On this webpage you can find some basic information about possibilities of studying abroad.
As a student at Umeå University you have a possibility of spending a term or an academic year abroad. There are several exchange programs as well as individual between universities agreements that you can use to carry out studies abroad. Further it is also possible to arrange your own exchange as a free mover, allowing you to study at any recognised higher education institution all over the world. For central information about the exchange studies, consult the Study Abroad webpage.
There are few exchange programs that Umeå University is a part of: Erasmus+, North2North and NordPlus being the main ones. Going as an exchange student within specific program allows students to be exempted from the tuition fees, be covered by state insurance, as well as obtaining a stipend covering partially the additional costs of your visit abroad. The programs are most often limited to specific geographical regions, e.g., Erasmus+ covers mainly EU countries, while North2North is specific for countries in the northern regions.
To use the exchange program agreement the two institutions must have signed a specific agreement. The agreements can be on a central level (any UMU student can use it) or can be faculty or department specific. The overview of all agreements at UMU can be found in the Agreement Database.
Department of Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics has several agreements within Erasmus+ program and the detail information about the partners can be found on MMS agreements webpage.
Another possibility for studying abroad is using bilateral agreements signed between two institutions. In most cases no stipends are provided for such an exchange however students are exempted from paying the tuition fees at the receiving university and are covered by insurance. There is no specific geographical limitation for such agreements.
Umea university has many such agreements signed at the central level, and students from all university can apply trough International Office once a year. Their application and selection procedure is described here.
Further, Faculty of Natural Sciences (which our department is a part of) has some bilateral agreements that our students can use.
Department of Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics has at the moment agreement with Department of Mathematics at Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul.
The agreements (within or not within exchange programs) are always signed between two parties (agreement owners). It can be either university, faculty or department specific agreements. The owner of the agreement is the one who decides the selection criteria, application deadlines and related formalities. Since there is a no unified process for application and it may vary significantly between cases it is recommended that you check already at early stage of your studies the practicalities for your desired exchange destination.
In general, you should use the agreements that cover your specific education. However, in many cases it is possible to apply using different department agreement. An example of that are USBE agreements that can be used by Industrial Engineering students.
If you would like to go to a university that UMU has no agreement with (or you have not been nominated to go within an agreement) you can arrange the study abroad on your own. In this case it is you who is responsible for all the practicalities and you may need to pay the tuition fee at the receiving institution. Further, you are not covered by the insurance. This form of exchange gives you almost unlimited choice of the destination, however it comes at the cost of responsibility.
Every year, in the beginning of academic year, the department organizes a meeting for students interested in getting more information about studies abroad.
Read about other students' experiences
Information about our agreements
A general step by step overview
To stimulate sustainable travel students get interrail cards to get to their study destinations abroad.
