How to apply for international exchange?

There are two application periods annually. You can apply for both international work placement and student exchange in this application.

February application period

• • Student exchange in spring 2026 (or autumn 2025)
  • 20 January – 14 February 2025

September application period

• • Student exchange in autumn 2025 (or spring 2025)
  • 2 September – 27 September 2024

The recommendation is that you apply one year before departure. It is also possible to apply 6 months before departure, but applicants that apply one year before are prioritised in the selection process.

The basic rule is that you must have basic competence in your field of study before the exchange. It is not possible to study or complete a work placement abroad during your first study year at Diak.

Each degree programme has different recommendations for the timing of the exchange. Contact your study guidance counsellor to discuss the timing further.

Bachelor of Social Services

• Semester 4: PRA2
• Semester 5: PRA3 (recommended)
• Studies abroad are possible during 4th and 5th semesters. It is recommended to complete elective studies abroad.

Bachelor of Health Care, Nursing (Diak curriculum, your studies started in August 2024 or later)

• 5. semester: PRA7 + PRA8 or PRA9
• Less recommendable, 4. semester: PRA6 (if the student has an excellent command of the local language) + PRA8 or PRA9 (only European destinations)
• 6. or 7. semester: part of advanced studies work placement

Bachelor of Health Care, Nursing (Diak-Arcada curriculum, your studies started in August 2023 or earlier)

• Semester 4 (April onwards): PRA3 + PRA4
• Semester 5 (mid-September onwards): PRA4 + EXT (or PRA4 & PRA5 if the student has an excellent command of the local language) 
• Semester 7: EXT
• PRA2 Clinical practice: Internal medicine, Surgical Care must be successfully completed before going on exchange.

Master of Health Care, Master of Social Services

• Please make an appointment at the start of your studies with your study guidance counsellor and Diak’s international coordinator to discuss options

Apply for a work placement or study period abroad by filling in the application form.

Your final exchange destination does not need to be fixed when applying, but it is import to list the most interesting destinations in the application. The destination will be discussed and confirmed in the exchange interview.

Before filling in the application, please check the Exchange destinations available for your field of study at the Mobility Online database.

You can also look for a work placement organisation yourself. Also in this case you should fill in the application in order to get the work placement grant and credits. Select the country and write the name of the organisation yourself.

Next your study guidance counsellor will check the timing of the exchange and missing assignments.

Second part of the application is the student exchange interview. Please book a time slot for the interview below.

• Social Services (DSS) interviews
• Nursing interviews

Present in the interview are the student and international academic supervisor.

Topics discussed in the interview:

• objectives for the exchange
• exchange plan
• exchange destinations
• life situation of the student and
• exchange process.

The selections are made in the interview or shortly after the interview. The student will receive an acceptance email from Mobility Online.

After the acceptance the student follows the exchange student check list:

1. Completes the student exchange formalities at Mobility Online workflow
2. Enrols for the Student Exchange Orientation course KVS0002A22S one semester before the exchange
3. Completes other formalities listed in the check list

The next application info session will be held on 29 August at 2 pm. You can find the participation link in your timetable on Lukkarikone.

Info session materials

Info session recording

We will take the following issues into account in the selection:

1. Language skills
Usually the studying/working language in the destination is English, but check the destination database for language requirements. Required English level is B2 (see CEFR). Knowing the local language is always a benefit.

2. Timing and contents of the exchange are in line with the study plan of the student. The exchange does not prolong graduation.

3. Student has progressed according to the schedule in their studies.
Pending assignments  must be completed before the KVS student exchange orientation begins (in March/October the semester before the exchange).

5. Health and life situation of the student

6. Suitability for the destination
The student meets the other requirements set by the receiving institution. Some universities have GPA requirements for exchange students. Some work placement organisations are very challenging and require previous experience from the field.

7. GPA ranking
Some destinations have a limited number of places for Diak students. If there are more applicants than places, GPA is used as a selection criteria. GPA is taken from MyDiak after the application period has ended.