:: National Student Exchange Program::
The NSE provides opportunities for you, as an undergraduate, to study for up to one calendar year at another NSE member college or university. With more than 170 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 as 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.
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. Students going to or coming from universities in Canada apply for financial aid at their home campus regardless of whether the exchange is made on Plan A or Plan B.
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
- 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.
- Talk to a current or former NSE student
You can apply for participation on your home campus. If you are approved for participation, you are accepted on exchange by the host campus on a space available basis. Financial aid is applied for, awarded, and disbursed from the campus at which students pay their tuition and fees.
If you are interested in applying to the program, you can download, complete and bring by the following forms to Monica Schechter in the Study Abroad office.
* Program Application [pdf]
* Language Proficiency Report [doc]
If you are planning to exchange to one of NSE's member campuses in Puerto Rico, you must demonstrate Spanish proficiency at your home institution through an interview with a faculty member or administrator preferably whose first language is Spanish. A Language Proficiency Report will need to be completed.
The deadline for submitting an application for the 2005-2006 academic year is on Tuesday, February 18, 2005. Once you have completed your application material, you will need to schedule an interview with the NSE Coordinator, Monica Schechter. The interview is an opportunity for the NSE coordinator to review your application with you and ask questions that have emerged since you began your application process. Your acceptance into the program is based upon your meeting both Cal Poly’s and the potential host campus’ eligibility requirements and availability of spaces. Your placement at an NSE exchange campus will be decided at the NSE Placement Conference held in March. Immediately following the conference, you will be notified of your participation status and a placement information meeting will be held.
For more information about the NSE program, you can attend one of the student informational meetings held on a quarterly basis. Detailed information about the time and location of the meetings can be found by acessing the Quarterly Student Informational Meetings web page. If you are unable to attend the schedule informational meetings or want to get information now, you can visit the Monica Schechter, in the IEP office located in the Mathematics & Science Building 38 Rm 106.
You can also visit the National Student Exchange web site. To access online version o catalogs of participating universities and colleges click on NSE School Catalog Links and select the university for which you are seeking information.
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