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Attend an Exchange Information Session

Exchange Information Sessions are an opportunity to meet a Study Overseas staff member who will through the essential information you need to know in preparation for applying to an exchange program.

To check when the next Exchange Information Session is scheduled for, visit Exchange Information Sessions.

If you can't make it to an Exchange Information Session, contact Study Overseas.

Check your eligibility

Before starting an exchange application, check if you meet Study Overseas' eligibility requirements.

Also note that your Faculty may have their own eligibility requirements for you to participate in an exchange program. Refer to your Faculty's Study Overseas website to review their eligibility requirements, links available under the Eligibility tab.

Research potential host universities

When applying for exchange you will be asked to list three host universities, in order of preference, for where you would like to be placed.

To find suitable host university preferences for exchange, you can:

• ,
• Browse for universities by region,
• Browse by study area, or
• .

To help you gauge how many exchange places may be available at each host university, Study Overseas provides place availability indicators on the host university's information page. These indicators are: High competition for places, Moderate availability of places, and High availability of places. For further information about these indicators, see the Choosing preferences tab.

Don't forget to also factor in the geographical location of the host university, as well as the duration and time of the exchange program.

If you need any assistance, or would like to seek further advice about how to search for suitable exchange preferences, contact Study Overseas.

How to apply

Visit the and click the 'Apply Now' button to start an application. You should commence your application at least three weeks in advance of the deadline listed on the Outbound Exchange Program page.

When you apply, the system will prompt you to log in with your University of ���˲�Ʊ credentials. (You can always log back in through the ‘Log in to SMART' link on the Study Overseas home page.)

Once logged in, you will be asked to select the term for which you are applying. Semester 1 or Semester 2 applications are just for a single semester. If you want to go for two semesters starting in Semester 1, select Full (Calendar) Year. For two semesters starting in Semester 2, select Full Year.

As part of your application, you will need to:

• Accept the terms and conditions for the exchange program,
• Request a Faculty Pre-Approval check, i.e. confirm if you have room in your degree to participate in the exchange program, and
• List your top 3 host university preferences.

Study Overseas will assess your Outbound Exchange Program application after the deadline date.

Your academic results that are published at the end of the semester of application to Study Overseas will be taken into consideration. See Grade Release Dates to check when your results will be published.

Important dates and deadlines

Applications for exchange will open twice per year, one for each semester in the following year.

Be prepared to apply for exchange a year in advance of when you want to go. For example, if you want to apply for exchange in Semester 2, 2025 you will need to apply to Study Overseas in Semester 2, 2024.

Please note that if you are interested in applying for exchange to (single intake Canada), you may need to prepare to apply for exchange a year and a half in advance. For example, if you want to apply to a single intake Canadian university for Semester 1, 2026, you will need to submit your application in the Semester 2, 2025 application round.

Semester 1 Exchange

• Applications open February/March
• Applications close mid-June
• Exchange offers are made in late July/early August
• Apply directly to host university from August to November - application deadlines vary for each host university
• Host acceptances come in from October to February
• Start the exchange program in January to April - start dates vary for each host university

Semester 2 Exchange

• Applications open July/August
• Applications close late October
• Exchange offers are made in mid-December/early January
• Apply directly to host university from January to May - application deadlines vary for each host university
• Host acceptances come in from April to July
• Start the exchange program in July to October - start dates vary for each host university

Note: If you are interested in applying for exchange in Semester 1 for a , follow the application timelines for Semester 2.

Decision Date

The decision date is when eligible students will receive an offer for an exchange place at one of our host universities. You will be notified of your offer via email and through your online application in .

• Semester 1 Decision Date: late July/early August
• Semester 2 Decision Date: mid-December/early January

Post-Offer Information Session

If you receive an offer for an exchange place, you will also be invited to attend a compulsory Post-Offer Information Session. This session will explain what happens next in the exchange application process. It is also an opportunity to meet other students also applying for exchange in the same country or region as yourself.

Topics covered in this session include:

• Applying to the host university
• How to seek credit approval
• Responsibilities
• Passports
• Budget and finances

Commitment date

From the decision date, you have 14 days to commit to your offer for an exchange place.

Committing to an offer for an exchange place is an indicator that you wish to proceed with your application.

Please note that exchange places are not guaranteed until you are accepted by your host university.

Study Overseas understands that your circumstances can change. If you need to withdraw from the exchange program after you have committed, you just need to contact Study Overseas.

Nominations

Once you have accepted your offer for an exchange place, Study Overseas will need to contact your host university to nominate you as an exchange applicant.

A nomination is how Study Overseas lets the host university know which University of ���˲�Ʊ students will be applying for their exchange program so that they can contact students directly with application instructions.

In preparation for nominations, and if required by your host university, Study Overseas may contact you directly to request that you provide the following information:

• Passport number
• City and country of birth

Once you have been successfully nominated and have received a notification email from Study Overseas, your application status in SMART will change to 'Host Application to be Completed.'

Faculty Approval

As soon as you have committed to your program, you should start looking for specific courses offered by your host university that fit into your degree. You should attach information such as course descriptions, credit loads, and assessment requirements to your in the Faculty Approval (Request) questionnaire. We recommend you seek approval for more courses than necessary in case some are not available.

Students completing a double degree across two faculties (e.g. Bachelor of Engineering with Bachelor of Finance) will need to complete two Course Approval Forms, one per degree (e.g. one for the Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology and one for the Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Economics).

Make sure, when choosing courses that:

• They are available to exchange students.
• They are offered in the study period you will be on exchange.
• They are offered in the language of instruction for which you are eligible.
• You meet any prerequisites associated with the course.

Some universities do not release their course catalogues until quite late. In this case, you could base your research on courses offered in the previous year and be open to revising them later.

Again, your Faculty's Student Success Team will have many of these requests to complete so please allow up to 8 weeks for completion. If you have not received a response after 8 weeks, you can contact your advisor directly. We do not recommend that you make travel arrangements in advance of receiving final confirmation of your acceptance from your host university, and credit approval from your Faculty's Student Success Team. Until you receive these confirmations, your acceptance and credit is not guaranteed, and you may find yourself out-of-pocket for any arrangements you have made.

Students need Faculty Approval (Course Approval) for a minimum of 9 units of credit per exchange semester to be eligible for exchange.

Host Application

After your nomination has been submitted to the host university, Study Overseas will email you information about how to prepare for your host university's exchange application. This email will outline the host university's application deadline date, how you will receive application instructions, what documentation to prepare, and if available, information about accommodation, course selection and enrolment.

Documents that you may be asked to prepare for your host application can include:

• Official University of ���˲�Ʊ academic transcript
• Passport ID copy
• Proof of finances, e.g. bank statement
• Proof of vaccinations or health status, e.g. medical certificate, chest x-rays
• Course selection list

Please note that some of the above documentation may incur a cost to you (e.g. transcript, passport, doctor's visit), so be prepared to include these potential costs in your initial budget.

Once your host application has been completed, you will need to upload evidence of this to your exchange application in . Study Overseas will then update your application status to 'Awaiting Host Application Acceptance.'

If you need any assistance with your host application, please contact Study Overseas.

Host Acceptance

Once your exchange application has been received by the host university, it will undergo an internal assessment process on their end. If it's successfully approved, they will release host acceptance details to you.

Host acceptance is confirmation that you have been admitted into the host university's exchange program, and should include information about orientation and program dates, how to obtain a visa (if applicable), and more.

A host acceptance may be issued as a hard or soft copy document, or in some instances, it may simply be an email. Depending on your host university, they may release your host acceptance details on a rolling basis, or after a particular date.

Once you have received host acceptance details, a copy will need to be uploaded to your exchange application in . Evidence of host acceptance is required to help Study Overseas update your program's itinerary details in SMART, update your application status to 'Accepted to Host Institution,' and verify your eligibility to receive funding.

If you have questions or concerns regarding your host acceptance, please contact Study Overseas.

Complete your exchange application in SMART

Before you get ready to depart for your exchange, you will need to ensure that you complete all required sections of your exchange application in . This includes:

• Uploading evidence of a completed host application,
• Uploading evidence of official host acceptance details,
• Providing bank details (required if applying for funding such as the OS-HELP loan), and
• Confirming your ���˲�Ʊ enrolment for each semester of exchange.

Once your application has been completed, Study Overseas will update your application status in SMART to 'Ready to Depart.' This is an indicator that you have completed all the requirements on the University of ���˲�Ʊ's end and have been approved to commence your exchange program.

There are deadlines for when you must obtain Faculty Approval and a 'Ready to Depart' application status in SMART. See below for the relevant deadlines for each semester.

Faculty Approval Deadlines

• Semester 1: 15 November
• Semester 2: 15 June

Ready to Depart Deadlines

• Semester 1: 15 January
• Semester 2: 15 August

Enrolling at ���˲�Ʊ

As noted above, you will need to enrol at the University of ���˲�Ʊ for each semester of exchange.

Your Faculty's Student Success Team advisor will confirm which exchange placeholder course(s) you will need to enrol in via the Faculty Approval (Course Approval) questionnaire. If you cannot find the advice about which exchange placeholder course to enrol in, or are unable to find the exchange placeholder course in Access ���˲�Ʊ, contact your Student Success Team directly for assistance.

Please note that Study Overseas will check if you have enrolled in the relevant exchange placeholder course(s) for each semester of exchange. If you are not enrolled, you will not obtain a 'Ready to Depart' status in SMART.

Funding

If you are on track to obtain a 'Ready to Depart' application status in SMART, you may be eligible to start applying for funding. For further information about the below or other funding opportunities, visit the Funding webpage.

OS-HELP loan

OS-HELP is a loan scheme administered by the Department of Education that allows students to borrow an amount of funding for a six-month period overseas for a maximum of two study periods.

If eligible, students can apply for an OS-HELP loan via their application in SMART. Evidence of host acceptance and faculty approval must be provided before an OS-HELP loan request can be processed.

For information about OS-HELP, including maximum loan amounts and eligibility criteria, visit the Funding webpage and the Australian Government's .

Australian Government Grants

On occasion Study Overseas may receive grants from the Australian Government to help financially support students during their overseas study experience. For information about grants currently available and any eligibility criteria that may apply, visit the Funding webpage.

Centrelink

If you are receiving Centrelink payments, it is your responsibility to check how overseas travel may affect those payments. You should not assume that your payments will continue. For advice about Centrelink and how to check how overseas travel may affect those payments, visit the Funding webpage.

During your exchange

Once you arrive at your host university things may feel hectic for the first few weeks. You may feel excited for the new adventure that awaits, or you could be happy to have landed and enjoy the effects of jet lag. To make sure that you have a good start to your exchange, be sure to do these things shortly after arriving and/or throughout your exchange:

• Contact family and friends to let them know you arrived safely.
• Visit the international centre at your host university to let them know you have arrived.
• Attend the orientation program and all social activities to meet people and get a hold of your new surroundings.
• Ensure that you have access to funds.
• Obtain student card and concession cards.
• Update your contact details in .
• Check your University of ���˲�Ʊ emails regularly or redirect your messages if necessary.
• Share your experiences with Study Overseas on .

Cultural adjustment

After the initial excitement of being overseas starts to wear off, you may start to notice subtle differences that you may not have noticed at first that begin to become more obvious as time goes by. The curiosity and excitement on discovering these cultural nuances may start to turn into frustration or anxiety. Culture shock does not always happen quickly; it can accumulate from a series of events that constantly challenge your basic beliefs about what is 'right' and 'normal'. Managing your expectations and keeping an open mind are the keys to adjusting successfully.

Tips to help you adjust:

• Make friends with a 'local'
• Be a tourist
• Try something different
• Do something familiar
• Ask for packages from home

Global IQ Connect

Although you can try to mentally prepare yourself for the cultural adjustment shift, sometimes you can still find things are hard. Remember, these feelings are normal!

To help you prepare for the experience of cultural adjustment, consider taking part in the Global IQ Connect Program before you depart for your exchange. This program gives students an opportunity to build and develop their intercultural skills through engaging with other students from different countries and cultures. It can help you understand the role culture plays in communication and interaction, and how situations are often experienced differently by the people involved.

To learn more about the Global IQ Connect Program, visit the Global IQ Connect website.

Academic matters

Changes to your study plan

If you arrive at your host university only to find that you cannot take the courses approved via Faculty Approval (Course Approval), you will need to follow the as soon as possible to check if any new course(s) is acceptable for credit approval. Please don't assume that 'they will be alright'. You may find yourself short on credit when you return, and this may increase the time it takes to obtain your degree.

Contact your Faculty's Student Success Team if you have any questions about making changes to your exchange study plan while overseas.

Returning early

If you are approved to exchange for two semesters, but decide to return after one, you must notify Study Overseas immediately.

Extending your exchange

While you're overseas on exchange you may decide to extend your exchange for an additional semester. If this is the case, you must notify Study Overseas immediately to find out if it is possible. Also consider securing further accommodation and ensuring that you have enough funds to extend.

When deciding to extend your exchange while overseas, you may find that the extension process can be complicated, faculty approvals need to be re-negotiated, and your extension may even be denied if another student is already in place to attend that university the following semester (as exchanges are managed on a give-and-take basis with a set number of places available per semester).

Please note that the final decision about being able to extend is one that must be made mutually between Study Overseas and the host university.

Support while you're overseas

Being in a foreign environment can be quite emotionally challenging and it can sometimes be difficult. It is important to be aware of the support services available to you. Study Overseas strongly encourages students to contact the relevant support services available if they are struggling.

Many of the University of ���˲�Ʊ's personal and academic services are available while you are overseas. Feel free to also contact Study Overseas if you require any assistance.

Visit the international centre at your host university to find information on help from counselling services, or similar support.

Your exchange feedback survey

After you complete your exchange program, Study Overseas wants to hear your feedback about your experience. Upon the conclusion of your exchange program, a feedback survey will appear in your exchange application in . Complete this survey to let us know about your experience, and suggestions on how the program could be improved for future students.

Transcripts and credit

At the end of your exchange, your official exchange transcript will be sent directly to Study Overseas. Please be aware that Study Overseas does not request transcripts to be sent to us urgently from host universities unless one full semester has passed since the end of your exchange.

If you receive your official exchange transcript directly from your host university, send it straight to Study Overseas for verification. Your Faculty's Student Success Team will not accept transcripts from students directly.

Once your transcript has been received, we will work with your Faculty's Student Success Team to allow for the transfer of appropriate exchange credit.

Note that if you complete a full year exchange, Study Overseas will not process your transcript unless we have received your results for both semesters of the exchange.

Students in their last year of study should be aware that due to overseas processing times, on occasion transcripts are received after the deadline for graduations and your eligibility to graduate may not be finalised until the following round. Study Overseas does not request transcripts to be expedited from the host university for students to graduate in their preferred ceremony.

Transfer of credit

The individual courses that you complete on exchange, and the results which you receive for them, will not appear on your University of ���˲�Ʊ transcript. Upon successful completion, you will receive a grade of “NFE” (No Formal Examination) next to your exchange placeholder enrolment with a comment saying that you received transfer credit for studies completed at your host university.

Please note that if you do fail a course at your host university that was approved for credit at ���˲�Ʊ, this credit will not be transferred over to your ���˲�Ʊ record.

For any questions about transcripts and credit, please contact Study Overseas.