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National Student Exchange

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Accepted Outgoing Students

Preparing to go on Exchange

  • Make an appointment to carefully complete and read the NSE "Placement Acceptance" form as soon as you are placed. Return it to the UTC NSE Office. Pay attention to the “terms and conditions for exchange” listed on the back of the form. You are expected to meet all requirements and abide by all rules listed in order to go and remain on an exchange.  In addition, this is your official acceptance of the exchange. UTC’s NSE Office will forward copies of this acceptance form to your host school and to the Office of the  NSE Consortium. Once it receives this form, your host school will begin to mail you information, instructions, and applications. Retain the student copy of the "Placement Acceptance" form for your files and be sure to have a copy with you while on exchange.

  • Return required forms, documents, and deposits to host institution immediately upon receipt.  The host institution will provide forms (e.g. housing and admission applications, housing deposits, proof of immunizations, etc.)  Your response time may affect your housing assignment as well as your ability to register for desired classes. Bring a copy of the completed forms, records, and checks to the UTC NSE Office for your student file.

  • Obtain a copy of your host school’s “Campus Detail Sheet” immediately after your placement. Get this from the main NSE Web site for information about deadlines, fees, and contact names at your host campus.

  • Contact your NSE host coordinator. After you have received correspondence or mailings from your host NSE coordinator, make contact with that person. (If there are classes that you must have while on exchange, let your host coordinator know as soon as possible. This coordinator may be able to help get you in these classes.)  If you have completed your placement acceptance form and have not heard from your host campus, ask the UTC NSE Office for this contact information.  

  • If you are participating in a special NSE program or require special accommodations, make all necessary arrangements well in advance.  The R.A. Exchange and Honors Programs involve separate application processes and approval for participation. Or if you have needs (e.g. physical disability, medical condition, etc.) that will require special arrangements at the host campus, inform both your home and host NSE coordinator as soon as possible.  

  • Meet with and inform your UTC Financial Aid counselor of your upcoming exchange. The UTC National Student Exchange will provide you with a letter to give to your UTC Financial Aid counselor.  This letter will state where and when you will go on exchange as well as the cost of the exchange. Your financial aid award may be adjusted according to the costs noted on this letter.

  • Make arrangements for your financial aid check to be picked up or mailed. Regardless of your exchange plan (A or B), all students with financial aid will be receiving their awards through UTC Financial Aid Office, not their host schools' financial aid offices. If necessary, make arrangements for award checks to be prepared for you before you leave on exchange.  By consulting early with the UTC Financial Aid and Bursars Offices, you can schedule a time for your award checks to be ready to pick up before your departure or make plans to have your check sent to your home or host campus address.

  • If you live in a UTC residence hall, contact the UTC Housing Office.  Let them know when you will be moving out of the residence halls and when you will be returning to the residence halls after your exchange. Pay any necessary deposits by the deadlines to insure that you will have a room when your return to the UTC campus. 

  • Visit your host school's Web site. To find out more information about your host school’s NSE program, check to see if they have a Web site.  You may find information about exchange activities, program size, etc.  To access these sites, visit the following link and look for the schools that have "NSE Page" listed beside them: NSE pages from member schools.

  • Pick up a copy of your "academic advising agreement worksheet" as well as a blank, "final academic advising" form from the UTC NSE Office.  Use the worksheet to assist you in completing the "final academic advising agreement" form.  In addition, consult your host school’s catalog (online or in the UTC NSE Office) or upcoming course offerings (online if available) to finalize the list of classes that you would like to take while on exchange. Follow the instructions on the form and obtain the appropriate approval from your advisor and department head. Take your completed advising agreement and copies of course descriptions with you when meeting with these individuals. Bring the completed form to UTC’s NSE Office. Keep a copy for your own records and remember to take it with you on your exchange.  You may need to refer to it when registering or making alterations to your schedule.

  • If you want to change or add additional classes to your schedule prior to or during exchange, contact your academic advisor and/or appropriate department head for approval.  While on exchange, you may get approval by e-mail if necessary. Be sure that you save documentation of this approval. Send a copy of the course approval to UTC’s NSE Office.

  • If you will be living off campus while on exchange, make housing arrangements well in advance of your exchange. For more information about possible off campus contacts at your host school, consult the institution’s campus detail form.   
            
  • Make sure that you meet the terms of agreement in order to remain eligible for exchange. For example, the NSE Conditions of Placement state: “I understand that my acceptance to participate in the National Student Exchange is contingent upon my maintaining all eligibility requirements (academic, financial, and social/behavioral) as defined by NSE and my home and host campuses. My exchange may be terminated by either my home or host campus if I fail to maintain these eligibility standards or if I fail to remain enrolled full-time at my host campus. I further understand that failure to enroll as a full-time student may affect my financial aid, housing, or NSE program eligibility at my home campus.”  Consult the terms and agreements on the back of the Placement Acceptance Form for the complete list of NSE “Conditions of Placement”. 

  • Notify host and home NSE Offices as soon as possible if you won't be going on exchange. If you become ineligible for exchange or for some reason cannot carry out your exchange, you must send a written notification declining your placement to the NSE Offices at both your host and home campuses.  Not only is this courteous, but it is a condition that you agreed to when signing the "Placement Acceptance" form. Failure to contact these offices could lead to a hold on your academic records, could jeopardize your future exchange placement attempts, and may keep another student from being offered your exchange spot.

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Things To Do While On Exchange

  • Make contact with your host coordinator. Your host coordinator will be your primary contact at your exchange school. As soon as possible, contact your host school's NSE Office to let them know of your arrival on their campus. Be sure to find out in advance if their is an incoming NSE orientation and if so, schedule your arrival so that you will be able to attend.

  • Send UTC's NSE Office your contact information and class schedule. As soon as you arrive at your host campus, send your new contact information back to the UTC NSE Office. We need the mailing address, phone number, and e-mail address that you will be using while on exchange.  Also, send us a list of the classes that you will be taking each semester. If changes are made to any of this information, send us an updated contact form. 

  • Make sure that you have taken care of all financial obligations at your host and home campuses. Pay your tuition (to your home campus if on Plan B and to your host campus if on Plan A), fees, room and board, etc. Contact your host or home NSE coordinators if you have questions.

  • While on exchange, save all class materials. Save all class related documents (syllabi, tests, papers, etc.) to bring home for your credit review. This information may be important in awarding the appropriate credit for academic work done during your exchange.

  • If you need help, contact your host or UTC NSE Offices. If you have any problems or questions (i.e. regarding travel arrangements, housing, financial aid, academics, etc.) while you are on exchange, your UTC and/or host school’s NSE Office should be your primary contacts. Coordinators and staff in both offices are available to assist in a broad range of areas.

  • Make the most of your exchange. Enjoy and make the most of your exchange! Learn about and get involved in your host campus and town. Research the opportunities available to you by speaking with the NSE coordinator, students, faculty, and staff on your host campus. If you are interested, look into the possibility of becoming involved in athletic, academic, artistic, or social organizations.  Like some of our former NSE students, you could join the school newspaper; row for a university’s crew team; become active in a campus religious group; work on or off campus; join the university choir; learn how to sail or surf; explore your new surroundings; or volunteer in the community.  Find your niche and cultivate new interests. 

  • Maintain contact with UTC. Keep in touch with the UTC NSE Office. Also, to stay connected with the happenings at UTC, you can read the University Echo online. Remember too that you are required to send a postcard while you are away. We want to know how you are doing, and we would like to share your experience with prospective students. We will even hang your postcard on our “NSE door” for other students to see.

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Preparing To Return To UTC

  • Register for UTC classes. The UTC NSE Office will send you information about registration dates so that you can prepare your schedule for the semester that you return.  Be sure to contact your UTC advisor for the appropriate academic advising and then register for your courses online. If you have problems or questions during any step of this process, e-mail or call us. 
  • Check on the status of your financial aid.If you are receiving financial aid, contact your financial aid counselor in UTC’s Financial Aid Office to make sure that you have met all deadlines.  For example, FAFSA forms are usually due in early February.  Also, if you are a work study student, check on your status. Verify well in advance that you have a job upon return to campus.
  • Make housing arrangements. If you will be living on the UTC campus, contact the UTC Housing Office to ensure that you meet all housing deadlines. 
  • Pay all University fees on time.        
  • Arrange for a transcript from your host school to be sent to the UTC NSE Office. Also, you may want to bring a transcript back with you. DO NOT SEND YOUR TRANSCRIPT TO UTC's RECORDS OR ADMISSIONS OFFICES!! If you want your courses to be recorded as pre-approved before your departure, you must have your host school transcript sent to UTC's National Student Exchange Office:

    UTC Office of Cooperative Education & International Programs
    Dept. 1751, 615 McCallie Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37403-2598

    If you do not send your transcript to UTC's NSE Office, the NSE staff will be unable to help you process your courses and associated credit hours and grades.

 

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After Your Return To UTC

  • Make an appointment with the UTC NSE staff for an post-exchange evaluation.  We can help you make sure that you have done everything necessary to complete your exchange. In addition, this will give you the opportunity to share some of your experiences with us. Also, what we learn from you will help us as we advise students in the future. 

  • Before you returned from exchange, you should have arranged for a transcript from your host school to be sent to the UTC NSE Office. Be sure that this official transcript has arrived to  the UTC NSE Office. Also, if you brought an unofficial copy of your exchange transcript back with you, deliver it to the UTC NSE Office.

  • WE NEED YOUR HELP! Share your experiences with others. After your return, we would appreciate it if you would share your exchange experience with other students.  If you are interested, we will include you in the NSE marketing effort. Whether you give an interview to the school newspaper, speak to interested students at an information table, or speak to a freshman seminar class, you can help spread the word about NSE and in turn allow others to explore the possibilities of the program. 

  • Participate in NSE activities at UTC. When you are back at UTC, we would like for you to be involved in NSE social events. Join current and former exchange students for a Lookouts’ game or attend a NSE orientation session. You will have the opportunity to meet other students with similar interests and experiences as well as serve as mentor to the incoming NSE students.  For example, you can use your experiences to assist current exchange students as they adjust to a new university and city. 

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Helpful UTC Links

 

UTC NSE Office

Hugh Provost
Elizabeth Bell
Joyce Blevins, Administrative Assistant
 

 

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