If you are planning to apply for exchange studies at the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Linköping University, this is what you need to know.
The application process for the autumn semester or upcoming academic year usually opens in the beginning of March, with deadline for submitting your application 15 April. For the spring semester the process usually opens in the beginning of September, with deadline 15 October.
We are only accepting applications for exchange studies from students who are officially nominated by our partner universities within the framework of our student exchange agreements. Please contact the coordinator at your home university to learn more about possible alternatives and how to get nominated. The Faculty of Science and Engineering is not accepting free-moving students, following a decision by our Dean. Exchange students are not required to pay tuition fees.
How to select courses
You may review courses available to exchange students in the course drop down. If the courses for the upcoming term have not been published, please use the current list. Click on the relevant subject area for an overview of courses offered to exchange students, including information about level, credits, block/study period, and campus.
Studying a full semester
Given your educational background and interest, you must be able to select courses amounting to a full semester. The minimum study rate per semester for Erasmus students is 24 ECTS. Students from non-EU countries must study at least 30 ECTS since this is one of the requirements of the Swedish Migration Agency in order to be granted a residence permit.
Meeting the prerequisites
When selecting courses to your tentative study plan it is important to only choose courses where your prerequisites are met. These requirements are specified in the course syllabuses. Please read them carefully. In the Transcript of Records that you need to include with your application, you have to prove that you meet the prerequisites. Our expert in the Dean's Office makes the final decisions regarding admission. If you do not meet the prerequisites you will not be admitted to the course.
For example: If you are interested in the course Probability and Statistics, First Course (course code TAMS11). Go to the drop down, choose Faculty of Science and Engineering and choose Main field of study “Applied Mathematics”. Then click the course title to read more about the course. Under the tab Syllabus you will find the Prerequisites:
The prerequisites are specified in this way: "Analysis, algebra, differential and integral calculus, power series and differential equations".
Your Transcript of Records must clearly state that you have previously completed courses signifying that you meet all of these prerequisites. If you are unable to prove this we cannot admit you to the course. There is a strict check when your application is processed, so it is imperative that you read the prerequisites carefully.
Please note that for admission to courses on advanced level an appropriate educational background in mathematics/applied mathematics and/or application of mathematics relevant for the course may be required even if it has not been specified as a prerequisite in the course syllabus. Many of the technical courses we offer presume pre-existing knowledge in mathematics. Exchange students should be on the same/similar level as the Swedish students following a regular study programme taking the course, in order to be considered for admission.
Level
The course level is indicated in the syllabus like this:
G1 - Introductory level (undergraduate, no previous studies required)
G2 - Introductory level 2 (undergraduate, 80-90 credits required)
A1 - Advanced level (master level, a Bachelor's degree and/or three years of previous (and relevant) studies are normally required)
Two study periods in one semester
Each semester at the Faculty of Science and Engineering is divided into two separate study periods. Ht is an abbreviation of the Swedish word “Hösttermin”, meaning autumn semester. For the autumn semester, the study periods are called Ht1 and Ht2, and for the spring Vt1 and Vt2. Vt is an abbreviation of the Swedish word “Vårtermin” which means spring semester. Courses can be given during one of the individual study periods (Vt1 or Vt2/Ht1 or Ht2) or run for the entire semester (Vt1 and Vt2/Ht1 and Ht2).
Here are the set dates for study and examination periods for the current and upcoming semesters.
Courses running over two study periods. Some courses only run 1 study period (Ht1 or Ht2) while others can run during the whole semester (Ht1 and Ht2). Please study this carefully when you prepare your tentative study plan as the timetable module may differ from one study period to the next for courses running during whole the semester.
Schedule blocks and time table modules
Courses are given in different time table modules, also called blocks (block 1-4). When preparing your tentative study plan, you must ensure that there are no collisions in your timetable, i.e. that the courses you choose for each study period are not given within the same timetable module.
This is an example of a study plan without collisions:
Vt1:
Block 1: Course A
Block 2: Course B* (also given in Vt2, block 2)
Block 4: Course C
Swedish course
Vt2:
Block 1: Course D
Block 2: Course B*
Block 3: Course E
Block 4: Course F
Below is an example of how the block system may work in practice:
Please select courses carefully as it can be very difficult to change them later. If you mix study periods and/or time table modules in your application, the processing time will increase. Pay special attention to courses where there is a (*) symbol next to their name, as these courses are running during the whole semester but may be given in different blocks. Also note that some larger courses may be given in more than 1 block in the same study period, e.g., the course NBIC49 (15 ECTS) which is given in block 1+2+3+4 in Ht1.
There are also a few courses that do not follow regular time table modules and may be selected independently of other courses. In the list of courses no block will thus be provided, which for example is the case with the course TATA53. If you are interested to apply for one these courses without a given block you will have to write this in the comment box available in the application form, in the page concerning your study plan.
Campuses
Courses are given at two campuses in Linköping and one campus in Norrköping. A free bus connects the campuses. LKPG indicates that the course is given in Linköping, while NKPG indicates Norrköping. A few courses marked LKPG, in particular courses in Biomedical Engineering, are given at the University Hospital Campus in Linköping.
Within one study period (Vt1 or Vt2/Ht1 or Ht2) you should only choose courses given at the same campus. As an example, it is not possible to follow course X in Linköping and course Y in Norrköping during Vt1. You may however follow all Vt1 courses in Linköping and all Vt2 courses in Norrköping, or vice versa.
English certificate not required
The Faculty of Science and Engineering does not require an English language certificate to be included with your application, however it is imperative that you have a good command of English in order to follow the courses properly.
In your application you may request a Swedish language course. For the autumn semester, you may request an intensive beginner's course in Swedish (given in August ahead of the official start of the semester), or an evening course with the same content running during the semester.
Application
When you have been selected by your home university, the application procedure will be as follows:
- Read carefully the information about how to select courses and how to make up your timetable above.
- Find suitable courses in the drop down at the Faculty of Science and Engineering (below or here).
- Check the specific requirements for each course that you want to study and make sure that you are eligible for all courses that you select. Please note that you will not be admitted to a course unless you can show in your attached Transcript of Records that you meet the prerequisites.
- We are using the MoveOn online mobility system to manage our incoming students. Fill in the application form here.
When the deadline has passed we will process your application. We are verifying that you have been officially nominated, that all relevant documents have been attached and that your proposed study plan is workable. If there are issues concerning your application or tentative study plan, we will contact you. If your application is successful, a Letter of Admission (LoA) and a welcome letter will be sent to you by mail within 10 weeks after the submission deadline.