High number of applicants for mobility in the AT 21-22

In February, the International Relations and Study Abroad Service has received 106 applications from students interested in spending an exchange period at a partner university during the next Autumn Semester 2021-2022.

It is a surprising and welcomed high number, one of the highest in the history of our service, considering the uncertainty permeating our lives and a pandemic that may still affect mobility and travel plans in the months to come.

We take it as a sign that an exchange experience abroad is appreciated and considered a plus in the student curriculum. It is also proof that students are optimistic, resilient, and positive, and we are proud of them.

As usual, for the time being, we operate as if things will be back to normal by September 2021, and we will adapt our decisions as the situation evolves. We will treat every case with extreme attention and we will do our best to accommodate those who may be affected by these decisions. Our hope is that our students will be able to enjoy and make the most out of their time abroad as they deserve.

Who are our current candidates, after all?

Mobility by gender
57 female, 49 male

Mobility by study level
52 bachelor students, 54 master students

Mobility by faculty
30 students study of the Academy of Architecture
28 students study of the Faculty of Communication, Culture and Society
35 students study of the Faculty of Economics
13 students study of the Faculty of Informatics

Destinations
The choices of our students vary a lot from one year to the other, yet there are some firm points recurring every year. Switzerland is definitely one, with the University of St. Gallen as preferred destinations for students of Faculty of Economics, and the two Federal Institutes of Technology in Lausanne and Zurich for students of the Faculty of Informatics and the Academy of Architecture. Finland is also a favourite: thanks to the ICSE structured exchange available for Bachelor students at the Faculty of Communication, Culture and Society and the Faculty of Economics, 6 students will spend the Autumn Semester at Hanken School of Economics in Helsinki. These destinations alone account for half of our outgoing students.

Other students travel mainly within Europe: Austria, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Spain, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway and Portugal.

Few students ventured into extra European mobility (China, Russia, Australia), but considering the uncertain situation, they wisely choose the Spring Semester, hoping for stabilization of the worldwide situation regarding the Covid-19 pandemic.