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Incoming exchange students

Interested in an exchange at our faculty?

Information about incoming exchange for study, research and internship at the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences UGent.

Introduction

Our faculty offers three main programmes:

  • Political Sciences and International Relations (Codes 313 - 0312 ISCED) - Academic coordinator Prof. dr. Lesage
  • Sociology (Codes 312 - 0314 ISCED) - Academic coordinator Prof. dr. Roose
  • Communication Studies, Journalism (Codes 321 - 032 ISCED) - Academic coordinator Prof. dr. Evens

Exchange for study

Who can take part in an Exchange at our faculty?

  • 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 for your field of study.
  • You have to be nominated by your home university. Please ask your international office for advice and information about your options.
  • You have acquired a B2 level in English and can provide a language certificate.

Which courses can I select?

Read more about our course offer and course requirements.

It is not possible to register for an exchange in the context of a master's thesis.

Exchange for research

Exchanges solely for research purpose are not accepted unless there is a formal agreement between the supervisors at both the sending and receiving institutions.

Interested? More information can be found here: Exchange PhD Students.

Exchange for Internship via Erasmus Trainee

Usually we don’t offer positions for internships. However, sometimes we consider welcoming trainees from our partner institutions.

Interested? Send the following information to rio.psw@ugent.be.

  • preferred period of stay
  • name and contact details of your home institution and supervisor or contact person at your home institution
  • your CV mentioning your area of expertise
  • motivation
  • short work description
  • requirements from your home university
  • what kind of documents or reports you would need before, during and afterwards
  • transcript of records

Application procedure and deadlines

Read more about the application procedure and deadlines.

Academic calendar

The academic year is divided into two semesters.

We recommend you to arrive in Ghent in time so you can participate in the UGent Welcome Days and the Faculty Welcome.

Accommodation

Looking for a comfortable and high quality living unit to rent at a competitive price? The Housing Office rents out rooms, studios and flats to international students, staff and visitors and can inform and advise you about the private rented market. Do note that finding a suitable and comfortable housing unit is strenuous and will take a lot of time and energy due to the shortage of student accommodation.

Housing applications for the academic year 2025-2026 are possible from May 1st onwards. In order to apply for housing, you have to initialize the application exchange procedure in Oasis. The Housing Office will be able to process your housing application once you have been accepted as an exchange student at Ghent University, but you can already apply for Ghent University accommodation before your exchange application has been approved. We recommend you to apply for accommodation as soon as possible, as the demand for accommodation exceeds the offer.

General information for prospective students

Looking for general information about living and studying at Ghent University? Make sure to check the website for prospective students.

How to apply?

Information about the application procedure and deadlines for an incoming exchange at the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences UGent, (language) courses and filling out the (online) Learning Agreement.

Application procedure 

Follow the ONLINE APPLICATION procedure

The exchange application consists of different elements. Your application will only be considered if your file is complete and submitted before the application deadline. If the Faculty Officer responsible for Internationalisation approves your application, you will receive an acceptance email with your signed Learning Agreement (provisionally approved) and your official invitation letter. The invitation letter is required for registration upon arrival and for your visa application (if applicable). The approval procedure can take several weeks.

Need more information for your application at Ghent University? Read these FAQs

Make sure to insert an e-mail address you check regularly, as this address will be used for most pre-arrival communication.

Application deadlines

advisable to apply earlier

  • Study exchange first semester/year (start in September): 15 May
  • Study exchange second semester (start February): 15 November
  • Exchange in the framework of a PhD: no deadlines
  • Traineeship: flexible deadlines

Academic calendar

The academic year is divided into two semesters.

Selecting courses
!REMARK Course offer is not yet finalised for academic year 2026-2027!

Course offer

You can select:

If you master Dutch, min. B2 level, you can select courses from the whole offer in our faculty (not only the course offer in English) if you meet the initial competences.

You CANNOT select courses from the Bachelor of Science in Social Sciences, unless they are part of the Exchange Programme in Political and Social Sciences as well. 

Course requirements

  • A standard workload at Ghent University is 30 ECTS per semester or 60 ECTS per year. You must select courses for a minimum of 20 ECTS per semester.  
  • At least half of your selected credits must be from the field of study of your exchange (Communication Sciences, Political Sciences or Sociology). The remaining credits may be related to the other study fields within our faculty or even to study fields from other faculties.
  • If you are an exchange student studying Communication Studies, you are required to include the modules "Academic English" and "Digital Media Sociology" in your Learning Agreement and curriculum in the 2nd semester. This is because the range of modules available in Communication Studies is more limited in the 2nd semester. English-speaking students may be granted an exemption from the "Academic English" module.
  • Courses listed under "General courses" in the study guide are related to multiple study fields. Check the pdf-file with course specifications of the course to find out the specific field of study. 
  • Bachelor students can include max 2 Master courses in their curriculum per semester, provided they meet the initial competences required for the course(s) concerned. Please note that Master courses are assessed at Master level, not at Bachelor level. No different assessment level will be applied. Master students have no limitation on the number of Bachelor or Master courses they can select. 
  • Courses listed under "Bachelor/Master Courses" in the study guide are taught on both Bachelor and Master level. Bachelor students can include these courses in their programme, counting as Bachelor courses.
  • You can include one Dutch language course for exchange students offered by the University Language Centre (UCT) in your curriculum as part of the required 20 ECTS. Other language courses from UCT cannot be added to your curriculum.
  • Courses listed as part of the ‘Bachelor of Science in Social Sciences (main subject…)'  in the pdf-file with course specifications or course codes starting with KBSOSC, are not available for exchange students unless explicitly part of the Exchange Programme in Political and Social Sciences as well. Such courses CANNOT be added to your curriculum. 
Unsure about the field of study of a course? Want to know more about the level, content and required initial competences of each course? Click on a course title in the study guide and on the pdf-icon. A pdf-file with course specifications will pop up. 

Additional approval of the lecturer 

  • Some courses require an additional approval by the lecturer to follow the course. The overview of the courses that require this additional approval during academic year 2025/2026 can be found here. The list with courses of 2026-2027 is not yet finalised.
  • If a course requires this additional approval, you must contact the lecturer at the start of the semester. The lecturer will evaluate your starting competences and motivation to decide whether you can follow the course or not.
  • This means that all signed Learning Agreements (before mobility) are considered provisionally approved.

Language courses 

Filling out your (online) Learning Agreement

  • For exchanges in the context of Erasmus+ studies: We highly recommend applying via your digital learning agreement. You should create your digital learning agreement via your home university and once it’s signed by yourself and your home institution, it will be sent to Ghent University. Upon receiving the Digital Learning Agreement you will get an e-mail with the invitation to complete your exchange application in our system called Oasis. Ghent University will approve your learning agreement or provide comments. You can consult the status via the document section in your exchange application or via the online learning agreement tool at your home institution. Any updates of your digital learning agreement should be initiated in the system at your home institution.
Make sure that your name in the application is the same as your name on the Learning Agreement (accents, second names,…). If your name is not the same, this may create double applications and some delay in evaluating your file. Also double check the course codes and the names of the courses. 
  • For exchanges outside the context of Erasmus+ studies: We will need to sign the Learning Agreement based on a pdf file (Other exchanges > Learning Agreement for studies). You can upload the Learning Agreement in pdf, signed by you and your home university, in Oasis > exchange application > document section.

Contact details

Code Erasmus UGent: B GENT 01

Faculty of Political and Social Sciences
Campus Ufo - Technicum
Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 41
B- 9000 Ghent
Belgium

Administrative contact Faculty: RIO -  Rio.psw@ugent.be

Academic coordinators

Study programme at the receiving institution

Select the courses you would like to follow, based on our course offer and course requirements. Fill in these courses on the online/digital Learning Agreement (exchanges in the context of Erasmus+ studies) or the Learning Agreement in pdf (exchanges outside the context of Erasmus+ studies).

Signatures 

Make sure the Learning Agreement is signed by both you and your home university before submitting your exchange application. A signature of Ghent University is not required at the time of submission. Once the Faculty Officer responsible for Internationalisation reviews and approves your exchange application, they will also sign your Learning Agreement. After approval, you will receive a signed version of your Learning Agreement (provisionally approved), along with your official invitation letter via email or via your online mobility platform.

Accommodation

Looking for a comfortable and high quality living unit to rent at a competitive price? The Housing Office rents out rooms, studios and flats to international students, staff and visitors and can inform and advise you about the private rented market. Do note that finding a suitable and comfortable housing unit is strenuous and will take a lot of time and energy due to the shortage of student accommodation.

Housing applications for the academic year 2025-2026 are possible from May 1st onwards. In order to apply for housing, you have to initialize the application exchange procedure in Oasis. The Housing Office will be able to process your housing application once you have been accepted as an exchange student at Ghent University, but you can already apply for Ghent University accommodation before your exchange application has been approved. We recommend you to apply for accommodation as soon as possible, as the demand for accommodation exceeds the offer.

Accepted as an exchange student

What to do once you are accepted as an incoming exchange student at the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences UGent? Information about the Welcome activities, accommodation, life and study at UGent.

Welcome Activities

We recommend you to arrive in Ghent in time so you can participate in the UGent Welcome Days and our Faculty Welcome.

UGent Welcome Day - Thursday 5 February

  • Attend the information session, have a coffee with the Team International Support and browse the info market.
  • Programme

Faculty Welcome for incoming exchange students - Tuesday 3 February and Friday 6 February

  • You will receive information about our faculty, support services, digital tools, student organizations, ... and have the opportunity to explore our campus.
  • Programme February 2026:
    • Tuesday 3 February 2 to 4 PM: online faculty welcome session via MS TEAMS - obligatory
    • Friday 6 February, morning: tour around our campus & lunch - registrations will open in January

    Library information session - Tuesday 10 March 2026

    • You will receive information about the use of the library resources @UGent, both traditional print and digital (types of databases, resources, ...)
    • You will be informed by e-mail on how to subscribe

    Buddy Programme

    A big adventure awaits you: a new city, lots of new people and maybe also a different way of following classes and taking exams. This might be a bit overwhelming at first, and we can imagine you have a lot of practical questions about your upcoming exchange like:

    How is studying like at Ghent University? How do I use the online learning platforms?

    Will I meet Belgian students? Will I be able to integrate in the local and international community?

    You don’t have to worry. Some of these matters will be addressed during the Faculty Welcome, and afterwards you can also turn to us or one of the buddies for help and information. A buddy is a local student (volunteer) from our faculty who can help you navigate through UGent campus life, help you connect with local students, and much, much more (depending on everyone’s expectations of course).  Along with the staff members of our faculty, they can help you make the most of your exchange in Ghent.

    International Student Guide

    The International Student Guide offers you an elaborate overview of everything you might want to know before, during and after your studies at Ghent University.

    Accommodation

    Looking for a comfortable and high quality living unit to rent at a competitive price? The Housing Office rents out rooms, studios and flats to international students, staff and visitors and can inform and advise you about the private rented market. Do note that finding a suitable and comfortable housing unit is strenuous and will take a lot of time and energy due to the shortage of student accommodation.

    Housing applications for the academic year 2025-2026 are possible from May 1st onwards. In order to apply for housing, you have to initialize the application exchange procedure in Oasis. The Housing Office will be able to process your housing application once you have been accepted as an exchange student at Ghent University, but you can already apply for Ghent University accommodation before your exchange application has been approved. We recommend you to apply for accommodation as soon as possible, as the demand for accommodation exceeds the offer.

    UGent login and password

    You will be enrolled back office at the beginning of September (first semester) or the beginning of February (second semester). At that moment you will be fully registered as an exchange student, and receive an e-mail from the Oasis system regarding your UGent account, login and password. Make sure to read this e-mail very carefully, as your UGent login and password gives you access to your e-mail, Oasis, Ufora, etc. 

    Life@UGent

    Questions about restaurants, sports centre and bicycle rent? Make sure to read the website about University life.

    Study@UGent

    Questions about registration, insurance, support and evaluation? Check the webpage Welcome at Ghent University!

    During your stay

    Information about the procedure after arrival, time schedules, online platforms, feeling good at the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences UGent, examinations and re-examinations.

    International Student Guide

    Questions about practicalities, leisure or facilities? The International Student Guide offers you an elaborate overview of everything you might want to know before, during and after your studies at Ghent University.

    Welcome activities

    We recommend you to arrive in Ghent in time so you can participate in the Welcome activities.

    Time schedules

    There are 3 different types of course schedules:

    In case you have a timetable conflict, you will have to change your courses. Changing your courses is possible at the start of the semester, after the online faculty welcome session.

    Location of classrooms and auditoria

    You can find the exact location of your classrooms and auditoria in your time schedule.

    A lot of classes of our faculty are taught at Campus Ufo, but Ghent University has campuses throughout the city. 

    Courses - procedure at the start of the semester 

    1. Check your courses in the time schedule and on Ufora 
      • Do you have a timetable conflict?
      • Are the courses listed in your Learning Agreement still available? 
    2. Check if an additional approval by the lecturer is required to follow your courses - applicable to all exchange students following courses at our Faculty of Political and Social Sciences.  
      • An overview of courses that require an additional approval can be found on this PDF-file
      • If an additional approval is required:
        • Fill in the 'Approval of lecturer' document
        • Contact the lecturer (by e-mail, or in person before or after class)
        • Discuss the approval document and get it signed by the lecturer in person or via email
      • You can attend classes during the first week without the lecturer's approval
      • Check the Ufora page of the course as well for any additional approval requirements.
    3. Change your courses and edit your curriculum in Oasis if necessary, taking the course offer and course requirements into consideration. 
    4. Make a Learning Agreement changes (only necessary if you add or delete courses at the start of the semester). 
      • Did you use a Learning Agreement in PDF in your exchange application? Use your initial Learning Agreement, the sample document from your home university, or download the UGent template from this website. Fill in the 'Changes' part.
      • Did you use an Online/digital Learning Agreement (EWP/OLA/Mobility Online)? Use the mobility platform from your home university to make a Learning Agreement changes.
      • Sign the updated Learning Agreement and have it signed by your home university
    5. Upload your documents in Oasis (if applicable).
      • Approval of lecturer: exchange application - documents - other - comment: 'approval of lecturer - course title’ (pdf)
      • Learning Agreement changes
        • PDF-file: exchange application - documents - other - comment: 'Learning Agreement changes'
        • Online/digital Learning Agreement: is automatically transferred to Oasis once signed by you and your home university. 
    6. Submit your curriculum so RIO can check your file. If your file is OK, RIO will:
      • Sign the Learning Agreement changes
      • Approve your curriculum

    Deadline submitting curriculum (incl. requested documents):

    • Semester 1: 15 October
    • Semester 2: 28 February

    More information about this procedure will be provided during our Faculty Welcome

    Online Platforms (Ufora - Oasis - Athena)

    Students at Ghent University need to be able to handle multiple online platforms.  

    Feeling good at our faculty

    Check our webpage on Feeling good!

    Special status

    Students with a disability or exceptional social/personal circumstances can apply for a special status. Depending on the grounds on which the special status was given, students with a special status may be granted one or more facilities. 

      Study guidance

      Not sure how to plan your exams or tasks? Questions about your study skills or study attitude? Don't hesitate to contact our student counsellors via e-mail or Instagram. They will be happy to help you!

      Education and examination code

      The Education and Examination Code is the regulatory framework for professors and students. In here you can read all university-wide arrangements about education and examinations. Through your enrolment (application) you declare agreement with the Education and Examination Code. At our faculty, we also have a Faculty Education and Examination Code. 

      Examinations

      Schedules and registration

      • You are automatically registered for the examinations once you submitted your curriculum.
      • Examinations are organized in January (first semester) and June (second semester). The examination period is part of your official exchange period, so make sure to be in Ghent. 
      • There is one fixed examination moment for each exam. Your personal examination schedule can be found in Oasis ('My Calender', left column) from the end of November (first semester)/ the middle of March (second semester) onwards. You are supposed to take the exams as scheduled in the exam schedule.

      Study guidance

      Grading system & feedback

      • The Flemish academic grading system is based on a mark between 0 and 20. A mark less than 10 means ‘fail’ (= ECTS grades F and FX). More info about the grading system at UGent.
      • If you are a Bachelor student and included Master courses in your curriculum, the assessment of your Master courses will be done on Master level., not on Bachelor level. No different assessment level will be applied. 
      • Want to receive feedback on your exams? Check the Ufora page of the course for feedback moments or contact the lecturer (after the examination period).
      • If you didn’t perform well (several failures) we might report on your academic performances to your home university.

      FAQ

      Re-examinations

      See webpage End of your stay.

      Prolongation 

      Usually it is not possible to prolong your stay, unless the exchange agreement exceptionally provides this possibility . Do you want us to check if a prolongation is possible? Please contact rio.psw@ugent.be at least two months before the start of the semester. RIO will inform you about the possibilities. Applications for prolongations are only considered after the 15th of November.

      End of your stay

      Information about the documents at the end of the exchange period at the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences UGent and information about the Alumni Network.

      Transcript of records

      After the examination period, you can:

      • Consult your grades in Oasis and ask feedback if necessary.
      • Download/print your Transcript of Records (TOR) from Oasis. This transcript shows all registered courses and the results of the exams. 

      RIO will send a signed and stamped digital copy of your Transcript of Records to your UGent e-mailbox at the end of the semester (*). You are responsible for delivering this document to the relevant persons at your home university. If your home university wants us to e-mail the Transcript of Records directly to them as well or if you need the original document, please contact our office.

      (*) If you also want us to send you your Transcript of Records after the resit examination period, please contact us before the end of August. 

      Want to know more about the grading system at UGent? Check this website.

      Certificate of stay

      You can download your Certificate of registration as a guest student/exchange student from Oasis. If you want us to sign a Certificate of stay document provided by your home university, please contact our office with the filled-out certificate (max. 4 days before your actual departure date at the earliest).

      Re-examinations

      Schedules and registration

      • If you fail an examination, you have the possibility to participate in a re-examination. Do note, however, that an additional registration is required. You are not automatically registered for a re-examination during the resit examination period. Please register for each resit exam in which you will participate via oasis.ugent.be - from the day after the public announcement of the exam results and before 7 August 2025. 
      • Re-examinations are organized between the middle of August and the middle of September, regardless of when the class was taught. Make sure to be in Ghent during the resit examination period in case of re-examinations. 
      • There is one fixed resit examination moment for each exam. Your personal re-examination schedule can be found in Oasis ("My Calendar", left column) by the second half of July at the latest. You are supposed to take the exams as scheduled in the exam schedule.
      • It is not possible to participate in re-examinations for courses you succeeded during the first examination session.
      • If you do not attend the re-examination after a failure in the first examination session, the transcript of records of the resit examination period will not repeat the grades of the first examination session but will mention "absent".

      Study guidance

      Grading system & feedback

      • The result of resit examinations are published in September.
      • The Flemish academic grading system is based on a mark between 0 and 20. A mark less than 10 means ‘fail’ (= ECTS grades F and FX). More info about the grading system at UGent
      • If you are a Bachelor student and included Master courses in your curriculum, the assessment of your Master courses will be done on Master level., not on Bachelor level. No different assessment level will be applied. 
      • Want to receive feedback on your exams? Check the Ufora page of the course for feedback moments or contact the lecturer (after the examination period).
      • If you didn’t perform well (several failures) we might report on your academic performances to your home university.

      Examination Codes

      FAQ

      • What if you are ill or have an overlap during the resit examination period? How do you register your absence? When will the exam results be announced? You can find the answers on the faculty website about exams and feedback.
      • Questions about your exam schedule? Contact fsa.psw@ugent.be.
      • What about my UGent account and student card? Your UGent account and student card are valid until the end of the resit examination period so you don't need to officially prolong your stay for re-examinations, except if you need UGent housing for the re-examination period.

      Leaving Ghent University

      Not sure what to pay attention to when leaving Ghent? Our colleagues of the International Support Team made a useful overview.

      Alumni network

      After your exchange you become a Ghent University Alumnus. Throughout your entire life, Ghent University wants to feed your mind so you dare to think.

      Facilities and Organisations

      An overview of the facilities and organisations at the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences UGent.

      Faculty facilities

      Student organisations

      • Politeia - Student Organization of the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences. (in Dutch only)
      • StuRa - Website of the Faculty Student Board

      FAQ

      FAQ for incoming exchange students at the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences UGent

      Courses

      Which courses can I follow?
      Find out more about the courses here

      Where can I find my timetable and course schedule?

      In the study guide (general schedule) and on Oasis (personal schedule, available after enrolment).

      I checked my timetable and noticed that some classes overlap. What should l do?
      Don't worry! You can still make changes to your study programme during the first weeks of the semester. More information will be provided during the Faculty Welcome.

      What is the approval of lecturer document and why do I need it?

      For some courses starting with code K00xxxx an additional approval by the lecturer to follow the course is required. If that is the case for the course(s) you selected, you can contact the lecturer at the start of the semester - after the Faculty Welcome. Based on your starting competences and your motivation, the lecturer will decide if you can follow the course or not. An overview of the courses that require an additional approval will be available at the start of the semester. This means that all signed Learning Agreements (before mobility) are provisionally approved.

      Can I follow language courses?

      Definitely! You can find more information here.

      What should I do if I cannot remove certain classes from my curriculum in Oasis? 
      Contact RIO at rio.psw@UGent.be.

      (Re-) Examinations

      Where can I find the examination schedule?

      You can find your examination schedule in your personal calendar in Oasis. You will be notified through UFORA when the schedule is available.

      What if I have an exam overlap or if I'm ill during an exam?

      Find out here what to do in that case.

      I have a re-examination, what should I do?

      If you failed an examination, you are automatically registered for a re-examination during the resit examination period at the end of August and the beginning of September. It is not necessary to contact the lecturer separately to make arrangements, except in special circumstances or if you want feedback on your exams. Re-examination schedules can be found in Oasis from July onwards.

      Facilities

      Where can I print or scan documents?

      You can use the print and scan facilities in our library. Of course you can also go to one of the copy centers in the city.

      Which facilities are available in our faculty?

      An overview of all the facilities in our faculty can be found here.

       

      Learning Agreement.pdf

      Learning Agreement - example - partly filled out.pdf
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      Manual - How to edit and submit your curriculum in Oasis - September 2025

      Exchange Programme in Political and Social Sciences - remarks 2025 2026

      Approval of lecturer document - september 2025

      Approval of lecturer document - template.pdf
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      Courses - approval of lecturer required - academic year 2025/2026

      Courses - approval of lecturer required.pdf
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      Size 129.9 KB
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      Buddy starter pack - september 2025

      Buddy Starter Pack 2025-2026.pdf
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      Size 7.0 MB
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