Why should I come on exchange to Louvain-La-Neuve?
The Faculty of Bioengineering is located on the dynamic international campus of Louvain-La-Neuve.
The Louvain-La-Neuve campus, which is entirely pedestrianised, offers you a rich and diverse student life :
- a campus with over 24,000 students, almost 20% of whom are international
- a rich student life with its folklore, student circles, project kots, etc.
- a cutting-edge sports centre with a wide range of activities on offer
- a cultural life on the site with its theatres and cinema
- a lake and green spaces
- immediate proximity to Brussels, only 30 km away. Amsterdam, Paris and London can all be reached by train from Brussels in two hours.
The Faculty of Bioengineering is a very friendly Faculty of 1,500 students, with a great atmosphere and a lot of mutual help between students and with the teaching staff.
What's more, the Faculty is lucky enough to have state-of-the-art infrastructure.
You'll be able to work in some of the biggest greenhouses in Europe, or take advantage of the Lauzelle farm and woodland, all just a few minutes from the auditoriums.
Consult the Bachelor's or Master's programme
What are the different stages ?
Before your arrival
To participate in an exchange program with the Faculty of Bioengineering, a bilateral exchange agreement must exist between you University's Faculty and the Faculty of Bioengineering at UCLouvain.
Checkthe list of uiversities with which the Faculty of Bioengineering has an agreement via this link.
You must apply to your home University..
Admission and registration of exchange students are organized by the Faculty. The Faculty will only accept students from universities with a pre-established exchange agreement.
Once you have been selected by your home Institution, they will inform UCLouvain of your nomination for an exchange program via an online platform.
You will then be invited to upload the following documents in the online platform (at the latest on May 1st (1Q) or November 1st (2Q)) :
- a copy of your passport or ID card where your nationality appears clearly;
- your ECTS Learning Agreement completed and signed by yourself and the academic coordinator of your home institution (important : please make sure to check the schedules of the chosen courses before sending us your Learning Agreement - see "How to make my study agreement ?"
- your transcript of records of all the previous years of higher education;
- a certificate of your French level (≥ B1) and a certificate of your English level (≥ B1);
- the student application form duly completed and signed by your institution;
- the "privacy-policy" form (to be signed);
-
If this applies to you: VISA allocation for a non European student with a residence permit in another EU Member State
Further to a ministerial decree if you have the status of a non European student with a residence permit in another EU Member State (e.g. students enrolled in an educational institution located in Europe) then: we would need to receive some required information from you. Information/documents needed are listed in this document. We would need to receive it as soon as possible by e-mail: mobilite-agro@uclouvain.be (by June 14th, 2024 at the latest).
We will then complete Appendix 3 (available here for your information only) and send your file by e-mail to the foreigners' office so that you can receive the approval of your mobility. You will be included in copy of the email.
Once you are in Belgium, you will be invited to present a copy of your file at the municipality. They will then issue the Appendix 33 for the duration of the mobility.
You are invited to choose most of your courses in our Faculty abut you can choose some courses in other Faculties (+/- 30%). It is very important to check the schedule of your courses before submitting your proposal.
Links / tools to build your study agreement :
- The list of the courses we propose in English
- The access to our catalogue of programs and general UCLouvain catalogue op programs
- The schedule procedure (see procedure via the link: Information / links below)
The schedule of our courses for the academic year 2024-2025 will be available from 15 July 2024.
You are invited to check the schedule of the courses when you choose your courses for your learning agreement and before your arrival.
Nominated for an exchange in the 1st term, your appliation must be completed by 1st May.
For a 2nd term exchange, your application must be completed by 1st November.
As soon as your file is complete, the International office will forward your file to the Registration Department (Service des inscriptions) which will send you an e-mail to your personal address indicating the procedure to follow to activate your global account and thus have access to your virtual desk and other functionalities offered to registered students.
All the official documents made available to the student will mention his or her status as an exchange student.
The registration certificate can be printed from the virtual desk as well as any other document available to you mentioning your exchange status and the start and end dates of the exchange.
For non-European students who need a visa: the registration certificate available on the virtual desk allows you to obtain a visa. The certificate will mention the start and end dates of the exchange.
Non-European students will present their visa to the administrative coordinator of the exchange upon arrival.
You will receive an e-mail as well with the procedure to order your access and student card (photograph to upload).
French is the main language of instruction at UCLouvain.
As an ERASMUS or international exchange student you will fully participate in the student life and should be able to follow lectures, participate in class discussions (seminars and tutorials), write essays, etc.
Therefore, a B2 level in French (written and oral) is recommended (even though – so far - an official international test is not mandatory).
Please note that, depending on the programmes, you will have access to a certain number of courses in English as well as 'English friendly' courses.
What are "English friendly" courses?
"English-friendly" courses are courses taught in French but offer facilities in English for international students who have a passive knowledge of French. These facilities include
- students can ask questions in English
- students can make presentations, write essays and/or answer exam questions in English
- Students are allowed to use a dictionary (monolingual French dictionary or bilingual French-mother tongue dictionary, as indicated by the teacher), even for examinations.
Students who want to benefit from these facilities need to make sure that the course carries the "English-friendly" label and they should inform the teacher of the facilities they want to benefit from at the very beginning of the course.
The documents you need to take with you are
- your ID or passport;
- the document received from your university proving that you are an exchange student;
- the proof of your health insurance;
- your Schengen visa, if you need it.
The best way to get involved in the student life of Louvain-la-Neuve is to live on the campus. Louvain-la-Neuve is a lively, pedestrianised campus with more than 24,000 students and 20,000 inhabitants.
There are several ways to find accommodation:
- UCLouvain university accommodation
Reservations for UCLouvain university accommodation with the UCLouvain Accommodation Service (LOGE) can be made online via the link https://www.uclouvain.be/fr/etudier/logement- Click on Louvain-La-Neuve
- Click on students choose Erasmus/Exchange
Please pay attention: for students from outside Europe: once you have made your reservation online, please complete the form available here and return it to the mobility team by e-mail: mobilite-agro@uclouvain.be as soon as possible, no later than May 14, 2024 noon for a stay during the first semester, and no later than September 26, 2024 noon for a stay during the second semester. After these dates, you will no longer be considered a priority.
- Private accommodation
Private accommodation is also available on the campus. Check out the alternatives offered by the accommodation service and in the Faculty guide (see information / useful links).
Please pay attention : due to accommodation constraints, we strongly advise all students to reserve their rooms well in advance. All UCLouvain student rooms are allocated on a "first come, first served" basis, so it's in your interest to send in your accommodation request form as soon as possible!
Don't hesitate to extend your search beyond Louvain-la-Neuve, to Ottignies, Wavre or Brussels for example, if you are unable to find accommodation in Louvain-la-Neuve.
Upon your arrival
You will find all the information you need to arrive at the Louvain-La-Neuve campus on the University's mobility page.
As soon as you arrive :
- If you were unable to attend the welcome session at the beginning of the semester, please report to the Faculty's International Office no later than the Friday before the start of the academic year.
Mrs Adeline Paulet
Faculty International Unit
Croix du Sud, 2 L7.05.01
Bâtiment De Serres B-151
1348 Louvain-La-NeuveYou will receive all the necessary information and your access and student cards on presentation of your European insurance card or your health care certificate (and the Schengen VISA for the students concerned).
- Register with the municipality where you live.
If your residence is in Louvain-la-Neuve, you will need to go to the municipal administration to register (located at Voie des Hennuyers, 1 (near the station)).
At that time, you must have with you the following documents :- a valid passport or ID (non-European Union citizens should be in possession of a visa)
- 2 passport size color pictures (original with white background);
- the UCLouvain acceptance letter "autorisation d'inscription";
- a proof of health insurance (European Health Card E-111 or a private insurance certificate);
- your accommodation rental contract.
- Activate your virtual office
As soon as you have completed your registration, you will receive your FGS number (a unique number for each student), a login and a password at your personal e-mail address.
With your login, you will be able to activate your virtual office.Please note: activation of your virtual office is not automatic!
Your virtual office will become a new reference in your student life. It will allow you to :
- access your UCLouvain mailbox;
- connect to the i-campus/Moodle platform to find information on courses and register for them;
- consult electronic timetables and view your course timetable;
- access your academic progress (results, etc.);
- access the University's student and staff directories;
- register for examinations;
- follow the latest news from the University
- Confirm your study programme
You will need to confirm your study programme within 15 days of your arrival - this will enable you to register for the labs and practical work from the very beginning.
You can find some advice on putting together your study programme on this page.
After your programme has been approved, it will be encoded by the secretariat and you will then be able to view it via your virtual office.
We will welcome the students for the first and second semester of the academic year 2024-2025 during our International Students' Day click here. Details will be available soon!
- The Faculty guide for exchange students
General practical information about UCLouvain
- The international welcome guide
- In transition towards a sustainable University
- The list of the courses we propose in English
- Access to our programme catalogue and the University's general programme catalogue (you are invited to choose the majority of your courses in our Faculty, but you may choose certain courses in other Faculties).
- The course schedule for the academic year 2024-2025 will be available from 15 July 2024.
You are invited to check the schedule of the courses when you choose your courses for your learning agreement and before your arrival.How do I check my course schedule ?
- Click on this link
- User : etudiant
Password : student - Projet : 2024-2025
- Week: Choose the week to be displayes from the tabs
- Different searches are possible :
- by students
- by teachers
- by classrooms
- by courses
- Additional informations
- A course code followed by -1 (or -2, -3, ...) means that it is a lecture (e.g.: LBIR1150-1)
- A course code followed by _Ex1 (or _Ex2, _Ex3, ...) means that it is an exercise session (e.g. LBIR1110_Ex1)
- A course code followed by _Labo1 (or _Labo2, _Labo3, ...) means that it is a lab session (e.g.: LBIR1121_labo1)
- Would you like a study year and a course to appear together in the planning? Select the year of study and, holding down the "CTRL" key, select the course code. The schedules will overlap.