Instructions for Applicants
applying for student exchange at UA
::. Contents
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Purpose of the application process
The people involved in the application process
Application dates
Submission of applications
General and specific application procedures
How to prepare the application documents
Annex 1: What is ECTS?
1. ::. Purpose of the Application Process
The application process involves (i) the nomination of the candidate by his/her home University and (ii) the
preparation and submission of application documents to the University of Aveiro within a required timeframe.
The goal of the process is to organize and prepare the course choices of exchange students from abroad who
wish to study for 1 or 2 semesters at UA. The process also makes it possible for UA to get to know the
candidates that would like to study at UA and in particular to make sure that their applications fulfill the
application and selection criteria in place in the context of the mobility programmes they are applying for.
2. ::. The people involved in the application process
The candidate (Bachelor, Master or PhD students from partner Universities worldwide)
The staff of the International Office of the candidate’s home University
The departmental coordinator (academic) candidate’s home University
The staff of the International Office of the University of Aveiro
The departmental coordinator (academic) from the University of Aveiro
3. ::. Application dates
The deadlines for the submission of application forms to the University of Aveiro under the General
st
Application Procedure (see sections 5.1 and 6) are 31 May (for applications for 1 semester at UA) and 15
nd
November (for applications for 2 semester at UA).
Application deadlines under the Specific Application Procedures vary from programme to programme.
Please read section 5.2 for further information.
4. ::. Submission of Applications
Application forms for the General Application Procedure (see sections 5.1 and 6) are submitted in paper
format to the International Office of the University of Aveiro, whose contacts are available from the University
webpages at www.ua.pt/gri. Applications can be sent by e-mail (using PDF files) – optional.
5. ::. General and specific application procedures
5.1 General application procedure
Students participating in the following exchange programmes should use the general application procedure:
ERASMUS (for study)
ALMEIDA GARRETT
VASCO DA GAMA
Bilateral Agreements for Student Exchange
ECIU Student Mobility Programme
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Instructions for Applicants
applying for student exchange at UA
Campus Europae (CE) Programme (CE students must complete the general application procedure
plus a specific application procedure. Please see sections 5.2 and 6).
The general application procedure consists of the following steps:
Nomination
Candidates are first nominated by their home University. It is the responsibility of the
International Office or the Departmental/Faculty coordinator of the candidate’s home
University to nominate the student. To nominate a candidate, the home University must
simply send an e-mail to the International Office of the University of Aveiro stating the name
of the student, the e-mail address of the student, the subject area (of studies) and the
expected start and end dates of the exchange.
Submission
After UA receives a nomination, candidates will receive a message by e-mail to invite them to
submit the following application documents:
• Student Application Form
• Learning Agreement
• Transcript of Academic Records
• Copy of passport or national ID card
Details of where to obtain the application documents and how to fill them in are provided in Section 6.
5.2 Specific application procedures
Specific application procedures are in place for the following student exchange programmes:
Campus Europae
All Campus Europae candidates must complete the General Application Procedures
and they must register as “Campus Europae Movers” on the Campus Europae
website at www.campuseuropae.org
Programa de
Licenciaturas
Internacionais (PLI)
Applications to study at the University of Aveiro through the Brazilian PLI programme
in Brazil are made exclusively through the candidate's home University. PLI
candidates do not need to submit application documents to UA.
ERASMUS
Placement
Programme
Applicants to the ERASMUS Placement Programme (for traineeships) are required
to submit a completed and signed ERASMUS TRAINING AGREEMENT. Candidates
should contact the international office of their home University to obtain the correct
form.
Leonardo da Vinci
Placement
Programme
Applicants to the Leonardo da Vinci Placement Programme are required to submit a
completed and signed LdV TRAINING AGREEMENT. Candidates should contact the
careers / internships offices of their home University to obtain the correct form.
IAESTE Placement
Programme
Applicants to the traineeships offered at UA through the IAESTE Traineeship
Programme are required to submit their applications to the IAESTE organisation in
their own countries. IAESTE trainees do not need to submit any application
documents to UA.
Research
placements
Applications for research placements within the context of a student mobility
programme are not very common and must be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Please contact the International Office directly for information ([email protected]). UA also
accepts individual applications for research placements, called “estágios de pósrd
graduação”. For further information, please contact the 3 Cycle Programmes Office
([email protected]).
ERASMUS
MUNDUS
Candidates from an ERASMUS MUNDUS Joint Master Programme, a Joint PhD
Programme, or an ERASMUS MUNDUS Action 2 project are not required to follow
the General Application Procedures. Candidates are nominated for mandatory
mobility through the ERASMUS MUNDUS Consortium and follow specific
procedures that have been agreed upon by the ERASMUS MUNDUS Consortia.
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Instructions for Applicants
applying for student exchange at UA
Please consult the website of your ERASMUS MUNDUS Consortium for details of
mobility paths and relevant procedures.
6.
::. How to prepare the Application Documents (General Application Procedure only)
Introduction: why do we use the term “ECTS”?
ECTS means the “European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System” (see Annex 1 – What is ECTS?). It was
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designed as part of the European ERASMUS programme as a mechanism to transfer credits between different
European countries where there are different University systems of credits and grades are in place. The ECTS
system is still widely used today by European universities in student exchange programmes and in fact the use of
ECTS is obligatory under the ERASMUS programme.
The Student Application Form
Download the student application form
The student application form is available for download from the UA website at www.ua.pt/gri/applications. Please
download it to a computer before filling it in. The document is in WORD format and should not be altered in any
way.
Fill in the student application form
The Student Application Form contains all the essential information about an exchange student that the University
of Aveiro needs. Very special attention should be paid to providing the details of the SENDING INSTITUTION and
the student personal details.
The SENDING INSTITUTION details include the name and contact details of the Departmental Coordinator, who
is the contact person for students within the department or faculty at their home University. Please also provide
the details of the Institutional Co-ordinator, who is the person responsible for ensuring the commitment of the
institution to recognising the work of the student in the host University. The Institutional Co-ordinator is normally
the Dean of the Faculty or the President or Vice-President of the University, or equivalent.
Print the student application form
Print the student application form then hand it to the Departmental Co-ordinator or the administrative office (for
example the International Office) of your home University with the Learning Agreement.
The Learning Agreement
Download the learning agreement form.
This form is available for download from the UA website at www.ua.pt/gri/applications. Please download it and
save it to a computer before filling it in. The document is in WORD format and should not be altered in any way.
Fill in the learning agreement form
The Learning Agreement contains the list of course units which the student plans to take at UA. For each course
unit the title, the code number and the ECTS credit are indicated. Very special attention should be paid to
checking that the course unit titles provided in the learning agreements correspond with the course units listed in
the Course Catalogue, which is available in Portuguese and in English at www.ua.pt/ensino.
Choosing course units for the learning agreement
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the European Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students (ERASMUS)
3
Instructions for Applicants
applying for student exchange at UA
Students should use the course catalogue (www.ua.pt/ensino) to choose their course units. The catalogue has a
st
list of degree programmes for 1 cycle (3-year bachelor degrees and 5-year integrated bachelor-master degrees),
nd
rd
2 cycle (2-year master degrees) and 3 cycle (PhD programmes).
For every degree programme presented in the course catalogue, there is a diagram of the course structure,
providing details of the course unit titles and the ECTS credits for each course unit. It is also possible to read a
summary of the course unit contents by clicking on the course unit title.
Students can choose course units from different study programmes of interest in their personal study area. Note
however that choosing course units from different study programmes has the disadvantage of a risk of overlap
between timetables (timetables are only available at the beginning of each semester). This could mean that it
becomes necessary to make some changes to the choice of course units after arriving at UA. If in doubt, students
should contact their departmental co-ordinator for advice.
The sum of the ECTS for the course units chosen must be between 24 and 30
ECTS per semester, however, exchange students can also add a course unit
called “Portuguese as a Foreign Language” (6 ECTS) in addition to the 30
ECTS limit if they wish. Please read the text box Print and sign the learning agreement
Print and sign the form in the space provided for “student’s signature”, then
hand it to the Departmental Co-ordinator or the administrative office (for
example the International Office) of the home University, along with the Student
Application Form.
Changes to the learning agreement
Portuguese as a
Foreign Language
The course unit
“Portuguese as a Foreign
Language” is not listed in
the course catalogue. It
carries a workload
corresponding to 6 ECTS.
This course unit is
designed to help foreign
Exchange students to learn
Portuguese, whether it be
at beginner level,
intermediate level or more
advanced level. The course
is available in Semester 1
(course unit code is 46033)
and in Semester 2 (course
unit code is 46034).
Recent studies show that changes to the learning agreement occur in more than
70% of student exchanges in Europe. A change to the learning agreement
occurs after the student arrives in the host country. There are many reasons
why a student might need to change the Learning Agreement, whether it be that
a particular course unit is not available, the timetable is not suitable or the
students discovered alternative course units they prefer. It is possible to change
a learning agreement simply by filling in a “Changes to the Learning Agreement”
form, available from the International Office of UA. All changes are subject to the approval of the departmental
coordinators at the home and host universities.
Transcript of Records
The Transcript of Records is used to document the performance of a student over a certain period of time by
listing the course units or modules taken, the credits gained and the corresponding grades. It reflects both the
quantity of work and the quality of achievement.
The Transcript of Records is used for mobility students at two separate moments. First it must be issued and sent
to the University of Aveiro before the exchange period in order to provide information about the course units
students have already completed and the results obtained. Secondly it must be issued and sent by the University
of Aveiro to the student’s home institution at the end of their period of study.
Within the context of the Application Process for student exchange at the University of Aveiro, students should
obtain a copy of their Transcript of Records from their home University and send it with the Application Form,
Learning Agreement and a photocopy of the student ID card.
Photocopy of ID card or Passport
It is essential to send a copy of the student’s ID Card or Passport with the application documents.
Further information about ECTS
4
Instructions for Applicants
applying for student exchange at UA
Annex 1 – What is ECTS?
What is ECTS?
The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) was initially set up in 1989 as a pilot scheme
within the framework of the Erasmus programme. Its aim at that time was to facilitate the recognition of study
periods undertaken abroad by mobile students through the transfer of credits. As a transfer system ECTS has
expanded to over 30 countries and has been introduced in more than one thousand higher education institutions.
The 40 Signatory States in the Bologna Process have identified ECTS as one of the cornerstones of the European
Higher Education Area. A large number of countries have adopted ECTS by law as an accumulation system for
their own higher education systems and others are in the process of doing so. In some countries ECTS has
become a requirement for accreditation. The Zurich Conference on Credit Transfer and Accumulation, held in
October 2002 by the European University Association, endorsed the central role of ECTS in higher education.
ECTS will have a fundamental place in the design of a national and European Qualifications Framework.
Schemes based on ECTS are being introduced in other continents.
What are ECTS Credits?
The concept of the ECTS Credit is based on a mutually agreed assumption that the annual workload of a student
represents 60 credits. Student workload is estimated at being a value between 1500 and 1680 hours work per
year. The value is based on a presumption that the average student works for 40 weeks per year with an average
weekly workload of 40 hours. The workload includes, apart from class time, individual study time, preparation of
reports, bibliographical research, preparation of examinations, etc. Dozens of countries throughout the European
continent have adopted ECTS Credits for credit accumulation purposes in a concerted effort to improve the
transparency and legibility of the many and varied degree structures, types and traditions that have evolved over
hundreds of years of higher education in Europe.
How does ECTS work in the context of student mobility?
The ECTS User Guide states that ECTS is a system is based on three core elements: information (on study
programmes and student achievement), mutual agreement (between the partner institutions and the student) and
the use of the ECTS credits. Once signed by the student, the sending institution and the receiving institution, the
Learning Agreement commits all three to fully recognise that the study period abroad (including examinations or
other forms of assessment) replaces a comparable period of study at the sending institution (including
examinations or other forms of assessment), though the content of the agreed study programme may differ.
How many ECTS Credits should a student complete?
Since the annual workload of a student is calculated at 60 ECTS, students should seek to earn 60 ECTS credits
for a full year mobility period, or 30 ECTS for one semester or 20 ECTS for one trimester. The ECTS credits taken
at the receiving institution must have been previously calculated by the receiving institution and must be clearly
identified in the institution’s course catalogue (on-line or paper version) so that the student can make his/her
course unit choices before the mobility period begins. At the UA, the ECTS Information Package is found at
http://www.ua.pt/ensino.
Further information
More information about ECTS is available from the website of the European Commission at the following address:
http://ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong-learning-policy/ects_en.htm
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