Faculty of Social Sciences

Student Exchanges

N.B. These web pages are not updated any more. The new web site on courses in English can be found at http://www.helsinki.fi/socialsciences/studying/current/index.html

International degree students of the Faculty can study abroad for a semester or for one year during the completion of their degree.

To be an eligible candidate for an exchange programme, the student must be enrolled as a degree student at the University of Helsinki.

Various Exchange Programmes

There are various exchange programmes the students of the University of Helsinki can join:

• Erasmus exchange for European countries.
• Nordplus for the Nordic countries
• Bilateral exchange around the world, e.g. Latin America, Asia, Europe, United States.
• ISEP (International Student Exchange Program) for South America, Japan, Canada, Korea, Mexico and United States
• AEN (Australian European Network) for Australia
• MAUI (Mid-America Universities International) for the United States

Erasmus exchange as well as the Nordplus exchanges are coordinated by the departments of the Faculty. More detailed information on Erasmus exchange is available below.

Other exchange programmes are coordinated by the International Student Services of the University. The application deadlines vary according to programmes, receiving institutions and countries.

For more information on ISEP, AEN and MAUI programmes, please contact Ms Tuula Hellstedt at the International Student Services. E-mail: studentexchange[at]helsinki.fi.

More detailed information on bilateral exchange agreements is available from Ms Dora Shivute at the International Student Services. E-mail: ulkomaillaopiskelu[at]helsinki.fi.

Here is a list of application deadlines for various exchange programmes coordinated by the International Student Services.

Erasmus Exchange in European Universities

Lifelong Learning Programme is a European Community action programme for co-operation in the field of education. One strand of the programme is the Erasmus student mobility programme.

Erasmus programme offers students an opportunity to undertake a substantial period of study (one or two semesters) in another European country. Studies that the students complete abroad will then be recognised by the home institution as part of their degree. To be an eligible candidate for an exchange programme the student ought to have a permanent residence permit for Finland (or for another EU country).

Where to Go

The Faculty of Social Sciences and its departments have over a hundred Erasmus exchange agreements with universities around Europe. You can see a listing of these agreements and the number of places offered at these universities here.

How and When to Apply

As a general rule, students should primarily apply for places offered by their home department and secondly, for places of other departments. Some departments might set some special requirements for the applicants.

The application round for Erasmus exchanges is usually organized during January/February. However, it is still possible to apply for for remaining places for spring term 2010 from September 21, 2009 to October 2, 2009. The applications are processed in order of arrival. The priority is given to the applicant whose application was submitted first provided that s/he meets the set exchange criteria. Please note that you can only apply for places listed here for Spring 2010.

The application form is electronic. Please read application instructions carefully before you start filling in the application form. The link to the online registration form can be found in the instructions. In addition to the printed and signed application form, the following documents must be included in the application:

1. Motivation letter
Please explain the reasons behind your choice of exchange place and your motives to study abroad. The motivation letter can be written/copied directly into the registration form.

2. Unofficial transcript which can be ordered through WebOodi.

3. Preliminary study plan (learning agreement)
Please list the courses that you intend to take at the host university. Also mention how the courses can be used to compensate courses or study units that are included in the degree requirements of the Faculty of Social Sciences. N.B.! The learning agreement ought to be signed by the International Coordinator if you plan to include the courses (language courses, minor subjects, optional studies) in your degree here or by the teacher in charge of the study unit that you wish to compensate. However, this can be done after you have been chosen to apply to the host university.

4. All the relevant certificates of the applicant´s language skills in the relevant language (for studies taken at the university
of Helsinki the transcript is sufficient).

The application and supporting documents must be submitted to the exchange coordinator of the relevant department by 27 February 2009. The second application round for the remaining exchange places is from 16 March to 27 March 2009.

If you apply for remaining exchange places after the official application rounds for Spring term 2010, the application must be submitted by 2 October 2009.

More detailed information on how to apply is available at the departments.

Who to Contact

Every department has an exchange coordinator for outgoing exchange students. A listing of these persons is available here. You can also contact the International Coordinator of the Faculty for more information on Erasmus exchange.

Good to Know

Please note, that as a general rule Erasmus exchanges are not meant for studying the language of the country.

Language skills of the student applying for an exchange should already be at such a level that the student is able to follow courses given in her/his major subject.

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