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Incoming Exchange Students

Your experience at FHNW School of Business

Many of our incoming exchange students come for one semester - and then chose to stay on for another. The best compliment ever. Exchange students are fully integrated into our regular programmes and can select from a broad range of courses across various semesters and diverse bachelor’s degree programmes as well as campuses.

Your benefits

Find out more about the FHNW School of Business and why you should choose our school for your exchange.

Find out more

Studying at FHNW School of Business

Undergraduate programmes
As an exchange student, you can take a wide selection of courses from various semesters, degree programmes as well as campuses. Students should check with their home coordinator the rules of their learning agreement in advance. To know more about your most suitable study programme and the course offers, please check our Study Information.

Course registration
During the application process, incoming students draft a provisional learning agreement with their preferred courses for the semester. This pre-registration process enables the FHNW School of Business to analyse the demand for individual modules and plan class sizes accordingly. Courses will be definitive once the timetable has been realised and there is no overlapping in the timetable. A week after the Info Session, the course registration takes place and students will sign up on courses.

ECTS
The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) is the credit system used at the FHNW. Normally, 30 ECTS credits are the equivalent of a semester of study or work for a full-time student. The number of credits an incoming student must acquire is determined by the home university. However, the FHNW School of Business requires a study programme of at least 15 ECTS per semester. It is not recommendable to take more than 40 ECTS per semester.

Grading System
The grading scale ranges from 1 to 6 by half-grades, with 1 representing the lowest grade and 6 the highest. For sufficient performance, at least a 4 must be achieved.

Only the academic performance of the BSc International Business Management degree programme is evaluated according to the French grading system. This scale ranges from 0 to 20, with 0 representing the lowest grade and 20 the highest. For sufficient performance at least 10 points must be achieved.

FHNW School of Business counts with mixed classes where regular local students and incoming students work on group assignments together. The usual size of classes is rather small which allows everyone to interact and participate in class discussions.

To make the semester’s planification easier and to be prepared in those discussions, each course has a semester programme which is available at the beginning of the semester.

	Autumn Semester (September – February)	Spring Semester (February – July)
Application Deadline*	30 May	30 November
Semester Start	Calendar week 37	Calendar week 7
Semester End (including exam period)	Calendar week 5 Calendar week 3**	Calendar week 27 Calendar week 23**

*FHNW School of Business does not have a nomination deadline, however, a late nomination must ensure that the application arrives on time.

**These dates only apply for exchange students enrolled in the BSc International Business Management Programme

Admission Requirements

To apply for an exchange semester or academic year there are a few basic provisos:

1. Incoming students must be enrolled at one of our partner universities at bachelor’s level.

2. Incoming students must have completed at least one academic year on a bachelor's level at their home university.

3. Incoming students must be fluent in English for a semester in an English-taught programme* (and/or in German for a semester in a German-taught programme).

Language requirements
To apply as an exchange student, students must fulfil our language requirements in one or two languages. The following certificates are accepted:

English

Cambridge First A-B
Cambridge Advanced
TOEFL iBT 79; paper based: 540; computer based: 213
TOEIC 780
IELTS 6
ELP B2
Bec Vantage
A personally signed letter from a lecturer or international coordinator confirming the student has achieved a B2 level in English

German

Goethe-Zertifikat B2
telc B2
A personally signed letter from a lecturer or international coordinator from the home university confirming the applicant has achieved a B2 level in German

4. Incoming students must be officially nominated by their home university and submit an application dossier within the deadline.

5. A study programme of at least 15 ECTS per semester is required by our university.

Application Procedure

Step 1: Once incoming students have been officially nominated on Mobility-Online by one of our partner universities, students will receive an email inviting them to apply.

Step 2: After clarifying their home university requirements, students must apply online by filling in their application data and uploading all the required documents on Mobility-Online.

Step 3: Once the student’s application has been reviewed and accepted, an acceptance email will then be sent to the student and his/her home university. Furthermore, students will be able to download their own Letter of Acceptance on Mobility-Online.

Step 4: Incoming students at FHNW School of Business may be eligible to receive financial support for their exchange programme. Students are required to sign either the SEMP or FHNW worldwide support agreement before arriving. These agreements will be available on Mobility-Online after students have generated their Letter of Acceptance.

Step 5: Plan your arrival. We will welcome you during the mandatory Info Session day!

Swiss European Mobility Programme (SEMP)

Exchange students from a European partner university studying and living in Switzerland may be eligible to receive a Swiss Mobility grant from the Swiss Government. Within the framework of the Swiss Programme for Erasmus+ students may be eligible to apply for a mobility grant of between CHF 2000 and CHF 2300 per semester, depending on your country of origin.

Conditions

Students are required to sign a Grant Agreement (declaration of honour) before arriving. This agreement will be available on Mobility-Online.

To be eligible for the SEMP, students must agree the enclosed programme of study ("Learning Agreement for Studies") with their home and host universities before the start of the mobility. Any changes to the programme of study originally agreed must be documented in an updated “Learning Agreement for Studies”. Incoming students must take a minimum of 15 ECTS per exchange semester.

Students must be residents in the country of the host university during their study. The minimum duration of a student mobility for studies is three months. More information concerning the exact calculation of the stay can be found in the declaration of honour which must be signed by the students.

On completion of their mobility, students must provide their home university with a "Certificate of Attendance" confirming completion of the study programme and the exact dates of the stay. Additionally, students must fill in the feedback questionnaire about studying at FHNW at the end of the semester.

If students breach with the obligations stated in the Grant Agreement, they may be required to repay part or all of the grant.

Greener Mobility

Students who travel to their host country via a sustainable transport may receive an additional financial support of CHF 100.00. Students must keep and submit the respective receipts (outward and return journey). More information concerning this offer is provided in the Mobility-Online platform.

FHNW Worldwide Support

An FHNW worldwide support may be awarded to incoming international exchange students from non-European partner universities from FHNW School of Business who fulfil all the conditions listed below.

Conditions

Students are required to sign an Agreement before arriving. This agreement will be available on Mobility-Online.

To be eligible for the FHNW worldwide support, students from one of FHNW’s exchange partner universities must participate in a formal exchange programme for at least one semester (minimum learning agreement: 15 ECTS), maximum one year (minimum learning agreement: 30 ECTS) at the FHNW School of Business at any of its three campuses.

Exchange students who study for one or two semesters at the FHNW School of Business may be awarded an FHNW worldwide support (max. CHF 2500.00*) during the study time at the FHNW School of Business. *With the possibility to receive a full academic year grant. Limited places (first-come, first-served).

Students must be residents in the country of the host university during their study. The minimum duration of a student mobility for studies is three months.

Upon completion of their mobility, students must fill in the feedback questionnaire about studying at FHNW at the end of the semester.

The FHNW reserves the right to reclaim the FHNW worldwide support in full in the case that a student discontinues their studies at FHNW due to disciplinary measures, does not comply with the required academic standards and performance levels, or breaches the obligations stated in the agreement.

Costs for special needs

Students with disabilities (EU or worldwide) can claim costs related to their disability and incurred due to mobility, e.g., special transport for a person with a wheelchair. The final reimbursement is made according to effective costs as supporting documents.

Living in Switzerland

A basic health insurance is compulsory for every citizen living in Switzerland. An exemption from the compulsory health insurance is possible in specific situations. Students from the European Union must submit a copy of their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), which must be valid for the entire duration of their stay. Students from non-EU countries must buy a Swiss insurance policy in Switzerland within three months from taking up residence. Our International Office provides detailed information during the Info Session Day.

Various regulations apply for entering Switzerland:

EU/EFTA citizens do not require a visa to enter Switzerland.
Non-EU/EFTA citizens must apply for a visa to enter Switzerland. Once you have received the Letter of Acceptance, you should contact the nearest Swiss Embassy or Consulate and inquire about the visa application procedure. The visa application process can take between 1 and 3 months depending on your country of origin and other factors. We strongly recommend that you allow sufficient time to apply for and receive your visa.

Note: Students from Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, and the United Kingdom do not need a visa, but they must apply for a residence permit.

A residence permit is needed for EU and for non-EU/EFA citizens. Upon arrival in Switzerland, our International Office will assist exchange students with the formalities to obtain the residence permit.

At the FHNW there is a strong presence of student organisations. The FHNW has several student organisations such as the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) FHNW and the Student Council. Local students run these organisations on a voluntary basis and organise activities, trips, the buddy system, and social events for and with exchange students throughout their stay at our university.

ESN FHNW

Buddy programme:

A buddy is a regular student of the FHNW School of Business who will support incoming students during their exchange period at our university, especially before and after their arrival in Switzerland; somebody who is easy to approach and ask questions even before your arrival.

The buddy’s main tasks are to help exchange students with practical matters during their stay in Switzerland as well as to adapt to the Swiss culture, student life and studying at the FHNW.

Exchange students can request a buddy in their online application form. Buddies are organised by ESN FHNW for all campuses and are free of charge.

Student Council