FAQs: Covid-19 UAB

On the following links you will find some useful FAQs on Covid-19.

01/04/2020

General: UAB

https://www.uab.cat/coronavirus/

General: Government of Catalonia (Generalitat)

https://web.gencat.cat/ca/coronavirus/preguntes-mes-frequents/

OUTGOING INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

1. I'm an exchange student and I want to come home, but I'll carry on with my studies at my destination university online.

You can interrupt your exchange stay and can opt to continue with the online courses at your destination university, using that university's assessment mechanisms.

Regarding the Erasmus+ programme, the European Commission has ruled that online delivery of courses can be treated as equivalent to on-site delivery. For this reason, under the consideration of force majeure, you will get your Erasmus+ grant for the actual period of the activity carried out, which you will need to accredit. To accredit the exchange stay, you must present the “Certificate of Stay” to your Exchange Office. This document can be signed electronically by the host (destination) university.

At the same time, if you are already in receipt of a Santander Erasmus+ grant, Banco de Santander will maintain 100% of the grant award.

If you are on the SICUE programme or the UAB Exchange Programme, the UAB will also recognise your online mobility courses for credit purposes and you will get the whole amount of your grant under the terms of the grant call. If you have been granted a Santander Iberoramerica grant, Banco de Santander will maintain 100% of the grant award.

If you continue taking your subjects with the destination university in online format you will not have to send us a certificate of stay with departure date until you finish your course.

2. I'm an exchange student and I want to come home but I cannot, or do not wish to, carry on studying at my destination university online.

If your destination university has closed and does not offer any online teaching and assessment procedures, you can withdraw from your mobility and come home.

In the current emergency, you can still withdraw even if your destination university does offer any of the above procedures.

The UAB will allow you to rejoin for the second semester if you notify your withdrawal before 3 April. Contact your exchange office: Exchange offices

If you are an Erasmus+ student, you can be paid the part of the grant that corresponds to the time studied in mobility, after submitting the certificate of stay. If your mobility stay has involved any special expenses (advances on rent, return flights, etc.), keep the receipts so that we can submit them to the National Erasmus Agency (SEPIE) for possible reimbursement. When you have finished your exchange stay and have all the financial receipts of expenditure (invoices, boarding cards, travel tickets, receipts, etc.) you should send them to us through this form, making sure that you also attach the Sworn Declaration that you can find here.

There is no guarantee these expenses will be covered but, in the case of mobilities that are cancelled or are still ongoing without having been completed, expenses may be justified in terms of force majeure. The amount of funding set out in your Grant Agreement may not be exceeded in any circumstances.

If you are a student on the UAB Exchange Programme and you have a UAB grant, you will receive the whole grant if you have had to interrupt your stay for reasons of force majeure. If you have been awarded a Banco Santander grant, you will not have to return it, as the criterion of force majeure is applied.

3. I'm an exchange student but I haven't started my mobility yet.

If you are an Erasmus+ student and you have made a payment (for travel, accommodation, insurance, etc.), for a mobility that is finally not taking place, keep the receipts so that we can submit them to the National Erasmus Agency (SEPIE) for possible reimbursement. When you have finished your exchange stay and have all the financial receipts of expenditure (invoices, boarding cards, travel tickets, receipts, etc.) you should send them to us through this form, making sure that you also attach the Sworn Declaration that you can find here.

If you have been granted a Santander Erasmus+ grant, you will not be able to receive this award.

There is no guarantee these expenses will be covered but, in the case of mobilities that are cancelled or are still ongoing without having been completed, expenses may be justified for reasons of force majeure. The amount of funding set out in your Grant Agreement may not be exceeded in any circumstances.

If you are a UAB Exchange Programme student and you have not started the mobility but have made a payment (for travel, accommodation, insurance, etc.), keep the receipts so that we can submit them for possible reimbursement.

4. I'm an exchange student for the next academic year, 2020/21. Should I continue with the paperwork?

Currently, because of the health crisis caused by Covid-19, we are simply not able to predict what kind of situation we will be facing in a few months’ time (August-September 2020). Right now, circumstances are dynamic and change over time, but uncertainties persist; for this reason, we cannot guarantee that the next academic year will start with face-to-face classes.

Mobilities are linked to regulations, instructions and recommendations from global and national health institutions that have limited international mobility. Additionally, mobilities and grants are subject to conditions of exchange-programme continuity and/or acceptance by the host university (that is, your university of destination).

For these reasons, we strongly recommend that you read the information published on https://www.uab.cat/coronavirus in detail, as well as the information that you receive by e-mail. We also strongly recommend that, for the moment, you do not make any purchases in relation to your intended mobility (airline tickets, accommodation, etc.).

However, you can continue with the paperwork, both for the host university (admission) and for the UAB (Learning Agreement)

The Area of International Relations hopes that normality will be resumed as soon as possible. At all events, we will keep you informed of all new developments as and when they occur.

5. I’m an Exchange Student for the 2020/21 academic year. My host university has cancelled all international exchanges for the first semester. Will I be able to carry out my exchange stay?

If the host university cancels exchange stays for the first semester, you can request your Exchange Office to modify your exchange stay so that it takes place in the second semester. The UAB Area of International Relations does not recommend requesting a change of destination since this situation (that is, cancellation of first-semester stays) could also occur in other locations.

If you do not wish to postpone your stay to the second semester, you can relinquish your exchange stay for the 20/21 academic year (this would be deemed “justified” and would not be penalised). You could then apply again when the call for the 21/22 exchanges comes out.

In light of the force majeur caused by Covid-19, we regret that we are unable to indicate with certainty what the situation will be for the 20/21 academic year, or indeed for 21/22.

INCOMING INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

1. Is UAB providing online options for students?

Instructions and methodologies have been established to enable teaching staff to replace onsite academic activity with online activities.

2. I’m an international Exchange Student and I wish to go back home. Can I also follow the classes online?

Your coordinator at the UAB or at your home university can help you take the best decision for your study programme. If you wish to travel home, you will be able to follow your current UAB classes from there and finish your mobility online

3. In the event of re-opening the classes, would I be able to finish the academic year online from my home country?

At present, it looks like all courses will finish the academic year online

4. I'm an international exchange student and at the moment I wish to stay. Would I be able to finish my courses online?

Yes, instructions and methodologies have been established to enable teaching staff to replace on-site academic activity with online activities.

5. I'm an international exchange student and I want to go home, but I can’t find transportation. What should I do?

You should contact your embassy to get help.