I am an exchange student in FIAL

A bilateral exchange agreement must exist with your faculty/school in one of the following areas in order to participate in an exchange programme with the Faculty of Philosophy, Arts and Letters (FIAL) in Louvain-la-Neuve:

We only accept applications from students who have been nominated by their home university.

Partner universities are invited to nominate their students on our Mobility Online platform. Nominated students will then have to complete the online admission procedure.

Steps you should follow

As soon as you are nominated by the exchange coordinator at your home university, you will receive a personal identification code. You will then be asked to download the following documents on the Mobility Online platform:

• A copy of your passport, recto-verso (or identity card if you are an EU national or associated country). Your nationality must be evident on your document.
• A copy of the transcripts from all your previous years.

After signing your admission form, you will be asked to download your Learning Agreement duly completed and signed by yourself and your academic coordinator at your home university.

As soon as the student's application has been processed by the Registration Service, the student receives an email to their personal address advising them of the procedure to follow in order to activate their global account. This allows access to their virtual office and other tools available to registered students.

If they do not have a residence permit in another EU Member State, non-EU citizens (except Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway and Switzerland) who require a visa, can use the standard form on their virtual desk to obtain a student visa (Schengen D).
 

There are several options to find accommodation in Louvain-la-Neuve.

University housing

As an exchange student, you have the possibility to apply for shared  university housing "kot" or more rarely shared accomodation based on a shared project. 

You must submit your application as soon as possible via the online housing application form.

Private accomodation

Several rental companies offer accommodation on the campus of Louvain-la-Neuve.

Do not hesitate to consult the information available on the site!

Information and contact details

Information about accommodation is available on the pages of the Student Housing and Logistics Service of UCLouvain.

Shared student accomodation

The diversity of opportunities and the wealth of contacts between students make community life an enriching and unforgettable experience.
There are 3 to 10 furnished bedrooms around the common area which includes a kitchen, generally a living room and toilets. These include a bed, base, mattress, shelf, wardrobe, desk, chair and, in most cases, washbasin.

Theme house

The "kot à projet" is a community apartment managed by the Housing Service of UCLouvain, where students work around a project and share a particularly intense life together. Participation in a "theme house" requires a commitment to carry out different activities around themes such as:

• Awareness of:

. children, developing countries, health, environment ...

• Animation by:

. theatre, games, music, sports.

• various services offered to students and the community at large
• culture and art in all its forms, assistance to disabled students ...

There are no less than 110 "theme houses" at UCLouvain. The "KAP’s", as they are called, usually carry evocative names: Astrokot, KAP Tales, Photokot, Kot Oxfam, Kot Employment, Improkot, Kot Manga, Kot China, etc

The request for a room in a kot-à-projet is made directly to the head of the project.

The main language of teaching at UCLouvain is French. A B2 level (oral and written) is therefore recommended to be able to follow the courses.

Intensive French language course before the beginning of the semester

If you wish to practice the French language before the beginning of the semester, you can register for the intensive French course organized by the Centre de Langues located in Louvain-la-Neuve and Brussels (CLL). This course is fee-paying, but a discount is available for students admitted to an UCLouvain programme (international or exchange programme).

For more information, please visit Centre de Langues.

Courses integrated into the exchange programme

Erasmus students or exchange students can include up to two courses of French per semester (10/30 or 16/60 ECTS) in their programme. Admission to additional paid courses must be requested directly from ILV.

French language courses:

• must be included in the study agreement;
• must be of the same level (if followed during the same term);
• if only one course is chosen, it cannot be a 3 ECTS course.

More information on French language courses 

It is recommended that suduents attend the information sessions organized by ILV at the beginning of each semester.

Which courses can I enroll in? 

All the courses offered by UCLouvain are accessible through this search engine (search for a teaching unit). This will give you access to the course description (course content, schedule and other practical information).
If you are looking for a specific course, you can also consult the programmes offered by the Faculty of Philosophy, Arts and Letters.

Depending on the programme, you will have access to courses taught in French but also in other languages such as English, Dutch, Italian, Spanish or German. The language of instruction is specified for each course in the online program and in the course description.

Some courses given in a language also offer help in English or French, these are the English-friendly and French-friendly courses.

For more information on French and English friendly courses

As soon as the admission procedure is completed, the Registration Service will send you an e-mail with instructions to activate your global account.  This will give you access to your UCLouvain email address and virtual office.

Once your virtual office is activated, you will receive a new email explaining how to add a photo to your file to enable the creation of your access and student cards. These cards will be given to you on the first day of the semester, during the information session.

Please follow these steps as soon as possible before your arrival in Belgium, in order to be kept informed of all the information necessary for the smooth running of your stay at UCLouvain.

How to activate your account?
To activate your UCLouvain global account, follow the instructions described in the "Procedure for new students".

Louvain-la-Neuve is located in Walloon Brabant, near Brussels.
You will find all the information to arrive at Louvain-la-Neuve on the UCLouvain mobility pages.

The academic year is divided into two semesters (also called terms):

• First semester: September to January
• Second semester: February to June

Depending on the agreement, you can spend a semester or the entire academic year at UCLouvain.

You must take the courses from the beginning of the term. This will enable you to participate fully in the academic activities as well as help you to  pass your examsl!

Consulter le calendrier de l'étudiant en FIAL

The International Relations Department of the Faculty of Philosophy, Arts and Letters organizes an information session at the beginning of each semester where you will receive important documents and information on your course and on the faculty.  It is therefore essential to participate!

The following information will be useful once you are registered as an exchange student at UCLouvain.

Moodle

Upon arrival at UCLouvain, and once your final choice of study programme has been approved, you should register on the Moodle platform.
Teachers use it to share course materials and facilitate other activities (handing in papers, discussion forums, etc.).

You must first create your account on Moodle (follow the instructions to register), you should then choose the courses listed in your Learning Agreement, in order to access the necessary information.

Auditoriums

Map of UCLouvain auditoriums in Louvain-la-Neuve