What means being an exchange student at Louvain School of Management (LSM) ?
The status of exchange student is strictly reserved for people studying at UCL in the framework of bilateral agreements and admitted upon the basis of an ECTS Learning agreement.
The registration of exchange students is free.
At the end of the period of study at UCL, no official degree or certificate will be delivered to them. However, an ECTS Transcript of records will be issued for the exclusive purpose of transfer to the home university of credits obtained at UCL.
What are the 4 steps to apply at the LSM ?
- Be nominated at Louvain School of Management (LSM) by the home coordinator of your university
- Register at the University catholique de Louvain (UCL)
- Check for an accommodation & get to know the living costs
- Prepare your Learning Agreement
What is requested in the LSM application 4 steps to apply ?
Step 1 - Nomination |
In order to apply to LSM, your university must have a mobility partnership with our university and the LSM. The existence of such an agreement is a mandatory requirement to mobility and constitutes a guarantee for you to benefit from a high quality academic and administrative tutoring at UCL.
Your home coordinator must send the LSM International Office a nomination for you before the deadline.
The nomination can be sent by email to the LSM Incoming Students Coordinator. Your home coordinator will then be requested to fill in a specific nomination form.
The LSM Incoming Students Coordinator will confirm the nomination to your home coordinator and provide the APS Exemption Letter needed for Chinese students residing in China. These ones will be then transferred to each of the students of your home university by your home coordinator.
Some students need additional documents for grants and/or Visa application. The official document needed, the UCL proof of registration, will be available to download from your UCL student account after completion of your UCL registration. LSM will provide an LSM Acceptance Letter only upon specific request of your home coordinator.
After nomination deadline, you will receive an email with a detailed explanation on how to prepare your application, the next step of your registration at UCL.
The nomination deadlines are:
- April 20 for the Fall/1st term
- October 20 for the Spring/2nd term
Step 2 - Registration |
Documents that need to be sent by the application deadline:
- The UCL registration form and a photocopy of the same
- A photocopy of a valid passport or identity card
- 3 colour passport-size photos (originals with white background) to prepare your UCL access and student cards
- A photocopy of the Transcript of records obtained in all previous years of higher education
- The University Regulations and Data Protection document (French version). An English version is available only for information but please make sure you sign the French version
Please send a scanned copy of your documents before sending it by post and do not staple the papers together.
The registration deadlines are:
- May 15 for the Fall/1st term
- November 15 for the Spring/2nd term
Address to send your documents:
Ms. Muriel Evrard - International Affairs Office
UCL, Louvain School of Management
1, Place des Doyens
B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve
Belgium
Few weeks after the LSM receives all the application documents, the UCL Office of the Registrar will finalize your registration and you will get access to your UCL account, MyUCL.
You will receive an automatic email with your UCL ID, called Noma, and an explanation on how to activate your UCL account. Check the FAQ to find out more about the activation of your UCL account.
Through MyUCL, you will be able to download your UCL proof of registration. This one will be needed for Non-European students Visa application but also for specific mandatory administrative steps (such as City Hall registration) all incoming students have to do when arriving in Belgium. Follow the process to find your UCL official documents
Non-European students' specifics:
Visa application should be started soon enough as it may last up to 60 days to complete the full process.
Note that :
- Students with dual nationality (European & Non-European) will be considered by UCL as European students.
- ASP Student Visa (long term Visa) is compulsory in order to register at UCL and at the City Hall.
- Chinese students coming from China are EXEMPTED from the ASP Certificate by showing the APS Exemption Letter that the LSM sent to their home coordinator after their nomination.
- In case you need to start your Visa application process before your UCL account is activated, you can start it based on the LSM Acceptance Letter that should be specifically requested by your home coordinator to LSM.
Refer to UCL Office of the Registrar page for more information about the UCL Registration procedure.
Step 3 - Accommodation & Living Costs |
Most of the housing managed by the University and private owners are communal apartments. The student lives in an individual room, but shares with other students the kitchen, the living room and the sanitary installations (shower and toilets). The room is equipped (wash-basin, bed, mattress, chair, table, cupboard and shelf space); The tenants must buy their bedding and cutlery themselves. Communal apartments have six, eight or ten tenants.
Studios generally have one living room, including a kitchen area and a shower. Apartments have up to four rooms.
Living in a “kot” : “Kot” originally is a Dutch word meaning “junk room”. Nowadays it is used in all parts of Belgium for student flats. It consists of single bedrooms with common areas i.e. kitchen, living room, bathroom(s) /shower(s)and toilet(s). A “kot” can be pre-reserved in advance through the UCL “Service des Logements” (UCL Housing Service) or through real estate agencies or private owners. It gives you the possibility to live with Belgian students in a shared apartment. A UCL kot is usually less expensive than other housing solutions (cost: 225 to 350 €/month). Most of the rooms are on campus or in the neighbourhood. Living in a kot means living with other students which helps the integration on campus. The cleaning service comes once a week and cleans all the surfaces of common rooms.
“Kot à projet” (KAP) : In a KAP you will share a common interest with your housemates and work on a project during your exchange period. All KAP are supervised by the university. Those rooms must also be reserved through the Service des Logements (UCL housing service).
Private owners : You can find a list of them on the web site of the UCL Housing Service. If you wish to rent accommodation this way, you will have to contact the owner by phone or e-mail and come to an agreement with him/her directly.
Real Estate Agencies :
Other possibilities :
- Notre Maison
- ASBL 1 toit 2 âges
- Foyer Saint Paul
- Youth Hostels (Les Auberges de Jeunesse Belgium)
- Hotels in and around Louvain-la-Neuve (IBIS)
Book your accommodation with the UCL Housing Service :
Please apply online. UCL accommodation is limited and the reservations are made following the principle ‘first-come, first-served’.
Note that LSM international Office can only offer a limited support in your search for accommodation. For any question you have about your UCL accommodation, the best is to first check the UCL Housing FAQ and, if needed, contact the UCL Housing Service by email at inforlogementlln@uclouvain.be
Advice
Make sure you arrive on September 15th, for the first semester, and on Feburary 1st, for the second semester. You need to sign the contract and you will receive your keys.
Check the UCL Housing Service opening hours.
When arriving in Belgium, you have the possibility to stay in the Kot Erasmus for few days (approx. 3 days) in order to take the time to look intensively for an accommodation. If you want to get a place in the Kot Erasmus, you must go on their website to subscribe online: http://koterasmus.be/
They offer temporary dorms to give you the time, when arriving in Belgium to find a definitive accommodation.
Go to the UCL Housing Service as soon as possible (and every day) upon your arrival. Some UCL housing are released early in the semester. There are several reasons for this such as students cancelling their arrival or finding another place to live or missing exams.
Help upon arrival : ESN LLN can help you when you arrive in Belgium if you ask for it. If needed, they will accompany you until you find an accommodation. They will not make the search for a place to live for you but they will advise you on how to find a place. They are on Facebook and have a website (www.esnlln.org); but you can also send them an email at esn.lln@gmail.com.
If you wonder what is the cost of living in Belgium, please consult the UCL page detailing a one year living costs at UCL.
For more information, here is a video made by former exchange students explaining how housing goes at UCL.
Step 4 - Learning Agreement |
Starting from the application period in the home university, you are encouraged to think about the learning activities that you will take at LSM. Even if the initial proposal may change, it is essential for you to take charge of your own study programme before your arrival. It is up to you to discuss your courses choice with your home academic advisor as your programme needs to fit your home institution requirements.
The normal and maximum workload at LSM is 30 ECTS per term, which represent 6 courses of 5 ECTS each.
Exchange student may take up to 2 French courses for free (a basic ccourse and its complementary) if these ones are listed on their Learning Agreement. Be aware that language courses are not to be considered in the ECTS workload requirements.
Do not forget to get your Learning Agreement approved and signed by your home university before your arrival in Belgium. You will be able to adjust your programme during the two first weeks of the semester using the Annex for changes to the original proposed study programme.