Instructions for outgoing exchange students
After you have accepted the exchange study offer, LUT nominates you (sends your information) to the host university. Then, your exchange university will contact you and guide you on how to make the application in their system. Each university has a different schedule: for the autumn semester, some start the process in March, some (most of them) in May – it might take several weeks or months for them to reach out to you.
All the information (courses, visa, accommodation, language proficiency certificates) will come from the exchange university. If the application instructions are not clear, contact them directly. After you have received the instructions, start early: you might need to collect signatures for your documents or take a language proficiency test. In case you need a medical statement or vaccinations, consult the YTHS.
Make sure you are reachable: your email address on LUT Mobility-Online should be the one you use regularly. Both LUT and your exchange university will contact you regularly to dispense important recent information – which often require your reaction or reply.
Contact forum in Moodle for students wishing to connect with other LUT students heading for the same region, course key: ExchangeStudies
Important! Please note that there are a few mandatory steps to complete after the exchange! Read more below and follow the workflow on LUT Mobility-Online.
All the information (courses, visa, accommodation, language proficiency certificates) about the application process will come from your exchange university. If the instructions are not clear, contact them directly.
Some universities might require some of the following documents:
- Certificate of Enrolment at LUT (in English): download on Sisu
- Recommendation Letter or Nomination Letter: download on LUT Mobility-Online (click on HAKA to login)
- Language proficiency certificate
- Proof of funds (including the LUT exchange study grant): if you are asked to provide these, contact LUT International Mobility Services (needed only for some universities in Asia or North America)
Answers to some related questions:
- I'm going to master-level exchange...but it seems I won't be able to finish my bachelor degree before the application period ends (or even before the exchange semester starts). Can I still go?
It depends on both universities. Contact your exchange university directly, to confirm that you can take master-level courses.
However, if your LUT head of degree programme or LUT International Mobility Services previously (when you were offered the exchange place) specifically informed you that in your case finishing the bachelor degree is a mandatory condition for your exchange, contact LUT International Mobility Services and your study counsellor.
Usually the passport needs to be valid until six months after your exchange (in some cases even one year) – this is important particularly for exchange outside Europe. If the non-European exchange university requires your passport information during the application period but it seems you might miss their deadline, make sure to inform them as soon as possible.
Your exchange university will guide you in the visa and residence permit application – LUT is not involved in the process.
As an exchange student from LUT, you do not pay tuition fees in your exchange university.
In some cases the exchange university might require some additional fees or a mandatory insurance. Each university has their own requirements and they will inform the applicants after LUT has nominated them.
If you are from a non-EU/EEA country studying in an English-taught degree programme at LUT, you need to pay the tuition fee to LUT also during the exchange semesters, and must register as attending at LUT. However, students not required to pay the LUT tuition fee may register either as attending or non-attending during their exchange period.
The LUT exchange study grant will be paid to you on the last day of the month when you have signed the Learning Agreement and grant application by the first day of the month.
For example: the grant is paid on 30 September, if you are starting your exchange in the autumn and have signed your Learning Agreement & grant application on LUT Mobility-Online by 1 September. If signed for example on 5 September, the grant will be paid at the end of October. (Note, grant applications are not handled in July and August.)
- Remember to wait for the course listings and application instructions from your exchange university!
- Also, find out the exact dates when your orientation starts and the final exam or exam week is held, this information is mandatory for the LUT exchange study grant application (do not use your travel dates, or the official end of semester date – the latter can be several weeks after the exam week)
- estimated dates or guessing is not sufficient and may delay your grant payment
For Erasmus exchange it is also possible to apply for additional green travel grant and other support if you have children or certain (mostly health-related) special needs. The latter extra grant can be considered when the level disability or impairment is moderate or severe (keskivaikea toiminnanvajaus, as defined here in Finnish. Note that for example, gluten-free diet (coeliac disease), and mild forms of diabetes or asthma unfortunately do not qualify. See the section Additional grants for Erasmus+ exchanges here. These extra grants must be applied before your exchange starts.
Please read carefully the page Health and safety during exchange period or internship abroad before going on the exchange!
Here are some important details about health, safety and insurance:
Health and travel insurance are mandatory essentials for all exchange students. Apply for the EHIC card (for exchange in Europe) and research also the travel insurance options. Note that some exchange universities require a certain mandatory health insurance (if so, they will notify you).
Find out about the disease situation and the vaccinations that are required in your host country. If you need vaccinations, make sure you get contact YTHS or other healthcare services as soon as you have decided to go on exchange. See also the country-specific medical information provided by Kela’s Centre for International Affairs.
Finland is a relatively safe country. Some circumstances abroad may seem unfamiliar or even dangerous to Finns. It is a good idea to get to know your destination in advance and consider what you might face during the exchange. Consult the Ministry for Foreign Affairs travel instructions and make a travel notification before departure. Also visit the www.travelriskmap.com for more information.
For additional safety, identify your emergency contact person and save their information on your phone with the word ICE (In Case of Emergency) so that it will be easier for health officials to contact that person if needed.
In case you plan to bring medicine with you in the host country, it is good to be aware of the possible import restrictions that apply to especially some prescription medicine. A new prescription in the host country might be required, or the medicine could be significantly more expensive than in Finland.
When returning to Finland, if you have been exposed to infectious diseases during your exchange, book an appointment with YTHS or other healthcare services.
The Learning Agreement (LA) and grant application are both done on LUT Mobility-Online. The LA is filled in first, after that you can make the grant application.
The LA is a mandatory part of the exchange study preparation, and one of the exchange study grant conditions. It must be signed by three parties: you, your LUT study counsellor and your exchange university.
First, wait until you receive the application instructions and course listings from your exchange university.
1. Choose enough courses & keep the full grant
After receiving the application instructions and course offering you must choose 30 ECTS worth of courses (per semester). Sometimes courses get cancelled, timetables can change, or other changes may occur. If you fail a course, re-exams are often impossible to arrange within the exchange period. 20 ECTS (per semester) is the absolute minimum amount of credits to receive from your exchange in order to keep the full LUT study grant. If you return with less than 20 ECTS you will have to pay back some of your grant.
- If you wish to go for exchange a second time, you must take at least 30 ECTS per semester during the first exchange.
- Some universities don't allow you to take master-level courses unless you have finished your LUT bachelor's degree. Confirm the matter with your exchange university.
2. Plan in which part of your LUT degree to include the courses
Visit the RPL (recognition of prior learning) page to see how studies completed elsewhere can be recognized in your LUT degree. Exchange studies can be included even if they exceed the extent of credits required for the degree (180 or 120 credits).
- The content and learning outcomes of courses completed abroad cannot overlap with courses completed at LUT if a course is included in LUT degree.
- For a certain course to be substituted, the course completed outside LUT must correspond exactly to the LUT course in content, extent, and level.
- Note the level of each course (bachelor/undergraduate or master/graduate).
- Usually, the exchange courses can be included in major, core, alternative or minor studies. They can either be included in a LUT minor, or they can form a whole new minor independently.
- If the courses cannot be included in other parts of the degree, exchange studies can always be included in elective studies.
- In core alternative studies the courses do not have to correspond with the LUT courses, they can be accepted if the content is suitable.
- Minor, major, language or elective study modules may include both LUT courses and courses completed abroad.
3. Create study drafts in your PSP
Create a study draft for each exchange course – immediately after you know the courses you will be taking, do not wait until the exchange is over.
4. The LA is filled in on LUT Mobility-Online
Study counsellors sign your LA on LUT Mobility-Online, not by email. Note also that LUT International Mobility Services do not sign the LA, only the study counsellors do. Note that the counsellor's signature is not an official approval on how the studies will be included in your study plan.
Some universities require a preliminary LA already when you apply in their system – in this case you can collect signatures on the document provided by your exchange university by email. Nevertheless, you have to fill in the LA also on LUT Mobility-Online.
After logging in,
- Add HOST contact info (refers to your exchange university, not LUT)
- Enter courses at the host institution in the Learning Agreement: click on Enter further courses. The mandatory fields are Course unit title, Number of ECTS credits and Link to course (course catalogue link or course description). Other fields can be left empty.
- After you have added around 30 ECTS: Final check before signing & Sign and Transfer
- Accept grant conditions and apply grant
5. Do not make changes to your LA too early
Your LUT study counsellor reviews your LA (via LUT Mobility-Online), and may request changes (for example, if you didn't include enough courses). If needed, you can edit your LA by clicking Enter courses at the host institution in the Learning Agreement.
At this stage, do not select "Click to answer" on the step titled Changes to Learning Agreement needed. This step should be used only after your exchange university has previously already accepted your LA, and you wish to later edit it. In other words, don't use this option when it's only your study counsellor requesting changes, or even if your exchange university demands the changes before they have accepted your LA.
These limitations are because of technical reasons. Failure to follow the instructions might lead to the system not functioning correctly and to extra work for you.
At the bottom of this page you can find programme-specific information for technology and business students, courtesy of your LUT study counsellors.
There are certain mandatory steps you need to complete at the end of your exchange. If you do not complete these steps within two months after your last exam date, the university will claim back the exchange grant from you.
You will receive an email about a month before the end of your exchange to remind you of the required actions.
Learning agreement: confirm signatures
One of the conditions for keeping the exchange study grant is the LA signed by you, LUT study counsellor and the exchange university. You can check the signatures on LUT Mobility-Online and ask the missing signatures yourself.
Exchange study report: one or two
All students fill in an exchange report for LUT on Mobility-Online. This step opens after you have uploaded your Letter of Confirmation to LUT Mobility-Online.
Erasmus exchange students also make another report for the EU Commission on their EU Survey platform (you will receive a separate email invitation for it).
Transcript of Records and Letter of Confirmation
Upload these on LUT Mobility-Online (click on HAKA to login). You will receive both directly from your exchange university.
Note the correct dates on your Letter of Confirmation (LOC):
- start date: orientation or first lecture
- end date: final exam or lecture (not your travel dates)
- if you need a LOC with blank dates (because the dates of your exchange have changed from what you reported before the exchange), download it here.
- for Erasmus exchange, it is essential to have the dates exactly correct because after your exchange you might
- be asked for a partial refund (if the study period was shorter that was reported before the exchange)
- get additional payment (if the study period was more than five days longer than what you reported before the exchange)
- for exchange outside Europe (non-Erasmus), change of dates will not affect the final grant amount
Credit transfer & extra credit for language studies
If you completed all the courses included in your Learning Agreement – and you know how to place these in your LUT degree, apply for inclusion of these credits on Sisu. Otherwise, consult your study counsellor.
Language courses taken abroad are accepted in the compulsory language studies of your LUT degree. These language studies cannot be included in the minor studies abroad.
You are also awarded extra language study credits for student exchange, in the language you took courses while on exchange (usually English). To receive these credits, apply for them in Sisu. A single semester (3–6 months) amounts for 4 ECTS and a full academic year (7–12 months) for 6 ECTS credits.
- However, if you only took language and culture courses (for example, a Japanese or Chinese language and cultural studies programme of 30 ECTS), no additional language credits will be awarded.
Extra language studies are not included in the 20 ECTS minimum to keep the full grant or in the required 30 ECTS required for applying for exchange studies for the second time.
0–5 ECTS credits | 100 % payback of the grant |
6–9 ECTS | 75 % payback of the grant |
10–14 ECTS | 50 % payback of the grant |
15–19 ECTS | 20 % payback of the grant |
Accepting the exchange study offer means commitment, and cancelling is only possible due to unforeseen illness, injury or other serious matters. Cancelling without a valid reason means that you will not be eligible to apply for exchange in the next application round. A notification about the cancellation must always be sent to both LUT and the receiving university.
Contacting the correct organization helps you to get the right information faster. You can reach out to the following for assistance:
Your exchange university: all the details about their application process and required documents (including language certificates), accommodation, visa and residence permit, course list (available only a few weeks before the semester start), deadlines and schedule for acceptance letters.
- If your Learning Agreement (LA) has been signed by LUT study counsellor but (after two weeks of waiting) not by your exchange university, contact them directly to confirm whether they can see your LA in their system.
- After the exchange, you will receive the Transcript of Records directly from your exchange university – each university has a different schedule for issuing them.
LUT study counsellor: which part of your LUT degree can the exchange study courses be included, and including them on your Learning Agreement, credit transfer after the exchange.
LUT International Mobility Services: technical issues with LUT Mobility-Online (tip: clear the browser memory & try again next day, use Firefox or Chrome), other general issues: include a screenshot and a description of the problem.
Student IT Support Services: LUT account login and authentication issues (Duo MFA).
If your exchange university requires a language proficiency test and has confirmed with you that the LUT Language Certificate is sufficient, see here.
Physical and mental health & safety during exchange.