International Student Exchange Programs

The second most commonly available scheme is the international study abroad program. This differs from exchanges in that students are allowed to choose from a far greater number of potential destinations and are not necessarily confined by their universities partnership programs. 

Indeed, in some cases, commercial third party companies offer academically orientated programs outside of the university situation in specialist areas such as conservation and development through which students still earn academic credit for their home degree while they are away.

More often, however, international study abroad schemes allow a student to study at another university anywhere in the world. Choosing your destination university and country is generally down to your personal preferences, though some degree programs, particularly those in the languages, will confine you to a more narrow choice. 

Your home university will offer you support and counselling throughout the process and advise you whether a semester or year spent at a particular university will count for the equivalent of your degree at home, ensuring that the length of your whole degree is not extended. 

If you are enrolled at a university with limited international links, international study abroad programs may still be accessible through other universities or organizations specializing in this kind of scheme. 

Boston University International Programs, for example, offers any student meeting their basic requirements the choice of one of their 65 programs hosted in 30 countries in academic subjects such as engineering, fine arts, languages and liberal arts. 

Meanwhile the Institute for Study Abroad at Butler University offers programs at universities in countries as diverse as Cuba, Ireland, Mexico and Wales, in addition to summer placements and internships.

International study abroad schemes, whether offered by your own university or another organization, offer a far greater range of choice for you as a student and tend to be more flexible. 

However, in some situations, particularly if you use a third party organization for your study abroad experience, significant tuition, accommodation and service fees are levied, making a year abroad potentially quite an expensive proposition. As with anything, make sure you read the small print.

And for those of you with a more adventurous spirit not already served by such study abroad destinations as Australia, Costa Rica or Ecuador, how about spending a semester at sea? 

For more than ten years the Semester at Sea program has offered ship-based academic programs for students interested in an entirely new way of studying. Either offered as a 100-day fall or spring semester, earning you the 12 credits of a traditional program, or a shorter 65-day summer session, providing nine academic credits, Semester at Sea blends the development of academic tools in a unique environment. 

Participation in Semester at Sea allows students to test what they learn in the classroom against what they see when they reach dry land during the voyage. With academic credit being approved by the University of Virginia, Semester at Sea offers courses in a range of global issues, set in the context of the countries being visited. 

In 2007, programs in the environment, population, foreign policy and economics make up much of the curriculum.

Whatever your interests, the opportunity to spend a semester or a year at another university in another country is one that you should grab with two hands. The different cultural view, not to mention the exposure to another way of learning will add great value to your university experience.