Explore your possibilities and the “nice to know/need to know”‘s of a study abroad exchange semester.
15 March
25 September
(Applications received after the deadline will depend on partner acceptance of late applicants)
Zealand has a number of partner institutions abroad where our students have the possibility to do a study abroad exchange mobility (semester).
It is a pre-requisite that you have passed your first year of studies prior to an exchange. Typically, exchanges for AP students are during their third semester and on second semester for top-up students.
When you do a study abroad with a partner institution, you normally have a tuition free seat.
Below you can explore which possibilities you have and which partners match your Zealand major.
Connect with your on-campus International Mobility Ambassador for consultation on possibilities and how to get started on the exchange abroad process
Student application deadline for the internal Zealand nomination of students for a seat with a partner institution is:
15 March
If you apply for a study abroad exchange during AUTUMN Semester
Please note that selected partners may have an earlier nomination deadline why you must apply with us before the deadline, e.g. Taylor’s University in Malaysia. Our international mobility ambassadors are informed about such cases and it is your responsibility to orientate and update yourself if the institution you are interested in have an earlier nomination deadline and thus earlier application deadline for you. A positive nomination for at study abroad exchange seat will always be according to availability of seats and number of Zealand students applying for a concrete partner institution, When you apply for a study abroad exchange we ALWAYS recommend to apply by ranking up to three outgoing possibilities with partners which might be of interest.
25 September
If you apply for a study abroad exchange during SPRING Semester
Please note that selected partners may have an earlier nomination deadline why you must apply with us before the deadline, e.g. Taylor’s University in Malaysia. Our international mobility ambassadors are informed about such cases and it is your responsibility to orientate and update yourself if the institution you are interested in have an earlier nomination deadline and thus earlier application deadline for you. A positive nomination for at study abroad exchange seat will always be according to availability of seats and number of Zealand students applying for a concrete partner institution, When you apply for a study abroad exchange we ALWAYS recommend to apply by ranking up to three outgoing possibilities with partners which might be of interest.
When we have finalized our internal nomination, we will inform your nomination and nominate you externally for a seat with the partner institution being nominated for.
Depending on each partner institution, you need to follow admission instructions which will be forwarded to you directly. You also need observe any deadlines to be meet. You also need to pay attention to aspects related to selection of courses you wish to join or formalities needing your attention towards applying a student visa/residence, if needed.
If you wish to study a semester abroad as an exchange student it is important to observe and meet deadlines for you processing.
The application process is divided into a number of steps.
You can only apply online for pre-approval and you apply by using the online web form. Use the web form “apply for a study abroad exchange”, fill in the form and submit it online.
When we receive your application we will conduct an evaluation if you meet the minimum requirements set for a study abroad exchange, among others, if you meet the minimum language proficiency in the work language of your exchange (for the majority in English). If more student applications then seats available with our partner institutions (or a selected institution) we will rank applicants according to a set of evaluation criteria and prioritize nomination. Since some institutions are more popular than others we do recommend that you also apply for alternative institutions/countries (prioritized) to increase your chance for becoming nominated for a study abroad semester abroad.
Evaluation criteria for nomination
If you have been nominated for a study abroad exchange, you will receive a feedback on nomination and to which partner institution.
If you also have been nominated for a study abroad exchange under the Erasmus+ programme you will be informed together with the nomination and procedures you need to observe for next step.
When you have been nominated internally (selected) it also will be Zealand making your selection official with partner institutions by nomination. Our nomination with partner institutions will start the application and admission process for you as an exchange student with our partner institution. This process can be longer or shorter (so differ from institution to institution) but will be a process between you and our partner institution (they will connect with you directly).
If needed, the application process for a student visa / residence also will start upon nomination (typically for most NON-EU countries). The process can be lengthy why you need to start it as quick as possible. To apply you need an admission notice/invitation letter, which you will receive from our partner institution. Since such applications vary from country to country we refer you to partner instructions and embassies/visa application centres for updated information of the process and documentation needed.
You need to select courses equalling a workload of 30 ECTS (workload for a full semester as a full time student). The courses available you typically find posted under “exchange” on partner websites or alternatively you follow their guide to find available courses. When you select courses you need to find similar however not identical courses as the semester courses you replace during an exchange abroad.
A good starting point would be to refer to the curriculum of you major/programme with Zealand to identify courses and learning you need to match and replace. You find the programme curricula at Zealand website and we do recommend you to involve your international mobility ambassador on choice of exchange courses.
When you have made you choice, we recommend that you prepare a pre-approval application for credits recognition to be joined and approved by the Head of programme/Dean of your department.
Pre-approval of exchange courses for credit recognition
When the Head of programme/Dean of your department has pre-approved your courses, you need to formalize your study abroad exchange in a Learning Agreement, LA.
When the courses you have selected for your exchange has been pre-approved it is important that you make sure that you register for those courses with the partner institution. The actual registration process differ from institution to institution but no matter the procedure your course selection needs to be formalized in a Learning Agreement. The Learning Agreement is an agreement between you (as student), the partner institution and Zealand and needs to be signed by all parties. The Learning Agreement is the agreement which assures that you are offered the courses agreed upon and that you will have recognition of those by Zealand upon completion of your exchange
Erasmus+ study abroad mobilities WITHIN EU must from 2021 be formalised via an online Learning Agreement.
The Learning Agreement must be prepared and approved online only. You start and/or finalize your Erasmus+ study abroad mobility via a link to the platform where the agreement is formalized. We recommend that you prepare your agreement at your lap-top computer. When done you can download the Erasmus+ app to formalize the online learning agreement.
Erasmus+ study abroad mobilites within EU program countries must be formalized via an OLA – Online Learning Agreement. You can download a guide to prepare the agreement here.
Download Erasmus+ App here
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We do recommend that you download the Erasmus+ app since your also will be able to make changes if a course needs to be replaced during the mobility. Upon arrival to your destination the app also offer a number of resources depending on your country/city of destination.
If your exchagne is via the Erasmus+ study abroad OUTSIDE EU (partner country programme) you CANNOT use the OLA. You need to use the Erasmus + template agreement you find here.
All other study abroad mobilities (non-Erasmus+) use the Learning Agreement template you find here.
When your Learning Agreement has been approved and signed by all parties, you are ready to start the planning process before your mobility abroad starts.
It is ALWAYS your OWN RESPONSBILITY to make sure that you have the necessary insurance coverage when you do a study abroad.
When going on student mobility for studies in Europe you must remember to order “The European Health Insurance Card” (the blue EU insurance card). The blue EU insurance card is free of charge and is ordered at www.huskdetblaa.dk. You can read more about the specific rules and coverage in the country you are going to at the website.
Please note that the blue insurance card does not provide coverage in all situations. We therefore recommend that you take out a travel and health insurance which, among other things, covers repatriation (transport home) and accidents.
When you go outside Europe neither the Danish “yellow card” nor the blue EU insurance card will cover. In this case it is quite important that you take out a travel and health insurance by yourself which, among other things, covers repatriation (transport home) and accidents.
Different circumstances apply for different students. A student membership in some professional organisations offer good insurance offers for students. But, generally, we recommend that you first contact your own (or family’s) insurance company or alternatively, www.studenterforsikring.dk
Finally, in some countries insurance comes together with the admission to the institution since it is a requirement to sign up for the insurance offered by the institution for visa purposes, e.g. US.
If you go on a study abroad exchange then the host university/institution in many cases can help you finding housing on campus or off campus. Please observe that in major cities or capital cities the housing market can difficult and in some cases “pricy”.
If the host university cannot help you there are several possibilities.
You can depart for the exchange ahead of time and stay in a cheap hostel while finding a more permanent housing opportunity. Alternatively, you may explore some of the recommendations, which your host university refer you to. Most university websites give students input on how and where to find possible housing.
It can be very different from person to person, how you want to stay during your exchange. Some think that living on campus will be great, and others would rather live in a shared apartment or an apartment by themselves. No matter what – it is important to be flexible and adjustable to whatever standards and traditions you find in the country of your host institution.
There are a number of issues that need your attention before you depart for a study abroad mobility.
Have you remembered to take out sufficient insurance coverage?
You need to look into if you need to apply for a visa/study residence for the country of your study abroad. It will depend on your country of citizenship (as in your passport) and of course, the country you travel to. We do recommend following the instructions and guidance offered by our partner institution. In general, EU citizens can take residence in another EU country without applying a visa. Upon arrival, depending on national requirements, it can be necessary to register with the local authorities for a temporary EU residence as an exchange student.
For exchanges OUTSIDE EU/EEA you in most cases need to apply for a temporary residence permit (visa) as an exchange student. Rules and procedures vary from country to country why we recommend following the instructions and guidance offered by our partner institution. For some countries, the application process can be quite complex and time consuming why we recommend you to apply our study residence as early as possible before departure.
It is important that you orientate yourself on vaccinations and recommendations for the country of destination.
For general recommendations you can check here: https://rejse.ssi.dk/
It is your own responsibility and remember, travelling is not dangerous as long as you use your common sense.
It is of course important that you pay attention to your financial situation and how to finance living during an exchange abroad.
We can recommend that you talk to your bank to make sure that you have acces to funds being abroad. If you have SU then Danish citizens can take out the SU for a study abroad. Remember, if you have SU as staying with family you can change your status to independent status during the abroad period. Students with a different citizenship (but with residence in Denmark) will in most cases not be able to bring the SU abroad due to the requirements to be meet for having access to the SU. Talk to your SU contact person for your possibilities.
If your study abroad is under the Erasmus+ programme you will in most cases also receive a financial contribution as a grant from the programme. Your grant is paid in two instalments, typically, 70% to 80% of full grant prior to departure and the second instalment by the end of the exchange. For Erasmus+ exchanges outside EU it is also possible to be awarded a travel grant which will be paid before departure together with the first instalment.
Normally, you do not need to document how, or for what you have spent the awarded grant support. However, you need to be able to document (in relation to Erasmus+ and the SU) that you in fact have been abroad. You will do this with a certificate called Certificate of Attendance, where the host institution must certify by signature and stamp that you in fact have been attending the exchange programme together with your first and last day on the programme abroad.
We will send you this document template prior to you end date abroad leaving time to have it prepared by the host institution abroad.
When you arrive at your destination, we recommend that you report your arrival to the host institution as quick as possible. Further, that you get registration procedures done, both in relation to the host institution as well as in relation to local authorities.
When you start your studies on the exchange programme it is IMPORTANT that you follow the courses which have been pre-approved and agreed in the Learning Agreement. Remember that the Learning Agreement is our joint agreement where we (Zealand) agrees to give you recognition of those courses towards the degree you study with us once the exchange is completed.
However, on occasion courses change or courses are not being offered. You may also discover that there is a course more interesting for you and thus wishing to replace it with one of the courses we pre-approved.
One or more courses can be replaced or changed – BUT ONLY IF WE PRE-APPROVE THE CHANGE. s quick as possible you connect with the International Mobility Ambassador to address the wish/need for a change/replacement of your courses. Once the change/replacement has been pre-approved, you need to formalize and update it in your Learning Agreement. Refer to the During Mobility part of your Learning Agreement to delete courses and replace courses. Once done you need to have it approved.
If you terminate and end your exchange or wish to return home earlier than scheduled it is important that you do it together with us. That is do not just leave without informing anybody. If the situation should develop, it is important that you connect with your International Mobility Ambassador so that we together with you can address the situation and develop the best solution and outcome for you. Especially, this is important is your exchange is under the Erasmus+ programme and you have received a grant from the programme. There are certain minimum requirements, which needs to be meet to avoid a refund or partial refund.
When you exchange mobility comes to an end it is important that you make sure to have a Certificate of Attendance prepared by the host institution confirming your start date and end date. The Certificate needs to be certified by the host institution by signature and stamp. We will send you the draft certificate to be completed before your end date. The document is your proof of having been abroad towards Danish SU and Erasmus+.
Finally, it is important that you make an agreement with the host institution where you transcript of records will be forwarded. This often is electronic by email but can also be to your home address in Denmark or directly to Zealand. You need the transcript of records to apply for our recognition of your exchange abroad.
Once you are back home you need to start your credit recognition application and process.
The credit recognition application is where your ask us/Zealand to transfer credits from abroad and to recognize the courses and ECTS towards the degree you study with us. It is your responsibility to start the application process and to make sure to submit the required documentation towards recognition.
Use the webform found on this page.
Fill in the required information, attach the documentation needed and submit it to the International Mobility Ambassador on your Zealand department (choose your department).
The following documentation is needed:
Share your stories from your adventure and exchange abroad. When you are back home, we encourage you to share your experience with your fellow Zealand students. Share also your pictures from abroad on Instagram with the hashtag #WeAreZealand.
Zealand is an approved institution participating in the Erasmus Plus cooperation.
OID: E100 70 657
Erasmus+ is the European Commission’s education and mobility exchange programme which has existed for more than 30 years. The programme is among others aimed at strengthening student mobility as exchange and strengthening the European identity and building international competences among students in higher education across Europe. In 2019 the programme allocated EUR 35,6 million to support projects and support exchange students within EU/Europe (programme countries) or outside Europe/EU (partner countries).
Besides financial support, minimum quality standards to observe and recognition of credits, the Erasmus+ programme also has a strong focus on students proficiency in the European languages (not only “work language” which typically is English). OLS, Online Linguistic Support, is a free of charge offer to outgoing exchange students where you are invited to join for an online language test (work language during mobility) before and after the exchange to trace improved proficiency. If needed, OLS offer an online language course in the work language or alternatively a language course in the language of the destination country if different from the work language. Thus, the Erasmus+ programme contribute to and support the participating students’ development of their proficiency in one or more of the European languages.
Besides a financial contribution to outgoing students to make a study abroad realistic, the Erasmus+ programme also means that your exchange meet the quality requirements and give you the rights set by programme and the charter principles.
Zealand Academy of Technologies and Business is an approved participant in the Erasmus+ programme and holds an Erasmus+ charter from the European Commission. Our Erasmus+ id is: DK KOGE03
A study abroad mobility through the Erasmus+ programme must have a minimum duration of 3 month and you can maximum have support for 12 month (same programme major). Typically, the duration is one semester but can be extended by an additional semester. You must have completed your first year (two semesters) of higher education and typically a study abroad for Zealand students will be during their mobility window on 3rd, 4th or 5th semester. Study abroad mobilities must be recognized by Zealand towards the degree (semester) you study with Zealand. In other words, the learning outcome from a semester abroad must be similar, however not identical, to the semester curricula of your Zealand programme major.
It is a requirement that the host institution for an exchange must be a nationally recognized higher education institution in its home country. That the host institution holds an Erasmus+ charter approval and finally, that Zealand has a partner agreement with the institution in question. See our partner institutions under “Destinations – where can I go”.
A study abroad mobility to programme countries must be in one of the EU or EEA countries (EU including Norway, Iceland, Turkey or Lichtenstein). Participants are offered a monthly support, which differ from country to country ranging from EUR 320 to EUR 370 (2019). The financial support is calculated according to actual number of days required to be abroad from start date to end date. You can see which partners we have relevant for your programme major under “Destinations – where can I go”. You can also ask the international mobility ambassador on your campus for options and alternatives.
Study abroad mobility to Erasmus+ partner countries will be destined to a country outside EU and EEA. Study abroad mobility to Erasmus+ partner countries are different from mobilities to programme countries since possibilities depend on institutions interest and ability to apply for funding yearly. Zealand has so far been relatively successful to secure funding for our students and partner country partnerships. Study abroad mobility to partner countries must go to the counties and institutions where Zealand has been successful to secure funds and being nominated (selected) as a Zealand student can be competitive. So far we have or have had funding for study abroad mobility to our partnerships in USA, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, PR China, Russian Federation, Chile, Peru, Mexico (and Vietnam for internship). If you are interested in an Erasmus+ partner country mobility, you need to consult with your on-campus international mobility ambassador who can inform you where we have seats and funding available at the moment. Since competitive to become nominated (selected) we recommend that you also consider other options or the alternative to go for a mobility as a bilateral exchange (free seats with our partner institution in a partner country but without funding from Erasmus+).
If nominated for an Erasmus+ partner country study abroad you will have funding during your mobility. You will have a monthly support of EUR 700 (fixed amount to all countries) and a travel grant ranging between EUR 275 and EUR 1,500 depending on geographical distance to the destination country.
If you wish to apply for an Erasmus+ study abroad mobility apply online to the international mobility ambassador on your Zealand campus. For further information see under apply.
INTERNAL NOMINATION: Initially your Zealand campus nominate you for an Erasmus+ mobility to the central Zealand International office. There might be more applicants than seats for a funded mobility, especially for partner countries outside EU/EEA. We always recommend you to rank and apply for up to three possible destinations. If we cannot honour your first choice, we will try to honour your second or third choice. For the nomination, we apply a set of nomination criteria aimed at ranking and selecting among applicants.
Here are the formal requirements and nomination criteria applied by Zealand
If you are nominated (selected) you will be informed directly about your nomination.
As a next step, you have to start the application and admission process externally at the partner institution in question. Alongside this process, there also will be a formal process to formalize your Erasmus+ support as well as the process to apply for a student visa/residence if needed.