Incoming Students at the FHNW School of Education

Institutional Details and Contacts

Semester Dates

First term September 1 – January 31

• Let's Get Started! Collaborative and Intercultural Experience: beginning of September
  
• International Student Activity (ISA): one week before the start of the semester courses
  
• Semester courses: mid-September – second to last week of December
• Examination week: Second week of January

Second term February 1 – August 31

• Let's get started! Collaborative and intercultural experience: beginning of February
• International Student Activities (ISA): one week before the start of the semester courses
• Semester courses: mid-February – first week of June
  
• Examination week: Second week of June

More details (in German)

Nomination, Application Procedures and Course Booking

• We ask partner universities to nominate exchange students to the institutional coordinator by the dates listed below (aW50ZXJuYXRpb25hbC5waEBmaG53LmNo)
• We send the partner universities a nomination link for the Mobility Online database.
• Nominated students will receive an application link and instructions. They must go through the registration process by the dates listed below:
• Incoming students can attend courses at all three campuses. We recommend Muttenz (near Basel), as most of the courses in English usually are held there.
• Nominated students will receive an application form that must be sent to the receiving institution by the dates listed below:
  • First term: nominations May 31; applications June 15; course booking June 25
  • Second term: nominationn Nov 30; applications December 15; course booking, December 25

The PH FHNW will send its decision concerning acceptance within 10 days after the application has been submitted completely. On acceptance, incoming students will also be informed about registration.

Incoming students receive all course information and access to the internal sites upon completion of the application and acceptance procedure.

The PH FHNW welcomes students and staff members with disabilities. People with disabilities or documented health problems (physical or mental) can apply for additional funding  in order to cover extra costs arising during mobility in relation to their disability or illness. More information (in German)

International Programme – Courses in English at the FHNW School of Education

The programme includes courses of the regular study programme and is open to students at the FHNW School of Education as well as to international exchange students.

More information

Courses

Recommended Language Skills

As most undergraduate courses are taught in German, the recommended minimum language competence level is generally B2 (according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). For participation in the English-language Programme courses, we recommend at last B2.

Transcript of Records and Grading System

A transcript of records will be issued by the receiving institution no later than 5 weeks after the semester has ended.

In many courses, there is no grading system, but a pass/fail system.

If you need grades for the transcript of records, please ask whether it is possible to receive a grade at the beginning of the semester and have the decision confirmed in writing (email is sufficient).

The grading scale ranges from 6 (excellent) to 1 (insufficient), with 4 being the minimum score required to pass:

1 semester: 30 ECTS credits

1 full academic year: 60 ECTS credits

Visa

• Nationals of EU/EFTA-countries: No visa required to enter Switzerland.
• Nationals of non-EU/EFTA countries: Check visa requirements with the Swiss Embassy in your country of residence. The embassy site generally posts a list of documents to bring along to the visa appointment. Schedule visa appointments early.

The sending and receiving institutions will provide assistance, when required, in securing visas for exchange students, according to the requirements of the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education. See also the information on visa requirements by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Mandatory Health Insurance

Health and accident insurance is mandatory in Switzerland for stays longer than three months. A basic insurance plan covers medical care in the case of sickness or accident.

After arriving in Switzerland and registering with your municipality of residence, you have three months in which to take out health insurance. Provided you register within this time, you are insured from the time you enter Switzerland.

Students are responsible for taking out health insurance themselves. Learn more about the health insurance

Exemption from mandatory health insurance

Persons from the EU/EFTA area who have a European health insurance card can, on application, exempt themselves from the requierement to take out health insurance. This is also true of students from non-EU countries whose health insurance schemes are recognised by the Swiss authorities. Find out from your health insurance organisation whether your scheme covers you in Switzerland.

Accommodation

Near the Muttenz Campus (Basel)

• University of Basel - classified ads
  
• Flat shares (WG Zimmer)
  
• University of Basel - matching service for housing
  
• University of Basel - student housing (Studentenheim)
  
• Borromaeum
  
• Student housing (Studentenhaus)
  
• Student housing (Alumneum)
  
• Student housing (Studienhaus)
  
• Pro Filia
  

Near the Brugg-Windisch Campus

• Association for Student Housing Brugg-Windisch Region
  
• I-Markt apartment search
  
• Association Housing for Students
  
• Maximilianeum - student dormitory in Zurich
  
• St-Justinus-Werke - a House in Zurich
  
• Student house Sonnegg in the middle of Zurich
  
• Youth Housing Network JUWO
  
• Livingscience in Zurich
  
• Student Village – where great minds live together
  
• Student living in Winterthur
  

Travel to and from Switzerland: Green Travel 

All students (outgoing and incoming) who decide to travel round trip by a means of transport that emits less CO2 than an airplane will receive a financial support.

Public Transportation in Switzerland: Subsidy for the SBB Half-Fare Travelcard (Halbtax)

All incoming students can apply for CHF 120 in financial support for the Half-Fare Card (Halbtax = 50% reduction in travel costs). Please contact: aW50ZXJuYXRpb25hbC5waEBmaG53LmNo

Buddy System and Experiences of Our Exchange Students

The FHNW School of Education  provides every incoming student with a buddy from the European Student Network ESN. ESN organises activities for all incoming students at FHNW. More information

International Student Activities (ISA) for all FHNW schools take place during the semster.

See also experience reports

General Information

• The FHNW School of Education is one of nine schools of the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW). More information
  
• Studying in Switzerland+ – a website published by “swissuniversities” (swissuniversities works to strengthen and enhance collaboration among Swiss institutions of higher education and promotes a common voice on educational issues in Switzerland)

University sports at the FHNW

FHNW Sports offers an attractive and diverse programme of sporting activities for regular exercise as well as access to lesser-known sports and the opportunity to make new friends.

FHNW Sports includes regular training sessions during the semester, workshops, online training, a weight room and much more. In most cases, FHNW Sport is free of charge. For the weight room, you can pay a subscription for half a year or a whole year.

Unfortunately, the sports programme is only available in German.

Language Centre of the University of Basel

The Language Centre offers a wide range of different languages and courses.

The International Office of the FHNW School of Education covers the costs of a German or Swiss German course for international exchange students. When registering, please state that you are an international exchange student at the FHNW School of Education.

Language Centre