FAQ

When it comes to semester exchange, there's no difference between ENLIGHT students and SEMP students. Since all ENLIGHT universities are located in Europe, SEMP agreements between the institutions can be signed, whereunder students (incoming and outgoing) will follow SEMP processes and receive SEMP grant. If there is no SEMP agreement, student mobility can be covered by the ENLIGHT Multilateral Agreement (MLA). However, the process for students remains unchanged.

For exchange students, there is no major difference. The Swiss-European Mobility Programme (SEMP) is the Swiss solution that allows Swiss students and staff to keep participating in the European exchange programs since Switzerland was excluded from Erasmus in 2014.  

SEMP follows the precepts of the Erasmus+ program and largely follows its processes, thereby facilitating Switzerland's indirect participation in the European exchange program. 

The main difference is that SEMP is funded by the Swiss government through the Swiss national agency Movetia, whereas Erasmus+ is funded by the European Commission.

This varies from case to case. Students are asked to check this with the respective departmental coordinator.

Application processes vary depending on the type of course:

• Regular ENLIGHT course offered by the partner universities: Currently, to attend such courses one must be enrolled as an exchange student and be physically present for one or two semesters at the host university. More information on SEMP exchange can be found here.
• ENLIGHT Joint Courses: Find application information here.
• Virtual courses: Please check each individual case with UniBE International (contact courses-enlight@unibe.ch.). The application process varies depending on the format of the course.

Das Bewerbungsverfahren ist je nach Format der Lehrveranstaltung unterschiedlich:

ENLIGHT Course Catalogue
ENLIGHT Joint Courses

Students can search for courses from other ENLIGHT universities that match their interests and are compatible with their study program. The ENLIGHT Course Catalogue provides interfaces to all institutional course catalogs and offers of the partner universities. These are not exclusive to ENLIGHT and are not necessarily open to students of the University of Bern, but are merely made visible in the catalog. Students must still check individually whether and how they can register for a course.

ENLIGHT Course Catalogue

1. Contact your colleagues at the ENLIGHT partner universities and start developing your course. If you need support in establishing contacts, the UniBE ENLIGHT Core Team will be happy to help you (enlight@unibe.ch). 
2. Make sure that students can accredit the course towards your study program.
3. Contact the UniBE ENLIGHT core team (enlight@unibe.ch). We will be happy to discuss the registration process with you and ensure that your course appears on the list of ENLIGHT Joint Courses.

In principle, all courses at the University of Bern are open to exchange students and therefore also to students from other ENLIGHT universities. For courses taking place in person, students must be physically present at the University of Bern for one or two semesters as part of a semester exchange.

This depends on the type of the course.

• ENLIGHT Joint Courses: Information on registration can be found here.
• Virtual courses: Please clarify each individual case with UniBE International: courses-enlight@unibe.ch.

For all other courses, students must be enrolled as exchange students for a semester exchange at the host university.
 

Further information on semester mobility
ENLIGHT Course Catalogue
ENLIGHT Joint Courses

The ENLIGHT Course Catalogue is an interface to the institutional course catalogs and courses offered by each partner university. It provides an overview of courses offered by the alliance members and published in the ENLIGHT Course Catalogue. The ENLIGHT Joint Courses, which are offered jointly by several partner universities, can be found on a separate website.

A common course catalog is an important first step on the way to a Europe-wide interconnected campus. The ENLIGHT universities promote mutual exchange. The ENLIGHT Course Catalogue increases the visibility of courses offered by all partner universities.

Courses offered by the University of Bern will be made internationally visible by the ENLIGHT Course Catalogue. Members of the University of Bern will be provided with a search function in the system they know (CTS), which will allow them to view selected courses offered by ENLIGHT partner universities.

A common course catalog is an important first step on the way to a Europe-wide interconnected campus. Linking the CTS and the ENLIGHT Course Catalogue offers students the following advantages:

1. Students planning an exchange semester can search for courses at ENLIGHT universities in the system they know (CTS). This will help them to find a suitable destination for their exchange at one of the ENLIGHT partner universities.

2. Students at the University of Bern can search for virtual or hybrid courses at the ENLIGHT universities that complement their study programs. Participation in courses at ENLIGHT partner universities needs to be clarified in advance with courses-enlight@unibe.ch.

Watch this video.

No, please register for the course directly with the partner university. In the CTS you can search for courses offered by ENLIGHT partner universities. At the moment it is not possible to enrol or transfer grades for courses offered by ENLIGHT partner universities within CTS.

Important information on registration can be found here.

The process for transferring grades and ECTS credits from ENLIGHT or other universities - whether for semester exchanges, summer schools, BIPs or other programs - is as follows:

1. Before the exchange: The student and the departmental coordinator complete and sign a Learning Agreement. This agreement ensures that the course, the ECTS credits and the grade from the host university are recognized in the respective study program at the University of Bern and transferred to the CTS.

2. After the exchange: The student submits the signed Learning Agreement and the Transcript of Records issued by the host university to their subject coordinator. The departmental coordinator enters the course details and the grade manually in the CTS.

The decisions of the departments regarding the recognition of external ECTS credits are decisive and have priority in this process.

The course will be visible in the ENLIGHT Course Catalogue, i.e. students at ENLIGHT partner universities can find this course in the ENLIGHT Course Catalogue (as a course offered by the University of Bern).

As before, the principle applies that courses at the University of Bern are open to incoming exchange students from all universities (including ENLIGHT). All courses that are open to regular incoming exchange students should also be published in the ENLIGHT Course Catalogue.

Currently, ENLIGHT Joint Courses, i.e. courses that are developed and offered jointly with ENLIGHT partner universities, are advertised on a separate website. The respective registration processes are also described there. Please contact courses-enlight@unibe.ch if you have any questions.

Please also register this course in the CTS and tick the ENLIGHT box: Students at the University of Bern register as usual via CTS. The course automatically appears as a course offered by the University of Bern in the ENLIGHT Course Catalogue.

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Yes, if the relevant offices decide that a course from an ENLIGHT partner university can be credited to your program.