International Exchange Programs

Exchange programs operate through formal agreements between Texas State and partner universities located around the world. These agreements allow Texas State students to attend the partner university for one or two semesters.

The following are a few quick facts about Texas State Reciprocal Exchange Programs such as the total immersion:

Texas State students pay tuition and fees to Texas State and, typically, pay room and board to the host institution.
An exchange student is not obligated to find a counterpart to exchange places with nor to host an international student at his/her home.
The number of semesters students may participate depends upon space availability at the partner institution.
In most cases, participants study with host country nationals and/or other international students in regular university courses. Participants experience student life in a total-immersion setting.
Participants earn transfer credit. At the end of the exchange program, upon the student's request, the host institution will send a transcript to the Texas State Office of Undergraduate Admissions, the university office responsible for approving transfer credit. Transfer credit a student may apply to a degree is limited, so please discuss your specific situation with your academic advisor before finalizing your study abroad plans.
The language of instruction varies depending on the exchange program. In some cases instruction is in English, so in those cases foreign language skills are not required. However, where the language of instruction is not English, fluency in the language of the host country may be required.

In an exchange program, students are integrated directly into the host university. This requires students to be self-reliant and independent. Ask yourself the following questions to help determine your comfort with this level of independence:

How do you feel about traveling alone to another country? At times, more than one Texas State student will be participating at the same location, during the same semester. It is more likely, however, that you would be the only Texas State student at the exchange location.
When you have a concern or a problem, do you try to solve it yourself, or do you rely on others to take care of things for you? Exchange students must be proactive in resolving issues that arise before and during the exchange.
How patient are you? During the application and acceptance process for exchange programs, getting a response to an inquiry can take several days, and information may not be available when you wish to have it. For example, you will probably not have specific class schedule information before you arrive at your host institution.

It is important to acknowledge the challenges that an exchange student may encounter. Meeting these challenges, however, demonstrates that exchange program participants have experienced tremendous growth in the skills and traits many employers value in job candidates: independence, problem-solving ability, self motivation, tolerance, cultural awareness, and adaptability, among others. Click here to download the International Exchange application packet.