Track B - University of Geneva Enrollment 

Step 2: Submit University Enrollment (Spring students only) - Due August 31st 

FOR TRACK B STUDENTS ONLY

Please complete the University of Geneva Enrollment by following the steps:

1. IMPORTANT: On August 13th, you received an email with the subject Université de Genève- online registration sent to you by Claire.Giordano@unige.ch (you may have to check in your spam folder).

2.  Mme. Giordano will give you the 5 steps necessary to get enrolled at the University, you can find the *content of this email below (subject to changes, last year's version).

3. To start preparing you plan of study, you will need to navigate the University 2024-25 course catalogue.

4. The University of Geneva (UNIGE) is responsible for providing visas and other legal documents allowing your stay. You need to check your UNIGE email account and are responsible for respecting their deadlines.

5. Smith College cannot be accountable for missing steps in the visa and the University’s registration process. In case of problems or questions, please, contact gpiron@smith.edu.

Note on French Test

You need to take a French placement test and to join it to your application (step. 5, documents).  Please, register here (you must enter your email address twice), validate and pay, then take the test. It should not take more than 40 minutes. It is divided into parts (grammar and vocab, written understanding, and oral understanding), and you will see that it is growing more and more difficult at each session in each part. Don't worry if you have to drop: it is intended to become increasingly difficult up to a native speaker's level! Just do your best.  At the end, you should click on the button on the top left which proposes to send you the result (A2-B1, B1-B2, maybe B2-C1 if you are very strong).  

Don't worry about the test, it may be imprecise and you will all take French courses to support your integration. However, note that some courses (Psychology, Science) are open only to students with a B2 level.  

The price is CHF 30.- (to be paid with a credit card). It will be reimbursed by Smith College (in cash when you arrive in Geneva).

Please upload the result of your test when you register online for your mobility – AND send it to the academic director Geneviève Piron by email. 

IMPORTANT: The University of Geneva is a French-speaking institution. Classes in English are a minority.

University of Geneva Registration Notes

Step 2: Register Your data is not saved until you have reached the confirmation step at the end of the registration form and clicked on “confirm”. Once you submit your form, you cannot go back and make changes.

Registration Step 1.2 Field of Study: Regardless of your major, please note a field that corresponds to what you want first and foremost to study in Geneva.

Registration Step 1.4 Mobility timetable: DON’T MAKE A MISTAKE HERE! THE DATES YOU INDICATE WILL BE THE DATES ON YOUR VISA!

§   Spring students starting date 20.01.2025 / end date 30.06.2025 

Registration Step 1.5 Main hosting faculty at University of Geneva: Please, regardless of your major, enter the hosting faculté (department) of the courses that you intend to take at the University of Geneva: you will be allowed to take courses in another department, but only in one other department (apart from French courses). SDS = Government, GSI = International Studies, GSEM = Economics, Lettres = Humanities;

IMPORTANT: choose Bachelor  (mandatory)

Registration Step 2.1 Study Plan: Indicate a minimum of five 6 ECTS  classes. Although you will most probably take French at the Smith Center  and will take less credits than that (Smith College requires 24 ECTS credits, i.e. 16 SC credits), it is required by the University to get the status of invited students. You will be able to fine tune these choices once in Geneva and discuss the plan of study in detail with your academic director (G. Piron). To choose your courses, please, consult the restrictions described in the attachment of the “University of Geneva online registration” email: “GUIDE Study Plan Courses_Restrictions_24-25.pdf" and follow the recommendations here (”Plan of Study: How  to navigate the University of Geneva course catalogue”)

*Université de Genève- online registration : example of the message sent by Claire Giordano on August 24th last year:

"You have been nominated by your home institution for an exchange at the University of Geneva.

To validate it, please register online by  September 10, 2024

 Please follow the steps 1 to 5:                      

1.    Draw up your study plan with the help of the attached “Guide Study Plan”; you will have to provide your study plan during your registration. To get the list of courses in English only, please tick the option “langue d’enseignement” as described in the guide.

2.    Prepare the documents you will need to upload (respect the format):

3. Please read the attached guide “Registration for mobility”, and then

4. Create your Orisis account and register, following the intructions given in the guide: https://wwwo.unige.ch/RiMobIn/faces/login

       5. Read our website to know more about your future exchange: www.unige.ch/geneva

Your acceptance letter and visa information will be sent by the end of October, provided that you have completed the registration correctly.

It is sent to the e-mail you used for the ORISIS account. Please always use this email to contact us.

Looking forward to welcoming you soon in Geneva,
Kind regards,
Claire Giordano
International Exchange Coordinator"