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 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.

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.

As an exchange student from LUT, you do not pay tuition fees in your exchange university. Some universities 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 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. 

• However, the earliest possible grant payment date for the autumn semester is 30.9. For spring, it is 31.1.
• Grants are not paid in July or August.

To successfully complete your application,

• 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 possible to get a higher travel support amount if you travel green. Extra support is possible also 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. These extra grants must be applied before your exchange starts. Read more about the grants here.

Regardless of the grant type, the application is always done in the same way: by filling in the application form on LUT Mobility-Online. Application for the grant is possible only after you have received formal acceptance from the receiving university, completed your learning agreement (detailed course plan), and you know the exact start and end dates of your study period.

• The information on this drop-down menu applies only for Erasmus+ exchanges in Europe. If your exchange is outside Europe or at a Norek network university, consult the next drop-down menu instead.

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 academic 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,

1. Add HOST contact info (refers to your exchange university, not LUT)
    
2. Enter courses at the host institution in the Learning Agreement: here, you enter the courses at your exchange (=host) university, one by one. First, 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.
3. HOME institution recognition (one single course called "Mobility Window") - in this part, you need to tell the system how many credits in total you will take, and create a course called Mobility Window. The number of ECTS credits for the Mobility Window course should be the same as the sum of all the courses in the previous section (Host courses), for example 30 ECTS. To clarify, there is no actual course called Mobility Window in any university, but for technical reasons you need to fill in such course in the system as a marker of how many credits your exchange studies will be in your LUT degree.
   1. in the field Course unit title at the home institution, simply type Mobility Window
   2. in the field Number of ECTS credits at the home institution, type the total number of credits you will take during your exchange (the target is 30 ECTS per semester).
       
4. After you have added around 30 ECTS: Final check before signing & Sign and Transfer
5. Accept grant conditions and for the apply grant. After this, the green check mark will appear as in the image below. For the grant application, only your own signature is a mandatory requirement. The signatures from your LUT study counsellor and the receiving university will also be needed (and are part of the grant conditions) but the grant can already be processed after your signature.
    

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.

• The information on this drop-down menu applies only for non-European and Norek network exchanges. If yours is an Erasmus+ exchange in Europe, consult the previous drop-down menu instead.

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. 

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 academic 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,

1. Add HOST contact info (refers to your exchange university, not LUT)
2. 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.
3. After you have added around 30 ECTS: Final check before signing & Sign and Transfer
4. Accept grant conditions and apply for the grant

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.

After your LUT study counsellor has signed your LA, the information will be sent also to your exchange university. However, the LA is not a guarantee of acceptance to courses - the actual course registration is done on the receiving university's system.

Please refer to the above section about the Learning Agreement (LA) and grant application. We are able to process and pay your grant already when your LA has one signature: yours.

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.
 

Your application documents are checked usually within two weeks after you have finished all the mandatory steps listed in the section above. After that, you will receive an email confirmation.

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.