IZMIR UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS FACULTY OF MEDICINE ERASMUS + EXCHANGE PROGRAM APPLICATION GUIDE

1. Introduction:

This guide has been created to inform IUE Faculty of Medicine students, applying for the Erasmus+ mobility program, on additional issues related to the Faculty of Medicine based on the practices of the Office of International Affairs.

2. Who Can Apply?

1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th year students of Faculty of Medicine can apply for Erasmus+ mobility.  1^st year med students can apply after completing the first semester. The overall grade point average (GPA) must be at least 2.2. In order for the education that the student will receive within the scope of Erasmus + to be counted as applied clinical education, he / she must be entitled to take courses from the 4th grade.

3. Erasmus Destinations:

3.1. The countries that can be visited within the scope of student mobility for studies* are the program countries with universities with which IUE has an agreement within the scope of Erasmus +. Students, who wish to apply for this mobility, choose among the universities with which the Faculty of Medicine has an agreement in the application system.

3.2. Students, who wish to benefit from the student mobility for traineeships** do not have to attend a university with which the Faculty of Medicine has an agreement. Students can also apply by obtaining an acceptance letter from an institution in the countries included in the Erasmus+ program.

* Student mobility for studies is realized by taking one or two semesters of "courses" at universities with which IUE has an agreement.

** “Applied education" at Faculty of Medicine is referred to as “Erasmus internship” in the Erasmus application.

4. How to apply for Erasmus + mobility?

The Office of International Affairs (OIA) makes announcements regarding the application during each application period through its website. As of 2022, applications for Erasmus+ mobility are received through the address specified in the application guide published by OIA.

5.  What are the documents required to apply for Erasmus+ mobility programs?

All candidates, regardless of applying for student mobility for studies or student mobility for traineeships, are required to upload their current transcripts they will download from E-Devlet and documents certifying their proficiency in English language.

Eligible documents certifying proficiency in English language are as follows:

• Proficiency in English (PIE) Exam result students took before starting first grade,
• The result of the Erasmus PIE Exam, which is organized twice a year for Erasmus applicants (the result of this exam must be requested from the Office of International Affairs), or
• Valid YDS, YOKDIL or TOEFL exam results.

Students, who wish to apply for student mobility for traineeships, must receive a Letter of Acceptance/Invitation from the institution where they will receive traineeship before their application. In addition, Erasmus Mobility for Traineeship Approval Form (ANNEX 1), showing the suitability of the institution where traineeship will take place,  signed by the Erasmus+ coordinator of the Faculty of Medicine, must be uploaded to the system during the application.

The minimum duration for student mobility for traineeships is 60 calendar days (2 months). In case of staying below this period, the mobility cannot be considered within the scope of Erasmus and the refund of the grant paid will be requested. A student can benefit from Erasmus mobility for a maximum of 12 months during his/her studies. This period can be partitioned, but there is a point deduction for the second and subsequent applications.

The Office of International Affairs ranks the Erasmus scores, which are formed by taking 50% of the GPA and 50% of the PIE exam score, from high to low, and distributes the grant quotas announced in the announcements on the basis of the Faculty of Medicine, starting from the highest Erasmus score.  Candidates, who cannot benefit from the grant quota, can also benefit from mobility without a grant, but they must complete all procedures completely. All students benefiting from Erasmus mobility activities, with or without a grant, have equal rights and responsibilities.

This information is included in the diploma supplements of those who have successfully completed the mobility. If this mobility is taken as part of a course, it is also recorded in the transcript.

6. Which activities Erasmus+ Mobility covers?

6.1. For students from Izmir University of Economics going to Erasmus+ countries:

6.1.1. Erasmus + student mobility for studies:

It covers the mobility to take courses from the university to be visited on a semester basis (although it is theoretically possible in this framework, it is almost impossible in practice, as there may be a problem of matching courses). A signed Erasmus+ agreement between the two institutions is a prerequisite for this activity. The approval of the relevant curriculum committee from IUE Faculty of Medicine is required for student mobility for studies. In this context, an "Exchange Programs Recognition Chart before Mobility" is signed before departure (Annex 2). After returning, an "Exchange Programs Recognition Chart after Mobility" is signed (Annex 3).

6.1.2. Erasmus+ Student Mobility for Traineeships:

Student Mobility for Traineeships at the Faculty of Medicine is carried out for different purposes:

6.1.2.1 Erasmus+ Summer Traineeships:

Summer Traineeships can be in the form of Basic/Clinical Sciences Research or Clinical Sciences Training (clinical or laboratory). Summer Traineeships can take place in academic institutions, public hospitals or accepted private institutions in Erasmus+ countries. It can take place in the summer of the first, second, third, fourth and fifth year. In this case, an Erasmus+ agreement between the two institutions is not a prerequisite. The procedures to be performed at the beginning of the mobility are specified in this guide. The student earns ECTS appropriate to the duration of education in summer traineeship and the Erasmus + mobility he / she has realized is indicated in the Diploma supplement.

When the summer traineeship is Basic/Clinical Sciences Research, it can be programmed as part of the “Academic Research Track” (ART) by making the relevant arrangements.  ART summer traineeship can be realized at the earliest when the second academic year is completed. The application can be made as of the fall semester of the second year. After the application is accepted by the OIA, if it is desired to be programmed under ART, the ART coordinator should also be applied to. At the end of the mobility, the student must fill out the ART Traineeship Student Evaluation Form (Annex 4), ART Project Report Form (Annex 5) and ART Mentor Check-list (Annex 6) for ART, as well as the documents required for the Erasmus+ program to be submitted to the Office of International Affairs, and submit them to the ART coordinator.

Clinical Sciences Training (clinical or laboratory) can be programmed as a Phase 2/3 clinical elective course after successful completion of Phase  1 (Year 1, 2 and 3) at the earliest, by making the relevant arrangements. The application can be made in the fall or spring semester of the third year for the third year summer traineeship. Prior approval (Application and Approval Form, Appendix 7) of the relevant course coordinator from IUE Faculty of Medicine is required for the elective course. At the end of the mobility, the necessary forms [Application and Approval Form, Medical Attestation Form (Annex 8), Student Evaluation Form (Annex 9), Portfolio (Annex 10) and Elective Course Selection Form (Annex 11)] for the Phase 2/3 clinical elective course must be completed and submitted to the relevant elective course coordinator.

6.1.2.2 Erasmus + Clinical In-Semester Traineeships:         

These traineeships are clinical courses covering at least two months in the fourth, fifth and sixth year.  They can be programmed to be equivalent to in-semester clinical courses at IUE. For clinical courses that are evaluated by grades, it is necessary to go to institutions with Erasmus+ agreements.  In case of courses and elective courses evaluated by qualification, Erasmus+ agreement between the two institutions is not a prerequisite. It is essential to obtain an acceptance certificate from the institution to be visited.

Year 4 and Year 5 in-semester clinical traineeships take place within the scope of “student mobility for studies”. The approval of the relevant course coordinator from IUE Faculty of Medicine is required. The “Exchange Programs Recognition Chart before Mobility” (Annex 2) is signed before departure. After returning, the “Exchange Programs Recognition Chart after Mobility” is signed (Annex 3). When the mobility is completed, the Clinical Course Student Evaluation Form (Annex 12), completed and approved by the visited unit coordinator, must be submitted to the course coordinator.

If mobility is planned for the clinical in-semester elective course, the Elective Course Student Application and Acceptance Form must be signed by both the elective course coordinator and the supervisor of the other party.

At the end of the Erasmus+ traineeship period, the student must have the education officer of the institution visited sign the necessary documents for the Office of International Affairs and submit them to the IUE OIA. In order for the mobility to be counted as an Elective Course and/or Academic Research Track (ART), or as a clinical traineeship course, other forms required for equivalence must also be submitted to the relevant coordinator.

6.2 For students coming to IUE Faculty of Medicine from Erasmus+ countries:

6.2.1 For student mobility for studies, there must be a signed agreement between the two institutions and the receiving institution must support the student within the scope of Erasmus+. 

In the “Learning Agreement” to be signed between the two parties, the coordinator of the course that the incoming student will take is specified as "mentor". There may be more than one course/mentor. The learning agreement must be signed by the IUE Faculty of Medicine academic Erasmus+ coordinator.

6.2.2 For Student Mobility for Traineeships, the incoming student's education plan must be approved by the relevant course coordinator and the learning agreement indicating the course supervisors (mentors) must be signed by the "Incoming Student's Learning Agreement" (Annex 13) by the IUE Faculty of Medicine academic Erasmus+ coordinator.

6.2.3 Immunization Certificate: Students coming to IUE Faculty of Medicine from abroad for student mobility for studies/traineeships must have the "Immunization Record Form" (Annex 14), which certifies that they comply with the immunization requirements, approved and submitted to the relevant Vice Dean.

7. What are the important steps for students going with Erasmus+ mobility?

7.1 Obtaining "approval" from the institution (center) in the destination country (This is the most important step). In the communication of students with the intended centers, a motivation letter and CV targeted to that center are required. In this regard, the Erasmus+ coordinator, semester/course coordinator faculty members, or advisor faculty members can be consulted. For the approval letter to be obtained, Sample of Acceptance letter for Research Training (Annex 15) and a Sample of Acceptance Letter from the Hosting Institution for Clinical Traineeship (Annex 16) are also presented.

7.2 Making the application from the Erasmus Application portal configured via E-Devlet:

It is important to complete the application by the deadline specified in the announcements made by the Office of International Affairs on its website. For student mobility for studies, it is sufficient to upload the document showing English proficiency as well as the current transcript to be downloaded from E-Devlet at the application stage. For student mobility for traineeship, in addition to these two documents, the Acceptance Letter to be received from the institution where the traineeship will be carried out and the Erasmus Mobility for Traineeship Institution Approval Form (Annex 1) signed by the Erasmus+ coordinator of the Faculty of Medicine must be uploaded to the system.

7.3 Agreement after being selected for Erasmus mobility:

Students, who will benefit from the student mobility for studies, must prepare an Online Learning Agreement (OLA) to be signed by the Erasmus coordinator of the Faculty of Medicine via the online platform, within the framework of the rules to be explained by the Office of International Affairs (OIA) during the orientation presentation. Students who will benefit from the summer traineeship mobility must fill out the Learning Agreement for Traineeships (Annex 17) as specified in the guide to be sent to them and have it signed by the Erasmus+ coordinator of the Faculty of Medicine.

The "responsible person from the sending institution" for the learning agreement is the IUE academic Erasmus+ coordinator. The responsible persons of the related courses are written as "mentor". The learning agreement form is shown in the Appendix. If there is an elective course (traineeship), clinical traineeship to be considered equivalent, or research traineeship to be included in the ART program, the "evaluation forms" required by these trainings must also be completed.

7.4 Other things to do before departure:

7.4.1 Visa procedures: It is the student's responsibility to initiate and complete visa procedures early.

In recent years, due to bureaucratic reasons, waiting times and rejection rates for Schengen visa applications in Turkey have increased significantly. It is extremely important for students selected for Erasmus+ mobility to determine their mobility dates and start visa procedures early. Depending on the country of destination, one of the most important documents required from students who will study abroad within the scope of Erasmus is the visa/grant/confirmation letter prepared by the sending institution stating that the student will benefit from Erasmus mobility and will receive a grant. Following the application results, selected students should contact OIA at least one week before the visa appointment date to request this letter.

7.4.2 Documents to be uploaded: The documents that students who will benefit from Erasmus+ mobility must upload to the Erasmus Document Management System (KION) before going abroad are as follows:

• Acceptance Document
• Euro account application form 
• Health insurance policy
• Learning Agreement for Traineeships
• Letter of Commitment
• Copy of the Visa - Students should upload their visas to KION once they have been issued, after which they will be sent a link to the Online Language Support (OLS) exam.   The OLS result document must be uploaded to the system.

7.4.3 Grant Agreement: After these documents are uploaded to KION, a grant agreement is signed between the student and OIA. This document must bear a wet signature, and if this document is not signed before departure, the Erasmus mobility cannot be officially started and the grant payment cannot be made. Students, who benefit from mobility as "non-grant", even if they will not receive an Erasmus grant, must sign the Erasmus grant agreement (Erasmus Plus Outgoing Student Commitment Letter Sample,) in 2 copies and submit it to OIA with wet signature before their mobility starts and before leaving Turkey.

7.4.4 Confirmation of Arrival:

After the student leaves the country for student mobility for studies/traineeship, a Confirmation of Arrival is sent to the student to be filled in and signed by the institution. This document must be uploaded to KION.

(All this information is clearly provided in the information e-mails sent by OIA after the student has been selected for student mobility for studies. Attention should be paid to the communication flow).

7.4.5 Letter of Commitment: Students are required to sign a "letter of commitment" and upload it to KION before going abroad.

7.5 Things to do after student mobility for studies/traineeship:

7.5.1 The procedures to be completed at the end of Erasmus mobility for OIA are as follows:

• The post-mobility section of the learning agreement (Learning Agreement for Traineeships - After Mobility) must be signed by the visited institution and uploaded to KION.
• The Certificate of Attendance taken from the visited institution must be signed by the Erasmus officer of the institution and uploaded to KION.
• Participant Report: The European Commission automatically sends a questionnaire from the system after the student's mobility is completed and the student is required to fill out the questionnaire.
• Signed recognition chart after mobility is required after mobility.

All students benefiting from Erasmus mobility with or without a grant are required to complete the above steps (Section 7.5) within one week after their return.

7.5.2 For Faculty of Medicine: In the case of elective courses, Clinical Training to be considered equivalent, or Clinical Sciences Research to be included in the ART program, the "evaluation forms" required by these trainings must also be submitted to the relevant units of the faculty of medicine, signed by the institution visited.

ANNEXES

ANNEX 1: Uygulamalı Eğitim Yeri Onay Formu (Erasmus Mobility for Traineeship Approval Form)

ANNEX 2: Hareketlilik Öncesi Ders Tanınma Belgesi (Exchange Programs Recognition Chart before Mobility) 

ANNEX 3: Hareketlilik Sonrası Ders Tanınma Belgesi (Exchange Programs Recognition Chart after Mobility) 

ANNEX 4: ART Uygulamalı Eğitim Öğrenci Değerlendirme Formu (ART Traineeship Student Evaluation Form)

ANNEX 5: ART Proje Rapor Formu (ART Project Report Form)

ANNEX 6: ART Mentor Yükümlülükleri (ART Mentor Check-list)

ANNEX 7: Başvuru ve Kabul Formu (Application and Acceptance Form)

ANNEX 8: Tıbbi Onay Formu (Medical Attestation Form)

ANNEX 9: Öğrenci Değerlendirme Formu (Student Evaluation Form)

ANNEX 10: Portfolyo (Portfolio)

ANNEX 11: Ders Seçme Formu (Elective Course Selection Form)

ANNEX 12: Klinik Ders Öğrenci Değerlendirme Formu (Clinical Course Student Evaluation Form)

ANNEX 13: Gelen Öğrencinin Öğrenim Anlaşması (Incoming Student’s Learning Agreement)

ANNEX 14: Bağışıklama Formu (Immunization Record)

ANNEX 15: Araştırma Lab için onay yazısı örneği (Sample of Acceptance letter for research training)

ANNEX 16: Klinik uygulamalı eğitim için onay yazısı örneği (Sample of acceptance letter from the hosting institution for clinical traineeship)

ANNEX 17: Uygulamalı Eğitim İçin Öğrenme Anlaşması (Learning Agreement for Traineeships)

ANNEX 18: Erasmus +  Giden Öğrenci Taahhütname Örneği (Sample of Commitment to be signed by the outgoing student)

Contact Info:

IUE Office of International Affairs

Phone: +90 232 4888350-+90 232 4888187

E-mail: oia@ieu.edu.tr

IUE Faculty of Medicine Erasmus+ Coordinator        

Prof. Dr. Gül Akdoğan  

Phone: +90 232 4888245

E-mail: akdogan.gul@ieu.edu.tr