Mobility IN

If your home university is part of the Erasmus Program, you will receive a scholarship of either CHF 380.- or CHF 440.- per month depending on your country of origin. This scholarship will be given to you at the beginning of the exchange semester. There is no administrative procedure to be done in advance.

If you come from a university out of the European Union, you will only receive a scholarship provided the budget allows it. The decision is made at the end of each academic year

The HEG does not have any office in charge of visa procedures.

As an incoming student, you are required to apply for a visa/permit of stay and follow the necessary instructions on your own (see details below).

Visa for non UE/AELE members

First of all, it is important to check whether a visa is necessary :

For further information

If you need a visa, you must apply about 4 months before entering Switzerland by contacting the nearest Swiss diplomatic or consular representation in your country of residence.

Permit of stay

Upon your arrival in Switzerland, you will be required to register at the Residents Registration Office (Office Cantonal de la Population et des Migrations - OCPM) within 14 days in order to ask for a residence permit. It takes several weeks for the permit to be issued.

According to the Swiss Law, you are required to be sufficiently covered for health and accident care during your stay in Switzerland.

In the following two cases, you may be exempted from getting a local Swiss Health insurance policy:

If you come from the European Union, you may present your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) as proof of insurance coverage. Please make sure that your EHIC card is valid for the entire duration of your stay in Switzerland and do not forget to bring it with you! The EHIC card is valid only for state provided services and entitles the holder to the same treatment as people insured in Switzerland.

You may ask for your health insurance scheme to be approved in Switzerland. In that case, you have to submit a specific form called "Equivalent Form" meant to prove that your home insurer has an equivalent coverage. This form should be completed, signed and stamped by your insurance company prior to your arrival in Geneva and be sent to the Health Insurance Service. Otherwise, please do it as soon as possible after your arrival and return it by email or postal mail, the address is:

Service de l'assurance-maladie
Route de Frontenex 62
1207 Genève
Tel. +41 22 546 19 00
E-mail
Web site
Equivalence form

If you don't have a health insurance scheme approved in Switzerland, you will be required to buy a local health and accident insurance.

Please contact the following office to get information on various health insurance coverages for foreign students :

University Office for Information on Student Welfare
Université de Genève
Rue de Candolle 4
1211 Genève 4
Tel. +41 22 379 77 79
E-mail

OR

Online student Insurance site

« The world is a book, and those who don’t travel only read one page. »
(St Augustine)

As an exchange student, you may choose your classes among the different bachelor level programmes offered by HEG (see below) and in any year of study. Simply make sure that your choices are related to your field of study and your exchange semester (Fall or Spring):

• Business Administration
• Information Studies
• Business Information Systems
• International Business Management (all courses taught in English)

You may also choose your language of study : either entirely in French, entirely in English or in both languages, provided your level is good enough (a B2 level is recommended).

No language certificate is required. Nevertheless, sufficient language skills will be necessary to attend classes and pass your exams.

HEG is located on the Battelle university Campus, in upper Carouge, a pleasant city of Geneva.

The site comprises several buildings shared between HEG and other university institutions.

Virtual tour of HEG-Geneva and Battelle Campus

Geneva’s canton spreads out on 282 km2. It is surrounded by the French territory and situated between the Alps and the Jura mountains. It is situated at the extremity of the famous « Lac Léman », which is internationally renowned for its « Jet d’eau ».

Geneva has the privilege to be in the heart of Europe and is close to European cities like London, Barcelona, Rome, Paris, Milan and Amsterdam.

The city is a real melting pot with about 185 000 inhabitants which 40% are foreigners with over 160 different nationalities. The canton of Geneva counts 490 578 inhabitants (2015) and is in the top twenty of the most secure cities in the world.

It hosts approximately 200 international organizations, governmental or none governmental, like the United Nations (UN), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and much others. Geneva has also one of the most important economy market platform and is chosen by many multinationals for their headquarters.

Furthermore, Geneva is one of the main cities of world congress. It welcomes great exchanges thanks to its open minded spirit and perception of the world surrounding it. This makes you integrate easily.

Moreover, Geneva has an attachment for its traditions, which is extremely important. It is a lively cultural city all year round with many national & international events, exhibitions, activities and festivals (the Escalade celebration & race, the Davis cup, the Car show, ski resorts within an hour away from Geneva, Montreux Jazz Festival, Paléo Festival, Caribana Festival).

Geneva Tourist Information Center

The HEG does not have any accommodation office.

We advise that you consult the following helpful links:

• Student residences
• Other student residences
• University Residence of Geneva

We strongly recommend that you start looking for a room or apartment as soon as you have received your formal acceptance letter from the HEG!

Lucia Maria Pérez Yañez, IBM
CUNEF Madrid, Espagne - 2021/2022

My personal experience during all these 5 months at Geneva has been great. This program has completely surpassed all my expectations and I feel I have learned so much both professionally and personally.

I am very surprised with the level and quality of the courses. All the teachers have the best formation and a ton of experience with which they delight students. They are also always open to answer all your questions and doubts which is really helpful for foreign students. Lessons are very practical and focused on real life situations which is certainly a positive thing for us students to learn. The education at HEG is less focused on exams and much more focused on group works, I think this is a very positive part of this university as students become able to understand how real life works. Moreover, this university offers a very wide range of subjects upon which to choose, in order for you to freely choose what you would like to learn.

The other thing that impacted me was the excellent atmosphere there is within the university. The HEG has a perfect equilibrium between internationals and Swiss people. They provide a very good attention to Erasmus students which we really appreciate. Swiss people are also very welcoming, kind and helpful. The HEG puts a lot of effort in the integration of every student, due to the numerous events the university has prepared. A welcoming and goodbye lunch, a city tour where we first got to know the Erasmus students, as well as trips to beautiful Swiss cities and chocolate factories. This experience has allowed me to meet people from all around the world which I never thought I could get to know without this Erasmus program.

I would really recommend this university and this experience to anyone who asks me, I am very thankful for everything I have learned. What I liked the most was the perfect equilibrium between the educational part and the personal part of this semester. I believe doing an Erasmus can only benefit oneself and it’s such an enriching experience I will never forget.