Bert Coryn

          Incoming degree students

          Bert Coryn

          Outgoing exchange students

          Ann Vanoutryve 

          Contact 

          Bert Coryn

          • Available online on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday morning and Friday morning
          • Available on campus on Monday
          • Book an appointment

          Nele De Wolf: maternity leave

          • Available online on Monday morning, Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday morning and Thursday morning
          • Available on campus on Friday
          • Book an appointment

          Fien Porrez

          • Available online on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday morning and Thursday
          • Available on campus on Monday and Thursday
          • Book an appointment

          Ann Vanoutryve

          • Available online on Monday, Tuesday morning, Wednesday and Friday
          • Available on Campus on Tuesday morning
          • Book an appointment

          Book an appointment

          You can book an appointment to talk to us online. 

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