Ume University

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Umeå University

• International Student Mobility

Lennart Johansson www.molbiol.umu.se/ Per
Nilsson www.umu.se/international_office
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Where is Umeå university?
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Young and Proud

• Umeå University was
• inaugurated in 1965 and
• today it has
• 28 000 Students
• 4000 Employees
• 256 Professorships
• 7 University Colleges
• The Swedish University of
• Agricultural Sciences
• shares the campus with us.

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Number of Students
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Umeå University not just in Umeå
Kiruna just under 200 students, 3
programmes Lycksele just under 100 students, 3
programmes Skellefteå just under 500 students,
12 programmes Örnsköldsvik approx. 200
students, 11 programmes Sollefteå just under
200 students, 2 programmes In addition to these,
Umeå University provides courses at 20 other
placesStudent numbers full time students both
programmes and courses, 2005
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You name it Weve got it Umeå University

• Faculty of Social Sciences
• Faculty of Sciences and Technology
• Faculty of Medicine
• Faculty of Arts
• Faculty of Teacher Education

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A Swedish Smörgasbord of Opportunity

• Umeå School of Business Administration
• Umeå Institute of Design
• Umeå School of Epidemiology and Public Health
• Umeå School of Physical Education and Sports
• Umeå School of Fine Arts
• Umeå School of Restaurant and Culinary Arts
• Umeå Institute of Technology
• 25 Masters Programs taught in English
• More than 300 Single Subject Courses taught in
  English

Illustration Umeå municipality presentation.
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International exchangeForeign countries where
Umeå University has partner universities
Australia Austria Belgium Brazil Bulgaria Canada C
hile China Czech Republic Denmark Ecuador Estonia
Faeroe Islands
Finland France Germany Great Britain Greece Greenl
and Hungary India Indonesia Ireland
Island Italy Japan
Lathvia Lithuania Mexico Namibia Netherlands New
Zeeland Nicaragua Norway Poland Portugal Rumania R
ussia Slovakia
Slovenia South Africa Spain Switzerland Tanzania T
urkey Uruguay USA Vietnam West Bank
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International exchangeType of agreement
Central agreements 4
Other 1.3
North2North 4.9
Nordplus 23
Erasmus 60.4
Linnaeus-Palme 3.3
Faculty Agreements 3.1
Total 548 Contracts
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International Students
Total exchange
Inbound exchange
Outbound exchange
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(No Transcript)
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Erasmus mobility at UmU
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Teachers mobility

• Outbound teachers within the Erasmus exchange
• 2000/2001 20
• 2001/2002 21
• 2002/2003 17
• 2003/2004 16
• 2004/2005 27
• 2005/2006 33

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Why do Swedish students study abroads?

• New experiences
• Language cultural skills
• Change in study environment
• New opportunities
• Finding new friends and contacts
• Gaining unique competence
• Training in subjects/courses not available in
  Sweden

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Where would they choose to go?

• Language usually first issue!
• Culture similar but not too similar!
• Cost of living seldom a problem
• Nobody would object to a stipend!
• Academics will influence the final decision on
  where to go
• Student services
• Accomodation, information and counseling

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Language

• Most Swedish student more or less fluent in
  English. Second non-native language German or
  Spanish but Spanish becoming more popular.

An increase in courses thaught in English would
definitely influence the student mobility!
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Academics

• Good academic standard required
• Courses should be transfereable into the Swedish
  system!
• Absolutely necessary that the ECTS system is
  implemented!
• A good description of the course content,
  structure and tests
• An easily navigatable website with (a grafik)
  overview of available courses

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Why do they not go?

• Lack in knowledge about the different exchange
  systems?
• Difficullities in finding relevant information
• Bad language skills!
• The student feels unsure about the outcome of the
  exchange!

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Administrating ERASMUS

• One central official coordinator of contracts,
  (new, changing, prolongation and cancellation).
• Also collecting data from individual departments
  for reporting exchange activity to Programme
  Office.
• Applications for Erasmus stipends
• Applications for Teachers exchange

• International student coordinator
• Mentorship programme
• Student information and rallys

• Department coordinator
• Signing of new contracts and maintaining old
  ones!
• reviews applications for special eligibility
• Information to partner universities
• Learning agreements and credit transfers

• One central coordinator of arriving Erasmus
  students
• applications, course registration, information to
  departments.
• Sending Letters of Acceptance and Information
  package to students.

• Housing office
• Distributing accomodation space
• Administrating rental fees
• Information

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Examples of Activities

• A course in Swedish Folk Dance
• A visit to the Elk Farm, September 9th
• Student Evening at the Tourist Office, September
  27th
• The Sami an indigenous people in the north,
  October 15th
• Tourism in the North of Sweden, November 15th

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The Future?

• Sweden and Umeå has a comparatively low number
  of international students
• Students outside the exchange system Free
  Movers are expected to increase in numbers
• Implementation of academic fees for non-European
  students likely but not decided!