Incoming to FHNW School of Education

Institutional details and contacts

Semester dates

• Spring semester February 01 – August 31 / courses start at the beginning of February and end after the first week of June.
• Autumn semester September 01 – January 31 / courses start in mid September and end in the penultimate week of December

At the beginning of September the International Welcome Week FHNW takes place for our Incoming students (2 ECTS).

Application procedures

We ask partner universities to nominate exchange students to the institutional coordinator by the dates given below.

Nominated students will receive an application form that must be sent to the receiving institution by the dates given below:

Autumn term

• Nomination: May 31 (If students need visa/residence permit, please nominate them earlier.)
• Application: July 01

Spring term

• Nomination: November 15 (If students need visa/residence permit, please nominate them earlier.)
• Application: December 01

The receiving institution will send its decision of acceptance within 6 weeks after the application has been completed. On acceptance incoming students will also be informed about registration.

Incoming students receive all course information and access to the internal sites after completed application and acceptance.

The University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland welcomes students and staff members with disabilities, however acceptance requires approval. For more information

Courses

The course catalogue provides course descriptions, information about the time and place, the form, and the credit points of all courses at FHNW School of Education.

Course booking deadlines for incoming students

• Autumn semester: June 25
• Spring semester: December 30

Courses need to be booked via Central Study Administration: c3R1ZGllbmFkbWluaXN0cmF0aW9uLnBoQGZobncuY2g=

Recommended language skills

As the language of instruction of most undergraduate courses is German, the recommended minimum language competence level is generally B1 (according to the “Common European Framework of Reference for Languages”).

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 finished.

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

If you need grades for the Transcript of Records, please clarify the possibility of receiving a grade at the beginning of the semester and have the decision made in writing (email is sufficient).

Grades are awarded from 6 (best) to 1, 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 of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Mandatory health insurance

In Switzerland a health and accident insurance for stays of longer than three months is mandatory. 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 duty 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.

Accomodation

Various accomodation offerings

• University of Basel - board of ads
  
• 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
  

Buddy system

The School of Education FHNW provides every Incoming student with a Buddy of the European Student Network ESN. ESN organises activities for all Incomings of FHNW. More information

General information

• Studying in Switzerland+ – a webpage 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)
• Information about the FHNW School of Education: In German | In Englisch
  
• How do incoming students experience their stay? Reports