- Emphasis is placed on an interdisciplinary approach and close cooperation between students and teaching staff
- Beautiful location at the heart of the French-speaking region of Switzerland, on the shores of Lake Geneva, facing Évian-les-Bains (France), with the Jura mountains to the North-West
- Majority of urban public transport in Lausanne is by trolleybus
Visa + Requirements|Travel advice + advisories
Partner university’s areas of study
- Language support available
- Students with B2 level or higher may take French-taught courses
- Students with A1 level or higher may take courses offered by the School of French as a Foreign Language (EFLE)
- To determine your level, please self-assess using the European Language Portfolio Global Scale
- No prior French language required for the EFLE Summer program
Eligibility and Timing
Terms Offered
Who can go?
- Exchange students may take coursework in most areas of study
Term Dates
For Faculty of Arts students and School of French EFLE:
- UL Autumn Semester: Early September - Late December
- UL Spring Semester: Mid February - Late June
For students in Social sciences, Business, Law, Geoscience and Biology:
- UL Autumn Semester: Early September - Late January
- UL Spring Semester: Mid February - Early July
Timing
- Students attending UL Autumn Semester will not be able to return to UBC for Term 2 (except EFLE and the Faculty of Arts which end in December)
Credits
Summer programs
- Université de Lausanne summer French language courses
- Research opportunities available at this university: see Université de Lausanne - SUR Program page
Course equivalency formula
- ECTS credits divided by 2 = UBC credits
Credit transfer process
The transfer credit process takes approximately 16 weeks following each submission deadline. You should allow sufficient time to meet important deadlines that may affect you (e.g. application for graduation, registration in courses that require prerequisites that you took on exchange, entry to a major/honours program, etc.)
For more information about Go Global transfer credit
Grading scheme
- 6 - excellent
- 5.5 - very good
- 5 - good
- 4.5 - satisfactory
- 4 - pass
- 3.5 - fail
- 3 - poor
- 2.5 - very poor
- 2 - extremely poor
- 1.5 - almost no performance
- 1 - no performance
- 0 - Absence without good cause, cheating or attempt to cheat
Passing grade
4 or ECourse Information
* Students who have special requirements or require academic accommodation should contact a Go Global advisor regarding their needs at least six weeks prior to the application deadline.
Type of Go Global Experiences
Course information and restrictions
- Majority of the undergraduate level courses taught in French
- some courses in English in Biology, Economics and English Literature
- Courses at the Master's level are taught in English and French
- UBC students in their 4th year can normally take Masters level courses on exchange at UNIL
UBC students normally take English literature and French as a second language courses at UNIL, or masters level courses in other areas.
There is a good selection of courses in English in the School of Business and Economics at UNIL.
Full course load information
- 30 ECTS per semester
Transfer Credits And Equivalent Courses At This University
Check out the courses that previous students have transferred back to UBC in the last 5 years using our Course Search Tool. If you don't see a particular course you listed, it simply means you need to submit it as a new course request through the Transfer Credit Portal while on your Go Global experience. For more information, please visit the Go Global Transfer Credit webpage.
Exchange Tuition
- 15 credits or equivalent full-time program fee per term, paid to UBC
- Summer students attend through our exchange agreement and pay tuition to UBC based on the number of credits earned at the partner institution
- Some exceptions may apply
Scholarships and awards
The Go Global Award $1000
All students accepted to Go Global for Exchange, Research Abroad, or Study Abroad travel programs are automatically considered for this award. If you meet the eligibility criteria, you'll be notified of your award after you're accepted to Go Global and after you get nominated to apply to the partner university.
Additional awards
Students who are eligible for awards may receive one UBC or UBC-affiliated international learning award. If you're eligible, you are always offered the highest-value award. Unless stated otherwise, you need to meet eligibility criteria set out by the University Senate regarding awards.
Check out international learning awards and eligibility.
Information for US students:
If you are a student from the United States, please check the US Department of Education Lookup Tool to ensure that any partner institution you wish to attend on Exchange is Title IV ‘eligible’ for Federal Student Aid for the year in which you intend to study there. For institutions outside of the US, select “Foreign Country” from the “State” dropdown menu.
If you attend an eligible institution, then you may receive Title IV federal student loans while on Exchange.
If you attend an ineligible institution:
- You will not be eligible for US federal student loans,
- You may invalidate any US student aid you have previously received for your studies at UBC,
- You may be required to immediately begin repaying your US student loans, and
- You may not be eligible for any future US student aid for the remainder of your studies at UBC.
Additional Fees
All students studying in Switzerland are required to purchase local medical insurance which will cost approx 100 CHF/month.
Types of accommodation available
Housing notes
- UNIL cannot guarantee housing for all exchange students
- First come first serve basis