Semester abroad for students
Students can spend one or two semesters at a university or college of higher education abroad and have their ECTS credits recognised. Applications and organisation are handled by the home institution.
Overview
For whom
- Students incl. PhD students from universities and colleges of higher education
Duration
- 2 to 12 months
Where
- Worldwide for students from Switzerland (outgoing)
- In Switzerland for students from abroad (incoming)
What we fund
- Financial support for the stay
What to do
- Interested participants should contact the International Relations Office of their home university or college of higher education
- Swiss higher education institutions apply for accreditation with Movetia and submit a funding application
Deadlines
For participants:
- Deadlines provided by their home institution
For institutions:
- Application for accreditation: can be submitted annually at the beginning of March
- Application for funding: can be submitted annually at the beginning of March
- Start of the funding period: 1 June
In detail
Students, incl. PhD students, have the opportunity to spend one or two semesters at a higher education institution abroad (outgoing) or in Switzerland (incoming).
Students remain enrolled at their home institution and earn ECTS credits (or ECTS equivalents) during their time abroad. The courses they pass are credited towards their degree. Students do not pay study fees abroad and receive financial support for travelling and accommodation.
The application process for an exchange semester as well as the selection of the participants are handled by the students’ home institution in Switzerland or abroad. Each institution has its own participation criteria and procedures. The available destinations depend on the institution’s partnerships and are subject to limitations (max. number of students per destination). Students can contact the mobility office or international relations office at their home institution for more information. The grant is always paid out by the Swiss home or host institution.
These semesters abroad, also known as “Student Mobility for Studies” (SMS), are funded by the Swiss-European Mobility Programme (SEMP) of the Swiss Programme for Erasmus+. This programme enables Swiss institutions to carry out activities similar to those of Erasmus+, in which Switzerland is currently an associated third country.
Requirements
For participants:
- You are enrolled at a higher education institution (university, university of applied sciences, university of teacher education) or at a college of higher education in Switzerland or abroad.
- Your stay will last between 60 days and 12 months.
- Your home and host institutions have an interinstitutional agreement.
- You will be following courses at the host institution that count towards your degree (ETCS credits or equivalent).
For institutions:
- The institution is based in Switzerland and officially recognised by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) as a Swiss university, or as a college of higher education with federally recognised courses at higher education level. Only Swiss institutions can apply for funding with Movetia.
Funding amounts
- European mobility:
- CHF 1,430 to CHF 3,900 from Switzerland to other countries (outgoing), depending on duration
- CHF 1,430 to CHF 4,500 from other countries to Switzerland (incoming), depending on duration and country of origin
- Worldwide mobility: CHF 1,750 to CHF 5000 for incoming and outgoing mobility, depending on duration
- For European mobility, the grants include CHF 100 for sustainable mobility. These CHF 100 are only paid out if you travel to and from your destination by sustainable means of transport (train, bus, car sharing).
- For specific needs of individuals with disabilities or those suffering from physical, mental, or chronic illnesses: Max. 12,000 CHF (actual costs based on the note of requirements)
You will find all the grants in detail in our grant table.
Procedure
For participants
In order to receive financial support for a semester abroad within the Swiss-European Mobility Programme (SEMP), please contact the International Relations Office at your home institution. To the International Relations Offices in Switzerland.
For institutions
Semesters abroad for students are funded by the Swiss-European Mobility Programme (SEMP) of the Swiss Programme for Erasmus+. In addition to semesters abroad, this programme also supports Traineeships abroad for students as well as Training activities and Teaching assignments abroad for staff of higher education institutions.
In our How to section, you will find an article about the SEMP providing more information on how to apply for and carry out mobilities. The main steps are shown below.
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1. Apply for accreditation
If your institution does not hold an accreditation to participate in the Swiss-European Mobility Programme (SEMP), the first step is to get accredited. In doing so, the institution commits to the quality criteria of the SEMP Charter. It can then apply for funding once a year in order to fund student and staff mobility.
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2. optional Form a consortium
Accreditation for the SEMP is also possible as a consortium. A consortium enables several institutions to jointly apply for and implement mobilities, for example in order to share the administrative work. Universities and colleges of higher education as well as public or private organisations, such as cantons or companies, can participate in a consortium. At least one of the participating organisations must be a higher education institution or college of higher education from Switzerland. All participating universities or colleges of higher education in the consortium must be individually accredited for the SEMP.
Find out whether a consortium project brings additional benefit to your project.
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3. Submit funding application
- Make an annual assessment of the planned mobilities for the next academic year and apply for funding.
- Please note that you can apply for all four types of SEMP mobility at the same time using the same form: Semesters abroad for students (Student Mobility for Studies), Traineeships abroad for students (Student Mobility for Traineeships), Training activities for staff in higher education (Staff Mobility for Training) and Teaching assignments for staff in higher education (Staff Mobility for Teaching Assignments).
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4. Organise mobilities
- After the submission deadline, we evaluate the funding applications and establish a funding contract with your institution.
- The funding period starts on 1 June of the year of application.
- You receive a budget according to the funding contract and are responsible of informing the participants, implementing the mobilities and paying out the grants.
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5. Submit interim report
- With the interim report, we determine whether the mobilities have taken place as planned or whether the institution needs additional funds. Funds that were not used must be returned at this point.
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6. Submit final report
- At the end of the funding period, you submit a final report.
- This final report serves as the closing statement.
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7. Spread the word
Make the mobility programme and the mobilities that have been carried out visible on your communication channels, e.g. in the form of testimonials. This is also a way of presenting your institution’s international orientation.
Q & A
I would like to study abroad for a semester: Who do I need to contact to get a SEMP grant for my stay?
The application process in order to spend one or two semesters abroad during your studies runs via your home institution. For students of Swiss universities and colleges of higher education, the application process and payment of the SEMP grant is handled by the Swiss home institution. For students of higher education institutions abroad, the application process and nominations are run by the home institution abroad. Your home institution then "hands you over" to the Swiss host institution. The Swiss host institution coordinates the application for a SEMP grant and pays it out.
Are exchange semesters possible worldwide?
Within the SEMP, mobilities to and from higher education institutions all over the world are eligible for funding. However, the available destinations depend on your home institution’s partner univerisities. For a semester abroad to be possible, there has to be an interinstitutional agreement between the home institution and the host institution. The International Relations Office at your home institution can inform you about all their partnerships and about available destinations. The awarding of SEMP grants may also be subject to internal criteria (some institutions only award SEMP grants for mobilities within Europe).
I am planning to travel by train: Do I get more money because I am travelling sustainably?
For european mobilities, each grant includes a CHF 100 contribution for sustainable travel. These CHF 100 are only paid out if you travel to and from your destination sustainably (by train, bus or car sharing). People travelling with an environmentally friendly means of transport therefore receive a slightly higher grant.