National Student Exchange

Students usually exchange during their sophomore or junior years. Seniors are generally not eligible due to WSU policy requiring a certain number of last hours to be completed here. Special exceptions can be made, but that is entirely up to your individual college. If you are a junior, talk to your academic advisor ASAP to find out how to approach this problem.

Learn more about the application process

In order to go on exchange you must:

• Be a domestic, undergraduate student. International or graduate students cannot be exchanged.
• Have a 2.5 cumulative grade point at the time application is submitted, and at completion of the term prior to exchange. 
• Be a full-time student and remain full-time while on exchange.
• Submit the application and $200 application fee by February 1

As you investigate your exchange, complete the application process and participate in the exchange itself, please note that the most successful students are prepared for the unexpected. That is, the NSE process — similar to any study abroad process — can result in surprises, additional fees and unprecedented requirements. Students will face unique situations during the application and exchange processes so the students who are likely to be successful and enjoy their exchange will be those students who have some flexibility in academic coursework, who are patient and able to adjust to challenges quickly. While we do not want students to be fearful of applying for exchange, we want you to be committed to working through the challenges as they come your way. This will be discussed more during your interview but you should give serious thought to your anticipated college graduation date, your career goals, your financial situation and determine exactly how NSE fits into those matters. 

To help you keep track of everything you need to know and do throughout the exchange process, we've prepared the following checklist. Keep this important list handy throughout your exchange. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions or problems! 

Learn more about the NSE student checklist

Students choose the university they want to attend for a variety of reasons. Some may decide to go to a school that offers courses not offered here, others may want to search for after-graduation job opportunities, or some students may just be looking for a change in scenery. It is important for you to ask yourself why you want to exchange and what goals you hope to accomplish by doing so. This will make your selection easier.

When looking through the website, www.nse.org, to decide on your choices for exchange, there are some very important things you need to keep in mind.

Each university has an individual profile page with information about themselves. You need to make sure you only look at schools who offer a home payment plan option. You can find this under the "Chance of Placement" section on each universities profile page. "Home payment" means you will pay your tuition costs to Wichita State. If a school has host payment listed, you are not eligible to exchange to that institution. 

Also under the "Chance of Placement" section you will see one of the following words or phrases, "excellent," "good," "competitive" and "most competitive." This will tell you how competitive placement is at that particular school. If you hover over the question mark next to the phrase, it will provide a description of what the word or phrase means in terms of placement competitiveness.

Another thing to consider when choosing a university is whether or not you need to take courses in your major while there. Pay attention to the programs listed as “Limitations” or “Closed Programs.” For example, if you are a nursing major and you need to take classes in your major, you could not attend Florida International University because their nursing program is closed to NSE students.

The great thing about National Student Exchange is you can attend any of the participating schools for the same tuition you pay to attend WSU!

All financial aid and most scholarships apply. If you have been awarded a scholarship from the College of Fine Arts, your application needs to be brought to the attention of the department chair before you apply for NSE, so they can determine whether or not your scholarship will be honored if you choose to exchange. This is especially critical when compliance is required to restrictive guidelines set forth by the WSU Foundation and the School of Music. If you have questions about a particular scholarship, ask the awarding department or talk with the Office of Financial Aid.

You will enroll at WSU and pay tuition and fees here as normal. You will register in an NSE dummy course for the number of hours you plan to take on exchange. It is up to your host school how you will enroll there once you are placed. Some may have you enroll over the phone or Internet; others may have you wait until you are actually on the campus.The instructions on how to enroll in the WSU “dummy course” will be provided to you prior to your exchange (in May for fall exchanges and December for spring exchanges).

WSU Net Price Calculator and Financial Aid Estimator

 How will the courses taken at a host school be equivalent to WSU courses?

Before you ever go on exchange, you will fill out an advising agreement with your academic advisor. Your advising agreement is the contract that sets forth the manner in which all classes taken on exchange will transfer back to your WSU program of study.

If you take classes other than those listed on your advising agreement, you cannot be guaranteed those classes will transfer back to WSU in a way that will help you progress towards your degree. Your advisor, the dean of your college and our office must approve any changes or additions. Your advisor has the authority to determine course "compatibility," which means he or she can decide whether a class taken on exchange will count toward your degree program and where it will apply.

Please keep in mind courses do not necessarily have to be equivalent, but they must be compatible. This means that although a course taken on exchange may not have a direct equivalent at Wichita State, it may be still be compatible with a course in your degree program—at the discretion of your advisor—therefore, fulfilling that degree requirement.

Some courses are worth different numbers of credit hours at different institutions. For example, if you take "Basket Weaving 100" at Cleveland State University, worth 3 credit hours, and it is deemed compatible with "Basket Arts 101" at Wichita State, worth 4 credit hours (yes, these are fictitious courses), you will only receive the 3 credit hours for the class you actually took while on exchange. So, although the class fulfills the major requirement, that does not mean you will get the 4 credit hours of the WSU course.

Your advisor is key to the success of your exchange. Keep them informed of any changes, ideas or problems you encounter.