Student exchange

As a student at the Department for Biology Education you have great opportunities to go on an exchange to a large number of places in the world. Here we mainly present the IBG exchange programme and the universities that IBG has exchange agreements with. You also find links to the faculty and university administered exchanges and the Erasmus traineeships.

If you've got any questions regarding exchange studies, please contact the IBG coordinator for student mobility exchange@ibg.uu.se.

Exchange studies

IBG's exchange programs

As a biology student, you have the opportunity to spend part of your time during your studies abroad. IBG has an exchange programme in biology that is available for all students who fulfill the qualification requirements. As an exchange student you don’t pay any extra tuition fees. Most of our agreements are within the framework of the ERASMUS programme and gives an opportunity to study abroad at another European university during one or two semesters. You will as an exchange student also receive an ERASMUS scholarship.

IBG’s exchange programme includes both the opportunity to do courses as well as the Degree project in biology. However, the options may differ depending on the hosting University. While some of our partner universities offer only regular courses others only offer the possibility to do a Degree project, and for some both choices are possible. If you want to go abroad only for the Degree project, you could instead apply for an Erasmus traineeship.

All our partner universities offer courses given in English, but the amount may vary between different universities. Generally courses at advanced level are given in English at a larger extent than undergraduate courses. The degree project can always be done in English.

Link to IBG partner universities

Application for exchange studies within the IBG agreements

The application deadline for the following academic year (both autumn and spring semester) is February 15. However, in the summer/beginning of autumn we will announce remaining positions (if any) for the following spring. The deadline for those applications is September 15 (except for applications to Bern, Leiden, Prague and ETH Zürich that needs to be submitted by September 1st).

The following is needed for your application:

Academic Purpose Statement: The APS must be written in English with a maximum of 600 words and include a motivation for your choice of Country, University and courses, and the connection to your present studies and future career. Even if you apply for several universities, you should still attach only one APS. Focus your APS on your first priority choice.
Transcript of records (from all your university studies)
University selection for the exchange: You have the possibility to select up to four universities. List the universities in order of priority or, if you wish, prioritize all universities equally.
Course proposal: Is needed for each university you apply to. Often only the previous year's courses are available on the partner university's websites. Make your choice from one of these courses. You will make your final choice once you have been accepted, and sometimes when you arrive at the exchange university.
Photo
CV

In order to apply for the IBG exchange programme, start by choosing Application for outgoing students -Department specific exchanges TekNat. Later in the application, in the section ”Framework”, choose Erasmus SMS för for all partner universities except for those in Switzerland and the United Kingdom, there you instead need to select subject specific student exchange. At “Department responsible for the exchange”, choose Biology Education Centre.

To application portal

Application deadline is September 15.

All exchange spots for Barcelona, Trieste, Prague, Vienna and Leiden are full and will not be applicable for spring 2024.

Applications to Bern and ETH Zürich need to be submitted by 1 September.

In case of a competition for exchange spots, the selection is mainly based on suitability for a specific university, but also an overall appraisal based on grades, study pace, the APS and also students commitments, such as taking part in welcoming arrangements for new students.

For any questions, you are welcome to contact exchange@ibg.uu.se or book an appointment www.teknat.uu.se/boka (exchange studies biology).

Every Tuesday 12:15-13:00 during the application round (15 August to 15 September) we offer drop in sessions on zoom.

Other international opportunities

Uppsala University has general exchange programmes with many universities on all continents. Those agreements are administrated by the central unit for international mobility. They also administrate applications for Erasmus traineeships.

Find out more on the university website: International opportunities

The Faculty of science and technology also offers exchange opportunities within Europe. Find out more.

Application criteria

Application criteria for the IBG exchange programme

In order to apply for the IBG exchange programme you need to have studied biology/biotechnology or similar fields at Uppsala university. To fulfill the criteria, you need to have most of your courses completed.

Students on a master programme need to have completed 30 credits at the time of the application. Bachelor students from UU you can apply for exchange studies from year one on the master programme.
Students at the Master's Programme in Molecular Biotechnology Engineering can apply for exchange studies for their 4th year, with completed biology courses from the first five semesters.
Students in the Bachelor programme in biology need completed courses of at least 60 credits from the first two years, of which at least 45 credits are in biology. We recommend bachelor students to apply for exchange studies for their third year.
Students at the teachers programme need completed biology courses equivalent to the given set of basic courses within the programme.

Other Students that have studies biology at Uppsala University with the equivalent knowledge are also welcome to apply.