Exchange studies (Test)

1. Get to know your studyoptions

Check the courses offered in English from here.

 

2. Check your eligibility

Eligible exchange applicant

1. Is a student from partner universities with one of the following agreements:

Erasmus+, Nordplus or Nordlys, First, North2north or Bilateral mobility agreements.

Also so-called "Freemover " student enrolled at an institution of higher education may apply. Priority is given to the applicants within the networks and partner universities.

2. Has sufficient knowledge of English, both oral and written, for academic studies.

Required level of English language proficiency must be CEF B2 / IELTS 6 / TOEFL iBT 80 or equivalent

Students must prove their English skills in the SoleMOVE online application e.g. with a transcript of records, letter from the home university or official language test such as TOEFL IbT, IELTS Academic or similar. For further reference, please see the Exam English page for comparison of Common European Framework (CEF) levels and scores for the various exams.

 

3. Get nominated by your home university

Your home university's coordinator must nominate you for one or two semesters of exchange studies. The nomination should be done in SoleMove (university representatives can ask for the username for the system; email incoming(at)ulapland.fi) or university representatives can nominate directly by secure email and include the following information:

1) home university
2) applicant’s name (First name/Last name)
3) date of birth
4) gender (female / male)
5) valid email address
6) duration of the exchange
7) EU subject area at home institution
8) EU Subject Area Code at ULapland

The nomination deadlines are:
- 30 April for autumn and full-year admissions
- 30 September for spring admissions

4. Activate your user account in SoleMOVE 
You'll get the activation link directly to your e-mail after your nomination.

5. Make a study plan

Course information is available in our Student Information system called Weboodi. Links to courses on Weboodi can be found from the end of this page. Select a full course load 30 ECTS per semester or 60 ECTS for the full academic year. Use the course information from the ongoing year as the info for next year will be updated usually during summer. Be prepared for possible changes in the courses. You can choose courses from different faculties, but some restrictions apply to the Faculty of Art and Design. See here.

 

6. Collect your enclosures

Required enclosures:

- Letter of Motivation (in English)
- Official Transcript of Academic Records (in English)
- Erasmus+ Learning Agreement of your home institution signed by the home institution's representative (Erasmus students). If you are not Erasmus student, use this form.
- Proof of English Language proficiency (see point 2. Eligibility)
- Portfolio (applicants to the Faculty of Art and Design only)

Freemover applicants must also provide:
- a certificate stating that you are enrolled at an institution of higher education.
- a letter of recommendation from a professor or other appropriate authority

All documents should be submitted in PDF format. The total size of the files sent may not exceed 10 MB.

 

7. Fill in the online application in SoleMOVE

When your user account has been created, you will receive an email with instructions for activating your SoleMOVE account and completing your application online. No paper copies or scanned documents should be sent by post or email.

The application periods are:

- 1 April – 15 May for autumn and full year admissions
- 1 September – 15 October for spring admissions

No late applications will be accepted.

 

8. Save & send your application

We only receive your application after you do this.

9. Decisions

Being nominated by your home university does not automatically mean that you will be accepted at the University of Lapland. All applications will be reviewed by the relevant faculty.

Admission decisions on will be made by 16 June / 16 November. Applicants will be informed of the decision by email. Successful applicants will receive a letter of acceptance. Students should wait for the official acceptance decision before proceeding with any arrival arrangements (e.g. flights).

10. Confirm your Exchange in SoleMOVE

11. Time to make arrangements to move to Rovaniemi

Check out our Arrival Checklist for new students.

 

12. Studies begin

Studies begin in September and the orientation week will be held in August (or in January if you are coming just for the spring term).

Luisa Lucio, from Brazil, ponders what makes the University of Lapland unique: "There are so many independent study projects; you can for example read books and articles. We don't have anything like that at home - it's always very teacher-centred. I think here students have more independence to focus on doing things the way they feel is best for them."

Why did Tess van den Brink from the Netherlands want to become an international tutor? “Well, I decided to become an international tutor because I myself had a really good tutor. She was a Finnish girl, who helped me a lot with everything. She wasn’t the type who would hold your hand, but she made sure that you had a good, warm welcome. I too want to make sure students feel welcome here and that they feel safe. Just like my own tutor did for me.”

Yingke Yu from China was an exchange student at ULapland. “Yeah, it’s not only exchange students, but also Finnish students. You know, actually, it’s a bit difficult – I’m not saying impossible, but difficult – to log in to Facebook in China. So I had a brand new Facebook account when I came here; now I’m going on 200 Facebook friends. So, I made a lot of friends. We had a lot of fun; we had parties, meetings, dinners.”