Who can participate?
- full-time and combined studies students
- bachelor’s degree students who have successfully completed their first year of study
- students of the following master’s degree without restrictions
- doctoral study programme students without restrictions
When is the best time to leave for a study stay?
If you do not want to extend your studies:
- for bachelor’s degree students, in the winter semester of the second year
- for master’s degree students in the winter semester of the first year (after obtaining a bachelor’s degree and assuming smooth acceptance into the master’s field, it is suitable to negotiate Erasmus study stay abroad during the third year of bachelor’s studies and depart in the first year of the following master’s studies)
- for PhD students, at any time, but the first two years of study are preferred
If you want to get the most out of your studies (with a likely study extension by a year):
- for bachelor’s degree students: at any time from the second year
- for master’s degree students: at any time
- for bachelor´s and master´s degree students also in the extended year before handing in the final thesis
It is not recommended to leave in the summer semester of your final year of study, because abroad, the duration of semesters and examination periods are often different and do not enable students to take state exams at the FZP in due course, thereby often extending students’ studies.
How to choose a university?
A condition of Erasmus study stays abroad programme is to acquire 15 ECTS credits per semester of study at a foreign university, but you are welcome to study courses for the recommended 30 ECTS per semester. If you have any doubts or are unsure of your choice, contact the International Relations Office of FZP, and we will help you.
Concerning the language of study, it is not necessary to study in English. Within Erasmus study stay abroad programme, you can study in the language of the country you are going to or in any other language that courses are taught in. However, you will need to use a language certificate or confirmation of language skills.
For the selection process, choose two universities, ideally three, because it may happen that the rest of the applicants will also be interested in the same one, and it is always better to have a backup plan.
How and when to apply
Selection procedures are organized at the end of the examination period (January) or at the beginning of the summer semester (February). First-year bachelor's degree students have to pass at least 10 ECTS to be eligible for the selection procedure (for more information, see the Study and Examination Regulations).
Announced tenders are always published on the FZP website, Facebook, and on bulletin boards in the MCEV and MCEV II buildings. Students are informed via email sent to the university email address.
Required documents:
- CV
- Motivation letter in English
Students who want to go on a study stay in the subsequent academic year in the winter or summer semester should submit applications for the selection procedure; there are no separate proceedings for each semester. If there are available capacities, it is possible to arrange an additional selection procedure in early October.
Do I have to pay any fees?
The Erasmus exchange programme guarantees that the accepting university will not collect any study fees from students. These include tuition, examination fees, laboratory fees, and so on. This does not apply to any one-time fees to student organizations that may be mandatory in some countries, but these usually amount to no more than 20 euros.
Note: If you apply for an Erasmus study stay and begin filling in the necessary forms, but you are unable to complete the process and go on the study stay, you will have to inform the International Relations Office FZP about the situation as soon as possible.
You have been selected – what to do now?
Look here and proceed according to the instructions of the Rectorate International Relations Office. You will also receive the instructions via email, usually in the second half of March. In addition to filling in the general forms, you will also create a study plan and choose the subjects of your studies abroad for the Learning Agreement. Here is some advice - choose subjects that are at least somewhat related to your field of study at the FZP. This means that the International Relations Office will not approve courses such as the Turkish revolution, gymnastics, or church singing. You can choose language or sports courses or workshops, but the credits for these subjects will not be recognized after you return.
How to fill out OLA?
OLA = Online Learning Agreement
Responsible person at the sending institution = FZP coordinator
Responsible person at the receiving institution = make sure at the Erasmus university who will sign your OLA; if the OLA is not signed before the student's departure, the student cannot create study plan changes online (During the Mobility part)
1. Select courses which are more or less similar to your study at FZP. You can choose a language or sports courses or workshops. Read above.
2. Table A = courses selected for studies abroad; the student fills out every single course, including sport and language.
3. Table B = courses that are recognized after the student's arrival at FZP; the student fills out courses mentioned in Table A (same name and credit amount as Table A), EXCLUDING SPORT, LANGUAGE.
How studies abroad are recognized
This is a simple procedure wherein so-called credits for credits are recognized. The FZP will recognize completed subjects and credits from foreign universities. Your semester abroad replaces the study plan of the semester that you would have studied at the FZP in your study plan. Exceptions to this are state examinations courses - if it turns out that a state examination course is taught at the FZP during the semester when you leave for Erasmus study stay abroad, you will have to assign the mandatory state exam course at FZP, and you have the following options:
a) I WILL EXTEND MY STUDIES
- No problem! I will enroll in the course in the next academic year, I will add it to other subjects of the next year, or will only take this subject during that semester and possibly write my diploma/bachelor thesis. This gap semester can also be used for an internship experience.
b) I DO NOT WANT TO EXTEND MY STUDIES AT THE FZP
- I will find a similar course at a foreign university that will have at least 75 % similar content to the course taught at the FZP (I need a syllabus or description of the course content). I will make sure in advance with the course guarantor that he or she will recognize it for me after my arrival or during the next year of my study at FZP, and also will ask for an exception from the study department.
- They do not have a similar course at the foreign university, or I do not want to study it there, but I can choose the course in the next year of my studies at the FZP (I left during the winter semester of the second year of my bachelor's or first-year of my master’s degree studies).