The National Student Exchange was established
in the 1967-68 academic year with three state-supported campuses in
the United States exchanging seven students among their universities.
Administrators
on those campuses wanted to help students who could not take advantage
of studying abroad by providing them the opportunity to learn about
new people and new places through study in another part of the United
States. Using NSE, students could exchange to state-supported NSE member
campuses in other states without having to pay the high cost for out-of-state
tuition.
NSE has retained that basic idea during its development as
it has grown to 177 member campuses placing nearly 4,500 students for
exchange annually. While the majority of members are still
state-supported, NSE now includes several private campuses as well as
Canadian institutions. The basic concept, however, remains the same.
Students either pay their normal tuition and fees at the home campus
or pay the in-state tuition and fees at their host campus. 
Private
campuses usually prefer the plan where students pay tuition and fees
at the home campus as they do normally. Each campus determines the fee
payment plan under which it can operate. Room and meals are always paid
to the host campus.
Students apply for participation in
the NSE office on their home campus. If they are approved for participation,
they are accepted on exchange by the host campus on a space available
basis. Financial aid is applied for, awarded, and disbursed from the
campus at which students pay their tuition and fees. Before students leave home for exchange
they are instructed to have written approval for courses to be taken
along with a determination of how those courses will be accepted into
their home campus academic program.
An up-to-date listing of all colleges and universities currently
holding membership in the National Student Exchange can be found (categorized by state) on
the Official
National Student Exchange Website.
Text for "What Is The National Student Exchange"
courtesy of
the Official NSE Website (www.nse.org).
