International academic exchange of students of the faculty of economics

Students of the faculty of economics of NUBiP of Ukraine gained a unique experience of international academic mobility Erasmus+ in the autumn semester of 2025-2026 academic year, studying at leading European universities — PURPAN University (Toulouse, France), Polytechnic Institute UniLaSalle (Mont-Saint-Aignan, France), Wiener-Neustadt University of Applied Sciences (FHWN) (Wiener-Neustadt, Austria) and the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences (Switzerland). Exchange programs have opened up new professional opportunities, international contacts and cross-cultural experience for them.


Experience in France: sustainable development and international business

Yulia LYUBAR was studying in Toulouse (France) at the University of PURPAN in the program «Principles of Sustainable Luxury.»

During mobility, she studied disciplines related to sustainable development, climate change, the functioning of sustainable systems, and business management. Most of all, she was interested in courses on premium marketing and sustainability.

The training had a practical focus: throughout the semester, students worked in groups on a large-scale project, which they defended at the end of their studies, and also regularly completed individual tasks.

Yulia deepened her knowledge in the field of sustainable development, developed strategic thinking, trend analysis and marketing skills in the premium segment.

Despite the initial adaptation to the new educational system and language environment, there were no learning difficulties. The language barrier quickly disappeared due to constant practice in the international environment.

The student was particularly impressed by the openness of the French, their support for Ukraine and the comfort of life in France. Among the warmest memories — joint dinners and walks with an international group, as well as a themed Erasmus evening, during which students presented the cuisines of their countries.


Anna PAVLOVA, Anastasia SHISTYA and Sofia REDKA were trained at the Unilasalle Polytechnic Institute in the specialty «Sustainable management and international trade» and the master's program «Master of Science in data management in the agricultural and food sector».

The program covered a wide range of disciplines: «International business development strategy», «Geopolitics and international issues», «international marketing and service management», «Global environmental issues», «Innovations», «Life cycle analysis», «Business analytics / Business information support», «IT data management», «Business analytics», «Data analysis» and others.


Courses on global environmental issues, international marketing, digital transformation, data analysis, and text mining were of particular interest. The students actively worked on group projects and research. Among the most interesting works:

  • analysis of the relationship between wine production and exports in 9 countries using RStudio (correlation, PCA and cluster analysis);

  • international study of student sleep habits using LimeSurvey and statistical analysis;

  • analysis of the «Tide Pod Challenge» case;

  • research of the international financial statistics database;

  • development of a video project to solve a global environmental problem.

In addition to the academic component, the students visited farms, agricultural exhibitions, museums, laboratories, participated in conferences in Paris and numerous events for international students. The highlight was the trip to Etretat.

The training contributed to improving the English language, developing skills in data analysis, critical thinking, teamwork, and a deeper understanding of business social responsibility. Despite certain difficulties of adaptation and language challenges in everyday situations, students successfully integrated into the international environment.


Erasmus + mobility program provided an opportunity for students to meet young people from France, Germany, Italy, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Japan, Vietnam, the United States and other countries, which contributed to the formation of international contacts.

All participants note that studying abroad is is not only academic development, but also an opportunity to get out of your comfort zone, become more confident and expand your horizons. They recommend mobility experience to other students as an extremely valuable stage of personal and professional growth.


Experience in Austria: business consulting and finance

Sofia TROYAN and Marharyta SAMCHUK underwent mobility in Austria in the city of Wiener Neustadt under the program «International business consulting» at the University of Applied Sciences Wiener Neustadt (FHWN).


Sofia TROYAN studied such subjects as Company performance analysis, international business law, marketing and sales controlling, statistics for business and economics, and German (level B2.1).

The most exciting course was «Analysis of companies' activities», which was implemented in the format of a large-scale group project. Students analyzed the activities of two companies for potential synergy: they studied the market, competitive environment, financial indicators, calculated the effect of the merger, and predicted income and expenses based on real data.

This experience allowed them to deepen their knowledge of financial analysis, develop strategic thinking and professional presentation skills in English.

The highlight was a joint trip to the Alps, which brought together students from different countries and became a symbol of international friendship.


Marharyta SAMCHUK studied at the faculty of business, where she mastered such disciplines as: academic skills, corporate finance AI, corporate governance and business ethics, statistics for business and economics, strategic management and corporate planning.

She was particularly enthusiastic about the course «Corporate finance», which allowed her to dive deeper into the field of corporate finance and compare international approaches to teaching the discipline.

The training was interactive: constant group work, presentations, analysis of practical cases. Although there was a language barrier in the beginning, regular communication helped her to gain confidence quickly enough.

In addition to studying, the student took part in numerous cultural events: conquering the peaks of the Alps, visiting a chocolate factory, walking around Christmas Vienna. It is getting out of her comfort zone and overcoming her inner fears that Marharyta calls her most important achievement.


Experience in Switzerland: marketing and artificial intelligence

Oleksandra ILCHUK completed mobility at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences (Switzerland) at the faculty of business and administration.

Among the studied disciplines — «Marketing», «Financial management» I and II, «Knowledge creation: working with professional literature», «Communication in organizations using artificial intelligence». The most exciting course was devoted to the use of artificial intelligence tools in organizational communication. As part of a group project, the student and her team developed strategies for using AI for internal and external communications of companies.

During her studies, she improved her skills in public speaking, teamwork, analytical thinking, and practical use of digital tools.

Oleksandra was also impressed by the nature of Switzerland and the high level of infrastructure development.


An experience that changes

All students note that international academic mobility — this is not only about learning, but also about personal development, international acquaintances, cross-cultural communication and self-confidence.

They unanimously recommend that other students take advantage of the opportunity to participate in mobility programs, because it is an experience that expands horizons and stays with the person forever.