Swiss-European Mobility Programme (SEMP)

Choose Fribourg   Fact Sheet 24/25  Welcome Guide 24/25

The Swiss-European Mobility programme (which has replaced Erasmus) allows students from European universities to study for 1 or 2 semesters at the University of Fribourg (Unifr) and receive a grant from the Swiss Confederation. These exchanges take place on the basis of bilateral agreements.

Your home university must nominate you to the Unifr International Relations Office.

  • Conditions

    To take part in an exchange with Unifr under the SEM programme, the following conditions must be met:

    1. Existence of a bilateral exchange agreement
      An exchange agreement must exist between your university and the University of Fribourg in your field of study.
    2. Official nomination
      You must be officially nominated by your home university.
    3. Sufficient language skills
      You must be sufficiently proficient in the appropriate language to be able to follow courses. 
      Language requirements
    4. Grant contract and final report
      All students receiving an SEMP grant must submit a study contract and a final report.

     

  • Applications and deadlines

    Once the International Relations Office has received the official nomination from your home university, a link is sent to your personal email address (NB.: Check your junk /spam folder regularly for legitimate emails). We invite you to follow this link to submit your application online.

    Application deadlines:

    1. For the autumn semester: 31 May
    2. For the spring semester: 31 October (note: the application links for the spring semester are sent in early September)

     

    You must submit the following documents (in Word or PDF format) with your application:

    • Signed application form (summing up the online application)
    • List of credits obtained (transcript of records)
    • Copy of your valid passport or identity card
    • Study contract – your projected study plan
    • Language passport (language skills)

    Your application will be checked and confirmed by the International Relations Office or, in the case of the Faculty of Law, by the Erasmus and International Relations Office of that faculty.

  • Grants

    Students who attend the University of Fribourg as part of the Swiss European Mobility programme are entitled to a grant funded by the Swiss Confederation and paid by Unifr. 

    Grant amounts 2024/2025 

    The grant is transferred to the account in the home country. There is no need to open a Swiss bank account to receive the grant.

    Procedure to receive the grant

    You will receive the information about your Unifr email account about one month before the semester starts. When you activate your Unifr email address, you will also receive the access data for your eAccount at Unifr and this will give you access to the MyUnifr portal. On this portal you will also find a support process for your mobility stay at Unifr as well as the grant contract.

    1. Before You have to fill in the first step of your mobility process on your MyUnifr portal: 
      • upload the fully completed and fully signed learning agreement
      • upload the fully completed and signed grant agreement
      • fill in the bank account information
      • update your address in Switzerland
      • confirm the dates of your stay
      • introduce the mail address for your transcript of records.

     2.  Once the IRO validated your documents and data, the SEMP grant will be transferred to your account.

    The SEMP grant will be paid as follows:

    •  If you stay a semester, you will receive the grant at the beginning of your stay.
    • If you stay the entire academic year, you will receive the first half of the grant in the beginning of the autumn semester and the second half in the beginning of the spring semester.
    • If you interrupt or shorten your stay, you have to inform immediately the IRO. Depending on the reason of the interruption, you have to reimburse the whole or a part of the SEMP grant.

     

  • Green Travel Top Up

    SEMP students who choose to travel to and from Fribourg by train or bus can benefit from a unique top up of CHF 100.- for more environmentally friendly mobility. The amount of the top up is independent of the location of the home university (same amount for travelling from Lyon or Tartu) and cannot be split in case one way is made by train and the other by plane.

    If the Green Travel Top Up is requested, it must be indicated in the grant agreement. After arrival in Fribourg, the travel receipts (train or bus ticket) for the outward journey must be submitted by e-mail to the IRO (international-incoming@unifr.ch). The top up will be paid afterwards, together with the SEMP-grant.

    Tips and tricks for travelling by train

    Arguments to travel by train

  • Prepare your stay

    Visa and residence permit

    Language requirements

    Insurance

    Accommodation

    Residence Permit

    Budget

    Students with special needs

  • Your studies in Fribourg

    Important dates

    Learning Agreement

    Courses

    Grading system

    Academic advisors

    Share your experience

  • End of stay

    When your placement is drawing to a close, we would hope that you will have made the most of it and found it an unforgettable experience. Before you leave, do not forget the following.

    At the University of Fribourg:

    • Mobility students must send their record of studies (carnet d'études) by email to the International Relations Office to obtain their transcript of records.
    • Students on the Swiss Mobility programme are not required to keep a record of their studies. They should enquire at the Dean's Office of their faculty to have a certificate of grades drawn up.
    • You must fill in the "final report" form sent by the International Relations Office. Use this opportunity to let us know how we can make things even better for future exchange students.

    Accomodation

    Your rental guarantee (deposit) may not be refunded in full in the case of damage or insufficient cleaning. Please clean your room and the communal areas regularly and make sure they are clean when you hand in your keys.

    Bank/postal account

    Close the bank or postal account you opened on arrival.

    Share your experience

    Share on    Share on    

    Feel free to let others know about your mobility exchange, whether during your stay abroad or on your return, through a blog, on social media, when meeting other students, etc. Your international experience is rich from the academic, personal and social point of view. Give others the benefit of it! Don't forget to tag @unifr_international in your photos! Use hashtag #unifrinternational.

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