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Internationalisation and cooperation with other universities are extremely important issues for the ELISAVA educational project. In this framework, the school actively promotes exchanges with European universities, primarily in the scope of the Erasmus+ programme, and with institutes on other continents through specific bilateral agreements.
ELISAVA is an attractive destination for international students, who identify Barcelona as one of Europe’s design capitals and highly value the competence and dedication of our teaching staff.
The value of exchanges rests in bi-directionality, given that the presence of students from other countries represents a great cultural contribution to ELISAVA and that our students are equally enthusiastic to have the chance to complement their educations abroad. ELISAVA fosters the exchange of information and experiences among incoming and outgoing students with the aim of international students being better integrated in the life of the school.
Thanks to mobility programmes, ELISAVA welcome some 30 exchange students each trimester.
Students at institutions with whom ELISAVA has signed a bilateral agreement can apply for a place in an exchange programme. The length of the exchange varies between a minimum 3-months period and a maximum 9-months period.
If you are interested in being an exchange student at ELISAVA, consult the international relations service at your university to find out full details about the programme.
If your university has not signed a bilateral agreement with us, you can contact the ELISAVA Coordination of International Mobility (exchange@elisava.net) so that we can study the viability of a new agreement. Remember that the process of signing a new bilateral agreement can be long and take several months.
Students who wish to apply to participate in an exchange programme at ELISAVA must have finished at least 2 academic years of study or have 120 ECTS credits, as well as having received prior authorisation for the exchange from their university of origin.
Final acceptance by ELISAVA depends on the number of available spots and is subordinate to submitting a portfolio and its review by an examination board.
ELISAVA offers Bachelor's Degrees in Design (with specialisations in Graphic Communications, Product Design, Space Design, or General Design) and in Engineering in Industrial Design (with specialisations in Product Design, Product Engineering, and Product Management)
Degree studies are four-year programmes, which consist of a total of 240 ECTS.
Following the structure of Pompeu Fabra University, the academic year at ELISAVA is divided into 3 trimesters, each consisting of 10 weeks of classes and one or two weeks of exams.The week before Christmas holiday is traditionally reserved for holding the International Workshops, in which participate third-year students which are taking courses on specific uses of English.
This is our academic calendar (indicative dates):
1st trimester: from October to December2nd trimester: from January to March3rd trimester: from April to June
Like the majority of European universities, ELISAVA uses ECTS (European Credit Transfer System). One ECTS credit equals a standard of 25 hours of activity, of which 10 hours have the presence of a professor (lectures, seminars, and supervised study sessions) and the remaining 15 hours are where students do theory-based and practical exercises and assignments.
One academic year equals 60 ECTS credits, broken down into trimester blocks of 20 ECTS credits.
Exchange students who need to take more than 20 ECTS in one trimester can do so by taking additional courses from among the subjects available in second, third, and fourth year.
To be accepted as an exchange student at ELISAVA, you will need to:
Phase 1. Nomination
Phase 2. Aplication
Phase 3. Admission
Phase 4. Orientation and enrolment
Your home university will have to send us your nomination by e-mail to exchange@elisava.net including the following information:
Nominations must reach ELISAVA before the deadline established for each trimester:
1st trimester / 1st & 2nd trimesters / Full year: deadline 15th May2nd trimester / 3rd trimester / 2nd & 3rd trimesters: deadline 15th October
After being nominated by your home university in order to participate in the ELISAVA exchange programme, we will send you some information about our online exchange application tool. You will have to upload the following documents:
You will have to submit your application online before the deadline established for each trimester:
1st trimester / 1st and 2nd trimesters / Full year: deadline 1st June2nd trimester / 3rd trimester / 2nd and 3rd trimesters: deadline 2nd November
Additional requirements: Students applying for Graphic design are required to send us a portfolio in print form, A4 format, as well. Portfolios must be sent by post before the application deadline to the following address:
ELISAVA BARCELONA SCHOOL OF DESIGN AND ENGINEERINGOffice of International ExchangesAcademic Unit SectionLa Rambla 30-32E-08002 BarcelonaSpain
After documents are received, ELISAVA will select candidates according to the quality of the documents provided and the available spaces.
Within approximately one month, ELISAVA will send notification on the success of the selection process to both students and their universities.
In caseyou were accepted, you would receive an official acceptance letter and detailed information on the curriculums and courses offered during the period of your exchange, along with other information that may be useful in organising your stay in Barcelona.
You will be able to enrol in third year subjects, with the option of expanding this selection to 2nd and 4th year subjects (except for the Final Degree Project in the 3rd trimester of year 4), depending on the number of credits required by your university of origin.
You must send written confirmation of your acceptance within the 15 days after you received notification of being selected. This will help us to offer vacancies to possible students on the waiting list.
If, after accepting, something comes up and you will not be able to do the exchange, please contact us immediately to this end.
We recommend that you arrive at Barcelona at least a few days before classes start so that you can look for a place to live and organise other basic matters involving your stay here.
There will be a welcome meeting on the first day of the trimester: We will introduce you to the team who will help you out during your stay, show you around the school, tell you about the places available in each course and provide you with details about the enrolment process.
You will then have approximately one week, during which you can meet the teachers and confirm your choices about the classes you will take, before the official enrolment date.
Starting then, for all purposes you will be an ELISAVA student.
Classes are taught in Spanish and Catalan and, in the majority of cases, exchange students are tutored in English by the professors.
Although it is not a reason for exclusion for your participation in the exchange, it is very recommendable to have at least basic or intermediate knowledge of Spanish, as well as English.
ELISAVA does not offer language classes but, in the download area of this page you can find a list of language school in case you want to improve your linguistic skills.
In order to facilitate accommodation for non-local and international students, ELISAVA has agreements with different residence halls andaccommodation services that offer special conditions for its students.
Check the list of residences and hosting services with agreements with the School
Barcelona is known as a city that lives and breathes design. Design permeates the entire urban fabric, which is dotted with museums, art galleries, exhibition halls and showrooms.
Click here and discover more details about this city
ELISAVA does not process student visas and/or resident permits for incoming students.
If you do need a visa or resident permit for Spain, you should contact your country’s diplomatic relations departments for Spain as soon as possible to find out the conditions and timelines for applying for and receiving these documents.
Exchange students are exempt from paying enrolment fees.
Among large European cities, Barcelona is not one of the most expensive, but you will need to have enough resources to participate in an exchange programme. By way of example, we have provided a list of basic expenses:
