Exchange Programs
Exchange programs are based upon signed agreements between Baruch and its partner universities abroad. If you participate in an exchange, you will study for one or two semesters as a visiting student at one of our partner universities. With some exceptions, you will study alongside regular degree candidates at the host institution. All of our exchange partners, even those whose language of instruction is not English, offer a number of university courses taught in English. If you meet all course prerequisites and possess the necessary language proficiency, you will have access to all fields of study at the institution, just like any other degree candidate.
Exchanges operate on the basis of a reciprocal one-to-one exchange. If you are nominated to study on an exchange, you pay your normal semester CUNY tuition and fees to the Baruch Bursar. Your tuition and fees pay for the education of the student from our partner university who attends Baruch while you are attending her/his university; the tuition paid by the student from the partner university attending Baruch pays for your education there. You are responsible for the costs of transportation, accommodation, food and miscellaneous expenses while studying on the exchange.
Support services for exchanges are provided by the host institution’s exchange or international student services office. Exchanges are best suited for students who wish to be and are capable of being self-reliant, and who wish to be more thoroughly “immersed” in the foreign academic institution.
Baruch College students may apply to study for a semester or year as an exchange student at any one of our partner universities.
Sponsored Study Abroad Programs
Sponsored Study Abroad Programs may be short-term, a semester or year-long. The chief difference, and for many the benefit of a Sponsored Study Abroad Program is the level of student support services it will offer you on site.
Some Sponsored Study Abroad Programs will help you enroll in foreign universities, and students who choose this option study at the host university much as do Baruch students attending a normal exchanges. However, unlike these exchange programs, Sponsored Study Abroad Programs often have on-site staff that will facilitate your enrollment and will provide other student services. Students who enroll in a foreign university through a Sponsored Study Abroad Program will normally have the same choices as do students attending the university on an exchange. The sponsored programs ordinarily also have an on-site staff that organizes the teaching, in some cases provides academic advising, arranges housing, and organizes excursions for students on the program.
All Sponsored Study Abroad Programs charge a program fee for the extra services they provide, in addition to the tuition paid to a local university, if applicable, to pay for the on-site staff who help you register for courses, arrange your housing, provide other advisory services, and organize excursions for students on the program. The range and quality of services offered and the corresponding program costs vary widely.
Direct Enrollment
Students who directly enroll in a foreign university enjoy the same kind of immersive experience as students who participate in an exchange: you study alongside regular degree candidates in normal university courses (provided you meet the requirements and have the language proficiency), or enroll in the English-language courses these institutions offer.
Like exchange programs, direct enrollment is an option for students who are independent and self-sufficient, who seek a deeply immersive experience, and for whom cost is an overriding factor. Similarly, if you choose to apply directly to a foreign university instead of using a sponsor that will facilitate your enrollment in the foreign institution, you will be dealing with the local university officials for student services.
However, unlike with an exchange program, you will pay your tuition and fees directly to the host university. (You are also responsible for the costs of transportation, housing, etc.) This can sometimes be a very cost-effective means of studying abroad.
Most Direct Enrollment opportunities are available for semester-or year-long study abroad, but some foreign universities offer short-term programs that may qualify (usually in the Summer).