2017-2018

Manual outgoing Exchange students

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CONTENTS

PART I: GENERAL INFORMATION

1 BEFORE DEPARTURE

1.1 CONFIRMATION OF PARTICIPATION (study)

1.2 LEARNING AGREEMENT FOR STUDY/–TRAINEESHIPS

1.3 TRAVEL DOCUMENTS

1.4 ENROLMENT AT HASSELT UNIVERSITY

1.5 SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS

1.6 INSURANCES

1.7 HEALTHCARE ABROAD

1.8 FINANCES ABROAD

1.9 LANGUAGE PREPARATION

1.10 ACCOMMODATION

1.11 CONTACTS HASSELT UNIVERSITY

1.12 CHECKLIST: DOCUMENTS TO TAKE WITH YOU

2 DURING YOUR STAY ABROAD

2.1 REGISTRATION AND ENROLMENT AT THE HOST UNIVERSITY

2.2 DETERMINE YOUR STUDY PROGRAMME

2.3 FORMALITIES WITH REGARD TO THE RESIDENCE PERMIT

2.4 INFORMATION TO PROVIDE TO HASSELT UNIVERSITY

3 AFTER YOUR STAY ABROAD

3.1 PROOF OF STAY HOST UNIVERSITY

3.2 OTHER DOCUMENTS

3.3 RESULTS (Only for study abroad)

3.4 REPRESENTATION

3.5 RECOGNITION OF YOUR STUDY PERIOD ABROAD

PART II: ORGANISATION OF THE STUDY PROGRAMME

PART III: CONVERSION TABLES

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INTRODUCTION

Dear student,

You have been selected for a stay abroad as part of your education at one of the partner universities of Hasselt University/Transnational University Limburg, or a host institution for the purpose of traineeship/internship. We believe this experience will give you excellent opportunities and therefore we will try to help you wherever we can. In the first part of this manual you can find general information about the formalities that you need

to take into account before, during and after your stay abroad. Please pay close attention, within

this manual there is a differentiation regarding some formalities depending on whether you applied for a study or traineeship/internship abroad. If you have any further questions, please contact the international office of Hasselt University. In the second part of this guide you can find information about your study programme abroad and after your return. In case you have questions about your study programme, please contact the

departmental coordinator (1.9 ‘Contacts Hasselt University’). Do you need any further information? Please consult the website of your host university as well or inform yourself by approaching other students at Hasselt University who have previously studied at your host university or who have performed an internship with your host organisation.

We wish you good luck and a fruitful stay abroad!

International office

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PART I: GENERAL INFORMATION

1 BEFORE DEPARTURE

1.1 CONFIRMATION OF PARTICIPATION (study) After you confirmed your destination in your student file, we have informed the host

university of your selection. You should have received information from your host university about the steps you need to undertake to register at yourself your host institution.

Please respect all deadlines, even those of your host university!

1.2 LEARNING AGREEMENT FOR STUDY/–TRAINEESHIPS Hasselt University will make sure you will receive full academic recognition for the study

results you obtained abroad. ECTS credits will be used for the recognition.

Study

In order to ensure academic recognition, you have to agree upon a study programme in consultation with your departmental coordinator and formalize this in a learning agreement in your student file (exchange study). Please follow the instructions in your student file. This learning agreement needs to be signed by all parties before leaving abroad.

Traineeship/Internship Before leaving, you must draft an internship programme/contract in consultation with your

UHasselt faculty coordinator internationalisation/internship supervisor and the internship supervisor at your host institution. A template document (learning agreement for traineeships / internship agreement) can be found in your student file (exchange

traineeship). Please download this form, fill it in consultation with your internship supervisor at the host institution and your supervisor at UHasselt, and upload a signed (by all parties) version in your student file.

1.3 TRAVEL DOCUMENTS Please check which travel documents you need on the website of the embassy or consulate

of your host country. You can find the addresses of the embassies on http://diplomatie.belgium.be/en .

Upon arrival, don’t forget to register yourself at the local city hall. You may need the following documents:

▪ Identity card/passport ▪ Insurance documents ▪ Document which proofs participation in exchange programme (you can

find this in your student file) ▪ Proof of solvency (which demonstrates that you have sufficient means)

Please note that you are responsible for arranging these documents.

1.4 ENROLMENT AT HASSELT UNIVERSITY Before your departure you need to be enrolled at Hasselt University. If you don’t register

and pay the tuition fee on time, you risk paying the tuition fee in case of study at the host

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institution in as well. In case you register and pay the tuition fee in time, you will also

receive your student card which you need to take with you when you go abroad in case of a

study or internship abroad. If you are eligible for an Erasmus/Erasmus Belgica grant, you need to complete the grant

agreement before departure1. You can find this agreement in your student file as soon as you have enrolled at Hasselt University (and meet the requirements for participation in the Erasmus programme). Please note that this agreement has to be completed and signed

before departure. By signing this agreement you declare to be aware of and follow all terms and conditions related to the grant. If you applied for a grant but no longer wish to receive one, please inform the International Office with a written statement.

Part of the grant amount will be transferred to the account mentioned in your student file (and on the grant agreement) as soon as Hasselt University has received the grants from

the National Agency.

1.5 SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS Students who have special needs are advised to contact the care coordinator at UHasselt,

Els Swijns. As per request of the student the care coordinator will see whether the facilities the students receives at UHasselt (extra time during exams, …) will be taken with the students to the host university abroad. Furthermore, students with special needs who apply for an Erasmus+ scholarship (within Europe) are eligible to request a compensation for the

costs made abroad to support the student (adapted transportation, …) and are able to request for additional budget for a short exploratory trip under guidance of one other person, to the host institution. For more information regarding the additional budget and the short exploratory trip, please contact the international office.

1.6 INSURANCES Health insurance

You can request your European Health Insurance Card at your local health insurance fund. This card allows you to request the reimbursement of medical expenses in your host country. Please note that you have to take this card with you when you go abroad.

In any case, go to your local health insurance fund to make sure:

o It is valid in your host country;

o It is valid for the full duration of your stay abroad.

In case it does not, make sure you acquire information on how to get sufficient insurance coverage for your stay in your host country. Remark:

Please note that this card only covers ‘unforeseen expenses’. In case you need medication regularly, please consult your local health insurance fund. This card also does not cover the expenses of a prosthesis (glasses, teeth, lenses, …).

More information: www.socialsecurity.be/CMS/nl/leaving_belgium/index.html.

Accident insurance – civil liability Hasselt University has concluded a number of insurance policies for its own students that are enrolled regularly:

1 Please read the instructions in your student file.

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o An accident insurance for medical expenses in case the student would become

victim of a personal physical injury in the framework of its university activities

abroad.

o A liability insurance which covers damages caused by the student at the place of study or internship/traineeship during his/her stay abroad.

Please inform the international office immediately in case of an accident.

Additional insurances We advise students to conclude additional insurances (liability insurance ‘private life’,

additional travel insurance which includes repatriation, hospitalization insurance, etc.). You can contact Marc Thoelen for more information.

1.7 HEALTHCARE ABROAD Before you go abroad you need to contact your doctor to see whether you have all basic

vaccinations, such as tetanus, measles, etc. In certain countries in Central and Eastern-Europe (the so-called ‘TBE-belt’: Austria,

Switserland, South-Germany, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, ex-Yugoslavia,

ex-USSR, Bulgaria, Romania, etc.) and in certain areas of Sweden, Denmark and the Baltic states the Central-European the Tick Born Encephalitis or TBE occurs (Synonym: Früsommer Meningoencaphalitis or FSME). This virus infections is spread by ticks and could result in meningitis with serious consequences. With long-term stay in the above-mentioned areas, it may be appropriate to have yourself vaccinated against this disease. This can be done at a General Practitioner or in a Travel Clinic.

For travel to destinations outside of Europe, North-America and Australia always contact a

Travel Clinic (e.g. Jessa Travel Clinic http://www.jessazh.be/deelwebsites/jessa-travel-clinic)

1.8 FINANCES ABROAD

Enquire with your bank in advance which payment methods are best for you to use abroad. In case you are planning on travelling to a non-European destination, don’t forget to inform your bank about this since they might need to open your debit or credit card for your

destination country.

1.9 LANGUAGE PREPARATION

If you receive an Erasmus+ scholarship (within Europe) and you would like to follow a language course in Belgium or at your host university, you can request a partial

reimbursement (max. 100 euros) by uploading the proof of payment, as well as a certificate in your student file (clearly mentioning your name, period of the course, name and address of the organizer and price of the course). Students going on Erasmus (within Europe) will receive an e-mail from the European Commission to do an Erasmus+ OLS language test (in the language of instruction at their host institution). After your return you will receive an invitation to take the test again. In

this way, the European Commission wants to check whether student who go abroad improve their language skills. In case you would like to improve your language skills, you can request an online course

after completing the test. Please contact the international office.

1.10 ACCOMMODATION Please contact your host institution to obtain information about accommodation. You can

also take a look at the following websites: www.esn.org, www.uniplaces.com,

www.erasmate.com and www.casaswap.com.

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In cooperation with the Erasmus student network, Brussels Airlines offers a special package

for Erasmus students. More information: www.brusselsairlines.com/erasmus.

1.11 CONTACTS HASSELT UNIVERSITY

Name and address Hasselt University

UNIVERSITEIT HASSELT (Erasmuscode: B DIEPENB01) TRANSNATIONALE UNIVERSITEIT LIMBURG (Erasmuscode: B

DIEPENB07) Martelarenlaan 42 3500 Hasselt

Belgium

Institutional coordinator – International Office Tel.

e-mail

Tel.

e-mail

Liesbeth Oeyen (outside of Europe) +32-11-26.80.66 liesbeth.oeyen@uhasselt.be Lieselot Peeters (within Europe) +32-11-26.90.09 lieselot.peeters@uhasselt.be

Mobility Office Tel.

e-mail

Erika Vandersmissen +32-11-26.81.69 erika.vandersmissen@uhasselt.be

Student services International Office

www.uhasselt.be/Studentenvoorzieningen www.uhasselt.be/internationalisering

Departmental coordinators

Faculty of Architecture and Arts Tel.

e-mail

Tel. e-mail

Els Hannes (Campus Diepenbeek Gebouw E) - Architecture + 32-11-24.92.06 els.hannes@uhasselt.be Jan Vanrie(Campus Diepenbeek Gebouw E) –Interior Design +32-11-24.92.42 jan.vanrie@uhasselt.be

Faculty of Applied Economics Tel.

e-mail

Kristien Fransen (Campus Diepenbeek - B71) +32-11-26.87.19 kristien.fransen@uhasselt.be

School of Transportation Sciences Tel.

e-mail

Tel. e-mail

Nadine Smeyers (WETP5-1.15) +32-11-26.91.04 nadine.smeyers@uhasselt.be Patricia Hellriegel (WETP5-1.15) +32-11-26.97.03 patricia.hellriegel@uhasselt.be

Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences Tel.

e-mail

Tel. e-mail

Tel. e-mail

Niels Hellings (Campus Diepenbeek – Building C – BMO-C004) - +32-11-26.92.68 niels.hellings@uhasselt.be Liesbeth Jamers (Campus Diepenbeek – C58) +32-11-26.85.65 liesbeth.jamers@uhasselt.be Marita Granitzer (Campus Diepenbeek) – Physiotherapy +32-11-26.93.44 marita.granitzer@uhasselt.be

Faculty of Engineering Technology Tel.

e-mail

Els Wieërs (Campus Diepenbeek) +32-11-29.21.30

els.wieers@uhasselt.be

Faculty of Law Tel.

e-mail

Ingrid Vrancken (Campus Hasselt - FR-2.06) +32-11-26.90.24 ingrid.vrancken@uhasselt.be

Faculty of Sciences Peter Vandoren (Campus Diepenbeek - C260)

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Tel. e-mail

+32-11-26.82.33 peter.vandoren@uhasselt.be

1.12 CHECKLIST: DOCUMENTS TO TAKE WITH YOU

• Identity card / international passport/visa • International birth certificate (for French destinations, in case you stay more than 3

months) • 4 passport pictures • European Health Insurance Card • Student card Hasselt University • English certificate of enrolment at Hasselt University • ‘Transcript of records’ • This manual • Erasmus students: student charter ERASMUS • List of UHasselt contacts • Proof of solvency of the bank

(In a number of countries you need to provide a “proof of sufficient means”. This document can be provided by the bank.)

• … Add more items to this list based on the information you receive from your host institution and

based on the formalities for your local permit of residence.

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2 DURING YOUR STAY ABROAD

2.1 REGISTRATION AND ENROLMENT AT THE HOST UNIVERSITY In case of a study abroad, or an internship with a host university, you need to register

yourself immediately upon arrival at your host university. In many universities, this procedure is part of the welcome programme for exchange students. Since you already paid the tuition fee at Hasselt University, you don’t have to pay the tuition fee at your host

university.

Your host university can ask a small amount for your student card or for a student union membership, which might be necessary to get discounts at student restaurants, bookstores, library.

Please don’t forget to bring the statement of your host university (proof of enrolment at

your host university – see 3.1) after your return. A blank can be found in your student

file.

2.2 DETERMINE YOUR STUDY PROGRAMME

Hasselt University will make sure you will receive full academic recognition for the study

results you obtained abroad. ECTS credits will be used for the recognition.

In order to ensure academic recognition, you have agreed upon a study or internship

programme in consultation with your departmental coordinator (you have formalized this in a learning agreement or learning agreement for traineeships before departure).

If you need to make changes to your original learning agreement or learning agreement for traineeships after arrival at your host institution, please contact your departmental coordinator immediately. After approval of your departmental coordinator, you can change your learning agreement once in your student file. The changes have to be

done within one month after the start of the academic year at the host institution.

You will not be able to make any changes anymore afterwards. Please follow the instructions in your student file.

2.3 FORMALITIES WITH REGARD TO THE RESIDENCE PERMIT

Please ask your host university to inform you about the formalities you need to take care of regarding your residence permit. You will need to register yourself at the local authorities

within 8 days after arrival.

2.4 INFORMATION TO PROVIDE TO HASSELT UNIVERSITY Please complete your contact details (address, telephone number, e-mail that you use

during your stay abroad) in your UHasselt student file.

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3 AFTER YOUR STAY ABROAD

3.1 PROOF OF STAY HOST UNIVERSITY By the latest two weeks after the end of your study or internship period abroad,

you need to upload the proof of stay/enrolment at the host university in your student file. You can find a blank version document in your student file where you can download it. This

document needs to contain the start and end date of your study period (= academic calendar) abroad and has to be signed and stamped by your host institution.

3.2 OTHER DOCUMENTS

In case you followed a language course, you need to upload these documents by the latest two weeks after the end of your study period abroad. Besides that, students who received an Erasmus Belgica scholarship or who received an Erasmus+ scholarship

with a study/internship close to Hasselt (over the border in the Netherlands or Germany)

need to upload the rental agreement of their accommodation during their stay at the host institution. Students who went for traineeship/internship abroad also need to fill in the part of their learning agreement stating ‘AFTER mobility’ and have it signed by their local promotor, and

upload it in their student file. Students who went abroad with the Erasmus programme (within Europe) have to take a final Erasmus+ OLS language test after their return. They will receive an automatic e-mail for this. Students who are receiving an Erasmus+ scholarship (within Europe) need to submit a

short testimonial in their exchange portal. For this testimonial a template is available in the exchange portal. Furthermore, pictures can be sent to dios@uhasselt.be, these pictures can be used for marketing purposes for other students to sensitise around internships and studying abroad.

We can only pay the remaining grant amount when all the documents have been submitted (if applicable) and the online Erasmus Belgica/Erasmus+ survey has been completed.

3.3 RESULTS (Only for study abroad) Please note that the results of the first semester might be available for you later than for

the students that didn’t go abroad. Once your results are known, you will receive a ‘transcript of records’ (TOR) containing:

o the courses you followed abroad;

o the results obtained at your host university;

o the results obtained at Hasselt University for those courses;

o the number of ECTS credit points for each course at Hasselt University.

You will also be able to find this document in your student file.

3.4 REPRESENTATION

Exchange students are expected to participate in surveys and to complete an assessment organised by the National Erasmus Agency if necessary. Furthermore, we expect you to represent your host university and host country during the exchange info day (generally in November) to inform prospective exchange students about your destination and experience.

Erasmus students will receive a link to a survey of the National Agency called EPOS. You

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need to complete the survey by the latest two weeks after the end of your study

period abroad.

We also appreciate it if you promote Hasselt University at your host institution. You can find useful information on our website. Would you like to share your experience with other students through pictures, testimonials, ….? Please don’t hesitate to send an e-mail to the international office with

your story! We also appreciate your presence at the exchange information session to promote your host university towards students who would like to go abroad in the future.

3.5 RECOGNITION OF YOUR STUDY PERIOD ABROAD At the end of your studies at Hasselt University you will receive a diploma supplement

which confirms your participation in an exchange programme. In case of a study period

abroad, the diploma supplement will mention the host university, the courses you followed there and the results you obtained.

Most host universities will also provide you a certificate.

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PART II: ORGANISATION OF THE STUDY

PROGRAMME

For further information, please contact your faculty coordinator.

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PART III: CONVERSION TABLES

ECTS-Quotations

For ECTS-quotations at UHasselt, for both incoming as well as outgoing students, the following conversion is made:

UHasselt-quotations ECTS Grade Definition

17 15

14 12 10 9 6

A B

C D E FX F

Excellent Very good

Good Satisfactory Sufficient

Fail X Fail

*In case there is differentiation with an ECTS grade of A, the following conversion counts: A+: 18/20 A: 17/20 A-: 16/20 This differentiation is only valid for the ECTS grade A.

In case ECTS-quotation is not being used, the conversion tables are defined by each faculty.