Student Exchange
What are Student Exchange Agreements?
These are agreements through which individual UW Oshkosh students "trade places" with students from a university abroad. Typically, students pay tuition and fees to their home campus and accommodation and meals at the host campus. Faculty do not accompany individual students abroad. Student exchange programs must be negotiated in partnership with the OIE.
Applying to Develop a New Exchange Agreement
- Complete the Application to Begin Initial Planning for Exchange Programs.
- Attach a memo, addressed to both the Provost and the Chancellor, justifying the need for a new exchange program. Include information on how costs will be covered when developing the exchange. Add other information you feel is appropriate.
- Submit the Initial Planning application and memo to the OIE.
- Make an appointment with the OIE Director to discuss the Initial Planning application.
The OIE will review the application, check U.S. State Department and other health & safety sources and forward the application, along with a written recommendation on approval or denial, to the Provost. The Provost makes final determinations as to whether an application is accepted or denied.
If approved, the OIE Director will meet with you for approximately 2 hours to discuss development of the Request to Develop a Student Exchange Agreement. You may need additional meetings to cover everything. After this meeting:
- Travel to the proposed partner institution. *see "Your Contact Abroad" below.
- Host representatives from your proposed partner institution on campus. Plan at least 1 1/2 - 2 hours for proposed partner institution representatives to meet with the OIE Director while they are on campus.
- Complete the Request to Develop a Student Exchange Agreement while traveling. This must be completed in coordination with your proposed partner institution abroad.
If approved, the OIE will work with you to create a fee estimate, web page and flyer for your program.
NOTE: New programs must be approved by the Provost and Vice Chancellor before they can be advertised to students as official UW Oshkosh programs. This does not, however, prohibit you from talking to students about the possibility of offering such a program and asking for feedback from students.
Faculty/Academic Staff Advocates' Responsibilities
All advocates should actively promote the exchange and be open to appointments with potential participants. Faculty advocates should also arrange for a program orientation near the end of each semester (or when appropriate) for all participants who will exchange for the following term. Student orientation should be coordinated with the OIE Director, as exchange students are required to attend orientations through this office as well.
OIE Responsibilities
The OIE is responsible for maintaining contact with the liaison abroad in order to accept and send students. The OIE will manage the application process, student payments, and orientation.
Your Contact Abroad
Be aware of the responsibilities and relationship to the international office (if there is one) of the person you are working with abroad. Very often, administrators (at any level) and faculty are not aware of policies and procedures in place at their institutions for developing and administering student exchange programs. While your contact may be the best person to meet with to discuss curriculum and credit transfer issues, s/he may not be familiar with campus housing, meal options/requirements, transcript format, course enrollment procedures, etc. In addition to meetings with faculty colleagues and other supporters, be sure to request a meeting with the staff who will actually implement a student exchange.
Timing
There are no deadlines for the Application to Begin Initial Planning for Exchange Programs or the Request to Develop a Student Exchange Agreement. However, keep in mind that the OIE will need time to review proposals, write exchange agreements and correspond with foreign counterparts before an agreement can be finalized. After an agreement is finalized, the OIE will need time to work out program fees estimates and create a web page and flyer to advertise the program. The amount of time it takes to develop an exchange will depend largely on whether or not the foreign institution has a developed International Office with procedures in place for accepting foreign students. The OIE can work with established international offices, faculty liaisons, or administrative liaisons.
This page was last updated on: June 26, 2007