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Exchanges

  • Virginia Tech has forged partnerships with 60 prestigious universities across the world
  • To expand your options, we partnered with ISEP, a non-profit educational organization with a network of  about 170 universities for exchange (of which 60 also allow direct enroll)
  • The main difference between a VT exchange and ISEP is whom you pay your room and board to
  • All are great options for in-state students as you can study abroad at the cost of your in-state tuition (ISEP Direct excepted)
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VT EXCHANGE
  • VT tuition and fees are paid to VT 
  • Exchange students pay tuition and fees to their respective home institution because you’re “switching places”. This means that you will pay for the incoming student to use VT campus services, and the incoming student will pay their university for you to enjoy the partner university’s benefits.
  • Keep in mind, benefits are ‘in kind’ to what a student at Virginia Tech has, but may not be not exact, as each university considers different items part of their tuition and fee structure
ISEP EXCHANGE VT tuition and fees are paid to VT
ISEP DIRECT
 Tuition is paid to ISEP
VT EXCHANGE

Study Abroad Application Fee: $50

Students who apply for programs on through the Global Education portal (faculty-led, bilateral exchange, autonomous study at a partner or affiliate institution) will be assessed the Study Abroad Application Fee. This supports the office's efforts in preparation, review, and approval of student applications. This fee is not assessed on students participating in International Student Exchange Program (ISEP) and non-VT/third party programs, as these students do not apply to Virginia Tech directly.

Study Abroad & International Exchange Participation Fee: $150

The Study Abroad & International Exchange Participation Fee is an administrative fee assessed on students electing to participate in a study abroad program organized by a third party organization, or a program at an international college or university at which the student directly enrolls (autonomous study), as well as participants in the university’s established bilateral exchange program with a partner school managed by the Global Education Office and the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP) . This fee supports Global Education Office recruitment efforts, pre-departure orientation, advising, and the administration of contracts with partner institutions.

Once nominated, you have 5 business days following the notification of nomination to notify GEO if you do not intend to continue their application process. After 5 business days, the admin fee applies and will be charged to your account. 
ISEP EXCHANGE and ISEP DIRECT
  • $ 50 (GEO fee)
  • $ 100 (ISEP application fee)
  • $ 325 (ISEP placement fee if you accept the spot offered)
  • $ 86/month (mandatory insurance)
VT EXCHANGE
  • You pay room and board to the host university
  • You work with the host university to determine most affordable housing
  • Housing varies from a home-stay (living with a local family) to dorms or apartments
  • For some exchange programs, such as Caen and Kansai Gaidai, a $5,900 room and board fee will be paid to Virginia Tech instead.  
ISEP EXCHANGE
  • You pay room and board to VT (about $ 5,900 a semester)
  • Might require finding housing yourself
  • Housing varies from a home-stay (living with a local family) to dorms or apartments
ISEP DIRECT
  • You pay room and board to ISEP
  • Might require finding housing yourself
  • Housing varies from a home-stay (living with a local family) to dorms or apartments
VT EXCHANGE, ISEP EXCHANGE and ISEP DIRECT
  • Transfer credit (T-credit)
  • Grades do not transfer
  • Does not impact GPA
  • Must achieve a "C" at least to receive T-credit
VT EXCHANGE Overall, our exchange programs tend to be competitive (especially the UK, Australia and Germany). We strive to place you in one of your chosen universities depending on exchange space and your academic need.
ISEP EXCHANGE ISEP will try to place you in one of your top ten choice universities depending on exchange space and your academic need
ISEP DIRECT Placement at the university of your choice is guaranteed (unlike with an exchange). This is helpful if applying to a university / region that is in high demand.
VT EXCHANGE Min. 2.5 GPA (some programs may require a higher GPA)
ISEP EXCHANGE and ISEP DIRECT
 Min. 2.75 GPA (some programs may require a higher GPA)
VT EXCHANGE
  • Summer
  • Semester
  • Academic Year
ISEP EXCHANGE and ISEP DIRECT
  • Semester
  • Academic Year
VT EXCHANGE, ISEP EXCHANGE and ISEP DIRECT
 High immersion level (live and study with local / international students)
VT EXCHANGE Application through your My Study Abroad account. After that, your on-campus Exchange Coordinator Chelsey Watts will advise you through the nomination process
ISEP EXCHANGE and ISEP DIRECT
 Application through ISEP. After that, your on-campus ISEP Coordinator Chelsey Watts will advise you through the placement process
VT EXCHANGE NOT REQUIRED (applying through your My Study Abroad account automatically registers your trip with GEO)
ISEP EXCHANGE and ISEP DIRECT
 REQUIRED (after you’ve applied you will be contacted by your on-campus ISEP Coordinator Chelsey Watts with registration instructions
VT EXCHANGE
  • For fall: February 15
  • For spring: September 15
ISEP EXCHANGE and ISEP DIRECT
  • For fall: January 25
  • For spring: August 25
*Your application is due by the dates above, not the dates on the ISEP website, as we need to process and approve your application prior to the ISEP deadline
  • Is the program open to all majors?
  • Is the program open to all years (freshmen)?
  • Are courses taught in English? (If you want to study in the host language, we recommend that you have successfully completed a 3000-level course in the local language)
  • Are there specific requirements (i.e. GPA, pre-requisite courses)
VT EXCHANGE            

There needs to be a balance between the amount of VT students going to a host university and the number of students from that university coming to Virginia Tech. This means that during some semesters, an exchange may be temporarily closed. Only open exchanges will be visible when you search for a specific exchange.

Multiple preliminary applications

  • You can apply to VT exchange programs through your My Study Abroad account
  • We recommend that you apply to multiple VT exchange programs in the event that we are unable to place you in your top choice university (due to limited exchange spots)
  • You must rank your choices (in your My Study Abroad account) by order of preference

Nomination

  • Once the deadline has passed, your application will be reviewed
  • We strive to nominate you to your top choice university
  • In the event that you can’t be nominated to your number one university, we will always reach out to you to confirm you agree with a nomination to your second or third choice university
  • We then officially nominate you and await the partner university’s response (this process usually takes a few weeks)
  • Once nominated, you have 5 business days following the notification of nomination to notify GEO if you do not intend to continue their application process. After 5 business days, the admin fee applies and will be charged to your account. 

Official application

  • Once your nomination has been accepted by the partner university, you can start completing their application (they will send you forms and instructions)
  • The partner university then must also formally accept your application
ISEP EXCHANGE and ISEP DIRECT Visit the ISEP Placement Process page for the details

Visit the ISEP Withdrawal Policy page for the details

Click on the icon below to see how Exchanges compare to the other program types

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