WIDENING EDUCATIONAL AND PERSONAL HORIZONS
The National Student Exchange (NSE) provides opportunities for you, as an undergraduate student, to study for up to one calendar year at another NSE member college or university. With more than 180 colleges and universities from which to choose, you should be able to find a campus with just the right combination of courses, facilities, and environment to meet your personal and academic needs and interests. As you consider the possibilities, you will notice that NSE extends beyond the borders of the United States to include U.S. territories as well some Canadian provinces. Students participate in NSE in order to:
Broaden personal and educational perspectives
Explore and appreciate new cultures
Widen university boundaries
Take courses not offered at the home campus
Learn from different professors
Access courses with different perspectives
Explore new areas of study
Experience personal growth
Live in a different area
Investigate graduate or professional schools
Look for future employment opportunities
Become more independent and resourceful
If you qualify for participation, you will join the
more than 70,000 students who have been placed in life-changing exchange
situations which challenged their thinking, expanded their educational and
personal experiences, and encouraged them to take risks and reap the rewards
of doing so.
Eligibility
Each year, more than 3000 students participate in NSE. They continue to make progress toward home campus degree programs while studying in new places, meeting new people, and enrolling in specialized courses or unique academic options which may not be available on their home campuses. Your campus has an application process that includes at least the following minimum eligibility criteria established by NSE.
Full-time enrollment at the home campus prior to exchange
Cumulative 2.5 GPA (4.0 scale) or better
Good standing (academic, personal, and financial)
Your home campus as well
as the host campus may have additional requirements and/or restrictions on
exchange participation. You can learn of these from your campus NSE
coordinator and from the NSE Directory.
You
may participate in NSE for a single term or a full academic year. Some
campuses can accommodate summer exchange. The maximum cumulative total for
exchange participation may not exceed one calendar year.
Your home campus determines the manner in which your host campus courses are distributed and grades are recorded. You should consult with your academic advisor regarding course selection prior to going on exchange and preferably during the time you are exploring possible host campuses.
There are two tuition payment plans utilized by NSE. Note that some schools use only one payment plan, while many participate in both. Under Plan A, students pay the in-state (resident) tuition/fees to their host campus. Students who participate on Plan B pay their normal tuition/fees to their home university. Room and meals are always paid to the host campus. On both tuition payment plans, fees which are assessed as a condition of enrollment (e.g., fees for laboratory courses, general service, computer, technology, art and photography supplies) are always paid to the host campus. You will be responsible for transportation, personal expenses, and sightseeing opportunities while on exchange. Financial aid for eligible students is applied for, awarded by, and disbursed from the campus at which tuition/fees are paid.
The following are helpful resources as you consider exchange participation and select an appropriate exchange location.
Meet with your campus NSE coordinator.
Study the NSE Directory.
Review host campus catalogs for course descriptions. Links available at http://www.nse.org
Consult your academic advisor.
Consider how much flexibility you have regarding course selection.
Explore participation with parents and significant others.
Determine if financial resources are sufficient for the exchange.
Talk to your financial aid officer.
You apply for exchange through the NSE coordinator at your home college or university. Most campuses require an application process that includes a non-refundable application fee, a current transcript, letters of recommendation, goal statements for your exchange, biographical data, and a personal interview. Most campuses require that the application processes be completed by mid-February for placements to be made in March. Your home campus NSE office sets the application deadline for your university.
Most placements are made through the in-person negotiation of home and host coordinators at NSE's annual conference in early March. Annually, 97% of the applicants are placed at one of their campus choices. Placement probabilities are governed by the number of openings at an institution and the number of students seeking that location.
Placements are confirmed by signing a Placement Acceptance Form that will be sent to your host campus. Upon receipt of that form, the host coordinator will forward enrollment materials which usually include an institutional admissions form, a housing application, and registration information which must be completed and returned by stated deadlines. At the end of the term preceding exchange you must have maintained all eligibility requirements applicable at the time of application. You must also complete a written advising agreement governing work to be completed at your host campus.
"NSE is a once-in-a-lifetime experience"
Amber
Weingartner
University of Minnesota,
Twin Cities
to
the University of Hawaii at Manoa