Exchange in Law

When can you go on exchange during your studies?

Students can go on an exchange in their first or second master's year.

Given that the master's program lasts two years, it is possible to go on exchange at most twice within the Law program. However, scholarships are always allocated first to students who are going on exchange for the first time.

How to apply for an exchange?

You must apply by submitting a nomination file to the Faculty of Law and Criminology. This file must be a single PDF file containing the completed selection form, a letter of motivation and CV, and your official Transcript of Records.

Download the selection form

Submit your application for these host universities, together with the required supporting documents, as a single combined PDF file via mobility.rc@vub.be. This must be done in the academic year prior to the exchange period.

Deadline for exchanges outside the European Union: December 1
Deadline for exchanges within the European Union: February 15

Destinations

You can choose up to three host universities. Before submitting your application, it is important that you thoroughly research the host universities you are applying to. You are applying to a specific university with a unique educational offer, not just a destination. 

Study programme

What is the study programme?

There are several factors to consider when putting together your program of study. It is therefore important that you consciously choose a particular major when creating your program of study. This will give you a clear overview of what your master program will look like and which courses you can exchange at the host university. Around mid-April, an information session will be organized in collaboration with the study program guidance. During this session you will also have the opportunity to ask questions about your individual study program. 

Download the faculty study programme template

Download the checklist for the Master's Program in Law

The formatted study program and the final Learning Agreement must match. When you complete your program of study in Mobility Online, the course units chosen must be identical to those you specified in both the program of study and the Learning Agreement. 

ECTS credits

Every university in Europe has to grade its course units with ECTS credits. In every European university, an academic year consists of 60 ECTS credits. The ECTS credits of the course unit indicate the load of a course unit compared to the entire year programme.

Your study programme must therefore comprise at least 60 ECTS credits. Within the framework of the Erasmus+ programme, your study programme is split into two semesters: the first semester at the host university and the second semester at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Each semester represents approximately 30 ECTS credits. Within the framework of the Erasmus Belgica programme, two formulas are possible (a semester or a full academic year). It is sometimes difficult to divide the semesters into two equal halves. But we strongly advise you to do this calculation exercise as well as possible, so that the workload is evenly spread. In any case, you need to take at least 21 credits at the host university, and the rule of thumb is that you take 21 ECTS in return at the VUB.

Course units

Your study program for the exchange period includes a number of course units that replace the courses you would normally take at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. You can replace course units from both the first and the second semester at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel with a course unit at the host university. The course units to be replaced do not necessarily have to come from the first semester. Moreover, one course unit at the host university can replace several courses, and vice versa.

The content of the courses (based on the ECTS sheets) that you will take at the host university should in principle largely correspond to the content of the courses to be replaced at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel - although some flexibility is possible: electives and reflection courses may be flexibly exchanged. If you are not sure what can or cannot be done, do not hesitate to contact us.  

Remember that the better prepared your file is, the smoother your stay at the host university will be.

Documents to be enclosed

Your program of study will be checked by the Faculty Exchange Committee to verify that the content of the course units you have chosen is sufficiently similar to that of the VUB for them to be approved. To make this assessment possible, it is important that you attach a copy of the available information about the course units at the host university (similar to the ECTS sheet at the VUB). This information includes a short description of the content, the number of credits and possibly the name of the lecturer. You can usually find this information on the website of the host university.

If you cannot find the information, you can report this to the Exchange Team and contact the host university to request the necessary information. 

Approval

Approval of your prepared program of study is done by the Faculty Exchange Committee. Once you are nominated for a host university, it is best to start putting together your program of study right away. This program will be reviewed by the Committee at the end of April, and by the end of May you should have a final version ready for your departure. Your approved program of study is then converted into a Learning Agreement, which is digitally signed by the student, faculty and host university through Mobility Online. 

Grade conversion

Your grades will be assessed by the host institution, and converting your grades is part of the recognition process. The number of credits and the assessment systems used may vary depending on the destination: some institutions use a different assessment scale, while others use a system similar to the VUB's 0-20 scale.

In this conversion table, you can check how your results will be translated to the scale used by the VUB.

Please note that the table is for informational purposes only and may be adjusted if a partner university changes its assessment method.