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Information for prospect incoming exchange students

Thank you for your interest in our exchange programme.

 

About us

Welcome to the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration - Ghent University.

Each year we host more than 250 incoming exchange students from partner universities through the Erasmus+ programme and other co-operations worldwide.

Fact sheet 

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Ghent University

Conditions for the participation in the exchange programme

Before sending your online application, please check if you meet the requirements to enter our exchange programme:

  • You can only enter the exchange programme of our faculty if there is a bilateral cooperation agreement (in the Erasmus+ framework or other) between your home university and our faculty.
  • You have to be nominated by your home university. Please ask your international office for advice and information about your options.
  • Do you have a B2 English level language certificate ?
  • Do you find suitable courses at our faculty? The majority of subjects are taught on Master level!
  • Study level: courses are instructed at 3th year bachelor level and master level. This means that you need to have completed minimum 120 ECTS in your home degree by the start of the exchange period, to take bachelor courses and minimum 180 ECTS to take part in master courses.
  • Can you compose an exchange curriculum of minimum 24 ECTS/semester?
  • Important: incoming exchange students are required to have a balanced workload between the exchange curriculum and the workload of the degree components that would normally be completed at the sending institution (and which will be ‘replaced’ after successful completing the exchange programme).
  • This means that the workload of educational components at the sending institution (to be replaced during mobility) should also amount minimum 24 ECTS (= table B of the LA)!
    Nominated students should have at least 24 ECTS available (thesis/internship/... not included) in their degree programme at the start of the exchange period, for credit transfer to ‘replace’ degree components during mobility.
  • Do you meet the initial competences to enter the courses? Click on a course of your choice in the online course catalogue and check the course specifications, initial competences, course requirements, etc.
  • Are the dates of our academic calendar suitable for you?
  • The duration of your exchange period you apply for is the maximum period we can host you as exchange student. Prolongation during your stay is NOT possible!

Internships, thesis, free movers

  • Please note that we have no open internships available at administrative level.

If you have been invited for a traineeship in a specific department of our faculty, please contact the professor concerned who signed your training agreement.

  • It is not possible to write a thesis, Master dissertation, include an external internship, etc. within our exchange programme.
  • Studying as a 'free mover' at Ghent University is not possible. Student exchange is only possible in the framework of an inter-institutional agreement between partner universities.

Exchange programme

The exchange programme at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration includes subjects in 5 different study fields:

  1. Economics: focus on the functioning of the global economy
  2. Business Administration: 
    Courses in the study field ‘Business Administration’ focus on the different functional parts and organization of a business,
    including business skills and entrepreneurship
  3. Public Administration and Management: focus on the processes and management of the public, social profit and non-profit organizations
  4. Business Economics: 
    These courses have a strong analytical and quantitative focus and include research skills. A profound mathematical and statistical
    knowledge is required.
    The subjects in the study field ‘Master in Business Economics’ have a modular structure. That means that the courses will be bundled
    in modular blocks of six weeks each.
    The content of the courses are processed in a more focused and in-depth manner. The teaching methods are demanding and
    challenging: case studies, group assignments, discussion panels, lectures, business games, etc.
    At the end of each modular block you have an exam from the previous course. During a modular block you also get interim tests and
    (group) assignments. As a result, you no longer have exams in January or June.
    Because of the modular structure, it is difficult to include subjects from other study fields in your schedule.
  5. Business Engineering: 
    The study field 'Business Engineering’ is a combination of business administration, data-driven management science,
    business processes and technology.
    A business engineer may act as a mediator between technical and business economic positions to conduct data analysis, modelling
    and decision-making.
    Different management science principles are discussed and maintained through mathematical modelling, statistics and numerical
    algorithms.
    Since the courses have a strong focus on quantitative analytics in production, services, logistics, marketing and finance, a good
    knowledge of data analysis techniques, conceptual or mathematical modelling techniques and techniques of decision making are
    required. Additionally some course require a profound knowledge in programming.

 

IMPORTANT, check this info carefully BEFORE you make your application:

  • The course titles not always reflect the content. It is crucial to read the course specifications and initial competences of each course. See our online exchange programme: click on a subject of your choice and a pdf-file pops up.
  • Study field: you can include a subject outside your study field ONLY IF you have explicit approval from the UGent faculty international office. Take into account that the course schedules from the different study fields are not in harmony with each other.
  • Study level: the majority of subjects in the exchange programme are taught at Master level. To include Master courses in your curriculum, you need to have completed minimum 180 ECTS in your home degree within the study field of your choice.  Bachelor courses are taught at 3th year level. This means that you need to have completed minimum 120 ECTS in your home degree
  • As a Bachelor student you can include a Master course in your curriculum ONLY IF you have explicit approval from the UGent faculty international office. This means that you have to proof that you meet the initial competences/course requirements of the course concerned  (f.e. by transcript of records, taking part in a pre-test,...).
  • Workload: you need to compose a curriculum with a workload of minimum 24 ECTS/semester (without overlap!). A regular workload at Ghent University is 30 ECTS/semester or 60 ECTS/year.
  • Course schedule: the schedules from the different study fields are NOT harmonized with each other. So in case you select subjects from different study fields/levels, it is your own responsibility to compose a study programme without timetable conflicts! Courses in the study field of Ma Business Economics are taught in a modular schedule and with permanent evaluation! It’s a time slot based teaching approach with active teaching methods and class engagement, organised in teaching blocks of 6 weeks. This means that it will be almost impossible to match with timetables in other study fields.
  • Maximum 40% of credits in your exchange curriculum can be selected from exchange programmes from other faculties at Ghent University.

Exchange programme 2024-2025 Faculty of Economics and Business Administration: available here.

 

Course schedules

Tips & tricks:

  • It is  impossible to coordinate the schedules from the different study fields to each other. So it  is your responsibility to compose a study programme without timetable conflicts.
  • If multiple class hours/week are specified for one subject per group, you are expected to attend all of them!
  • Courses in the field of Business Economics (Master level!) are taught by a modular timetable and with permanent evaluation! This means that it will be difficult to match with timetables from other study fields.

General course schedule AY 2024-2025: will be available in September '24.

You can consult the schedules from this academic year to get an idea of the timetables.

At the start of the semester you can make changes in your curriculum in case of overlap.

Some tips to check out the schedule:

- the first view looks like a colour book. No worries, this is normal.

- click on the 'Filter' button

- use the 'course event' dropdown menu to select specific courses

- click on 'Filter' and then you can check the schedule of your selection.

Language requirements

To follow courses in English at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration level B2 is required.

As prospect exchange student you need to provide one of the following language certificates, including test results from your language skills in speaking, writing, listening and reading:

 

Language certificate Minimum score
IELTS  6.5
IBT TOEFL 90

TOEIC

 785

Duolingo

 120
CEFR B2

 

A statement regarding your language level from your international office/English teacher is NOT sufficient!

In case your home degree is 100% instructed in English, please upload a confirmation from your home university in your online application.

Academic calendar

The academic year is divided into 2 semesters: winter term (September - January) and spring term (February - June)

Academic calendar 2024-2025

Examinations

Exams take place at the end of each semester for all courses except those with a system of permanent evaluation and the subjects in the study field Ma Business Economics (evaluation after each 'module').

Exam period winter semester = 06-01-2025 until 31-01-2025

Exam period spring semester = 26-05-2025 until 27-06-2025

Resit examinations (winter/spring) =  18-08-2025 until 12-09-2025

Exams are in English and can be either written or oral. Sometimes you will be asked to write a paper instead of writing an exam.

Courses instructed in Dutch have an exam in Dutch.

Results of the exams are definitive.

In case you failed an exam, you have the right to take a resit exam during the scheduled resit period.

Resit period = August-September (also for exchange students!)

Results are only available after the official publication date at the end of each exam period. Also for resit exams!

Online or long distance exams are only available when confirmed and organised by the lecturer in charge.

Lecturers are not obliged to organise this so this is NOT standard available for (resit) exams.

Life@Ghent University

Via the webpages University life - Ghent University you will find information about Ghent University and its facilities (including student rooms)

Application

How to become an exchange student at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration?

Make sure you meet the requirements to enter our exchange programme (see 'conditions for the participation in the exchange programme')

Contact the International Office in your home university to assist you in the nomination and application for the exchange programme (Erasmus+ or other programme)

  • Nomination deadlines

The nomination deadlines are set to April 15th (1st sem/winter) and October 15th (2nd sem/spring)

We are happy to receive nominations for the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration via Int.Feb@UGent.be

  • Application deadlines

The application deadlines are set to May 15th (1st sem/winter) and November 15th (2nd sem/spring)

Application procedure:

You need to complete the necessary online administration before you can be accepted at our faculty of Economics and Business Administration.

Your application will only be taken in consideration if your file is complete!

The applications submitted in time will being processed as soon as the application deadline expires. The processing time can take a few weeks to be completed.  Applications from non-EU students are handled first because of visa procedures. 

Read the application procedure carefully!

Application doesn't imply automatic approval, every application will be evaluated on grades, study level, proposed study programme, motivation, etc.

 

Student rooms

University housing:

Once your online exchange application is submitted via Oasis, you can make an online housing application via the same Oasis tool to rent a student room at Ghent University.

The moment your exchange application is officially approved by us, then the housing application will be processed by the UGent Housing Office. 

More info concerning the housing facilities: click here

However demand for university rooms is much higher than the offer. Most of the students rent a room on the private market.
There are more rooms available during the spring semester!

Private market:

If staying in the University Halls of Residence is not your ‘cup of tea’ or if they are fully booked, you can look for a suitable living-unit on the private rented market.

Prolongation exchange period

You can only stay for the period you have applied for. At our faculty, prolongation of your exchange period is NOT possible during your exchange period.

Contact

Address: International Office, Tweekerkenstraat 2, 9000 Gent, Belgium

Visiting address: International Office, Campus Tweekerken – Building Hoveniersberg - Ghent , ground floor (next to the Faculty Student Administration)

Schedule an appointment on campus or online via MS Teams