Mobility for Study

Students of the Department of Biology can carry out mobilities for study in the framework of:

Students can check the archive of calls for applications in the INTERNAZIONALE section of the UniPi website. 

Planning a Study Mobility Project – General Guidelines

Students are advised to plan their mobility project well in advance by checking the following:

  1. TYPE OF MOBILITY: based on the stage of their university career, whether it is more appropriate to undertake a mobility period for study or for traineeship purposes. Normally, one semester abroad should correspond to a number of exams equivalent to 30 ECTS credits, while one academic year abroad should correspond to a number of exams equivalent to 60 ECTS credits.
  2. DESTINATION: the mobility call contains specific information regarding eligible destinations. Students must ensure that the foreign university they are interested in offers an academic programme compatible with their degree course and that they meet the language requirements set by the host institution. Particular attention should be paid to the language of instruction of each individual course, which is not necessarily English.
  3. PERIOD: the mobility call contains specific information regarding the minimum and maximum duration of the mobility period. If students choose to attend only one semester, they should carefully check on the host university’s website whether the courses they are interested in are actually offered during the selected mobility semester.

PROCEDURE FOR SUBMITTING THE APPLICATION IN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE Erasmus+ KA131 PER MOBILITA' STUDENTESCA VERSO PAESI ASSOCIATI AL PROGRAMMA. 

  1. SUBMISSION OF THE APPLICATION
    Students are required to submit their application in response to the specific calls published annually in the INTERNATIONAL section of the University of Pisa website.
    Students must carefully choose the mobility semester based on the semester in which the foreign courses of interest are offered (requests to change the mobility semester will not be accepted).
    ONLY the Department of Biology Area Coordinator for Internationalisation (CAI) may assign a semester different from the one indicated by the student, exclusively for administrative reasons (such as nomination/application deadlines set by partner institutions).
    Students are required to independently verify the language proficiency level required by each foreign university indicated as their first, second, or third choice (the proficiency level certified must correspond to the level required, recommended, or even simply advised by the host institution).

    If the foreign university indicated as first, second, or third choice officially requires or recommends a language certification, students must attach the certification to their application. Failure to submit the required language proficiency certification may result, while respecting the student’s stated preferences as far as possible, in the assignment of another destination ex officio.

    If none of the preferred destinations can be assigned, the allocation will be made ex officio based on the remaining available places.
    1. RANKING LIST
      The ranking list, drawn up by a dedicated Committee chaired by the Department of Biology Area Coordinator for Internationalisation (CAI), according to the criteria specified in the call, is published on the Official University Notice Board upon completion of the administrative procedure.

    2.  ACCEPTANCE OF THE MOBILITY GRANT
      Students awarded a mobility grant will receive notification of the assignment through the Erasmus Mobility portal (noreply) and via their institutional email address.

      Students are required to follow the instructions provided in the call in order to formally accept or decline the grant.

      Any documentation requiring the signature of the Department Director or the Area Coordinator for Internationalisation must be submitted at least 48 hours in advance. Requests submitted late do NOT guarantee completion of the authorisation and/or signature procedure.

      *** Please note that the final decision regarding admission to the assigned host institution always rests with the host university. ***

       

      BEFORE THE MOBILITY PERIOD

      ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS BEFORE DEPARTURE TOWARDS THE HOST UNIVERSITY

      The Departmental International Office is responsible for sending the nomination to the foreign university assigned to each selected student.

      Although the University of Pisa officially nominates the selected candidates, it is the student’s responsibility to obtain information about the administrative procedures and related deadlines established by the partner universities; failure to comply may result in non-acceptance by the host institution.

      Students are therefore advised for periodically checking both the communications received directly from the host universities through their institutional email account and the section of the host university’s website dedicated to International/Incoming students.

      ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS BEFORE DEPARTURE TOWARDS THE UNIVERSITY OF PISA

      Following the instructions provided in the call, all students who have accepted the assigned mobility must complete the Learning Agreement BEFORE the Mobility, a document defining the activities to be carried out abroad and guaranteeing the recognition of the credits obtained. To facilitate completion of the document, students are advised to proceed as follows:

      1. Students must complete the Proposta_Corsi_Erasmus_Studente form according to the instructions provided within the form itself. The form must be sent to Questo indirizzo email è protetto dagli spambots. E' necessario abilitare JavaScript per vederlo. for an initial informal assessment.
      2. Students will receive the outcome of the informal assessment carried out by the Area Coordinator for Internationalisation (CAI) of the Department of Biology via their institutional email account.
      3. After the first review, students are allowed to amend the Proposta_Corsi_Erasmus_Studente form only once.
      4. Based on the outcome of the evaluation carried out by the Area Coordinator for Internationalisation (CAI) of the Department of Biology, students must complete the Learning Agreement BEFORE the Mobility on their personal page of the Erasmus Mobility portal, following the instructions available at the relevant link, within 2 days of receiving the informal assessment from the Area Coordinator for Internationalisation (CAI) of the Department of Biology, and wait for the final approval by the Area Coordinator for Internationalisation (CAI) of the Department of Biology through the portal itself.

        PLEASE NOTE: the mobility start and end dates indicated in the Learning Agreement BEFORE the Mobility may differ from those stated in the Erasmus Contract only by a few days and not by months, and must comply with the duration of the assigned grant.
      1. After final approval by the Area Coordinator for Internationalisation (CAI) of the Department of Biology through the portal, students must download the Learning Agreement BEFORE the Mobility, sign it, and send it to both the Erasmus Coordinator of the host university and the Area Coordinator for Internationalisation (CAI) of the Department of Biology for signature.
      2. Students must then upload the Learning Agreement BEFORE the Mobility, signed by all parties (student + Erasmus Coordinator of the host university + Area Coordinator for Internationalisation of the Department of Biology), in the appropriate upload section of their personal page on the Erasmus Mobility portal within the deadlines indicated in the Call.
      3. After final validation by the Area Coordinator for Internationalisation (CAI) of the Department of Biology, students are required to sign the Erasmus Contract according to the procedures and deadlines established in the relevant call.
      4. The subsequent countersignature of the Erasmus Contract by the University will formally authorise the student to carry out the mobility during the period indicated in the contract itself.

      *** Please refer to the specific call for all further requirements to be fulfilled BEFORE the mobility period. ***

      PLEASE NOTE: 

      • OLA (Online Learning Agreement): some foreign Universities may required to submit the Learning Agreement through dedicated application provided by the European Committee. When completing their Learning Agreement BEFORE the mobility, students are responsible to check whether is the right modality to use for the submission, as outlined on the Erasmus Mobility portal;  
      • It is not possible to accept Learning Agreement BEFORE the mobility completed in handwritten and uploaded on the Erasmus Mobility portal. Learning Agreement BEFORE the mobility must be completed online through the dedicated form, otherwise the uploaded document will be considered invalid and consequently removed;   
      • Students are allowed to complete the Erasmus agreement only after the official approval of the Learning Agreement BEFORE the mobility through the Erasmus Portal by the Area Coordinator for Internationalisation (CAI) of the Department of Biology;
      • CFU credits for foreign courses whose duration exceeds the duration of the student’s mobility period will NOT be recognised;
      • CFU credits achieved through examination modules as part of foreign courses will NOT be recognised.

       

      DURING THE MOBILITY PERIOD

      Learning Agreement DURING the mobility should be completed ONLY in case of amendment of the study plan or extension of the mobility period. 
      During the mobility period abroad, students are not allowed to take UNIPI examinations remotely.
      Please refer to the specific mobility call for the regulations concerning UNIPI examinations that may be taken during the mobility period at the University of Pisa, for which students may exceptionally interrupt their mobility only once, where permitted.

      *** Please refer to the specific call for all further requirements to be fulfilled DURING the mobility period. ***

      AFTER THE MOBILITY PERIOD

      At the end of the mobility period, the actual start and end dates of the mobility must be certified by the host university in the Learning Agreement AFTER the Mobility.

      Students must proceed as follows:

      1. access their personal portal page and complete online the After the Mobility section of the Learning Agreement;
      2. send the Learning Agreement AFTER the Mobility to the host university in order to complete it and obtain the signature of the foreign coordinator for the relevant section;
      3. send the Learning Agreement AFTER the Mobility, signed by the foreign coordinator, to Questo indirizzo email è protetto dagli spambots. E' necessario abilitare JavaScript per vederlo. for completion and signature by the Area Coordinator for Internationalisation (CAI) of the Department of Biology for the relevant section;
      4. once the completed and signed Learning Agreement AFTER the Mobility has been received from the Area Coordinator for Internationalisation (CAI) of the Department of Biology, students must upload it to the portal within the deadlines indicated in the call and wait for the final approval by the Area Coordinator for Internationalisation (CAI) of the Department of Biology;
      5. complete all the other requirements established by the call at the end of the mobility period.

      Foreign examinations taken after the end of the mobility period will not be recognised, neither if taken in person nor remotely.

      If the host university issues only a certificate listing the examinations taken abroad (Transcript of Records), students must verify that the document also includes the actual start and end dates of the mobility period. The Learning Agreement AFTER the Mobility must in any case be completed online by the student and sent, together with the Transcript of Records in a single file, to Questo indirizzo email è protetto dagli spambots. E' necessario abilitare JavaScript per vederlo. for completion and signature by the CAI. Students must then comply with points 4 and 5 above.

      If the Transcript of Records does not include the start and end dates of the mobility period, students must request a Certificate of Stay from the host university certifying the actual mobility dates. The Learning Agreement AFTER the Mobility must still be completed online by the student and sent, together with both the Transcript of Records and the Certificate of Stay in a single file, to Questo indirizzo email è protetto dagli spambots. E' necessario abilitare JavaScript per vederlo. for completion and signature by the Area Coordinator for Internationalisation (CAI) of the Department of Biology. Students must then comply with points 4 and 5 above.

      Please refer to the specific call for all further requirements to be fulfilled AFTER the mobility period.

      In the event of partial recognition of a UNIPI examination on the basis of a foreign examination, students will be required to compensate for the missing CFU credits through an additional oral assessment.

      Upon return from the mobility period, students must therefore:

      1. bear in mind that the credits deriving from the additional oral assessment may only be officially recorded after the activity carried out abroad appears in their academic transcript;

      2. contact the lecturer responsible for the relevant course and agree on the examination syllabus for the additional oral assessment based on the syllabus of the examination taken abroad.

      *** For all other types of international opportunities, please refer to the procedures indicated in the relevant call. ***

       

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