Circle U. Opportunities for Students

Paris Cité University is part of the European alliance Circle U., which enables it to offer its students the opportunity to broaden the scope of their academic skills. All educational activities of Circle U. are thus freely accessible on the open campus of the alliance. A wide range of topics are covered in order to approach major societal challenges such as Climate, Global Health, Artificial Intelligence, and Democracy with confidence.

The European alliance Circle U. brings together Paris Cité University, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, King’s College London, UCLouvain, the University of Oslo, the University of Aarhus, the University of Belgrade, the University of Pisa, and the University of Vienna.

How to apply for a Circle U. course if you are a student from UPCité

The European alliance Circle U. offers several different courses. These programmes may include mobility or be taken entirely online. They may also award ECTS credits. Before registering or applying for one of Circle U. open campus courses, students at Université Paris Cité must read the application procedures set out below.

Courses with ECTS

Please note that at UPCité, the UE libre is worth 3 ECTS. Therefore, whatever the number of ECTS awarded by the course in the partner university, UPCité will only recognise 3 ECTS within your programme.
Do not forget that the ECTS you will get through each Circle U. activity will only be recognised the following semester.

Online course with ECTS

1. Have your academic supervisor or thesis supervisor sign the authorisation to participate form

Before applying for a course offered on the Open Campus, you must have the course leader or your thesis supervisor sign the authorisation form. Only then you will be able to apply for the selected course directly through the Circle U. open campus. Applications will be assessed by the organising university of the activity.

Students are advised to contact both the Circle U. team at UPCité and their faculty’s academic services department to present their project and ensure that the ECTS credits for their chosen activity are recognised.

2. Apply via the Open campus of Circle U.

Once this step has been validated, students can apply directly on the Open campus of Circle U..

3. Make sure you ECTS are recognised

Once the course has been completed, whether online or face-to-face, students will receive a transcript of records showing that they have obtained ECTS credits. They will then be able to select the activity in question as part of the UE libre in the following semester when they register for the course. Students will then be able to send their transcript of records and their signed authorisation to take part to the administrative team of their programme.

Please note that any validation request that does not include these two completed and signed documents will not be validated! Please make sure that you request permission to participate and that you select the free UE after completing the course.

Courses with ECTS including mobility

1. Have your academic supervisor or thesis supervisor sign the authorisation to participate form

Before applying for a course offered on the Open Campus, you must have the course leader or your thesis supervisor sign the authorisation form. Only then you will be able to apply for the selected course directly through the Circle U. open campus. Applications will be assessed by the organising university of the activity.

Students are advised to contact both the Circle U. team at UPCité and their faculty’s academic services department to present their project and ensure that the ECTS credits for their chosen activity are recognised.

2. Fill out the activity form and have the learning agreement signed

If selected, they will be invited to complete the mobility form for the activity on MoveOn. A copy of their ID, a certificate of enrolment, and their language proficiency level will be required.
At the same time, students must have their learning agreement or credit recognition commitment signed by their programme coordinator or thesis supervisor. Without this signature, no mobility grant will be awarded.

3. Fill out the mobility grant application form

Once the first form is approved by the Circle U. team, selected students will receive a link to complete the mobility grant application form. They will then need to provide the exact dates of their mobility and upload their bank details (RIB). Once submitted, the processing of the form may take a few weeks.
Please note that the allocation of grants is based on social criteria, and Paris Cité University does not allow the accumulation of grants.

4. Validate your stay

Once arrived at the destination, the final step to validate the stay is to request a stamped and signed participation certificate from the organiser, clearly stating the dates of the event. This document must then be sent to the Circle U. team at the DRI at the end of the mobility, otherwise the mobility grant received will need to be refunded.

5. Make sure you ECTS are recognised

Once the course has been completed, whether online or face-to-face, students will receive a transcript of records showing that they have obtained ECTS credits. They will then be able to select the activity in question as part of the UE libre in the following semester when they register for the course. Students will then be able to send their transcript of records and their signed authorisation to take part to the administrative team of their programme.

Please note that any validation request that does not include these two completed and signed documents will not be validated! Please make sure that you request permission to participate and that you select the free UE after completing the course.

Courses without ECTS

 

Courses without ECTS including mobility

In the case of a 100% virtual activity that does not award ECTS credits, students at our university are free to enrol via Circle U. open campus.

Courses with ECTS including mobility

Université Paris Cité does not offer mobility grants for this type of activity, so you will need to finance your stay yourself. However, for security reasons, we ask that you contact the Circle U. team to fill out the mobility form for the activity on MoveOn.

FAQ

I would like to take part in a course offered on the Open Campus. When should I select the UE libre in my programme?

The UE libre allows ECTS credits obtained as part of a course offered by a partner university to be recognised a posteriori. It must therefore be selected only after you have received your transcript of marks, which certifies that you have passed the course. This means that there is a time lag between the period when you actually took the course and the semester when the course will be included in your programme.
For example, if you are in L2 and you take a course at a partner university in the first semester, you must select your free UE when you register for the second semester of L2. During the semester, you should contact the L2 Registrar for your course and send him/her the supporting documents. The UE libre can then be validated in your second semester of L2.

I am in my 1st or 2nd year of my BA or my 1st year of MA and would like to take part in a Circle U. course during the 2nd semester. Is this possible?

Yes, but as the recognition of this course is a posteriori process, it will have to take place during your 2nd year if you’re a first year BA student, 3rd year if you are a 2nd year Ba student or 2nd year if you are a 1st year Ma student. Therefore, if you wish to take this course, you must have the next year academic supervisor sign the authorisation to take part and select the free UE (UE libre) in the 1st semester of 2nd year of BA (for the 1st year student) / 3rd year of BA (for the 2nd year student) or 2nd year of MA (1st year of MA).

I am in L3 or M2 and I would like to take part in a Circle U. activity during the 2nd semester, is this possible?

No, as you will not be able to have your credits recognised within your course.

Can I receive accommodation when going on a short mobility programme?

Organisers may offer accommodation at preferential rates. Don’t hesitate to contact them to find out about the various options available to you.

 

Learn more:

→ Circle U. European Alliance
→ Circle U. Open Campus
→ Circle U. Newsletter 

Circle U. Contact at UPCité :

→ circleu.iro@u-paris.fr

 

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