GUIDELINES FOR FOREIGN STUDENTS APPLYING TO ACADEMIC EXCHANGES OR A DOUBLE DEGREE PROGRAM AT UNIVERSIDAD DEL ROSARIO APPLICATION PROCEDURE FOR EXCHANGES AND DOUBLE DEGREE PROGRAMS FOR FOREIGN STUDENTS Applying to Universidad del Rosario The International Relations Office of the University of Origin should sent the Chancellor’s Office at Universidad del Rosario the following documents of the student who is interested in the experience of an academic exchange at Universidad del Rosario: Registration Form: Student exchange program, Universidad del Rosario. This form is available at the following web site: http://www.urosario.edu.co/Internacionalizacion/ur/Intercambio-Estudiantil/. Students have to complete the form stating the courses he or she wishes to take at Universidad del Rosario. The student may take one or two semesters in the exchange program. This document must be approved and signed by the person appointed by the University of Origen for these procedures. The student may check the academic offer of Universidad del Rosario at the following web site: http://srvoas01.urosario.edu.co/pls/apex/f?p=102:9:1466040822426074 Cover letter from the Student University of Origin comes introducing the student as a candidate for an exchange at Universidad del Rosario. Resume with photo. A letter explaining the reasons that motivate the academic exchange at Universidad del Rosario. A recommendation letter written by a faculty member of the University or Origin. Grades transcripts up to date. Certificate of Proficiency in Spanish – level B1 Photocopy of valid Passport. These documents are sent to Carrera 6ª No. 14-13. Edificio Santafé Oficina 304. Bogotá, Colombia and an electronic copy is to be sent to: centinfo@urosario.edu.co Deadlines for documents: November 15: is the latest date in order to start the exchange in the first semester of the following year. The academic period starts on the first week of February and the second week of June. May 15: is the latest date in order to start the exchange in the second semester of the same year. The academic period starts on the first week of August and the first week of December. Confirmation of the student’s acceptance The Chancellor’s Office at Universidad del Rosario will send the application documents of the student who is applying to the exchange program to the requested School. 1 The School will check the application and will give the Chancellor’s Office an answer about the candidate. This procedure may take up to 15 working days. When the response of the School is received, an admission letter will be sent via e-mail to the International Relations Office of the University of Origin of the student. In this mail you will find the starting date, the courses to be taken and the induction dates, in the case of acceptance. Once accepted, a physical and an electronic mail of the following documents will be sent to the student with a copy to the International Relations Office of the University of Origin. To obtain a Visa: Admission Certificate of the student accepted in the Students Exchange Program. Certificate of Legal Existence and Representation of Universidad del Rosario issued by the Ministry of National Education. Cover letter from Universidad del Rosario to the Consul of Colombia requesting the issuance of the visa. For Academic and Courses Registration: Registration Form (undergraduate / Graduate program) Schedule Form Procedure for the registration of courses. At completion, these forms shall be sent by the person of the International Relations Office of the University of Origin, via e-mail or physical mail to the Chancellor’s Office of Universidad del Rosario at most fifteen days after receiving the Admissions letter. Campus When choosing the courses, it is important for students to take into consideration 7that Universidad del Rosario has three campuses located across the city: 1. Claustro: located in the center of the city. 2. Quinta de Mutis: located in the neighborhood “Siete de Agosto”. 3. North Campus: located at the northern side of the city at Calle 200. Registration Once the Registration documents are received at Universidad del Rosario’s Chancellor’s Office they will be sent to the Admissions Department of the corresponding School either for Graduate of Undergraduate studies for the registration of the students in the system called “Attending Student”. After the procedure has been confirmed by Admissions, the Schedule organized by the student will be given to the Registration and Academic Control Office in order to register the courses. Students who do not send the Registration Forms and the schedule within the dates set by the Chancellor’s Office, will probably find that some courses are no longer available since places are limited. 2 It is a requirement that students take the number of courses and/or credits demanded by the University of Origin. Therefore, the definite schedule must be approved by the Academic Coordinator of the University of Origin through an electronic mail to the Chancellor’s office. Changes to the timetable once the courses have been registered are not accepted, unless the courses have been cancelled by the School. Sponsor Student Before arriving to Colombia, Universidad del Rosario’s Chancellor Office will appoint international students a “sponsor student”. This student will guide and help the international student in the adaptation process to Colombia and to the University. Information regarding the “sponsor student” will be sent via e-mail. Additionally, a meeting for international students with their sponsors will be held to make sure they meet one another. Accommodation The Chancellor’s Office of Universidad del Rosario will help the student to find accommodation and will provide him or her data with different housing alternatives. Arrival to Colombia Before traveling to Colombia, the student should contact Universidad del Rosario Chancellor’s Office via e-mail to centinfo@urosario.edu.co, providing the following information: Name of the airline, flight number and arrival time. Amount of money for provisional lodging at a hotel near the university if required, while finding definite accommodation. At the arrival to the airport, the local authorities from the Administrative Department of Security (DAS) will request the documents that certify your visit as an Exchange student at Universidad del Rosario. Once trespassing immigration and collecting your luggage, a representative of the University will welcome you at the airport gate. This person will have a sign with your name and the name of Universidad del Rosario. Before your arrival to Colombia, you will receive via e-mail the address numbers and the mobile phones of staff from the Office to contact them in case of emergency. Likewise, you will be sent the contact data of the person who will pick you up at the airport. Formalization of your stay in Colombia and at Universidad del Rosario The student must show up at the Chancellor’s Office the day after his or her arrival. The address is Edificio Santa Fe, Carrera 6 A No 14-13, Oficina 304, where the student will be given some guidance. The phone number is 2970200 extensions: 174, 511 or 279. 3 The student must hand in a CD containing scanned images of the following documents: Colombian visa, international medical insurance, which is compulsory for all students. This insurance should have a very complete coverage plan and should cover the student from the first to very last day of stay in Colombia. International students must attend the induction events to receive relevant information about the University and the different services it offers. The Chancellor’s Office will inform the student via E-mail the induction dates. Attendance is compulsory. During this event, the student will receive this Student’s Code of Behavior, the Student ID Card and the definitive Schedule. Exchange Students should comply with the requirements and regulations of the Academic and the Disciplinary Code of Behavior and will have the same sanctions and rights as regular students of the University. Student Cards The Chancellor’s Office will report the Students Cards Office the specific data required to issue the ID card, which will be ready for the induction of the students. This Student card will allow the student to access the facilities of the University, including the three campuses, the library, the gym, etc. Immigration and Foreigner’s ID card Procedures The students is required to visit the Administrative Department of Security (DAS) office within fifteen (15) days of arrival to the country, to obtain the Foreigner’s ID card, which will be the required official identification document while in Colombia. For more information, please contact this website: www.gobiernoenlinea.gov.co To obtain the Foreigner’s ID card the student needs the following documents: Passport and two (2) photocopies of its main page. Request Form Two(2) photocopies of the Visa One (1) photocopy of the entrance to the country stamps Slip of a deposit for 144.2501 Colombian pesos in Davivienda Bank (checking account) Cuenta Corriente #056990203. For more information contact: www.davivienda.com Three (3) photos 3x4 cm, blue background Blood Grouping Test (Rh) and a photocopy of the results 1 This amount varies annually. 4 Documents have to be taken to: Attention Center: Sub Direction of Foreign Affairs in Bogota Subdirección de Extranjería en Bogotá Address: Calle 100 No. 11B-27 Phone Number: 4088000 Fax Number: 6017219 Public hours: Monday to Thursday 7:30 to 4:30 p.m. Friday: 7:30 to 3:30 p.m. The following information is necessary to fill in the bank deposit slip: Nombre del convenio: Fondo Rotatorio del DAS Consignado por: Name of the student Referencia 1: Passport Number Referencia 2: 101 The issuance of the Foreigner’s ID card takes nearly seven (7) days. It is important to keep in mind that the Foreigner’s ID card is issued for the same period of time as the student’s visa. If the student wished to stay longer in the country, he or she shall renew the Foreigner’s ID card by repeating the whole procedure explained above at the DAS office. This renewal procedure has a cost to be paid by the student. Likewise, if while living in Colombia the student loses the Foreigner’s ID card, he or she shall: 1. Report the loss of documents at the nearest CAI (Immediate Attention Police Center). A copy of said report will be given to the student who has to have it at hand permanently until a new Foreigner’s ID card is issued. 2. Start the process to obtain a copy of the Foreigner’s ID card at DAS by presenting the complaint and the documents described above and making the corresponding payment. Course Withdrawal The withdrawal of a course from the program of studies has a deadline set by the Registration and Control Office of Universidad del Rosario. To learn about the exact deadlines, the student needs to see Mr. Luis Alejandro Vargas, advisor of exchange students, and request the course withdrawal by filling the form COURSE WITHDRAWALS (RETIRO DE ASIGNATURAS). Students may only withdraw up to 20% of the courses registered. If the student does not carry out the withdrawal within the set term, he or she will not be allowed to do it later nor by the end of the semester. We recommend students to get acquainted with the Academic Secretary of their School at the beginning of the semester. This person will be very helpful and will provide support in all academic aspects: courses, exams, teachers, medical excuses to justify attendance to class, and any other issues. Every School has an academic secretary. 5 List of Academic Secretaries: Political Science, Management and International Relations: Mariana Ruíz Tonelli (mariana.ruiz@urosario.edu.co) Office: Edificio Santafé. Carrera 6ª No 14 -13 Law: Yira Lopez (yira.lopez@urosario.edu.co) Office: Edificio Santafé. Carrera 6ª No 14 -13 Physical Therapy: Sandra Pulido (sandra.pulido@urosario.edu.co) Office: Quinta Mutis. Carrera 24 No. 63 c - 69 Human Sciences (Sociology, Cultural Management, and Journalism): Wanda Perozzo (wanda.perozzo@urosario.edu.co) Office: Edificio Santafé. Carrera 6ª No 14 -13 Administration: Rafael Piñeros (rpineros@urosario.edu.co). Office: Casa Pedro Fermín. Calle 14 No. 4 – 69 Psychology: Sandra Pulido (sandra.pulido@urosario.edu.co) Office: Quinta Mutis. Carrera 24 No. 63 c - 69 Economy: Lilian Bohórquez (lilian.bohorquez@urosario.edu.co) Office: Casa Pedro Fermín. Calle 14 No. 4 – 69 Medicine: Martha Negrete (martha.negrete@urosario.edu.co) Office: Quinta Mutis. Carrera 24 No. 63 c – 69 Natural Sciences and Mathematics: Evelyn Bautista (evelyn.bautista@urosario.edu.co) . Office: Quinta de Mutis. Carrera 24 No. 63 c-69 Lastly, if the students want to withdraw any course, he or she shall inform the advisor of the University of Origin in writing. Equivalence of Grades At Universidad del Rosario every course assigns an independent grade. Every semester the grades are recorded and an average is obtained. The highest grade is 5.0 and the lowest grade is 1.0. The passing grade is 3.0 and any grade below it means that the student has failed the course. Class Attendance It is important to know that at Universidad del Rosario, attendance to class is one of the duties of a student. According to the Academic Regulations, a course is failed when there is unattendance to 20% of the lessons in a theoretical course and 10% unattendance to practical-theoretical lessons. When not present at an evaluation or assessment, the student needs to justify the absence in writing and submit it to the Academic Secretary of the School, explaining the cause for unattendance and requesting an additional evaluation. This request may only be submitted within the 5 working days after the assessment was applied. Extension of the Exchange If the student wishes to extend the period of time initially agreed with Universidad del Rosario, he or she needs expressed and written authorization form the University of Origin, within the terms and time allowed by the Academic mobility program agreed in the bilateral Agreement. Time can be extended up to one year for a semester’s Exchange. A one-year Exchange may not be extended. No exceptions will be applied. 6 For extensions, students shall follow these steps: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Communicate the University of Origin the wish and the reasons to extend the timeframe. Send via e-mail the authorization granted by the University of Origin to the Chancellor’s Office of Universidad del Rosario. Carry out all the procedures to extend the Colombian visa. Carry out all the procedures to extend the Foreigner’s identity card. Carry out all the procedures to extend the international medical insurance. Give the Chancellor’s Office a copy of the courses planned to be taken and the approval from the University of Origin. Resignations If the student wishes to resign a semester of studies at Universidad del Rosario he or she shall communicate the resignation in writing to the Chancellor’s Office and the University of Origin, at least one month before classes start. Grades Certificate The Grades certificate will be sent by the Chancellor’s Office of Universidad del Rosario to the International Relations Office of the University of Origin once the academic process had been concluded. Said Certificate is requested form the Registration and Control Office by the Chancellor’s Office at the end of the semester and then sent via mail and E-mail to the University of Origin. Library Full Clearance Once the foreign student finishes her/his Studies at Rosario, the student must present in the office of the Chancellery the certification of “Paz y Salvo” from the Main Library, which certifies that the student does not have any debts for book loans. The student must ask for this certification in the main library of the university. The final certification of the student´s grades will be sent to the student´s home university only if the above mentioned certification is received by our office. Spanish for other language speakers The Multicultural and Multilingual Center offers language and cultures courses to meet the needs of a growing number of international students. Spanish is offered at communicative and academic levels. International students can visit Office 517 Edificio Santafé and talk to Mr. Hector Manuel Serna, coordinator of the center Phone number: 341406 extensions 246. For questions or inquiries please contact him at: hector.serna@urosario.edu.co. 7