Exchange Programmes

Here you can find information about the exchange agreements and programmes of the University of Lapland. See also Partner Universities in the Finnish section of the Guidebook and on www.ulapland.fi/studyaboard. You can also apply to study abroad independently as a free mover.

If there is no other mention of the level of studies in the host university, the exchange agreement is for BA studies. However, there is some flexibility and most the host universities accept also students who are doing MA level studies. Application deadline-marking indicates the time when application has to be sent to the host university. Always consult web pages of the host university as information given here might be outdated.

Bilateral

The University of Lapland has bilateral agreements with universities outside the Scandinavia and the European Union. The students of the University of Lapland are not obligated to pay the tuition fees when studying at these universities with bilateral agreements. However, the universities at the United States, Canada and Australia require mandatory insurances and possibly languages tests such as TOEFL Internet based test or IELTS that increase the costs for the students. Also the costs from the visas might be high. The University of Lapland pays a bilateral exchange student grant from its own budget.

Erasmus

Erasmus programme is a European student exchange programme that was established in 1987 and is now Europe’s wide-ranging mobility programme including student exchange, internships and teacher mobility. Erasmus programme is part of the Lifelong Learning Programme of the European Union and supports the mobility and cooperation between higher education institutions in Europe.

The Erasmus programme is open to all students of the University of Lapland, although each faculty has their own Erasmus agreements in addition to few university level agreements. The programme offers exchange study places of 3-12 months for studying in a partner university. In addition, Erasmus work placements are part of the Erasmus programme.

Students participating in Erasmus programme have the opportunity to apply for an Erasmus Intensive Language Course (EILC) which is held at the country of the exchange for the more uncommon languages. In other words, the courses are not held for students studying in English, Spanish, German or French for example. The language courses are free for Erasmus exchange students and students doing Erasmus work placement. In addition, Finnish students can get an additional 400 Euro grant for the EILC language course. Application should be returned to International Relations Secretary by May 25th for Autumn courses and by October 25th for Spring courses.

Nordplus

Nordplus, Nordiskt Program för Lärare, Utbildningssökande och Studerande, is a scholarship programme of the Nordic Ministry designed for Nordic universities. The student exchange within Nordplus is based on the agreements between faculties with other Nordic universities or higher education institutions.

The Nordplus network exchange places for students of the Political Sciences (International Relations and Political Science) are for BA and MA level studies. The applicants should have completed 2 years of studies before the exchange period. There are 1-2 places for every university for the study duration of 5 months. For more information, please contact the International Coordinator of the Faculty of Social Sciences Minna Nousiainen (Minna.Nousiainen(a)ulapland.fi, tel. 0400 813 867).

Nordlys

Nordlys is a sub-programme under Nordplus and it is meant for students whose own faculties are not members of a Nordplus network. Nordlys grant equals to the one in the Nordplus programme. See more information and the universities on www.nordlys.info.

FIRST

Finnish-Russian Student Exchange Programme is an exchange programme funded by the Centre for International Mobility, CIMO, that promotes mobility and cooperation between Finnish and Russian university networks. The programme enables students of the University of Lapland regardless of their field of study to study in Russia in the partner universities. The grant to FIRST exchange students is about 500 euros.

North2north

North2north is a circumpolar exchange programme organized by the University of Arctic. The programme is meant for students who focus on Arctic questions or have a strong northern emphasis in their studies. Check the website www.uarctic.org/north2north to find out more about the partner universities in Sweden, Norway, Russia, Canada and USA.

Study Abroad as free mover

A student may also apply to a university that is not a partner university with the University of Lapland independently as a so called free mover. The process of applying, paperwork and finding information are in this case the responsibility of the student. A free mover might have to pay tuition fee and other costs at the host university. In addition, the grant for study abroad by the University of Lapland is discretionary and smaller for free movers than for other exchange students.