National Student Exchange for Current PSU Students

Applying for Exchange to a Participating School

Think about where you want to exchange. Review the NSE Web site for information about exchange sites.

• Make note of the tuition payment options available at each of your preferred schools.
• If completing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), include each institution you're interested in attending as recipients of your financial aid information. Also review the financial aid considerations below.

Information Sessions

Start planning your 2008-09 exchange by attending an information session during Fall 2007 and Winter 2008 terms. You must attend an information session to receive an application for the program.

Schedule for Fall 2007 and Winter 2008

Application Fee and Deadline

Complete and submit your application and $150 application fee to the Office of Admissions, Registration, and Records. The application deadline is the first Friday in February for the fall, winter, and spring terms of the following academic year.

Application Review and Placement

When you submit your application, sign up for an interview with an NSE coordinator. Our goal is to get to know you and determine that you're a good representative of Portland State University. Interviews are scheduled for the second week in February, with notification of your status by the end of that week. Although most students who apply are accepted into the program, anyone who is not accepted receives a refund of the application fee.

Upon acceptance into the program, we set up a first counseling session to discuss your placement preferences. Placement is based on several factors: payment options, space availability, and competitiveness for a particular site or for the available placements at a site. An important factor to keep in mind when choosing your preferred schools is that some, like the University of Washington, are very popular exchange sites; PSU places about one student there each year. Remember to have strong second and third choice schools for your exchange.

Each school's NSE coordinator makes placements during the Annual National Student Exchange Conference in mid-March. If you decide not to exchange prior to the conference, PSU will refund your application fee, but once the conference begins the fee is no longer refundable. It is also very important that your exchange preferences are firm at least one week before the conference.

Summary

• Apply to the NSE program by the end of the first week in February.
• Interview with an NSE coordinator and learn of your application status by the end of the second week in February.
• Meet with an NSE coordinator to review your placement preferences. These need to be firm by the first week in March.
• After the NSE Conference, meet again with an NSE coordinator to accept your placement.

Financial Aid Considerations

Financial aid eligibility is determined by the school at which you pay tuition while on exchange, so it's important to make note of which payment options are available at each school you're considering.

Since you apply for financial aid prior to knowing your NSE placement, we encourage you to request that your financial aid information be sent to each of the schools you're considering for exchange.

If you're considering exchanging to a school in a city with a higher cost of living than Portland, you're better off choosing the Plan A (tuition paid to host school) payment option, if that is available. You likely will be eligible for more aid than if you choose the Plan B option.

More Information

Contact the Office of Admissions, Registration, and Records for answers to questions, or to make an appointment to see an NSE coordinator.