Incoming Students
Application for Admission
Only students from institutions with whom Queen's has an approved Bilateral Agreement are eligible to apply.
Partner institutions should nominate their students to the Exchange and Study Abroad team (Careers, Employability and Skills) at erasmus@qub.ac.uk. They should include the name, email address, subject area and study period of each nominated student. The Exchange and Study Abroad team will then send each student, by email, an Erasmus Application Form and general guidance about attending Queen's . This will include information about accommodation, orientation, semester dates, etc. Students will be asked to consult the University's Course Catalogue at https://qsiscat.qub.ac.uk/ to select modules. Additional course information should be supplied by the Programme Director.
Application must then be made by the student on the Queen’s University Erasmus Application Form. The Application Form includes a Learning Agreement on which the student must list their provisional course selection. Completed Application Forms/Learning Agreements will be forwarded by the Exchange and Study Abroad team to the relevant Programme Director. The Programme Director should decide whether he/she wishes to accept the student on academic grounds, then sign and return the Learning Agreement to the student. If the courses listed on the Learning Agreement are not available/suitable, the Programme Director should liaise directly with the student about this. Provisional course lists can be amended after the student's arrival. Acceptance does not guarantee the student accommodation.
Duration of Placement
Incoming students should normally undertake a placement of either one semester or two semesters at Queen's. This enables them to study complete module programmes, removes the need for special assessment for students leaving before the official end of the semester, and eases the problem of finding accommodation. Programme Directors should attempt to limit their intake to students staying for full semesters only.
Course Selection
A student should know in advance of coming to Queen's what modules he/she wishes to take. The Queen's Erasmus Programme Director should provide course information to the co-ordinator at the student’s home institution. It is also recommended that the Programme Director correspond personally with the incoming student prior to arrival to advise on module selection and assessment.
Orientation Programme
The International Student Support team runs an Orientation Programme for incoming Erasmus students in September and January, prior to the start of the semester. A Meet and Greet service is also provided from Belfast International Airport and Belfast City Airport on specified dates. Other features of the Programme include information about enrolment, the Student Health Service, Student Accommodation, Students’ Union, Libraries and Sports Centre, a tour of Belfast and social events.
Enrolment
Students must enrol in the School in which the Erasmus Programme Director is based. On arrival they should meet with their Erasmus Programme Director to discuss courses, and enrol online to complete the registration process. Meetings with Erasmus Programme Directors/Advisers of Studies will be arranged between the Exchange and Study Abroad team and the relevant Schools, and may be carried out on a "group" basis. Please note that if an incoming student wishes to select one or more modules from a subject area other than your own, you must first obtain permission for the student to do so from the Erasmus Programme Director in that School.
Assessment
- Erasmus students are expected to undertake the same workload as home students and to undertake all module requirements including attendance at classes, submission of coursework, and assessment.
- ECTS credits are not awarded for modules where the student has attended classes but not undertaken the assessment.
- The procedures explained in 5 to 7 below do not apply to students taking Law modules, as the School of Law already have special assessment arrangements in place for Erasmus students. Students taking modules in other subject areas must follow the procedure below.
- Early Departure: Under certain circumstances, it may be possible to arrange an alternative to the normal method of assessment if, for example, a student is unable to be present for that assessment, eg. if required to return to their home university to sit an examination or attend essential lectures. Students who will miss a Queen’s examination for such a reason must hand in work for assessment in lieu of the exam before departure. A letter of support detailing exams to be taken and relevant dates must be obtained from the home university in advance of the request.
- Language Competence: Students may request to be examined by the submission of written work for assessment rather than a formal examination, on the grounds of limited ability in written English under exam conditions. Such a request must be made in writing to the module tutor and agreed by the student's Adviser of Studies. A letter of support must be obtained from the home university in advance of the request.
- After obtaining a letter of support from the home university, students must submit the letter to the Exchange and Study Abroad team, who will issue them with a Change of Method of Assessment Form. Students must present this form to each module tutor for completion and signature.
- The completed, signed Change of Method of Assessment Form must be returned to the Exchange and Study Abroad team by the end of Week 5 of the semester. Other relevant Offices in the University will be informed automatically. Each Queen's Programme Director should ensure that a Learning Agreement is returned to the sending university as soon as the details are agreed with the student.
Transcripts
Incoming students require a transcript of their performance at Queen's for submission to their home universities. For this reason it is essential that students are correctly enrolled and fully assessed for their time at Queen's. Examination Officers should ensure that all marks gained, whether by examination or assessment, are reported on Qsis. Transcripts are sent by the Exchange and Study Abroad team to incoming students and their host universities at the end of the placement, and normally within one month of marks becoming available.
An unofficial marks conversion guide for most European countries to aid the translation of a student's performance at Queen's University Belfast is available on request from the Exchange and Study Abroad team.