Exchange programs involve the reciprocal exchange of students between the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a partner institution abroad. Exchange programs are ideal for students who have high financial need or are on a budget, who want to be fully immersed in their host culture, and who are interested in meeting students from all over the world.

• Logistics: Semester/Summer duration, lower cost program type, moderately high level of program-specific support
• Courses abroad: Classes with local students, taught by local professors
• Housing: Housed in dorms, homestays, and/or apartments, with local/international students

*Not all exchange programs will have every option listed above, and it’s possible that some exchange programs may be different than the categorization above. Read about the specifics of each program in My Study Abroad.

Direct Enroll programs refer to students from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who enroll directly as non-degree seeking international students at partner institutions abroad. Direct enroll programs are ideal for students who are independent and willing to seek support services on their own, who want to be fully immersed in their host culture, and who are interested in meeting students from all over the world.

• Logistics: Semester/Summer duration, medium cost program type, moderately high level of program-specific support
• Courses abroad: Classes with local/U.S. study abroad students, taught by local professors
• Housing: Housed in dorms, homestays, and/or apartments, with local/international students

*Not all direct enroll programs will have every option listed above, and it’s possible that some direct enroll programs may be different than the categorization above. Read about the specifics of each program in My Study Abroad.

Providers are organizations (colleges or universities, nonprofit organizations, for-profit businesses, or consortiums) that offer education abroad programs and services to students from a variety of institutions. Provider programs are ideal for students who can choose a program that has a higher cost, who value personalized and robust support services (like excursions and mentoring), and who want to build close relationships with students in their cohort.

• Logistics: Semester/Summer duration, higher cost program type, high level of program-specific support
• Courses abroad: Classes with local/U.S. study abroad students, taught by local professors/hired instructors
• Housing: Housed in dorms, homestays, and/or apartments, with U.S. study abroad students

*Not all provider programs will have every option listed above, and it’s possible that some provider programs may be different than the categorization above. Read about the specifics of each program in My Study Abroad.

Faculty-led/short-term programs are University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign courses that are led and taught by faculty or professional staff. Traditionally, these programs are brief in duration and take place during academic breaks. Faculty-led/short-term programs are ideal for students who want to take a specific course taught by a faculty/staff member, who cannot fit a semester of study abroad into their academic plan, and who want to build close relationships with students in their cohort and program leaders.

• Logistics: Winter Break/Spring Break/Summer duration, higher cost program type, high level of program-specific support
• Courses abroad: Classes with fellow students, taught by Illinios faculty/staff member
• Housing: Housed in dorms and/or hotels, with study abroad students

*Not all faculty-led/short-term programs will have every option listed above, and it’s possible that some faculty-led/short-term programs may be different than the categorization above. Read about the specifics of each program in My Study Abroad.

If you, after researching program options and speaking to a study abroad staff member, still cannot find a program that aligns with your goals, you may petition to participate in a non-approved program. Approval to participate in said program is not guaranteed, particularly if that program is in a country under a U.S. Department of State Travel Warning. If your petition is approved, you will receive the full support of the study abroad offices.

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has its own petition process; all LAS students should email las-studyabroad@illinois.edu for instructions.

Students must submit petition applications online by:

• Summer/Fall/Academic Year: January 15
• Spring/Calendar Year: June 15

If you bypass the petition process, enroll, and participate in a non-approved program, you must do so without university association. Such students will have to forgo any institutional, state, and/or federal financial aid that is disbursed through the Office of Student Financial Aid, will not be authorized to use the university’s international insurance, and will not receive any university approval on program application forms. Students will need to petition for course articulation upon returning, which cannot be guaranteed in advance. University staff will be unable to approve/sign applications for independent programs.

If you have bypassed the petition process and returned to campus, transfer credit would need to be requested through the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, and they have the discretion to accept or deny these requests.

1. International transfer coursework will not be evaluated for transferability or equivalency to University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign courses until Undergraduate Admissions has received an official transcript in English from the international institution. 
2. The final transcript must be sent directly from the international institution.  Undergraduate Admissions will not accept transcripts from students or transcripts emailed by school officials. Undergraduate Admissions does work with approved electronic transcript vendors, but few of these work with institutions outside the U.S.  In most cases, transcripts will need to be mailed from the school to:  Office of Undergraduate Admissions, 901 W. Illinois St. Urbana, IL 61801
3. Students should retain copies of syllabi for all courses they complete at the international institution.  These syllabi will be used to determine transferability and any course equivalency that may exist.  Once a student has ordered official transcripts to be sent they may provide syllabi to the transfer course articulation group by email at ouacoursearticulation@illinois.edu. Syllabi that are sent prior to receiving official transcripts will be discarded. Requests to pre-articulate coursework will not be honored – no matter the circumstances.
4. All international coursework will be graded as credit or no-credit on the student’s academic record at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.  International transfer credit graded as credit may be applied to degree requirements.
5. All transfer coursework is evaluated for equivalency by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign faculty.  The process will take several weeks, and possibly months, from the date Undergraduate Admissions receives syllabi.  Students on tight graduation timelines should consider this when pursuing international transfer coursework.