Partnership programme
Please find below, information on the Partnership programme, the application procedure and deadlines at the University of Lucerne, as well as an overview of our current partner universities.
Online portal for outgoing students
The application link will be online by 1 February 2027.
To prepare for your application please gather the following documents (students of the faculties RF, WF, KSF, GMF and VPF):
- Motivation letter of one A4 side in lengt for each destination (1st and 2nd choice destinations)
- CV
Next application windows
(for University of Lucerne students)
Fall semester 2027: 1. Februar 2027 until 1. March 2027*
Spring semester 2028: End of April until 1. September 2027**
* Please note that the fall semester registration deadline for the Universities of Texas, Fordham, Rutgers, Florida, Tampa, Toyo, Doshisha and Rikkyo is as early as February 10. The application deadline for Notre Dame University USA (incl. London Campus) is even on January 10.
** Please note that the spring semester registration deadline for the University of Texas is as early as August 1.
Overview of the steps in a typical exchange semester (in German)
General Information
The Partnership Programme includes cooperation with universities outside Europe. Within the framework of this programme, the University of Lucerne has fewer scholarships available than in the SEMP programme, (see section on Scholarships).
Requirements for participation in the Partnership Programme
- There must be an agreement in place between the universities for the corresponding major or minor subject.
- You must be enrolled at the University of Lucerne.
- It is possible to spend up to a maximum of 2 semesters on exchange at each level of study (BA, MA, PhD).
- At the beginning of your stay abroad, the 3rd semester of the Bachelor's programme should have been completed.
- Good basic knowledge of the language of the host country or the language of instruction is required in order to be able to cope with the deamnds of academic studies in a foreign language.
Duration of the exchange programme
An exchange semester within the SEMP programme must last a minimum of 3 months and a maximum of 12 months.
Enrolment and tuition fees
Exchange students remain enrolled at the University of Lucerne during their exchange semester and pay their tuition fees here. No tuition fees are payable at the host university.
Credit transfer
Before the start of the exchange semester, a learning agreement must be arranged with the responsible exchange programme coordinator of the corresponding faculty. After the exchange, the successfully completed achievements are converted into ECTS on the basis of the Transcript of Records and are generally recognized. The recognition of externally completed study achievements is at the discretion of each individual faculty.
Study reports
Students who have completed an exchange semester within the Partnership programme should fill out a study report. This report serves as valuable support for the next outgoing exchange students.
Preliminary information
You should use this website as a starting point to find out more about the SEMP programme, the most important requirements, questions about credits, and the ideal time in your studies in which to go on exchange. The study abroad reports written by your fellow students describing their own experiences abroad also provide useful input.
Talk with your faculty's mobility advisor/learning agreement
You should get into contact with your faculty's mobility advisor to discuss study programme related questions and the learning agreement.
Talk with the Outgoing Mobility Coordinator
The outgoing mobility coordinator at the International Relations Office (IRO) is available for any organisational and administrative questions you might have.
Applying for an exchange semester
I register via the online form. The link to the online form will be posted on this page 1.5 months before the registration deadline. After completing and submitting the form, I will receive an email with the access data required for the online platform. I upload a CV and a letter of motivation to the platform. I also download an application form from the platform and have it signed by my mobility counsellor. I then upload it to the platform again.
Nomination
The faculties decide on the allocation of study places at each partner university. You will be informed about your successful nomination by the IRO.
Registration at the partner university
If you are nominated for a study place, the International Relations Office will register your name directly with the partner university.
Information from the partner university
The partner university will subsequently send you all the necessary information and will inform you of the next steps.
Scholarship/Declaration of Commitment (only for scholarship holders)
In the online form, I indicate whether I would like to apply for a scholarship. Before starting the mobility semester, I will be informed whether a scholarship has been awarded and sign a declaration of commitment.
Learning Agreement
After receiving the course catalogue from your host university, you will select your courses in consultation with your study advisor. You will record these course choices in your Learning Agreement before you begin your exchange semester, and ensure that it has been signed by your study advisor. The Learning Agreement is then also signed by the partner university. You will be required to upload the document to the online portal.
Credit transfer
After completing your exchange semester, it is your responsibility to ensure that you receive a Transcript of Records from your host university and submit it driectly to the IRO or to your study advisor for credit transfer.
As part of the Partnership Programme, Lucerne students can choose from numerous universities outside of Europe. Each faculty at the University of Lucerne has signed partnership agreements with certain universities.
Here you will find the exchange possibilities offered by the University of Lucerne. The overview allows you to search and filter by degree courses, programs, countries, etc. Click on 'Agreements' in the list of results to find more information about the agreement. Further information on the partner university can be found in the list by clicking on the i-icon.
Please note that the availability of study places is limited. The faculties decide about a possible participation. We advise all students to start planning their semester abroad early so that the courses on offer in certain subject areas can be checked in advance.
Law students can only do an exchange semester at Master's level. If you are studying an integrated degree program, partners that do not cover your entire program will also appear in the search results. For example, if you are studying PPE, offers will also appear for economics or politics only. You can also select these depending on your specialization.
If a partner university offers suitable courses for you but is not listed as a search result, please contact mobility@unilu.ch.
In the Partnership Programme, a number of scholarships are also available. The amount of the scholarship is CHF 2,500 and can be applied for together with the application for the exchange semester.
Furthermore, swissuniversities (Rectors' Conference of the Swiss Universities) provides information on Scholarships for study abroad.
