International mobility of students and academic staff both a) within the Erasmus + International Credit Mobility (ICM) Program, and b) in the framework of bilateral agreements with Partner Universities follows the European University “Rule for Participation in the International Academic Mobility Program”.

A)     Participation in the Erasmus + International Credit Mobility program is based on the results of the annual call by the European Commission. Therefore, the list of host universities for Erasmus exchange varies from year to year, but is growing at the same time. In 2020, the KA107 applications for international academic exchange with European University was submitted by Masaryk University (Czech Republic), West University of Timisoara (Romania), Daugavpils University (Latvia), and WSB University (Poland). In case these applications are successful, students and the academic personnel of European University will have the opportunity to travel to 4 new destinations under the Erasmus+ ICM framework.

B)     Unlike Erasmus+ ICM program, outgoing mobility based on bilateral agreements does not depend on the third-party funding. Within this type of format, the scholarship is provided by European University itself, which makes partnerships more stable and diverse. Moreover, unlike the Erasmus+ ICM program, the geographical area of this type of outgoing mobility scheme is not limited to Europe only and the host university can be located anywhere else in the world.

Students and academic staff wishing to participate in the Erasmus+ ICM program or the mobility scheme based on bilateral agreements are selected according to “the Rule for Participation in the International Academic Mobility Program”. The selection stages are as follows:

In case of Students:

1. Students interested in international academic mobility fill in the electronic registration form prepared by the International Relations Office.

2. Registered students that are deemed eligible to participate, are invited to the first stage of the competition, which involves taking an English language test face-to-face or via remote platforms.   

•  The student is required to have a B1 or B2 level English language proficiency, in the four language competencies (listening, writing, reading, speaking) conforming to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR),

•  Prerequisite for passing to the next stage is the accumulation of at least 60 out of the maximum 100 points available. Additionally, there is a 15-point minimal threshold that a student must pass in all four competencies.

3. The second and final stage of the student selection process involves an English-language interview conducted face-to-face or through a remote platform. The interviewers assess the motivation of the contestants in terms of the academic, professional and personal development.

Internal and external documents of the learning agreement are signed with the winning student, in which the study courses to be taken at the partner university, as well as the courses to be recognized at home university are listed, with the relevant credits indicated. By signing these documents, European University commits to recognizing the credits accumulated by the student at the partner university upon his/her return, in accordance with the scheme outlined in the document.

International Relations Office is responsible for coordinating the selection/recognition process of the courses, preparing the complete documentation required by the Embassy and the Host University and submitting it a timely manner, as well as providing the informational support to the student prior his/her departure to the host university. The winning student is obliged to share the copy of all personal documents required for international mobility with the International Relations Office and fill in the application form(s) requested by the host university according to the instructions.

In case of Academic Staff:

1. Academic staff interested in international mobility fill in the electronic registration forms prepared by the International Relations Office and upload the required documentations;

2. The authors of the fully completed registration forms are invited by the International Relations Office to deliver a lecture/presentation in English before the commission;

3. The competition for the selection of mobility candidates among the academic personnel involves a trial lecture for those planning to teach, and a presentation of research project for those interested in a research visit.

4. The contestants with the highest marks according to the programs are announced as the winners, and their number depends on the conditions pre-determined by the Rector through an order.

The documents required for the international mobility of students and academic staff selected through a competition are also prepared in accordance with "the Rule for Participation in the International Academic Mobility Program" and include the following stages:

External and internal documents of the teaching/research agreement are signed with the academic staff selected to participate in the International Academic Mobility Program. The former is responsible for defining the hours of lectures to be held or the plan of the research to be undertaken at the host university, and the second one outlines the post-mobility activities to be carried out at European University for the purpose of experience-sharing. By signing these agreements, the academic staff selected through a competition assumes responsibility for the conscientious fulfillment of the obligations at the sending and receiving universities.

 International Relations Office is responsible for preparing documentation related to the mobility of academic staff and delivering it to the partner university in a timely manner. Academic staff is obliged to share the copy of all personal documents required for international mobility with the International Relations Office and to fill in the application form(s) required by the host university according to the instructions.

 To assess the effectiveness of International Academic Mobility, upon their return from the host universities, students and academic staff participating in the program will be required to complete a questionnaire specially designed by the Quality Assurance Service.

Programs and courses offered in English

European University is executing 9 accredited educational programs, 2 of which are taught entirely in English and the remaining 7 in Georgian, though with a considerable English-language component.

 With the active involvement of the educational program heads and academic personnel, International Relations Office has developed a catalogue of English language courses for the 2020-2021 academic year, which offers a wide range of English language courses to international students interested in incoming mobility. The catalogue is subject to annual updates and serves as a proof of European University’s institutional readiness for the incoming international mobility.

 Additionally, European University and Porto Business School have agreed to develop a joint, English-taught, Master's degree program in International Business. International Admissions process is planned to begin in the the fall semester of the year 2021-2022, by reason of which the working processes are already actively underway

International experience beyond mobility

European University hosts a chapter of European Horizons, which allows for the internationalization of student activities. European Horizons is an international student network that unites more than 60 higher education institutions with the aim of implementing joint research projects, organizing international events and for networking purposes. Among the list are the world’s top-ranking universities such as Stanford and Yale in the United States, or Cambridge and St. Andrew's in the United Kingdom. Additionally, European University supports students through various financial instruments for them to gain international experience if their activities abroad are related to research or education. For example, in September 2020, following the successful negotiations with West University of Timisoara, a special quota was set for the European University students to participate in an online summer school. SThe registration fees of 5 students selected as a result of the internal competition were fully covered by European University itself. Subsequently, students had the unique opportunity to attend various courses and participate in professional workshops oriented to personal development.

With regard to the academic staff, affiliated personnel are financially supported through the special scheme designed for them, while others, including the visiting lecturers, may also receive the funding for their professional international activities, provided those are considered meaningful and relevant by the Faculty council. What is more, international experience at European University is attainable even without going overseas, as foreign experts are constantly being invited to hold workshops, seminars and share their best practices with the local staff, including via online platforms. In this regard, the following international academic activities funded by European University are noteworthy from the recent past:

On May 28, 2020, an online webinar entitled “How to get published in the Scopus Indexed Journals - top tips from Sebastian Kot” was held by the editor of the Scopus-indexed Polish Journal, Prof. Sebastian Kot, and had as its objective to encourage the international research activities of the academic staff of European University. The online webinar was attended by 22 lecturers, and the recording of the webinar was shared with the entire academic community of European University.

On June 6 and 27,2020, academic staff (10 lecturers) of European University attended two international online masterclasses: “The New Concept of State” and “Climate Action in Corporate Strategies”, jointly offered by Ernst & Young and Porto Business School. The initiative was fully funded by European University. Participants were awarded certificates of attendance from Porto Business School.

TOEFL Testing Center

European University has successfully completed the certification process provided by the Certified Test Administrator Services (CTAS) network and received approval from Educational Testing Service (ETS) to set up a university-based TOEFL testing center. European University signed the relevant agreement with ETS on June 12, 2020. ETS is the world's largest testing and assessment organization headquartered in the United States. European University has already received the necessary equipment from the United States. The center will be fully operational in the nearest future and the European University students will be able to obtain an internationally recognized English-language certificates at place.