Getting Started with Exchange

Getting Started with Exchange

Find help to where and when you can go on exchange

FAQ – frequently asked questions

Before you Apply for Exchange

When can I go on exchange?

Your academic regulations states when you can go on exchange. On your study portal under Study Abroad > Application for Exchange you can see when you can go on exchange

Here you can find out when you can go on exchange.

Where can I go on exchange?

Aarhus University has exchange agreements all over the world, which you can apply for. On your study portal under Study Abroad > Where do you want to go? > Available Exchange Positions you can find a list of exchange positions you can apply for. Be aware that current lists will not be available until approximately one month before the application portal opens (i.e. approximately early October and early April). Lists of exchange positions from previous application round are only for guidance as the available positions may change from year to year.

You can read more about each university in the: MoveON Database AU.

Here you can find out where you can go on exchange.

When should I apply?

  • The application deadline to apply for one of AU’s exchange positions depends on when you are going on exchange. There are two application deadlines per year.
  • 1 December: application round for the following academic year –i.e. apply 1 December 2022 for exchange positions in Autumn 2023 and Spring 2024.
  • 1 May: application round with remaining exchange positions for students who can go on exchange the following Spring – i.e. apply 1 May 2023 for remaining positions in Spring 2024.
  • On your study portal under Study Abroad > Application for Exchange you can see when you can go on exchange.

Application for Exchange

How do I fill in my application for exchange?

  • To apply for one of AU’s exchange positions, you must apply through the online MoveOn application portal. Here you can list the universities you wish to apply for and upload any requested documents. The application portal opens approximately one month before the application deadlines 1 December and 1 May. Here you can find a step-by-step guideline (pdf) on how to complete your online application form for exchange.
  • If you did not complete your bachelor’s degree from AU, you must upload your complete bachelor’s diploma (Transcript of Records) from your degree programme. If you completed your bachelor’s degree at a foreign university, you must also upload an explanation of the foreign grading scale.
  • Some universities require students to have a minimum GPA (grade point average) to apply for exchange with them. This means your GPA at AU at the time of applying (1 December or 1 May) must meet the GPA requirement listed in the MoveON Database. If there is no GPA requirement in the MoveON database, it means that there is no GPA requirement for the university in question. Be aware that the GPA requirement is only a requirement from the partner university and not a requirement from AU in order for you to apply for exchange. You must be able to meet the same GPA requirement at the time of applying for admission to the partner university. It is your responsibility to meet the GPA requirement at the time of admission.

How do I select the courses to be included in my application for exchange?

  • It is not a requirement that the courses you take at the partner university is the same as the courses you include in your application for exchange. The courses in the application are only to ensure that you are applying for exchange at universities with a sufficient number of relevant courses in a language you understand.
  • If you cannot find the course catalogue for the semester in which you are applying for exchange, you may select courses from the course catalogue for the same semester but the year before (i.e. if you are applying for exchange in Spring 2024, you may select courses from the course catalogue for Spring 2023).
  • Here you can find a step-by-step guideline (pdf) on how to complete your online application form for exchange.
  • You can find inspiration and read evaluations in the MoveON Database to learn about the courses taken by former BSS exchange students during their exchange.
  • On your study portal under Counselling > Preapproval and credit transfer > Preapproval, you can find a list of pre-assessed courses at partner universities which you can use as inspiration. The list does not cover all courses at the listed universities. The list is only for inspiration and for you to get an idea about the course offer at the universities, and which courses may be approved by your AU study board. Be aware that your application for pre-approval of courses is an individual assessment by your study board.
  • You apply for pre-approval of courses after being allocated an exchange position. On your study portal under Counselling > Preapproval and credit transfer > Preapproval you can read about the requirements to your application for pre-approval of courses and the pre-approval process. 

Can I apply for exchange together with a fellow student (Joint application)?

  • You can choose to apply for exchange together with one (or more) fellow student (only students from the same study programme). If you and a fellow student wish to apply together, you must both select Joint application in your application for exchange.
  • You must both submit a personal application for exchange in MoveON and have the exact same list of priorities.
  • Here you can find a link to a step-by-step guideline (pdf) on how to complete your online application form for exchange.

How many priorities should I add in my application to be guaranteed an exchange position?

  • The more priorities you add to your application for exchange, the better the chances that you will be allocated an exchange positions. Whether you get your first priority depends on whether a fellow student with a higher GPA than you have applied for the same exchange position.
  • Due to General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), we cannot inform about GPA of former exchange students, just as we do not inform about GPA requirement for a specific exchange position in previous year, as this may change a lot from year to year.
  • Apply for the exchange positions you are interested in without thinking about what you fellow students are applying for! 

How is my grade point average calculated / GPA?

  • Exchange positions are allocated according to highest grade point average (GPA) shortly after application deadline.
  • Your GPA is calculated based on the weighted average from your current degree programme at AU. If you wish to calculate your own GPA you can use Snittet.dk.
  • If you do not have any grades from AU yet, you must upload your complete bachelor’s diploma (Transcript of Records) from your degree programme. If your bachelor’s degree is from a foreign university, you must also include an explanation of the foreign grading scale. 

How is the available exchange positions allocated?

  • Exchange positions are allocated according to highest grade point average (GPA) shortly after the application deadline. Your GPA is calculated based on the weighted average from your current degree programme at AU. If you are a master student, and have not yet received any grades from AU, you must upload your bachelor’s diploma to your application for exchange. We will calculated your GPA based on your diploma.
  • When applying for an exchange position, you must also be aware of the following:
    • You must be enrolled as a full time student at Aarhus BSS at the time of applying and at the time of your study abroad.
    • You must be an active student at Aarhus BSS.
    • Your exchange semester must not prolong your studies at AU.
    • You must be able to credit transfer between 20 and 30 ECTS electives from your exchange semester. It is your responsibility that you fulfill the requirements in your academic regulations before your sign up for any additional courses (including AU Summer University). If you are not able to credit transfer at least 20 ECTS electives, your exchange position will be annulled and your nomination to the partner university will be withdrawn. You can find your academic regulations on your study portal under Teaching > Ministerial orders and academic regulations.  

When you have Applied for Exchange

When will I receive a reply to my application for exchange?

  • You will receive a reply to your application for exchange within 8 weeks after the application deadline. You will receive the reply on your AU student email. We will contact you on your AU student email, if we need you to send additional information or documents.
  • When you have been allocated an exchange position, you will be asked to log on to the MoveON application portal and accept (or reject) your offered exchange position before a certain deadline. If you reject the offered exchange position, you will not be offered another exchange position, just as you are not able to apply again in the same application round. You may cancel your exchange position at any time. 

Am I guaranteed admission at the partner university, when I have been allocated an exchange position through AU?

  • When you are allocated an exchange position though AU, we ensure that you fulfill the requirements for admission at the partner university when it comes to GPA, and possible number of passed ECTS.
  • It is your responsibility to meet any language test requirements at the time of applying to the partner university.
  • AU cannot guarantee admission to the partner university, if the university e.g. changes its admission criteria or if you do not meet the specific requirements for admission to courses. It is your responsibility to ensure that you meet all admission criteria which you can find in the MoveON Database
  • Your application for admission is assessed on an individual basis by the partner university. 

What is the Erasmus code for Aarhus University?

  • The Erasmus code is DKARHUS01 

Where can I get a verified and signed Transcript of Records from AU?

  • If the partner university asks for your updated Transcript of Records from AU, you can write to BSS Student Services at studentservices.bss@au.dk and ask for an English Transcript of Records.
  • You can also print an updated Transcript of Records from the AU Self-service systems: mitstudie.au.dk. 

Can I get in contact with students going to the same exchange destination as me?

  • When you have been allocated an exchange position, you will receive an email on your AU student email with contact information on other BSS students going to the same exchange destination as you. Feel free to contact each other. In your application for exchange, we ask for permission to pass on your contact information to your fellow students going to the same university as you are. We only pass on your information if you have given us consent. 

What is a Learning agreement, and what am I supposed to do with it?

  • It is a requirement from the EU that you sign a Learning Agreement, as an Erasmus student. When you have been allocated and exchange position through the Erasmus programme you will automatically receive more information about requirements and documentation on you AU student email.
  • A Learning Agreement is a tripartite agreement, in which you list the courses you are undertaking during your exchange. The courses must all be pre-approved by your study board at AU. When your courses are pre-approved, your Learning Agreement can be signed by your international coordinator at AU. The document must also be signed by you and the coordinator at your host university.
  • You should not complete your Learning Agreement until after you have been allocated an exchange positions. You will receive information regarding the process from the Erasmus office at AU and should not do anything until you receive the email. If your host university ask you to send in your Learning Agreement together with your application for admission to the host university and if your courses at the host university are not yet pre-approved by your study board at AU, your international coordinator at AU can sign your Learning Agreement as ”pending approval”. When you receive your pre-approval of courses you can get an updated Learning Agreement signed. Find information about how you apply for pre-approval of courses on your study portal.
  • When sending your Learning Agreement for signature to your international coordinator at BSS International, please attach both your Learning Agreement and your pre-approval of courses from your study board. This will make it easier and faster for us to process your Learning Agreement.
  • The courses on your Learning Agreement must be the same as the courses pre-approved by your study board at AU, the courses that you are actually studying at the host university and the courses that are credit transferred to your AU study programme after your exchange.

Are there any grants that I can apply for?

  • If you are allocated an exchange position in Europe (within the Erasmus programme), you are automatically considered for an Erasmus grant. You do not have to submit a separate application for the Erasmus grant. It is the Erasmus office at AU’s International Centre, which allocates and administers all Erasmus grants at AU. You do not need to do anything regarding the Erasmus grant until you receive an email from the Erasmus office. On your study portal under Study Abroad > Funding > Erasmus scholarship for studies abroad you can read more about the Erasmus grant.
  • If you are going on exchange through one of AU’s overseas exchange agreements, you will receive a BSS Travel Grant of DKK 7,000. This is also the case if you are going on exchange through on of Aarhus BSS’s fee-paying agreements. You will not be granted a Aarhus BSS Travel Grant, if you are already receiving an Erasmus-, Nordplus/Nordlys grant or a grant from the partner university equivalent to the Erasmus grant (e.g. in Switzerland). If you are travelling on your own as a Freemover, you are not eligible for an Aarhus BSS Travel Grant. If you are eligible for an Aarhus BSS Travel Grant, you will automatically receive the grant. On your study portal under Study Abroad > Funding > BSS Travel Grant you can read more about the Aarhus BSS Travel Grant.
  • If you are travelling on your own as a freemover and are paying tuition fee at the host university, you can apply for the SU Study Abroad Scholarship (only if you are eligible for Danish SU). The SU office administers the Study Abroad Scholarship. You can read more at Udlandsstipendium (au.dk).(Page only available in Danish).
  • There are many private grants, you can apply for, if you are going on exchange. For inspiration you can read recommendation and evaluation from former exchange students in the MoveON Database. On your study portal under Study Abroad > Funding > Private grants you can read more about private grants and find useful links. 

After Exchange

Application for credit transfer. When should I apply?

  • When you have received your Transcript of Records, with all passed grades from the host university, you must apply to have you courses credit transferred to your AU study programme. If you are awaiting grades from a re-exam, you should not apply for credit transfer until you have all you grades on your Transcript of Records (diploma) from the host university. You apply for credit transfer in the AU self-service system: mystudies.au.dk. On your study portal under Counselling > Preapproval and credit transfer > Credit transfer you can read about how to apply for credit transfer. 

How do I receive my Transcript of Records (diploma) from the host university?

  • Before you leave your host university, make sure you know how and when you will receive your Transcript of Records from your study abroad.
  • When you receive your Transcript of Records, you submit an application to your study board to have your passed courses from your study abroad credit transferred to your AU study programme.
  • If Aarhus University receives your Transcript of Records by email, we will forward it to you immediately. If we receive it by post, we will contact you and ask you to pick up the document at our office.