General information about how to apply
Below you can find general information about how to to apply within the cooperation networks and inter-university cooperation agreements to UT partner universities.
In principle, students from all faculties and levels of study can apply. But it should be taken into account that partner universities can set their own limitations e.g. several universities do not admit exchange students to medical studies. Further information on these limitations can be found in specific competition notices.
Exchange students can study at a partner university for one or two semesters. It is important to bear in mind that while studying abroad under the exchange programme, students must be enrolled at the University of Tartu for the whole period of studies.
In many cases, a command of English is enough to cope at a foreign university: as a rule, universities in non-English speaking countries also offer courses in English, although their range may be quite narrow. When applying to German universities, students should have a good command in local language as the main language of instruction in these universities is German. As far as Japanese and Chinese universities are concerned, the grant committee may prefer applicants who have already learned some Japanese/Chinese.
Applicants are always required to submit a language certificate. As far as English is concerned, partner universities may request the results of an international language test (e.g. TOEFL or IELTS), particularly universities outside of Europe, and in applying to Master's and Doctoral programmes, but often a test taken at the University of Tartu Language Centre will also suffice. Rules vary significantly between universities and you should check the specific competition notices for more information.
Exchange students from the University of Tartu are always guaranteed free tuition at the partner university (i.e. they do not have to pay any tuition fees). In many cases, universities also offer free accommodation in student residence halls and/or a monthly allowance or free meals (the latter is very common at US universities: students can choose a meal plan which normally includes 19 to 21 free meals per week at university cafeterias). Further information on grant rules at partner universities can be found in specific competition notices. As a rule, students have to cover their travel, visa and health insurance expenses themselves. Information on the cost of living in the host country can be found on foreign universities' websites. When applying to US universities, it should be taken into account that students need to buy the necessary textbooks themselves, and this may cost a couple of hundred euros.
Students should apply to partner universities via the UT Study Abroad Centre and submit their applications through the SoleMOVE system by the deadline stated in the competition notices. Application deadlines vary and depend on partner universities. Main competitions are held during the spring semester (from January to May) and students can apply for admission for the next academic year (for one or both semesters). If not all student places are filled during the main competitions, an additional competition may be announced in autumn (September or October) for the spring semester of the current academic year. However, the options in autumn are definitely more limited and competition itself may be stronger. Thus students should apply for exchanges in spring semester of the academic year preceding the exchange; if they intend to go for the spring semester only, they may also have the chance to apply in the autumn semester of the same academic year.
Most commonly the following documents are required: letter of motivation, letter of recommendation, transcript of records, and a language certificate. Please find more information here.
On-line application in SoleMove system
Study abroad applications are processed electronically via SoleMove system. In order to submit an application make sure the application call of your interest is open. To submit the application:
- Go to the website SoleMove (NB! SoleMovekicks you out of the system when you open multiple SoleMove browser windows).
- Select University of Tartu as your home university from the list.
- Log into the system by using your UT credentials.
- From the menu at left side bar, choose: a) "Application form for outgoing student mobility." The student mobility application templates are not listed in case you have an employee status at UT. Please e-mail studyabroad@ut.ee and kindly ask to add outgoing student status to your SoleMove user.
- Click "new" to start creating an application.
- Choose mobility type ("Study" for regular exchange studies).
- Select application period from the list- for example "February application period /24.01.2024-22.02.2024"
- Click "save" to save the draft and start filling out the application.
NB! Start filling the application from the second tab (exchange study information), not from the first (personal data). It is important because choosing the study abroad exchange programme under "add new institution/enterprise" defines the fields of the application template accordingly. Once the study abroad exchange programme has been selected, the application template gets changed, before that it is displayed as general template.
When applying under exchange programme to any partner university adding the destinations to the application is only allowed via "add new institution/enterprise" and not via "add new institution/enterprise (as freemover)". Freemover applications are not acceptable!
Make sure you follow the tips available under "?" in front of the data fields.
The primary decision on selecting students for partner universities is made by the University of Tartu grant committee. Final decision on admitting the students is made by the host institution and for that, student's application documents also need to be sent to the partner university.
Kristi Liivamägi, Study Abroad Coordinator;
Kristi Kerge, Head of International Cooperation;
Ene Küüner, Study Adviser;
Margus Leppik, Assistant Director, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Programme Director;
Maili Vilson, Vice Director for Academic Affairs, Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies;
Raili Marling, College of Foreign Languages and Cultures, Head of Department of English Studies, Professor of English, Programme Director;
Liina Pärnamäe, Faculty of Medicine, Academic Affairs Specialist;
Joosep Heinsalu, Student Representative.
The committee has the right to invite other people who are not regular members to its meetings. These people have advisory voting rights.
As a rule, students who obtain grants are contacted by e-mail. Students receiving grants should bear in mind that if they decide to give up their place at a foreign university, they must immediately notify the Study Abroad Centre. If they delay in doing so, someone else might miss the opportunity to study abroad. If a student has repeatedly given up his or her grant/free student place and applies again, previous waivers will be taken into account in ranking applicants.
