What do you need to know before applying for a stay abroad?
International stays may take place during the third or fifth year —in the latter case, you must leave 3 electives pending (18 ECTS) to take during the mobility period and have the final degree project completed in the fourth year. Taking into account the academic calendar of the institutions with which Eina has an agreement, the exact dates of the stay may vary.
The stay can take place in a European or non-EU institution with which Eina has an agreement. You can see the available host universities here.
During the stay at the host institution you will follow the courses at the host institution but you will continue to be a student at Eina, where you will have enrolled following the usual procedure and the established period.
The credits obtained during the stay abroad will be validated by the subjects enrolled at Eina.
1. Attendance at the information meeting that takes place at EINA during the autumn of the academic year before the one you want to leave. For example, if you want to leave during the academic year 2023-2023 you have to attend the meeting for the academic year 2022-2023.
2. Request a tutorial with Sara Coscarelli, EINA's International Relations Coordinator, during which you will discuss the possibilities offered to you. You can make an appointment by sending an email to scoscarelli@eina.cat.
3. Once the call for international mobility has been published by the International Relations Area (ARI) of the UAB, you have to apply for the corresponding mobility programme according to the selected destinations (you can select more than one) following the guidelines given at the information meeting.
4. If, once the call for applications has been resolved, you are allocated a place at one of the selected universities, the ARI will inform the corresponding centre, who will contact you to request the required documentation. Remember that the awarding of a place in the international mobility programme does not directly imply acceptance in the assigned university.
5. Sending, within the established deadline, the documentation required by the host university together with the application form. Usually, the documents requested by the host university are: motivation letter, CV, academic transcript, portfolio and application form.
6. Admission (or rejection) by the host university. This process may take more or less time to be resolved depending on the mechanisms and organisation of each university.
7. In case of admission, start of the administrative procedures related to the stay. This process is carried out between the student, the ARI and Academic Management, who will ask you to fill in and/or sign a series of documents. It is essential that you have a digital certificate to be able to sign these documents.
Accommodation
It is your responsibility to find accommodation in your host country. If your host university does not offer accommodation within a student residence, it is recommended that you find accommodation, even if only temporary, before your arrival abroad.
Passport and visa
For non-European countries, it is necessary to obtain a passport and/or visa. It is your responsibility to apply for one and follow the relevant administrative procedure. In this regard, it is recommended that you contact the consulate of the country where you will be staying to obtain the documents.
Language
It is highly recommended to have a basic command of the language spoken in the host country. For exchanges within Europe, free but compulsory online linguistic support is offered through the OLS (Online Linguistic Support) platform. Please note that there are non-English speaking universities with which EINA has an agreement that require language certificates for their vehicular language.
Insurance
It is compulsory to take out a Complementary Mobility Insurance during your stay, which is provided by UAB.
As for health insurance, remember that you can apply for the European Health Insurance Card at your HEAD Office, which offers basic coverage throughout Europe.
If you travel outside the EU, your host university may require you to take out health insurance. Each institution may ask for different specificities.
Below you will find the most important documents that will validate your international stay.
Grant agreement
This is the document that explains your rights and obligations in relation to the financing of the requested stay.
Arrival certificate
This is the document that certifies that you have arrived at your destination university. You must request it from the International Coordination Office of the school once classes have started, so that they can fill it in and sign it. You can find it here (direct link). With this document you will receive the first part of the grant.
Certificate of Stay
This is the document that certifies that you have attended the corresponding courses during your stay at the university of your destination. You have to ask for it at the international coordination of the centre once the classes have started, so that they can fill it in and sign it. You can find it here (direct link). With this document you will be able to receive the second part of the grant.
Learning Agreement
This is the so-called Learning Agreement (LA). It is the most important document as it specifies the different subjects taken at the university of destination and those that will be validated at Eina after the stay. It must be signed by the three parties involved in the agreement: the student, the coordination of the home university and the coordination of the host university.
Transcription of the notes
At the end of the international stay, the host university will send your academic transcript to Eina. As soon as this document has been received, the credits successfully achieved during the stay will be validated by Eina's International Coordination in accordance with the provisions of the learning agreement.
Participant's report
During the 30 days following the end of the exchange, you will have to participate in an online European survey.
It is important to plan a realistic budget for a stay abroad.
As a student enrolled at Eina, you will not have to pay tuition fees at the host university, but you will have to plan the necessary funds for accommodation, transport and living expenses, as the scholarship only covers part of the cost as it is a contribution to the additional costs of studying abroad.
The amount of the grant varies according to the programme and is determined by the duration of the exchange and the destination.
The first payment (70%) is made once the Certificate of Arrival has been received at the host institution. The rest of the grant (30%) is transferred to the student once the necessary documentation has been received for the completion of the mobility file, including the Certificate of Stay.
Grants are not awarded automatically. Their allocation depends on the funds available and may vary from one situation to another and from one course to another.