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How to apply?

Application procedure 

Follow the ONLINE APPLICATION procedure

The UGent exchange application consists of two steps:

  1. Create a Ghent University account and register via the Oasis website.
    Make sure to insert an e-mail address you check regularly, as this address will be used for most pre-arrival communication.
  2. Select the correct academic year of your exchange and click on the link ‘Exchange’ under ‘Curriculum’.

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.

Application deadlines

advisable to apply earlier

Mobility first semester/year (September): 

  • Submitting application with learning agreement signed by you and your home university: 15 May

Mobility second semester (February):

  • Submitting application with learning agreement signed by you and your home university: 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

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 regular workload at Ghent University is 30 ECTS/semester or 60 ECTS/year. Make sure you select courses for a minimum of 20 ECTS per semester.  
  • At least half of the credits from your study programme must be from the field of study of your exchange (Communication Sciences, Political Sciences or Sociology). 
  • Courses listed under "General courses" in the study guide are related to several study fields. Check the pdf-file with course specifications of the courses to find out which study field of our faculty they belong to. 
  • If you are a Bachelor student, you can include max 2 Master courses in your curriculum per semester if you meet the initial competences of the course(s) concerned. The assessment of Master courses is done on Master level., not on Bachelor level. No different assessment level will be applied. There is no limitation on the number of Master (and Bachelor) courses for Master students. 
  • Courses listed under "Bachelor/Master Courses" in the study guide are taught on both Bachelor and Master level. This means that Bachelor students can include this type of courses, counting as Bachelor courses.
  • You can include one Dutch language course of the University Language Centre (UCT) in your curriculum as part of the required 20 ECTS. Other language courses taught at the University Language Centre (UCT) cannot be added to your curriculum.
  • Is ‘Bachelor of Science in Social Sciences (main subject…)'  mentioned on the pdf-file with course specifications (see yellow box below)? Or does the course code start with KBSOSC? Unless these courses are part of the Exchange Programme in Political and Social Sciences as well, they are excluded from the offer for exchange students and 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 that appears in the box. A pdf-file with course specifications will pop up. 

Traineeship (K001374 - K001376) or research project (K001375 - K001377) as part of your Learning Agreement

This is only possible if the internship/traineeship or research project is done within the university services and at our faculty. Unfortunately internship positions or research projects at our faculty are really limited and only granted in exceptional cases. Do you want us to contact some of our research teams or services to find out if such a position is available? Please send a short portfolio containing the following information to rio.psw@ugent.be

  • Your CV mentioning your area of expertise
  • Short motivation
  • Requirements from your home university (academic and practical matters)
  • Optional:
    • Short work description
    • Name and contact details of your home institution and supervisor or contact person at your home institution

We do not offer internships/research stays outside the university. If you would like to do an internship outside of our faculty, you will have to contact companies or organisations yourself or seek help in your home institution. In that case the internship/traineeship or research project cannot be part of your Learning Agreement as Ghent University does not assist in or supervise internships/research projects outside our institution.

Additional approval of the lecturer required?

  • For some courses starting with code K00xxxx an additional approval by the lecturer to follow the course is required. An overview of the courses that require this additional approval, will be published here in the coming months. 
  • If an additional approval is required, you have to contact the lecturer at the start of the semester. Based on your starting competences and your motivation, the lecturer will decide if you can follow the course or not. 
  • This means that all signed Learning Agreements (before mobility) are provisionally approved.

Language courses 

  • You can follow language courses at the University Language Centre (UCT). A separate registration at the UCT is required.
  • Read the FAQ webpage of the UCT to find out more about prices, registration, ...
  • Wat to follow a Dutch language course?
    • You can include one Dutch language course of the University Language Centre (UCT) in your curriculum as part of the required 20 ECTS. Other language courses taught at the University Language Centre (UCT) cannot be added to your curriculum.
    • If your home university gives credits for the Dutch language course, you can add this course to your (online) Learning Agreement. Our administration will link the course to the other courses in your curriculum once you are officially registered at the UCT, usually at the start of the semester. You cannot do this yourself.
    • Course code = K001378 - Language Course - number of credits = 3 (might change yearly)
    • Check if you can get a discount on your registration fee!

Filling out your (online) Learning Agreement

  • For exchanges in the context of Erasmus+ studies: An online learning agreement is required. You should initiate your online learning agreement via your home institution and once it is signed by yourself and your academic coordinator it will be sent to Ghent University in a digital manner. 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. A new version of the learning agreement should be created 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. 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

Courses - study programme 

  • First semester and academic year
  1. Choose the courses you would like to follow, based on our course offer and our course requirements
  2. Fill in these courses on the online Learning Agreement (exchanges in the context of Erasmus+ studies) or the Learning Agreement in pdf (exchanges outside the context of Erasmus+ studies). Make sure to sign this document and have it signed by your home university before submitting your application. 
  3. If the Faculty Officer responsible for Internationalisation approves your exchange application, you will receive a signed version of your Learning Agreement (provisionally approved) and your official invitation letter via email.
  4. After 15 June - only for exchanges outside the context of Erasmus+ studies: add the provisionally approved courses from your Learning Agreement in pdf to your exchange application in Oasis. Use the study programme functionality to select courses directly from the course catalogue of Ghent University. If possible, select the courses from the KEPOSO programme. Exchange students in the context of Erasmus+ studies don't have to take this additional step. 
  • Second semester 

Follow step 1 - 3 of the abovementioned procedure. If you are an exchange student outside the context of Erasmus+ studies, you can add your courses to your study programme (curriculum) while filling out your exchange application. No need to select the courses later. If possible, select the courses from the KEPOSO programme. Exchange students in the context of Erasmus+ studies don't have to take this additional step. 

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.

Housing applications for the academic year 2024 -2025 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.

Abbreviations

  • LA - Learning Agreement
  • OLA - Online Learning Agreement
  • TOR - Transcript of Records
  • UKV - "Universiteitsbrede keuzevakken” or in English: Ghent University Elective Courses