Applying to Vesalius: Study Abroad with Agreement (SAWA) Students
Studying Abroad: The Sooner you Begin Planning the Better...
- You should start thinking about Study Abroad in the beginning of the semester that precedes the semester during which you would like to go abroad. You should contact your academic advisor and your school’s Study Abroad coordinator to help you choose the Programme and the course choices that best suit your needs.
- If you come from one of our partner schools, your Study Abroad coordinator will probably assist you greatly with all paperwork and will act as your direct contact with the Vesalius College Study Abroad Department.
- Click on the following link to download our Study Abroad Application Form. Please complete the form and return by mail to Sabine Lampo at the following address: Vesalius College, Study Abroad Department, Pleinlaan, 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.
Application deadlines are as follows:
- Fall Semester: April 1
- Spring Semester: November 1
Course Information
- The course offering for the Fall and Spring semesters is made available on our website by March 15 of the preceding academic year.
- Course schedules will be made available to you or to your Study Abroad Coordinator by April 1 for the following Fall semester courses and by November 1 for the following Spring semester courses.
Pre-Registration
- Deadlines for submission of your Pre-Registration Form are as follows:
- Fall Semester: April 15
- Spring Semester: November 15
- Once you receive the course schedule, you should fill out and return to us the Pre-Registration form, which you can download by clicking on the following link: Study Abroad Pre-Registration Form.
- Please refer to the following guidelines when completing your Pre-Registration Form:
- A full course load at Vesalius College is 4-5 courses (24-30 ECTS credits; equivalent to 12-15 U.S. credits)
- List your top eight course choices in order of preference. In the event of an unforeseen clash between two courses, we will pre-register you for the first of the two conflicting courses. You will be pre-registered for a maximum of five courses.
- You must be vigilant in choosing a course schedule that is free of scheduling conflicts.
- Your academic advisor should verify your course selection prior to submission of the Pre-Registration Form to be sure that you meet all pre-requisite requirements and that you will receive academic credit from your home institution for selected courses.
- You may consult our website to view course descriptions and short syllabi or click on the following direct link: Course Short Syllabi. Long, more detailed course syllabi can be sent to you, to your academic advisor or to your Study Abroad Coordinator upon individual request.
Language Courses
- If you wish to take any French or Dutch course other than those at the elementary level, i.e. no prior knowledge of the language (French - LFR 107E; Dutch -FPD 001), you will be required to take a language placement test (oral and written) on the Thursday of orientation week. This will ensure that you are registered for the language class that truly corresponds with your level of knowledge of the language and will prevent you from being placed in a class that is too advanced or not advanced enough, as the case may be.
- Please note that, due to differences between European and American learning outcome expectations for foreign language instruction, the level (course number) at which you are placed in Vesalius’ language Programme may not correspond exactly with the course level achieved at your home university; it may be lower. You should inform your home university advisor of this potential discrepancy and should request that your home university grant you language credit, even if the language “course number” you take at Vesalius is lower than what you would take at your home university.
- On the Pre-Registration Form, you should list your language course choice in the same way that you list other courses. If you list any language course other than the basic level course, however, Vesalius will not automatically pre-register you for that course until you have taken the placement test and have been placed in the appropriate course level based upon test results.
- Please note that the French Literature course offered by Vesalius College is taught entirely in French. You must also place into this class by taking the placement test.
Internship Course
- Study Abroad and Exchange students are invited to apply to participate in an unpaid internship in Brussels as part of their study abroad semester at Vesalius.
- Internships are offered in the Fall and Spring semesters, as well as in the Summer term.
- Internships at Vesalius College are considered regular courses. Students taking the internship course will receive full college credit (6 ECTS credits; equivalent to 3 U.S. credits) and a letter grade at the end of the semester. Student in the internship course are expected to work 150-180 hours over the course of the semester (generally 10-12 hours per week).
- Internships are competitive and, thus, are not guaranteed! You will apply for the internship course and will interview with selected sponsors just as you would do for any job application. Study Abroad and Exchange students will compete for internship positions on a level playing field with degree-seeking Vesalius College students.
- If you are interested in applying for an internship, you should do so as soon as possible in the semester preceding the one in which you wish to take the internship course. The reason for this requirement is that the selection procedure can take time, and delays in securing an internship can mean that you will need to work more hours per week during the semester in order to complete the total number of hours required to receive full credit for the course. Typically, the first call for applications ends on the Friday of week 11 of Fall or Spring semester, although exact dates vary each year.
- Internship offerings, regulations and application procedures can be viewed by clicking on the following link: Vesalius Internship Programme Catalogue.
- Deadlines for submitting CV’s and Cover letters are as follows:
- Fall semester: July 1
- Spring semester: November 1
- Summer term: May 15
- Since we cannot guarantee that you will be selected by a sponsor to participate in an internship, you may not pre-register for this course (e.g. you should not fill in the code for the internship course [INT 381E] on the course choice list of the Pre-Registration Form).
- Instead, you need to check the box at the top of your Pre-Registration Form that states “I am interested in applying for an internship” and follow the procedures outlined in the Vesalius Internship Programme Catalogue.
- To ensure that you will still have a full course load in the event that you do not get an internship, you should pre-register for a full course load, minus the internship, then drop one of the classes and add the internship course by filling out a “Drop/Add Form” if you are offered an internship and accept the position.
- Please note that there is no pre-registration for the Summer Programme. Course registration occurs on-site on the first day of classes. However, if you are interested in a summer internship, the deadline of May 15 must be respected for submission of CV’s and cover letters.