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Exchange destinations in Middle East and Africa
By selecting a degree programme you are able to see the general content as well as the possible degree programme-specific content. You do not have to select a degree programme to see the Open University's instructions.
Search for degree programme
When you search for a degree programme by name or by part of the name the options in the list of degree programmes below the search field is narrowed down. After this you have to choose the degree programme from the list.
You can participate in an exchange to, for example Jordan, Israel, Namibia, Zambia or South Africa.
These instructions offer information on the universities with which the University of Helsinki has university- and unit-level exchange agreements. If you cannot find a suitable destination, you can make your own arrangements.
Also note that the academic year does not begin on the same date at the destinations in Africa as at the University of Helsinki. Applicants to all destinations in the Middle East and Africa are required to purchase a comprehensive insurance at their own cost for the duration of their exchange.
The number of exchange placements available for application will be updated here at least two weeks before the beginning of the application process.
Please note that the application period to exchange destinations outside the EU/EEA area can take place even 1½ years before your exchange begins. Prepare early!
"Hebrew and Arabic language courses are not included in the exchange program and offered with an additional fee before or during semester, pending availability"
Tel Aviv University's Faculty of Law's instructions It has been possible to apply to the Faculty of Law based on the university-wide exchange agreement even though there is no Faculty-level exchange agreement for Law
Before the beginning of the exchange, students can choose to participate in a 1–2 month Ulpan language course in modern Hebrew. The Ulpan course is voluntary and subject to a fee. Students must pay their own Ulpan course fees. For more information on Ulpan courses, click here.
University of Helsinki minimum requirement for the target university’s credits
10 credits per term
The target is 15 credits per term.
The most common scope of courses at Tel Aviv University is three local credits. If a course has another scope, it is stated in the course details.
Credit conversion scale recommended by UH's International Exchange Services
1 Tel Aviv credit = 2 ECTS credits
Terms
Academic year: October–June
Autumn term: October–January
Spring term: March–June
Other important matters
On-campus accommodation is not available for exchange students. Incoming exchange students are required to find accommodations independently. "The cost of a shared room in a rented apartment is approximately $800 per month."
Duration of exchange
Term
Exchange opportunities available
Outgoing exchanges to Israel are cancelled for the time being
For teaching in English, click here. Select undergraduate (Bachelor’s level) or graduate (Master’s level) courses, depending on whether you have completed a Bachelor’s degree. Check the language of teaching for each discipline.
Before the beginning of the exchange, students can choose to participate in a 1–2 month Ulpan language course in modern Hebrew. The Ulpan course is voluntary and subject to a fee. Students must pay their own Ulpan course fees. For more information on Ulpan courses, click here.
University of Helsinki minimum requirement for the target university’s credits
10 credits per term.
The target is 15–16 credits per term.
Credit conversion scale recommended by UH's International Exchange Services
1 Hebrew University in Jerusalem credit = 2 ECTS
NB! Hebrew University of Jerusalem's own credit conversion scale is different from the credit conversion scale recommended by UH, because HUJI's own conversion scale does not include the share of independent work.
Terms
Note that the duration of the term is shorter for English-language teaching than Hebrew-language teaching. In the former, the term usually lasts 11 weeks, and in the latter, 14 weeks.
Other important matters
Students agree to take the TOEFL or IELTS test required by the target university at their own expense prior to the exchange, should they be selected for the destination.
NB! Students must also complete the TOEFL or IELTS test if they only wish to complete Hebrew-language courses. Attendance at regular Hebrew-language teaching requires Dalet level proficiency in modern Hebrew.
Duration of exchange
Term or academic year
Exchange opportunities available
Outgoing exchanges to Israel are cancelled for the time being
Exchange students can complete studies only at the stage they have reached at the time of application. For example, if you wish to take Master’s level courses at the University of Jordan, you must obtain your Bachelor’s diploma by the application deadline of the University of Jordan, i.e., no later than approximately four months prior to the exchange.
University of Helsinki minimum requirement for the target university’s credits
Students completing undergraduate (Bachelor’s level) courses: 12 credits per term
Students completing courses in Arabic as a foreign language exclusively: full number of language courses per term.
The target for exchange studies: 30 ECTS credits per term.
Credit conversion scale recommended by UH's International Exchange Services
Students completing courses in Arabic as a foreign language exclusively: 20 teaching hours per week for one semester = 25 ECTS
Students completing undergraduate (Bachelor’s level) courses taught in English: 3 University of Jordan credits = 6 ECTS
Terms
Academic year: September – May
Autumn term: September − January
Spring term: February – May
Duration of exchange
NB! Exchange students must arrive at the destination one week prior to the beginning of term.
Exchange opportunities available
February 2024 call: 2 students for spring semester 2025
"If you are an undergraduate student, please select courses numbered between 200 and 400. As for graduate courses the numbering is between 700 and 800"
N.B. You need to be flexible with your course choices as it won't be sure which courses will be organized in the end, especially in English. You may consider also making part of your Master's thesis in Birzeit University, provided that you will find a co-supervisor by yourself.
University of Helsinki minimum requirement for the target university’s credits
12 Birzeit credits / term
"One Birzeit University credit hour is equivalent to one contact hour/week of lectures, and 3 contact hours/week for laboratories, training and practice, over a period of 15-week semester"
Credit conversion scale recommended by UH's International Exchange Services
Three undergraduate programmes available for the University of Helsinki students: 1. Development Studies & Philosophy, 2. Communication and 3. International Studies/Relations
Courses should mainly be chosen from one undergraduate programme but you can choose 1-2 courses from another programme if the timetable allows.
Bachelor’s and Master’s students. NB! Exchange students can take only Bachelor’s level courses. If you apply for an exchange at the Master’s stage, you must confirm in advance that the Bachelor’s level courses can be recognised for your degree.
Select the faculty you want to apply to from Faculties. When you are on the Faculty's webpage, you can access course information under Faculty Prospectus in the menu on the left.
UNAM has several campuses in various parts of Namibia. See the location of the campus for your field before applying. Select all courses from a single faculty.
Some courses last for a whole academic year. Only select courses that last one term (see Duration of exchange below). The course code indicates the duration of each course: The codes for all full-year courses and modules end with 0; students who arrive in January or February are only allowed to take courses with a code that ends with 1.
University of Helsinki minimum requirement for the target university’s credits/courses
Five courses per term
Credit conversion scale recommended by UH's International Exchange Services
This destination’s workload for credits changes depending on the Faculty / year of studies. International Exchange Services is not able to make a recommendation for the destination for credits and that is why the minimum recommendation is marked as amount of courses and not credits. The International Exchange Services recommends that the credit transfer be made by the actual workload done for a course.
Terms
Academic year: January – November
1st term: mid-January–end of June
2nd term: mid-July–end of November
Other important matters
Housing: The exchange agreement includes free accommodation in a student residence.
A student residence permit for Namibia and the required enclosures cost a total of some €200.
Duration of exchange
Term or academic year. Due to the teaching schedule at UNAM, we require that the exchange always commences from the beginning of the first term (January–February), also in the case of students who apply for one term only.
The languages of teaching are English and Afrikaans. Stellenbosch offers teaching in English in several fields. Always check the language of teaching for each discipline.
For information on the teaching available, click here. For course descriptions, see the faculty sites.
Exchange students have been exempted from paying the fees for GEP (previously IPSU) courses if these can be included in a degree at the University of Helsinki.
Exchange students can select both “mainstream” courses intended for local degree students and GEP (previously IPSU) courses intended for exchange students.
The field of law was previously excluded from the agreement, but can now also be studied. This means that you can also apply for courses in law.
University of Helsinki minimum requirement for the target university’s credits
50 credits per term
Credit conversion scale recommended by UH's International Exchange Services
Students selected for an exchange agree to purchase a comprehensive insurance for the duration of the exchange and to pay the Exchange Administrative Fee required by Stellenbosch (e.g., 2020 the fee was approximately €450 per term and €900 per academic year).
Free accommodation in a student residence for the duration of the exchange is included in the exchange.
There is no course information/ only a few courses on UNZA:s home page. Pleas choose a degree program and year for your learning agreement and where it fits in to your UH degree. List of degree programs at UNZA
University of Helsinki minimum requirement in the target university’s credits/courses
Four courses per academic year
Credit conversion scale recommended by UH's International Exchange Services
This destination’s workload for credits changes depending on the Faculty / year of studies. International Exchange Services is not able to make a recommendation for the destination for credits and that is why the minimum recommendation is marked as amount of courses and not credits. The International Exchange Services recommends that the credit transfer be made by the actual workload done for a course.
Terms
Academic year starts in January, however academic year dates has changed from year to year an the start may be already earlier.
Other important matters
The exchange agreement includes free accommodation in a student residence.
For information on the UNZA as a destination, click here.
NB. The University of Zambia cannot guarantee teaching in the following disciplines: Human Medicine, Health Sciences, Nursing Sciences and Public Health. This does not affect other disciplines.
Duration of exchange
A semester / Academic year. An exchange lasting the whole academic year is easier to organise in terms of the teaching available. The academic year at the University of Zambia consists of three teaching periods. Some courses last the whole academic year, which means that courses lasting two teaching periods are not offered in all fields.