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Students Going on International Exchange

There are a lot of factors to consider and a lot of processes to get through before going on international exchange. Once you've turned in your application, the international exchange coordinator will contact you within a month to let you know where you've been placed.

There will be plenty of time between your placement notification and the next step. Use that time wisely, researching more about where you are going. When you have 20-30 minutes, take University of the Pacific's Online Cultural Training: www.pacific.edu/sis/culture. You might be surprised.

The next step is to attend the concurrent enrollment meeting. These meetings take place in October for those students going on fall exchange and April for those going on spring exchange. The international exchange coordinator will contact you with the specifics. During this meeting, you will be given an informational packet, which includes several forms you must fill out and return (either to APA or Admissions, depending on the form).

Concurrent Enrollment
Concurrent enrollment is the mandatory process whereby, prior to leaving LSU, you choose the courses in which you would like to enroll at your host institution. It is essential that you maintain the equivalent of 12 or more LSU credit hours while at your host institution. Concurrent enrollment serves three vital functions: 1) You retain your full-time status at LSU, 2) You retain your registration privileges at LSU, and 3) You retain your financial aid, if applicable.

Since it is likely that not all of the courses you choose will be available to you upon your arrival at the host institution, we strongly recommend that you seek approval of several back-up courses before leaving LSU to ensure that you will have enough credit hours to maintain full-time status at LSU. Remember, in order to remain the beneficiary of TOPS and other financial aid, you must maintain the equivalent of 12 LSU credits per semester.

Benefits

• Most of your financial aid, including TOPS, can be applied to your exchange. You are urged to consult with a counselor in the Office of Student Aid and Scholarships for further information.
• You will maintain your full-time status at LSU during your stay abroad.
  This means that you will be able to keep your priority registration status and register for courses for the semester following your stay abroad. Should you fail to concurrently enroll during a regular semester (fall or spring), you would need to reapply for admission to LSU and would lose your registration priority.
• Coursework is approved prior to your departure. This ensures that the credits you earn while abroad will transfer back to LSU.

Instructions for Concurrent Enrollment
Prior to departure, obtain information on host university courses (note: you may find this information in the APA library or online). Choose several courses that you would like to take at the host institution, with the advice of your LSU departmental and college advisors.

Decide whether you want letter grades or satisfactory/unsatisfactory grading. Complete the S/U Grading form in the concurrent enrollment packet. You must have approval from your college if choosing satisfactory/unsatisfactory grading. Please note that in order to receive an “S” (Satisfactory), you must have earned the equivalent of a “C” grade or better in the course. Grades of “D” and “F” will result in a “U” (Unsatisfactory) and no credit will be earned. The satisfactory/unsatisfactory grading option is irreversible once the Office of Undergraduate Admissions has received your form.

Complete the PACE form by the deadline announced during the concurrent enrollment meeting. Remember that you must obtain approval for all courses that you plan to take during your time at the host institution (therefore, if you are participating in an all-year exchange, you must obtain approval for courses to be taken during both semesters).

Sign and return the Participant Agreement form. This form must be notarized (a notary is available at the Student Union information desk on Mondays and Thursdays from 3:30-4:30 p.m.).

Make sure that you have signed up for automatic deposit of your financial aid. You may do this via your PAWS account.

Complete and sign the Student Privacy Rights Waiver form authorizing our office to release personal information to a designated individual and fill out the Concurrent Enrollment Agreement form (please see both sides of sheet—it is two forms in one).

Sign the Academic Programs Abroad Grading & Credit Policy form.

Pay the concurrent registration fee ($100) when it appears on your fee bill (once we have received all concurrent enrollment materials).

Concurrent Enrollment Deadline
The deadline for turning in the forms given to you at the concurrent enrollment meeting will be communicated to you by your coordinator. Remember that all courses for which you expect to receive credit must be approved prior to your departure. It is not possible to obtain course approvals once you have left the U.S.

Things to Remember While Abroad
Maintain a full-time course load at the host institution. Be sure to schedule more courses than you need in case you must drop one or more courses later in the semester.

Take a copy of your PACE form with you, in case you need to consult with LSU advisors while abroad.

As soon as your final schedule has been approved by the host institution, fax the Enrollment Verification Form to APA at 225-578-6806. This form must be signed by your host coordinator. This form will allow Admissions, the Registrar, and Financial Aid to verify that you are maintaining full-time status and will allow APA to update your registration priority for the semester following your exchange.

Request that the host institution send your official transcript to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions (1146 Pleasant Hall; Louisiana State University; Baton Rouge, LA 70803) in a sealed university envelope. Please note that transcripts will not be accepted unless they arrive in a sealed university envelope.

Be sure to save information on all course work taken while abroad (course syllabus, reading lists, essays, etc.) in case you need this information later to justify work performed for credit.

Withdrawal from Program
If you are considering withdrawing from a program abroad, you must contact your APA coordinator immediately (rdaroca1@lsu.edu) before making any definitive plans. Please note that if you have signed a bilateral exchange agreement with our office, your tuition fees are non-refundable; you may therefore be required to pay tuition twice if you return to campus for the semester you were scheduled to participate in the exchange. If you do not return to campus the same semester as the scheduled exchange, you will have to reapply for admission to LSU when you do plan to return to campus.

Outgoing Orientation
Nearer to the end of the semester before you leave for exchange, the international exchange coordinator will hold a mandatory outgoing orientation. Topics will include culture shock, finances, voting, packing, insurance, and other important topics. Additionally, there will be students either from or who've traveled in the countries to which students are exchanging. Again, this orientation is mandatory, not elective.