You want to study at the University of Beira Interior, Portugal, and your home Higher Education Institution partners with us at one of our Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility (ICM) projects? These projects respond to cooperation efforts entailed between UBI and Higher Education Institutions located in Third Countries not Associated to the Programme and are funded by the European Union's foreign policy for exchange of students and teachers in Higher Education, offering opportunities to study, receive training and gain experience abroad.
We are certain that you will have an amazing stay and experience studying at UBI!
First step: After reviewing our incoming information, please contact your home University’s International Relations Office to know if we have a valid Inter-institutional Agreement in place. If yes, please manifest your interest in studying at UBI to your Home IRO so that they officially nominate you to UBI. Students must be nominated following the deadlines. The nominations must be sent by email to icm@ubi.pt and must contain the full name, gender, email, cycle of studies enrolled at the Home University, pertaining cycle of studies at UBI and the period of the stay.
Nomination periods:
- April 30th (mobilities during the 1st semester/full academic of the following year)
- October 31st (mobilities during the 2nd semester of the following year)
Application deadlines:
Students nominated must submit the documentation concerning their application until:
- May 31st (mobilities during the 1st semester/full academic of the following year)
- November 30th (mobilities during the 2nd semester of the following year)
Please note that we will not accept applications after these deadlines due to administrative calendars we must follow.
Procedures:
Incoming students from Non-EU and Third countries not associated to the Programme need to connect with Ms. Gina Barata at icm@ubi.pt and review the procedures below:
Step 1 – Nomination sent by the home HEI IRO
Step 2 – UBI will be sending an email to the student to apply online
Step 3 - After the submission, student needs to print the online Learning Agreement and send it filled out, signed by the student and his/her/they Mobility Coordinator by email to inter@ubi.pt
Step 4 - For students who meet the required criteria, UBI’s IRO will be sending an Acceptance Letter
Step 5 – Participant must contact the closest Portuguese Embassy to request a Visa to entry Portugal
Step 6 - Once at UBI, students will be able to change their Learning Agreements until October 31st, if they are attending the 1st semester or until March 31st if they are attending the 2nd semester.
Building your Learning Agreement
To build your Learning Agreement review the link https://www.ubi.pt/en/courses in order to choose:
- Curricular units taught in Portuguese Language (under the tab Graduations). Many have tutorial support in English given by the Professor. If you have questions regarding the curricular unit you are interested in, please contact your Mobility Coordinator at UBI. You can access their contacts in the general page related to your Degree;
- Curricular units entirely taught in English language (under the tab International Options).
- Please note that the Portuguese Language Course is an extracurricular option available to Erasmus+ students but it can’t be included as a curricular unit in your Learning Agreement.
- Your degree might not have a perfect match at UBI so you might have to attend curricular units from several degrees to respond to your academic plan at your home University. We strongly encourage you to contact your Mobility Coordinator at UBI to better decide. Once at UBI, students will be able to change their Learning Agreements until October 31st, if they are attending the 1st semester or until March 31st if they are attending the 2nd semester.
Please note that the maximum number of credits per full academic year is 60, and per semester 30 credits. 1 credit ECTS = 28 hours of work. The courses’ catalogue is usually updated by the end of June. Please note that the University of Beira Interior requires a B1 level of English.
Recognition of credits
UBI commits to ensure recognition for activities satisfactorily completed by students using the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS). The institutional grading system is based on a scale from “0” to “20”. The grades range between “10” and “20”.
An ECTS grade of 19 or 20 is considered Excellent (outstanding performance with only minor errors), 14 to 16 is Good (generally sound work with a number of notable errors), 10 or 11 is Sufficient (performance meets the minimum criteria) and below 9 is Fail (considerable further work is required).
At the end of the student’s mobility, no later than 4 weeks after the assessment period has finished at the University of Beira Interior, UBI’s IRO will be emailing the Transcript of Records to the student and Home HEI.
Visa requirements
Citizens who are not nationals of a European Union country and who wish to undertake study mobility must obtain a visa from the Portuguese Consulate/Embassy.
Please review general information about the nationalities that need a visa to enter Portugal or are exempt at the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Diplomatic Portal and by connecting with the Portuguese consulate nearest to your area of residence.
The visa application must be done well in advance. Visa issues demand some time. Check with the Embassy/Consulate closest to your area of residence for the necessary documents to obtain a visa.
Insurance
Students shall have adequate insurance coverage. It’s recommended to obtain insurance that covers trip cancellation, death and disability, civil responsibility, and medical expenses.
EU mobility students should obtain the European Health Insurance Card in their country. The European Health Insurance Card provides access to the Portuguese public health system as a regular citizen. User fees apply.
Please note that your Home University might have a more extensive insurance policy covering outgoing mobility activities. Please contact your Home University International Relations Unit in this regard.
Accommodation
The University of Beira Interior does not provide accommodation options for mobility students. Nonetheless, within the city of Covilhã, students can see options of private accommodation announced by real estate agencies operating in Covilhã, private developments or by researching social media groups dedicated to the dissemination of accommodation opportunities in the city.
Erasmus Student Network Mentoring
The Erasmus Student Network (ESN Covilhã) is formed by volunteer students whose primary purpose is to help mobility students into the academic and local community. Throughout the year, ESN Covilhã organizes integration activities, parties and travels to other cities in Portugal and Spain.
Before starting the mobility, students will be contacted by his/her/their mentor. More information about ESN Covilhã is available at https://www.facebook.com/esncovilhaofficial/. ESN Covilhã can also be reached through info@esn-covilha.org.
More information can be obtained by contacting icm@ubi.pt.