A number of Cal Poly colleges and departments have individual exchanges agreements with a variety of universities around the world. Students in departments or colleges with exchange agreements have an opportunity for a low-cost study abroad experience within their own academic discipline. Another advantage of the exchanges is that they are easily arranged, and with minimal red tape. If you qualify for one of these exchanges, you, by paying only your Cal Poly fees, become eligible to spend up to one year at an overseas university with all the rights and privileges of any regularly enrolled student. You pay none of the fees for the overseas university. For an exchange to take place there must be an interest at the chosen overseas university for one of their students to come and study at Cal Poly during the same academic year.

You can view the lists of Cal Poly exchange programs, you can select and view one of the following:

• Exchange Program List by Country [pdf]
• Exchange Program List by College [pdf]
  

To access the web pages of an overseas university Cal Poly has an exchange program with, please click here.

Academic Credit
Students participating in an Overseas Exchange Program will receive Cal Poly resident credit for courses taken at the host campus. Before departure, students will work with their faculty advisor for pre-approval of courses to be taken overseas. Upon return to Cal Poly, credit will be calculated into the students Cal Poly cumulative grade point average.

Costs
The cost of participating in an overseas exchange program can be very affordable. Student will pay regular academic fees to Cal Poly, airfare to the host city, and room and board. Room and board depends on the cost of living in the host city, which could be quite affordable in many places throughout the world in comparison to living in San Luis Obispo. Students will also need to plan on other costs like passport, international student I.D., texts, and incidentals.

Financial Aid
Eligible students can apply their financial aid towards the fees, living, and travel expenses. In some cases, financial aid will be increased to meet the extra expenses incurred with an overseas study. It is highly recommended that you consult a financial aid officer to discuss your individual situation.

How to Apply

1. Notify the designated department exchange program coordinator for the program you wish to participate.
2. Once the department exchange coordinator has reviewed your eligibility and approved you for participation, he/she will notify the overseas exchange program coordinator of your interest.
3. You will be asked to complete and sign application materialsl provided to you by the department exchange program coordinator. The application materials include the following:
   • Departmental Exchange Program Application Form
   • Student Participation Agreement
   • Assumption of Risk and Release Agreement
   • Medical Information and Authorization Form
   • Also you will need to provide verification of Health Insurance (Once you have obtained health insurance for the term for which you are studying abroad, please provide this information to your department exchange program coordinator. )
4. The Cal Poly department exchange coordinator will provide you with a budget of expenditures that you will incur while on the exchange program.
5. The IEP office offers quarterly Pre-departure Orientations for students studying abroad. It is highly recommended that you attend this session if you will be participating in an exchange program. The quarterly pre-departure orientation sessions can be found on IEP’s Events Calendar web page.