Information for exchange students
If you are looking for institutional/university level information (on housing, insurance, visa, student facilities,…) please consult the university website or contact the Team International Support.
Acceptance policy
You can only apply for an exchange if there is a student mobility agreement between the faculty of your home university and Ghent University Faculty of Law and Criminology. We do not accept freemovers.
Please check the application procedure and requirements.
Language requirements
Courses taught in English
If you want to apply for the courses taught in English we have 2 restrictions:
- Only students with a good command of English (written and oral) can be accepted. Do not forget to add a language certificate to your application.
- We can only accept students which are at an advanced level of their studies. If you are following a 5-year law program (leading to admission to legal practice) you must be in one of your last two years when coming to our faculty. If you are following a 3- or 4-year program you must be in your last year of studies.
Do not forget to provide a Transcript of Records in your application.
Courses taught in Dutch
If you are willing and able to follow courses taught in Dutch, you are welcome at Ghent University Faculty of Law and Criminology in any year of your studies.
Courses
As a rule, Ghent University students take 60 credits per year. Therefore, we advise inbound exchange students to compose a program of approximately 30 ECTS credits/semester with a minimum of 24 ECTS/semester. This corresponds with 4 to maximum 6 courses/semester.
Check our course offer for exchange students in the Study Guide. Dutch courses available at the Faculty of Law and Criminology can be found in the Study Guide as well.
Before selecting a course, check the course specifications by clicking on the course title. The course specifications will give you information on the course content and the admission requirements as well as on the evaluation methods. You cannot write a paper instead of taking part in courses or exams if such possibility is not available to regular students.
We allow our exchange students to take courses at other faculties. However, some restrictions and conditions apply. The number of credits taken at other faculties may not exceed 40% of your total ECTS credits. In addition, permission from the lecturer responsible for the course is always required. The lecturer’s approval must be sent to the Faculty International Relation Office (iro.law@ugent.be) when you submit your study programme for approval.
If you wish to take courses at the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences, you must follow the procedure outlined on the following page.
Milestones
Important milestones can be found in the academic calendar.
We expect exchange students to be present from the welcome days in the week prior to the official start of the academic year until the end of the exams.
Exam regulations
The examination regulations applicable at Ghent University are set out in the Education and Examination Code.
A deviation from the regular examination period is only possible in exceptional circumstances and must be discussed with the lecturer responsible for the course. If a deviation is approved, you must complete the exam deviation request form and submit the signed form to the Faculty International Relation Office (iro.law@ugent.be).
Only well-founded reasons, such as force majeure, will be considered. An early start of the semester at your home institution or other obligations in your home country are not regarded as valid grounds for a deviation. Exchange students are expected to remain in Ghent until the official end date of their exchange period.
The decision to grant an examination deviation rests entirely with the lecturer responsible for the course.
In case of illness:
- Immediately inform the exam secretariat and the Faculty Student Administration of your absence at the latest on the day of the exam/evaluation itself.
- Submit the necessary medical certificate within 3 working days after the exam/evaluation.
- Contact the examiners involved with the question whether a catch-up exam is possible.
- A catch-up exam can only be organized within the same exam period. If you are no longer able to take all the exams within the same exam period, you will not pass. You are automatically enrolled for the re-sit examination period.