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International Student Exchange

With the International Student Exchange (ISE), you can attend any one of our partner schools throughout the world. The ISE offers you true immersion, since you’ll be living and studying in your host country for the Fall or Spring semester, or both! The ISE is open to all majors and you’ll need to have a 3.0 GPA in order to be eligible. What’s great about the ISE is that you pay your FIU tuition, which means any scholarships or financial aid that you receive can go towards your study abroad experience. A student can either go in the UCC in ISE program or the ISE program depending on their academic requirements.

Find Your Program! 
Partner Institutions 

Benefits

  • Study alongside students from your host country in regular university courses at any one of our ISE Partner Institutions.
  • Experience student life and true immersion by getting involved on campus
  • Pay your FIU tuition and receive all of your regular scholarships and financial aid
  • Open to all majors

Important Deadlines

All application materials must be submitted by the following dates:

  • Fall or Academic Year – March 2
  • Spring – September 16

If you’re looking for an affordable way to get truly immersed in another culture, the International Student Exchange (ISE) program is a phenomenal option. This program is open to all majors. During the exchange, participants study alongside local students in regular university courses at one of our partner institutions. Participants enroll in the equivalent of 12 or more credits towards major, minor or general degree program requirements. Students still pay FIU tuition and are able to receive all the same scholarships and financial aid they normally would for on-campus courses. Participants are responsible for all other expenses (flights, housing, living expenses, etc.).

  • Minimum 3.0 GPA
  • Language Fluency (reading, writing and speaking) in the language of instruction (please refer to location details on the Program pages)
  • May not go during your final semester at FIU
  • Students must take 12 credits or more towards their major, minor, or general degree program while abroad
  • All University Core Curriculum (UCC) must be completed

The application process

If you have any questions regarding the program, the application process, or if you’d like to RSVP for a session or meet with a Education Abroad Coordinator, please call our office at (305) 348-1913. Good luck!

  • Step 1 –Begin an ISE Advising Application

    To get started, you must first create an ISE Advising Application. You can do so by clicking the following link. This application will include an introductory video presentation about the ISE program, a quiz based on the video, and a Student Academic Information Questionnaire. 

    You can only be considered for the ISE program after completing the ISE Advising Application. 

  • Step 2 – Browse Schools/Host Institutions

    Take a look at the universities we have partnerships with on our ISE Partner Institutions page. Not only will these pages give you general information regarding each university, they also include a link to each university’s official website so you can start browsing around there as well. Keep in mind that certain schools are only available to certain majors or students in particular programs.

  • Step 3 – Browse Courses

    Once you’ve narrowed down which schools interest you, click on each school’s official link and navigate your way to their course offerings. Check to see if any of the courses offered could apply to your degree requirements. Remember, while abroad you should take courses towards your major, minor, or elective requirements. What’s important is that the courses taken abroad somehow fulfill requirements towards your degree.

    NOTE: OEA cannot guarantee a particular university will have all the courses you need. Also, course selection will start after your acceptance to the ISE program. 

  • Step 4 – Appointment with Academic Advisor

    College Academic Advisor 

    You should then make an appointment with your Academic Advisor to tell them that you’re interested in studying abroad and to see if you are academically eligible to participate in ISE. Students should also explore what courses you can transfer in, what courses must be taken at FIU, and what courses you have yet to fulfill within your program. Remember, at this first appointment, your advisor won’t be officially approving courses, it’s just for you to get a better idea of what courses you need so you’ll know what to look for in a potential host institution.

    Office of Education Abroad 

    Once you have met with your college academic advisor, you can then schedule a one-on-one meeting our Outbound Exchange Program Coordiantor to discuss your preferences, review academics, and answer any other questions. 

    Corey Ryan, Outbound Exchange Program Advisor

  • Step 5 – OEA Reviews Advising Application

    After you submit your ISE Advising Application, OEA will review for eligibility and will be able to grant you access to apply to your top choice university. 

    You will then be able to access the Pre-Decision ISE Application. 

  • Step 6 – Application Submission

    Submit all application materials by the appropiate deadline. This includes: 

    1. Personal Information questionnaire 
    2. Statement of Purpose 
    3. Signature Document - Academic Standing and Student Conduct Information
    4. Signature Document - Non-Refundable $195 OEA Fee Information
    5. Academic Advisor Recommendation 
    6. Academic or Non-Academic Recommendation 
    7. Schedule your ISE Interview before 5pm on the deadline day 

    Deadline: 

    Fall/AY - March 1st
    Spring - September 15th 

  • Step 7 – Interview

    Once you’ve submitted your application, an interview will be scheduled, which will give our office a chance to get to know you better, ask questions, and give you a chance to familiarize yourself with the rest of the application process. You will also need to provide us with your top 3 choices, with a maximum of 2 universities in any given region. Interviews will be conducted on a rolling bases. 

  • Step 8 – Conditional Acceptance

    Based on your application materials and interview, you may be conditionally accepted to the ISE program. The Office of Education Abroad will provide you with next steps. 

  • Step 9 – Host University Application
    Once you have been conditionally accepted, you will begin the Host University Application. More information will be given to you in your acceptance email. 
  • Step 10 – Post-Acceptance Meeting

    You wil be required to attend a Post-Acceptance Meeting where you will not only have the opportunity to meet other ISE students, but will learn more about the post-decision process. At this point, there are a number of OEA documents that must be completed and submitted to the OEA Portal. These include: 

    • Medical Information Form
    • Budget Form 
    • Course Equivalency Form 
    • Passport Copy 
  • Step 11 – Course Equivalency

    Once you’ve been accepted, you will work with your academic advisor and have them fill out and sign off on your Course Equivalency Form to find out how the courses abroad will transfer into FIU. You’ll need to bring the host insitution's syllabi of the courses that interest you to this meeting so that your advisor can determine an appropriate FIU equivalent. Ideally, you’ll want them to sign off on more courses than you actually plan to take, just in case some of the courses you wanted to enroll in are full or aren’t being offered.

  • Step 12 –Visa

    Our office will provide you with a Consulate Letter and your host institution will provide you with an Acceptance Letter to help you get your visa.  However, it is your responsibility to find out whether you require a student visa and to apply for and obtain a student visa on your own.

     

  • Step 13 – Pre-departure

    Before you leave on your program, you will be required to attend a *mandatory* Pre-Departure Orientation where you’ll be given a pre-departure packet to prepare you for your trip.