Do you want to study abroad? - better start planning eighteen months in advance

Omnibus has asked two of AU's international coordinators, Lotte Skovborg and Trine Høj Eriksen, about their best advice for students who want to study abroad:

Good advice

• Begin by investigating the opportunities that your degree programme has via your study portal and the international coordinator for your degree programme (you can find them via AU GO or your study centre).
• Check your academic regulations to find out when it is possible to study abroad during your studies.
• The AU GO database has a list of all AU exchange agreements. You can then compare them with the opportunities in the academic regulations for your own degree programme.
• Keep an eye on the application deadlines – both AU's and the host university’s deadlines.
• Be flexible when it comes to courses and destination. Universities in English-speaking countries are expensive and attractive and it’s therefore difficult to find a place. So be open about alternatives – there is teaching in English in many other countries.
• Search for inspiration and good advice at places like facebook.com/rejsud (in Danish), take part in events to do with international opportunities, and talk to other students who have been abroad during their studies.
• Give yourself plenty of time. The whole process can take as long as eighteen months.
• And yes, the process of finding a student place and applying can be a hassle, but the majority of students say that it was well worth the effort.

The search process
– an example of studying abroad via one of AU's exchange agreements

1. Consider where you want to go and the courses you want to follow abroad.
2. Find out: Does the university you wish to study at have the same or similar courses? Does the course provide sufficient ECTS credits or the credits to substitute the course at AU?
3. Apply for recommendation for a place on one of AU's exchange agreements.
4. If you are recommended for a place on one of the exchange agreements, you are still not guaranteed a place at the host university. You must first apply for advance approval of the courses by your board of studies and possibly document your language skills. Once you have done this, you can apply for a place at the host university.
5. If you are offered a place at the host university, then that’s the time to buy a ticket and start looking forward to going abroad.

Wanderlust? Your options

• Permanent exchange programmes: AU has various exchange agreements and also participates in exchange programmes with hundreds of universities all over the world. AU's international coordinators can help you during the search and application process, student places are free, and you can often take a scholarship with you. Check out the opportunities offered by your degree programme in the AU GO database.
• Internships or work placements abroad: Spend a semester working at a company or an organisation abroad and add some practical experience to your CV. You must find a work placement or internship yourself. You can apply for different scholarships and if your work placement or internship is unpaid, you can also take your Danish grant (SU) with you.
• Do-it-yourself – independently arranged stays: In principle, you can study wherever you want in the world. You just have to make sure that you can transfer credits for the courses you want to take abroad, and that the courses provide the necessary ECTS credits. This is easier said than done and you can’t rely on help from AU's international coordinators. When you arrange things yourself, you are very much on your own throughout the entire process, and you have to pay enrolment etc. yourself. However, you can apply for a study abroad scholarship through the Danish students' Grants and Loans Scheme Office.
• Summer School: AU has contact to a number of foreign universities that offer courses during the summer holidays. You can also find a course at a foreign university yourself.
• Field studies and language stays: Some degree programmes provide the opportunity for field work or for attending language courses abroad. You must arrange the stay yourself and you should again be aware of ECTS credits and advance approval requirements. 

Remember: If you want to study abroad via AU's exchange agreements during autumn 2016 or spring 2017, the application deadline is 1 December 2015.

International Week at AU

Find out more about deadlines and procedures, meet the international coordinators, get advice about applying for scholarships and independently arranged stays, get an intro to the AU GO database etc.:

Emdrup: 29 September: 15:00 – 19:00
Aarhus: 1 October: 15:00 – 19:00
Herning: 2 October: 15:00 – 19:00

See the programme at au.dk/iw

 Translated by Peter Lambourne