Applications for Exchange Studies

• Transcript of records

Transcript of records with ranking in English - available at the Service Desk in the University Centre, Háskólatorg.

Graduate students who do not have any grades on their transcript must submit a transcript from their undergraduate studies. 

• Language test results

Some partner universities require confirmation of English language proficiency for exchange students. The only recognised test available in Iceland is the TOEFL iBT test. Registration is done here: https://www.ets.org/toefl and the results are valid for two years.

If the host university requires TOEFL results students must hand in the results with their exchange application to UI so that the application is valid. This applies to most universities in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, some UK universities and others, see Partner University Database.

If the TOEFL results are not submitted with the exchange application the following applies:
•    If students have taken the test but have not received the results it is possible to attach a confirmation of test registration to the exchange application. The student must send the results to the International Division as soon as they arrive and no later than two weeks after the application deadline. The application is considered valid and the student does not lose priority unless the test results are not high enough for the host university.
•    Students can take the TOEFL test up to two weeks after the exchange application deadline and then the application has a lower priority and is not valid before the application deadline. The application will only be evaluated after all valid applications have been evaluated.
•    If places at partner universities that require TOEFL results are not filled after the exchange application deadline it is possible to accept late applications from students without TOEFL results. Students must take the test no later than three weeks before the host university application deadline.

Students can also look at English language proficiency requirements on the host university websites. If students believe they meet the English language requirements without taking the TOEFL they can contact the International Division to make sure that is correct.
 

The application process step-by-step

It is important to have the transcript of records ready as students need to attach it to the online application. 

Apply for Exchange Studies

An application for an exchange program within Erasmus+ and Nordplus is also an application for a grant. Students can apply for supplementary grants from the Erasmus+ and Nordplus programs:

• Grants due to illness or disability
• Grants for students who have children
• Grants for exceptionally high travel costs

More on supplementary grants

For the application to be valid, the online application must be completed, and a transcript uploaded or handed in before midnight on 1 February.  

There are limited spots available at each partner university. The general application deadline for exchange studies is 1 February, but students can apply for exchange studies for the spring semester 2024 in partner universities that still have available spots. The additional deadline is 11 September 2023. 

By submitting an application students allow the International Division to use the data given in the application and supporting documents when the application is being processed. This data might be sent to the host university once students are nominated. This data is kept indefinitely.

The application deadline for exchange studies is February 1 every year. 

After students have received a confirmation of their nomination to the host university they need to hand in a learning agreement. The learning agreement lists courses the student will be taking at the host university and needs to be approved by the relevant faculty.

The student’s faculty is required to sign this document and by doing so committing to transfer the completed credits to the student’s programme at UI. 

Learning Agreement deadline
All students beginning their exchange study period in the autumn semester must hand in their Learning Agreements signed by their faculty to the International Division before May 15. 

The deadline for students beginning their exchange study period in the spring semester will be announced at a later date.

The goal of the International Division is to allow as many students as possible to go abroad on exchange. The division also reserves the right to allocate places at the host universities so that the exchange agreements are utilised for the benefit of the most students possible. The division also reserves the right to not use certain places each semester or reject applications if the students do not meet the host university requirements.

If it is necessary to choose between students who have applied for the same universities then the following rules apply:

1. Valid applications that are submitted before the advertised deadline have priority. An application is not valid until supporting documents have been submitted. 
2. Applicants who have gone on exchange before in their programme do not have priority. This rule does not apply if students are starting another programme, e.g. a master’s programme or a PhD.
3. Master´s students have priority over undergraduate students unless the inter-institutional agreements say otherwise. 
4. Doctoral students are not given priority when allocating places at host schools.
5. If students are in the same level of studies the following applies:

• If the difference between the number of finished ECTS is less than 30 ECTS then the transcript of records and ranking will decide who gets the place. If the grades are similar, then the final decision shall be made by means of tossing a coin in the presence of witnesses
• If the difference between the number of finished ECTS is 30 ECTS or more then the transcript and ranking will only decide who gets the place if the difference between the average grades of students is one or more (e.g one student has a 6.5 and the other 8.0) and the student with the higher grade gets the place. If the grades are similar then the final decision shall be made by means of tossing a coin in the presence of witnesses.
   

It is not possible to allocate more than half of available places to students in the same programme at the same study level. This applies when places at the host institution are four or more, the agreement is open and there is demand for more places than available. Example: three BS students in business apply for university X along with two students from other programmes. The International Division must then choose only two business students, even though all the business students have finished more credits and have higher grades than the other students.