1. Research, Preliminary Informative Sessions & GPA

Students interested in an exchange semester should begin the process by researching our host universities. Click HERE to access the International Mobility Blackboard site and check the list of partner universities available to students in previous years. Each year, IEU aims to expand our partner agreements to offer more variety to our students; therefore, this list is subject to change. We encourage our students to select possible host universities not only based on location but, more importantly, on the universities’ GPA/language requirements and program/course offering.

Participation in the exchange program is solely based on academic standing and more specifically, students’ GPAs. Furthermore, students should aim to achieve the highest GPA possible during their first three years of studies and the cumulative GPA will be used during the selection process.

Students who have been sanctioned by IEU’s Ethic Committee in the last three semesters prior to the exchange semester and/or are not in good financial academic standing with IEU will be excluded from the Exchange Program.

Program Direction and International Mobility will host degree specific informative sessions during the 1^st semester of students’ 3^rd year. If you are interested in receiving a spot at one of our host universities, your attendance at such info sessions is mandatory. We will explain everything you need to know about the exchange program (application process, requirements, next steps etc.) and answer all your questions.

2. Application Process

The formal application process begins at the end of 1^st semester/beginning of 2^nd semester and is comprised of three application calls. In order to be considered for an exchange spot at one of our host universities you must apply during the 1^st call. Any student who does not apply in the 1^st call will automatically be disqualified for any future calls.

In the 1^st call, students are permitted to select up to 6 options (host universities) in order of preference. All applications submitted within the deadline are equally considered and ranked based on GPA. Following the application submission deadline, International Mobility will complete the allocation of spots and publish the 1^st call resolution. Students must accept or decline their assigned spot within a set deadline.

Those students who participated in the 1^st call and did not receive a spot are permitted to participate in the 2^nd call, where they will be able to select 4 options (host universities) in order of preference. International Mobility will repeat the same allocation process as in the 1^st call.

Finally, if necessary, there will be a 3^rd call for those students who participated and did not receive a spot during the 2 previous calls. Similarly to the first 2 calls, International Mobility will repeat the same process mentioned above.

Any student who receives and accepts an exchange spot and later renounces it will not be permitted to complete an extracurricular or curricular internship to achieve the required elective credits. Nor will they be permitted to participate in other international opportunities offered by IEU.

3. Informative Sessions for Selected Students

Program Direction and International Mobility will host mandatory informative sessions during the 2^nd semester of 3^rd year for students who were allocated an exchange spot. During these sessions, you will hear about the timeline that should be followed, the application process at the host universities, academic requirements that students must comply with and more!

4. Learning Agreement

All students who abroad on exchange are required to complete a Learning Agreement with their Exchange Counselor (a binding contract that includes all of the courses you will take at your host university during your exchange).

The Learning Agreement and all communication with the Exchange Counselor will take place via the International Mobility Platform (https://ieu-outgoing.ie.edu/). The student will be required to upload a list of the courses they are interested in taking, accompanied by their corresponding syllabus and credits. The Exchange Counselor will then approve or deny such courses based on their content and required courses in the student’s study plan.

The Preliminary Learning Agreement will be completed prior to the student’s arrival at the host university and therefore, will be updated and finalized during the add/drop period at their host university. The updated learning agreement will be considered the Final Learning Agreement and will serve as the binding agreement between the student and Exchange Counselor, which reflects the courses that will be recognized for credit on their IEU transcript. Please refer to your Exchange Counselor regarding more specific academic requirements, which are established according to your bachelor’s study plan.

5. Student’s Return to IEU & Validation of Credits

While finishing your exchange semester at your host university, it is extremely important that you inquire about how to receive your official transcript when the semester is finished. It is the students’ responsibility to ensure that IEU receives the official transcript in order to complete the credit validation process.

The degree program will validate all approved courses, converting the grades to the IEU 10 point scale and credits to ECTS. Only courses approved by your Exchange Counselor in the Final Learning Agreement will be reflected on your IEU transcript.