FALL 2008 Exchange Information
The
application for UH-Manoa students applying for exchange
beginning in the Fall 2008 term will be available in
December.
A link to the printable version of the application will be
found in the menu to the left and a hardcopy version will be available at our office location in QLCSS 206.
The priority deadline to submit
applications is Friday, February 15, 2008. Students
are encouraged to submit their completed applications
by the priority deadline. Following the priority
deadline, students may continue to apply for a limited time,
but will be limited only to the schools available at that
time. Students
applying for exchange to a limited school must submit their
completed application by our priority deadline.
Please read the information
below, which pertains specifically to UH-Manoa students
interested in going on exchange. There are also
informational meetings if you wish to attend. Details for
these meetings are located in the "Timeline" section of this
website.
The National Student Exchange Program offers students the
opportunity to study on the mainland for one or two semesters
(most exchanges begin fall term), paying either UHM tuition or resident
tuition at the host campus. Approximately 190 institutions
participate in the student exchange program.
Through new social,
cultural and educational experiences, the mainland experience
promotes growth in maturity, independence and self-confidence, as
well as new perspectives of self, family and the world outside of
Hawai’i. Students who have participated in the program are
enthusiastic about their experience and recommend the program to
others.
ELIGIBILITY
· Classified undergraduate
student enrolled full time.
· A cumulative GPA of 2.5 or
higher (only grades earned at UHM will be considered). This
GPA must be maintained at the end of spring semester, or exchange
placement will be canceled. Most placements are made in
March for the following fall or academic year, and the majority of
schools are available then. A few schools are available
for fall placement during April and May; even fewer schools are
available for spring only placements beginning in January. .
· Carrying 12 credits or
more the semester preceding exchange.
· Seniors
are eligible; however, it may be difficult to get remaining
graduation requirements because of limited course availability
at some schools. Seniors should check with their
respective academic departments regarding graduation
requirements before applying for exchange.
COSTS
· Non-refundable application
fee of $170. (Make checks payable to the University of
Hawaii)
· Plan A
Tuition: Pay host institution’s resident tuition and
fees.
· Plan B
Tuition: Pay UH Manoa tuition and fees.
· (Some schools offer only
one plan; others offer both Plan A and B)
· Room and board for one
semester averages $3,500-$4,000 depending on host school. Some
cost more, some less
· Airfare to host
institution.
· Estimated total costs:
Averages $6,000-$7,500 per semester, depending on Plan and
location of exchange (less for mid-West or California schools)
FINANCIAL AID (Not
available on Plan B)
You must go on Plan
A to receive financial aid, with aid awarded by your host
school. Even if you have never received financial aid
before, you may be eligible. It is important to process
applications early (FAFSA by February 15), listing all schools you
might exchange to. Follow up with host school to see
what other forms they require.
LENGTH OF EXCHANGE
UHM participants may
exchange for fall semester or for a FULL academic year. A
limited number of schools are available for exchanges beginning
in January (see the window of QLCSS 206 from August through
October). The deadlines to apply for most of these is
October 1.
TRAVEL PLANS
The National Student
Exchange does not assist with travel plans. Students must
make their own arrangements.
ACADEMIC PLAN
After receiving official
notification of being placed at one of your schools of choice, you
will need to be advised by department and/or college advisors, and
to develop a two-year academic plan; a list of courses you plan to
take during your exchange (it is important to include a number of
alternatives, in case your first choices are not available), and
courses you plan to take the semester you return to UHM (you will
be registering online for the next fall in April while still at
your host school. (If you have a transcript sent back to UHM
Admissions and Records by February, your class standing for
registration will be advanced.) UHM advisors can determine
which host institution courses are equivalent to your UHM
requirements. You can get a preliminary idea of mainland
school courses which will transfer back to UHM by checking
"Transfer Credit Search" on the website:
www.hawaii.edu/admrec.
There are no guarantees
for getting courses. Although most schools register NSE
students with or ahead of their own continuing students, NSE
status is unclassified. Be sure to note closed or limited
majors for NSE at each school. If you are a business major,
be sure you choose a school with appropriate accreditation (list
available at Shidler College of Business).
**For some majors, you
need to declare and be accepted by the appropriate
department/college before going on exchange in order to access
courses in that field at the host school.
GRADES AND CREDITS
During your exchange, you
must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0. The grades earned
at your host institution will not affect your UHM cumulative GPA
which is calculated only on grades earned at
UHM.
TRANSFERRING TO HOST
SCHOOL AND RESIDENCY
Most students return to
UHM after their exchange. However, if you decide to
transfer, your year on exchange is not applicable toward
meeting residency requirements. Please notify the UHM NSE
office of your intention to transfer. Be careful not to
register to vote in your NSE state if you are not going to
transfer; if you do, you lose Hawaii residency.
The NSE Directory is available
in QLCSS 206; also available on the rack outside the office
door.
Please read the
printed materials carefully, and refer to the detailed information
in the NSE Directory, as well as that on the
http://nse.org/ website. Page 8 in the Directory
provides a list of resources on the website. Pages 9-11 on
“Exchange Policies and Considerations” contain very important
information for planning your exchange. Other helpful
sections of the Directory are described below. If, after
studying these sources, you still have questions, call 956-6772 or
e-mail sandyd@hawaii.edu and leave a message.
Each year 80 to 100 UHM
students participate in the National Student Exchange program
(NSE), spending one or two semesters at one of 190 participating
state universities on the mainland and in Canada. To
participate, you must be enrolled full-time and have a
cumulative GPA of 2.5. With careful academic
planning, the courses taken on exchange can transfer
back into the UHM degree program, without delaying
graduation. In considering which school is best for you, you
need to think of several factors, and consult all the available
information.
Making Preliminary Choices
of Your Preferred Schools:
Obtain the NSE Directory
of Exchange Opportunities Widening Your Educational
Horizons from the exchange office. Steps to follow in
making your selection are:
-
See pages
4 and 5 and map (50-51) for which state/part of the
country you prefer.
-
See pages
94-97 for campus enrollments and the size of
town/city in which the campus is located, as well as
figures showing whether the campus is a commuter campus and
what percentage live on campus.
-
A
searchable listing of majors offered by exchange schools is
available at the website
http://www.nse.org/cmajors.asp. Be sure the field
in which you wish to take courses is not listed as “limited”
or “closed” in the Directory under the school you wish to
visit.
-
Each
school’s catalog is also accessible through
www.nse.org
-
The
Directory provides detailed information on whether a school
is available on Plan A and/or B (financial aid is not
available on Plan B), and limitations in courses. See the
sidebar of each school description to see what approximate
costs for tuition/fees and room/board will be and whether
the academic schedule and charges are on a semester or
quarter plan. More currently updated information on costs
can be found at
http://www.nse.org/scampusbudgets.asp
-
When you
have made preliminary selections, check academic offerings
in your field with a major advisor. After placement, you
need to complete a more formal advising process to see which
major and core courses are most likely to transfer.
Because it is sometimes difficult to get your planned
courses at the exchange schools (and there are no
guarantees), alternative courses should be planned.
Factors affecting whether
you get the school(s) you want:
-
There are
190 schools currently participating in the NSE consortium.
Several of them will be ideal for you and will accept you.
Any UHM student who is full-time, classified, and has a 2.5
cumulative GPA can go somewhere.
-
The
final decision on assigning a student to a
certain exchange school is up to that host school. Most
schools have far smaller programs than that of UHM and
frequently have various restrictions on how many students
they can take.
-
If more
UHM students want a school than it can take (see #2 above),
we must rank those students by priority for being selected
by that school. The main factors affecting your priority
are class standing and GPA. With other factors being equal,
Hawaii residents will be given priority, as the university
joined the exchange consortium primarily to give Hawaii’s
students the opportunity to study on the mainland.
-
Placement
assignments to exchange schools are made by NSE coordinators
of all the participating institutions at a yearly national
conference in early March. We will not know your chances of
getting limited schools until late February.
Getting Financial Aid for
Going on Exchange
-
If you
need financial aid, you must select Plan A and apply
for aid at your host school.
-
For
optimal consideration for aid, the FAFSA must be filed by
February 15 (or earlier, if stated in the Directory or
school catalog).
-
You
should list on the FAFSA each school to which you
might exchange.
-
It is
essential that you follow up early with each potential
school on financial aid application requirements specific to
each school, and continue to check the status of your
application. Phone numbers for each NSE school financial
aid office are available in the “Campus Detail Information”
section of
www.nse.org.
-
It is
essential to continue to check the status of your financial
aid application with the host school financial aid office.
Most schools now receive the Student Aid Report (SAR)
online. Be sure that other required forms (such as tax
forms, verification worksheets, etc., if required) have been
received by early May, or your award offer may be
delayed.
-
If you
register at UHM and list UHM on your FAFSA, you may
interfere with your financial aid from your NSE school.
-
If you
have previously had loans from UHM, you must schedule an
exit interview with a UHM financial aid counselor before
leaving.
Limited Schools
During
the last few years, the following schools have not taken all the
UHM students who wanted them:
|
School |
Estimated Number Accepted |
| University
of Washington |
4-6 |
| Cal Poly
San Luis Obispo |
2-3 |
| San Jose
State |
2-3 |
| University
of Arizona |
1 |
| Suffolk
University |
0 |
| Howard
University |
0 |
| University
of the Virgin Islands |
1 |
(When more UHM students want a
school than the school will accept, Hawaii residents have
priority. If residency is not a factor, ranking is by class
standing and GPA combined.)
