How and when to apply?

In order to apply for exchange, you will need to include the following documents in your Osiris application:

Your UCU study abroad plan needs to be discussed with and approved by your tutor. You then submit it through this online form (available from 1 November. Please use Chrome as it may not work well in another browser). You must also complete the application process in Osiris (submission deadline 1 December). The application instructions can be found here.

The motivation letter should be around one page. Please focus on your first choice, and mention your second and third choice in one paragraph at the end. 

Important: Please use the UCU form (via Chrome) - and not the UU template that you will find in the Osiris application process. The UCU form is tailored to the UCU programme and will go to your tutor, and then the UCU International Office, directly. Even if you apply for only UU destinations, upload the UCU form in Osiris - your destination preferences will be considered by both UCU and UU, as per your input. 

ELAN destinations: You cannot apply directly to an ELAN member institution, only to the ELAN network overall. You can find the ELAN network in Osiris under Belgium (a country had to be added for technical reasons, you application won't be sent to Belgium). Please specify your preferred destination within the ELAN network on your study plan and motivation letter.  

Placement 

We are usually able to place all UCU students with our own partner universities at one of your top 3 preferences. We cannot always guarantee this as it is subject to the number of applications per destination. 

Exchange course catalogue

We understand that you might be looking for some clarity about the course conversion and specifically, the level of courses. To help guide you, you can use the catalogue with over a thousand courses taken by former UCU students who went on exchange. See the catalogue here. 

When to apply

You can start collecting/preparing the necessary documents from now on and submit the required documents through the online form (available from 1 November) and complete the Osiris application between 1 November and 1 December. Plan your appointment with your tutor before the deadline to make sure you can meet the deadline. 

Acceptance and cancellation

By accepting your offer of an exchange place you commit to going on exchange. Cancellation is not possible after accepting your spot by 10 February*. After this date, cancellation is only possible in case of extenuating circumstances, as your exchange place can no longer be granted to anyone else, and your place at UCU will have been given away to an incoming exchange student. Please contact the UCU International Office. If you cancel after having initially accepted your spot, you are required to pay a cancellation fee of €200 (which is donated to the UCU study abroad scholarship fund). If you decide to re-apply for exchange in an alternative semester, your placement depends on the availability of places. You will not have preference for an exchange place if you cancelled once before. NB Students who applied for financial aid will learn their results before the acceptance deadline. 

*Since the application to the University of California (UC) starts before February, you will need to accept your possible offer of a place there before the University of California internal application process starts, which is in late January. Consequently, canceling after having started your UC application will also result in a €200 fine, even if this is before 10 February.