How to go about when you want to study abroad without an agreement

If you wish to go abroad for a study stay at an educational institution with which Aalborg University (AAU) has not entered a student exchange cooperation agreement, you must contact the institution yourself and organize your stay. When doing this, there are several matters you should be aware of;

• Misunderstandings can easily arise due to cultural differences, other traditions, and not least the language
• You will have to pay the tuition fee
• You often get to talk to and correspond with many different people with different knowledge and skills, which can also result in entanglements and subsequently delays

We strongly recommend you to:

• Start well ahead of time – preferably one year before your planned time of departure
• Never take anything for granted. People do many things differently in other countries. Make sure that the information you get is correct and that you have not misunderstood anything
• Make sure that you have at least one or two contact persons at the foreign university to whom you can refer when writing or calling the university.

Below you will find some suggestions as to where to obtain information about other educational institutions that Aalborg University cooperates with about student exchange;

• Teachers; The teachers or the department with which you are affiliated often have research or teaching-related contacts with several foreign universities.
• Embassies: The embassies in Denmark can provide you with addresses and information about the universities in their specific country.
• Public libraries and AAU Library; At the library,s you can find reference books with information on foreign educational institutions as well as handbooks on grants, scholarships,s, etc.
• The Internet is also a good option for seeking information about the universities you are interested in.

You must apply for an advance credit transfer before you leave to study abroad.

• Choose the study programme and/or courses that you want to follow at the foreign university in cooperation with your academic adviser.
• Apply for advance credit transfer at your study board. This is to ensure that you will get credit transfer for your foreign stay when you return to AAU.
• You must choose courses which add up to a semester: 30 ECTS or equivalent. However it is a good idea to choose more courses that you actually need as it happens that a course falls through.
• Examine if your study board has a special form which you need to fill in. If not, make your own application. In both cases remember to enclose detailed description of the courses you are going to follow.
• Also examine if there are deadlines for applying for advance credit transfer.

Note that credit transfer of your study activities abroad is a requirement for obtaining financial support from the various support schemes related to student exchange.

• During your stay abroad: Be aware that the approval the study board will give is a preliminary approval, which must be finally confirmed when you return to AAU after your stay abroad. Therefore, any intended changes in your foreign study programme must be discussed with your academic adviser as well as your study board beforehand. This is to make sure that you will not be faced with any problems when the final approval will take place at your return to AAU.

• After your return: You must send or hand in documentation to the study board to prove that you have followed your foreign study programme and activities as planned, and that you have fulfilled the requirements on which you have received the preliminary approval. This documentation will be issued by your host university and can vary a lot from university to university as to design and content.

Please note that you are not eligible to apply for a grant from AAU's Internationalisation Pool when you go on a study stay outside a cooperation agreement. Therefore, it is a good idea to apply for private grants and foundations.

The office is basically staffed Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 9-15, and Friday 9-14.

To ensure you get the best guidance, we recommend that you book an interview about your topic by sending an email to the right employee.

Write if you prefer the guidance to be held physically, by phone, or via teams.

Shared email: internationaloffice@aau.dk.

Trine Vaagholt Østergaard (study abroad)

Tlf.: 9940 9656
Mail: trn@adm.aau.dk

Gitte Nørgaard Jensen (projectoriented course abroad)

Tlf.: 9940 7501
Mail: gij@adm.aau.dk

Lotte Sølvkær (incoming exchange students)

Tlf.: 9940 9592
Mail: internationaloffice@aau.dk / lso@adm.aau.dk 

Rikke R. Sørensen (incoming exchange students)

Tlf.: 9940 7576
Mail: internationaloffice@aau.dk / rhs@adm.aau.dk 

Kenneth Kiel Jensen (study abroad)

Tlf.: 9940 9650
Mail: exchangeoverseas@adm.aau.dk/kkjen@adm.aau.dk

Gitte Nørgaard Jensen (projectoriented course abroad)

Tlf.: 9940 7501
Mail: internationaloffice@aau.dk / gij@adm.aau.dk 

Mette Sæderup Thorvaldsen (incoming exchange students)

Tlf.: 9940 7512
Mail: internationaloffice@aau.dk / mes@adm.aau.dk  

Lotte Sølvkær (Erasmus outside EU/EEA)

Tlf.: 9940 9295
Mail: internationaloffice@aau.dk / lso@adm.aau.dk 

Rikke R. Sørensen (Erasmus outside EU/EEA)

Tlf.: 9940 7576
Mail: internationaloffice@aau.dk / rhs@adm.aau.dk