National Student Exchange

Students usually exchange during their sophomore or junior years. Seniors are generally not eligible due to WSU policy requiring a certain number of last hours to be completed here. Special exceptions can be made, but that is entirely up to your individual college. If you are a junior, talk to your academic advisor ASAP to find out how to approach this problem.

Application deadline is February 1, 2026. This includes the application, $200 application fee, which can be paid via check or debit/credit card. Checks can be made out to WSU-NSE. It is your responsibility to make sure all pieces of the application are turned in.

In order to go on exchange you must:

• Be a domestic, undergraduate student. International or graduate students cannot be exchanged.
• Have a 2.5 cumulative grade point at the time application is submitted, and at completion of the term prior to exchange. 
• Be a full-time student and remain full-time while on exchange.
• Exchange can take place during the fall term, spring term, or both. Wichita State does not participate in summer exchange.

As you investigate your exchange, complete the application process and participate in the exchange itself, please note that the most successful students are prepared for the unexpected. That is, the NSE process — similar to any study abroad process — can result in surprises, additional fees and unprecedented requirements. Students will face unique situations during the application and exchange processes so the students who are likely to be successful and enjoy their exchange will be those students who have some flexibility in academic coursework, who are patient and able to adjust to challenges quickly. While we do not want students to be fearful of applying for exchange, we want you to be committed to working through the challenges as they come your way. This will be discussed more during your interview but you should give serious thought to your anticipated college graduation date, your career goals, your financial situation and determine exactly how NSE fits into those matters. 

Students choose the university they want to attend for a variety of reasons. Some may decide to go to a school that offers courses not offered here, others may want to search for after-graduation job opportunities, or some students may just be looking for a change in scenery. It is important for you to ask yourself why you want to exchange and what goals you hope to accomplish by doing so. This will make your selection easier.

When looking through the website, www.nse.org, to decide on your choices for exchange, there are some very important things you need to keep in mind.

Each university has an individual profile page with information about themselves. You need to make sure you only look at schools who offer a home payment plan option. You can find this under the "Chance of Placement" section on each universities profile page. "Home payment" means you will pay your tuition costs to Wichita State. If a school has host payment listed, you are not eligible to exchange to that institution. 

Also under the "Chance of Placement" section you will see one of the following words or phrases, "excellent," "good," "competitive" and "most competitive." This will tell you how competitive placement is at that particular school. If you hover over the question mark next to the phrase, it will provide a description of what the word or phrase means in terms of placement competitiveness.

Another thing to consider when choosing a university is whether or not you need to take courses in your major while there. Pay attention to the programs listed as “Limitations” or “Closed Programs.” For example, if you are a nursing major and you need to take classes in your major, you could not attend Florida International University because their nursing program is closed to NSE students.

The great thing about National Student Exchange is you can attend any of the participating schools for the same tuition you pay to attend WSU!

All financial aid and most scholarships apply. If you have been awarded a scholarship from the College of Fine Arts, your application needs to be brought to the attention of the department chair before you apply for NSE, so they can determine whether or not your scholarship will be honored if you choose to exchange. This is especially critical when compliance is required to restrictive guidelines set forth by the WSU Foundation and the School of Music. If you have questions about a particular scholarship, ask the awarding department or talk with the Office of Financial Aid.

You will enroll at WSU and pay tuition and fees here as normal. You will register in an NSE dummy course for the number of hours you plan to take on exchange. It is up to your host school how you will enroll there once you are placed. Some may have you enroll over the phone or Internet; others may have you wait until you are actually on the campus.The instructions on how to enroll in the WSU “dummy course” will be provided to you prior to your exchange (in May for fall exchanges and December for spring exchanges).

WSU Net Price Calculator and Financial Aid Estimator

1. Complete the application and pay the $200.

2. Attend a personal interview with the NSE coordinator. You will be contacted to schedule your interview. 

3. File the FAFSA for federally funded financial aid by the deadline. You should indicate on your FAFSA you are still attending WSU. 

• Be sure you consider only schools that operate on a home payment plan.
• If you are in a program such as Business that requires you to attend a school with specific area accreditation, be sure to research your schools ahead of time.
• While some scholarships are applicable toward exchange, please be sure to check with your department head and/or Financial Aid to ensure retainability of awards. 
• Consult with your academic advisor to help identify appropriate exchange options.
• In recent years, course selection has become more complex and course offerings at host campuses have decreased. Please be aware that students requiring very specific courses may have extreme difficulty with course selection while on exchange.
• As you select schools, be sure to keep certain factors in mind: How long do you want to exchange? Do your host selections allow for single semester or mid-year placements? Are you required to live on-campus? Is there any on-campus housing available? Is your major offered? Is it limited?
• Discuss NSE participation with family, friends and former exchange participants.
• REMEMBER: You must check out nse.org for information about your choice schools, but DO NOT contact the host coordinator of any school until you have been placed to attend that school!

1. The Placement process is conducted amongst all coordinators the first week of March.
2. Applications are reviewed during the placement process and applications are ranked.
3. An offer will be made based on your application and preferences.

1. Check your email for a Placement Acceptance Form and sign. 
2. Read all information sent by host coordinator and meet all specified deadlines.
3. Complete an equivalency form with your academic advisor and email to Caitlin.Nolen@wichita.edu. 
4. Consult with Financial Aid to adjust your aid for the budget of your host campus.

1. Review and complete registration materials for the host campus by the specified deadlines.
2. Register for the Wichita State NSE "dummy course." These instructions will be provided to you in May (for fall exchange) and December (for spring exchange). Follow those instructions carefully.
3. Register for classes at the host campus.
4. Pay tuition and fees to Wichita State. Keep a copy of your receipt for your host coordinator.

1. Notify host coordinator when you arrive on campus. Forward host campus address to host and WSU campus coordinators. It is CRUCIAL you keep both NSE offices up-to-date regarding contact information. You are still a student at Wichita State, so the University needs current contact information for you--including for the summer prior to exchange. 
2. Become familiar with your host coordinator and how to contact him or her. If you were to experience troubles while on exchange, your host coordinator will be your first contact. When you arrive on campus, make it a point to visit with the coordinator and get to know him or her.
3. The final day to make changes to the number of hours you are enrolled in at WSU and still receive a refund will be the same date as posted in the course schedule. As a NSE student, you will be eligible for a 100 percent refund up to this date, after which no refund will be issued. Also be sure you are aware of the consequences of dropping a class at your host institution. If you decide to add a class, therefore increasing the total number of credit hours you are enrolled in, the same deadlines for adding classes will apply (as listed in the course schedule), and yes, you must pay for the additional credit hours.
4. Once registration begins at WSU for the next semester, you will re-enroll in the WSU "dummy course" (if you are slated to exchange for another semester). We will send the section numbers to you when they are available.