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.
To apply for an exchange semester 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
Once incoming students have been nominated through our online system by our partner university, students will receive an email inviting them to apply.
After clarifying their home university requirements, students must apply online attaching all the required documents.
Once your application has been reviewed and accepted, you will receive a confirmation email as well as the Letter of Acceptance.
In a later point, students will be informed about when and how apply for the SEMP Grant or Allowance.
Plan your arrival. We will welcome you on the mandatory Info Session day!
Important Dates
Autumn Semester
Spring Semester
Application Deadline*
30 May
30 November
Semester Start
Mid September
Mid February
Semester End
End January
End June /**Beginning of June
*FHNW School of Business do 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.
Swiss European Mobility Programme (SEMP)
Exchange students from a European partner university studying and living in Switzerland are eligible to receive a Swiss Mobility grant from the Swiss Government. Swiss Mobility Grant (PDF)
Conditions
Students are required to sign a Grant Agreement before arriving. This agreement will be available after students have received the Acceptance email.
To be eligible for the SEMP, students must agree the enclosed programme of study ("Learning Agreement for Studies") with his/her 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 resident in the country of the host university during their study. The minimum duration of a student mobility for studies is three months.
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 the grant.
Allowance (non-European partner universities)
An allowance will be awarded to incoming international exchange students from non-European partner universities who fulfil all the conditions listed below.
Conditions
Students are required to sign an Agreement before arriving. This agreement will be available after students have received the Acceptance email.
To be eligible for the allowance, 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 will be awarded an allowance (max. CHF 2200.00) during the study time at the FHNW School of Business.
Students must be resident in the country of the host university during their study. The minimum duration of a student mobility for studies is three months.
On 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 allowance in full in the case that a student discontinues her/his studies at FHNW due to disciplinary measures, do not comply with the required academic standards and performance levels, or breach the obligations stated in the agreement.
As an exchange student, you can take a wide selection of courses from various semesters, degree programmes as well as campuses. A study programme of at least 15 ECTS per semester is required by our university. Additionally, students should check with their home coordinator the rules of their learning agreement in advance. Please access to our IO Platform to review the Course Offer.
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.
Living in Switzerland
FHNW School of Business is in three locations and cantons. However, the short distance by train allows students to take courses from several campuses.
Approx. 30 minutes Olten→Basel and Olten→Brugg-Windisch
Approx. 45 minutes Basel→Brugg-Windisch
To decide on which campus you would like to study, please review our campus information on the following links:
The information provided here is designed to help you when studying in Switzerland.
Students should budget between CHF 450 to CHF 900 per month for accommodation (which includes utilities). There are different housing options on each campus. Detailed description.
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.
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 to 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. Swiss bachelor students act as Buddies, taking care of exchange students and helping them to find their way around in the School of Business FHNW and in Switzerland. This task brings the Buddies intercultural experience and new contacts. Exchange students can request a buddy in their online application form. Buddies are organised by ESN FHNW for all campuses.
