Indiana University offers international exchange opportunities with top universities around the world for graduate students. The majority of these programs are intended to support independent research by connecting the participating students with resources and mentors at the host university. For the program with Freie Universität Berlin, participants have the option to enroll in or audit courses.
Applications are accepted during the fall semester each year, with participation the following academic year. The number of available exchange slots for each program is limited, so the selection process may be competitive. Graduate students on any IU campus may apply.
The deadline to apply for the 2023-2024 academic year is December 1, but applications are selected on a rolling basis for programs that have open slots (marked as such below). The list will be updated as the status of programs changes.
Participation in a graduate exchange program requires careful consideration and significant preparation. Unlike traditional undergraduate study abroad programs, these exchange programs are less structured and require participants to take proactive action with minimal guidance. If you are interested in applying for a program we offer, review its description on this page. We also encourage you to check with your department or school about other international opportunities.
Graduate exchange participants from selected partner universities visit IU each year for research and study. Learn more about the required procedures to prepare for your visit.
Program duration: One month
Number of participants selected each year: One
About the host institution: The Academia Brasileira de Letras (Brazilian Academy of Letters), located in Rio de Janeiro, is a literary nonprofit society established at the end of the nineteenth century by a group of 40 writers and poets inspired by the Académie Française. The first president, Machado de Assis, declared its foundation on December 15, 1896. The Academy is composed to this day of 40 members chosen from among the citizens of Brazil who have published recognized works or books of literary value. The position is awarded for the recipient’s lifetime. The Academy is charged with the care of the national language of Brazil (Portuguese) and with the promotion of Brazilian literary arts. Today the Academy administers one of the largest public libraries in Rio with more than 90,000 volumes and a multimedia center. The library houses many rare manuscripts and first edition books by famous Brazilian writers.
Program requirements: The program is intended for advanced Ph.D. students to do independent research at the Academy for up to one month. You must have strong Portuguese proficiency, both written and oral, and have a clear research agenda that would be appropriate for the Academy. A letter of support from an IU faculty member who can attest to the relevance of the Academy's resources to your research is required. You are encouraged to contact IU's exchange coordinator (partner@iu.edu) prior to preparing your application materials.
Due to the unique nature of this partnership, the selected participant must notify the Academy of their intended visit at least three months in advance (IU's exchange coordinator will assist). A post-trip report is mandatory. It must be at least 900 words in length, written in Portuguese, and address how you utilized the resources of the Academy for your research and/or professional development. A copy of the report must be sent to both the Academy and IU's exchange coordinator within 60 days of the program's completion.
Program funding: IU covers the cost of roundtrip economy airfare to Rio de Janeiro and provides a stipend for board and lodging for one month. IU's exchange coordinator will assist with locating accommodations.
NOTICE: Peking University, following local and national public health regulations, is not permitting visitors on the campus at this time. If those restrictions remain in place for the 2022-2023 academic year, this program will be cancelled.
Program duration: Up to one semester
Number of participants selected each year: Two
About the host institution: Peking University (PKU), located in Beijing, ranks among the top universities in China. Considered to be a leader in the basic sciences, the university also has highly ranked programs in the applied sciences, social sciences, humanities, management, and education. PKU has more than 200 research institutes and centers, including 12 national key laboratories.
Program requirements:
Applicants should have a clear research agenda that PKU can accommodate. Although preference will be given to applicants with Chinese language proficiency, applicants who lack Chinese language proficiency may be considered if their research interests align with specific faculty research interests at PKU.
The students selected for the program should plan to visit during PKU's regular semesters. The first semester begins the first week of September and ends the third week of January. The second semester begins the third week of February and ends the last week of June. Participants may have some flexibility in their start and end dates, but this is ultimately at the discretion of PKU.
Program funding: Indiana University covers the cost of round-trip economy airfare and provides a stipend for board, lodging, and mandatory health insurance for a standard semester (financial support for stays shorter than one semester will be pro-rated). PKU will recommend housing options for participants.
Program duration: Up to one semester
Number of participants selected each year: Three
About the host institution: Free University of Berlin (FUB) is one of Germany’s top universities under the German Excellence Initiative. It is ranked number one in Germany for the study of the humanities and has leading programs in the social sciences, health sciences, natural sciences, and area studies.
Program requirements: This exchange program is intended for independent research or coursework at FUB. The academic year at FUB is divided into winter (November-February) and summer (April-July) semesters. Dates are subject to change. You can check the current calendar on the FUB website. Students selected for the exchange program who intend to do independent research may have some flexibility in the start and end dates of their program.
One spot each academic year may be reserved for a master's level student in Germanic Studies.
Applicants must have a clear research agenda or course of study that FUB can accommodate. Preference will be given to applicants with German language proficiency. Applicants who are not proficient in German will be considered for this program if their particular research interest aligns with those of faculty members at FUB.
The majority of academic programs at FUB require high German proficiency. Students who intend to take courses or engage in research in German are required to submit the foreign language proficiency form with their application.
Areas of study open to exchange students include:
Severe restrictions apply in law, business administration, and economics. Students in most professional master’s degree programs in these fields are not eligible to participate.
A six-week intensive German language course will be offered before the beginning of the winter semester. Basic knowledge of German is required. The course fee will be approximately € 500. German language courses which are offered during the semester are free of charge. If you wish to participate in a German language course, you have to take a placement test which is offered during the orientation period shortly before the semester starts. Without this test, exchange students are not eligible to take language classes.
Program funding: FUB provides IU participants with a monthly stipend for housing and living expenses, a health insurance allowance, a student fee allowance, waiver of registration fees, and a travel allowance.
Program duration: Up to one semester
Number of participants selected each year: Two
About the host institution: Founded in 1088, the University of Bologna (UNIBO) is the oldest university in continuous operation in the Western world. Today UNIBO enrolls more than 85,000 students across campuses in Bologna, Cesena, Forlì, Ravenna, and Rimini. Each campus has its own distinct scientific and educational identity and its own institutional, cultural, social, and sports facilities and services.
The university has 11 schools and 33 departments. The schools include agriculture and veterinary medicine; arts, humanities, and cultural heritage; economics, management, and statistics; engineering and architecture; foreign languages and literature, interpreting and translation; law; medicine; pharmacy, biotechnology, and sport sciences; political sciences; psychology and education; and science (chemistry, biotechnology, physics, astronomy, biology, geology, environmental sciences). Research and training centers focus on public administration; advanced fiscal studies; health policy; electronic systems; tourism; history, philosophy, and sociology of law and in computer science law; cancer; integrative studies in bioinformatics, biophysics, and biocomplexity; interdepartmental environmental sciences; studies on the city and the territory; humanities; and legal professions.
Program requirements:Applicants must have a clear research agenda that UNIBO can accommodate. Preference will be given to applicants with Italian language proficiency. Applicants who are not proficient in Italian will be considered for this program if their particular research interest aligns with those of faculty members at UNIBO. The students selected for the program may have some flexibility in their start and end dates.
Program funding: IU covers the cost of round-trip economy airfare and provides a stipend for board and lodging for a standard semester (financial support for stays shorter than one semester will be pro-rated). UNIBO will help the IU participants locate housing.
Program duration: Up to one semester (minimum duration of 3 months)
Number of participants selected each year: Two
About the host institution: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), located in Mexico City, is the second-highest-ranked university in Latin America and one of the most recognized universities in the region. UNAM is a comprehensive institution with faculties of accounting and administration, architecture, chemistry, economics, engineering, law, medicine, odontology, philosophy and literature, political and social sciences, psychology, veterinary medicine and animal sciences, and sciences. It is particularly outstanding in the humanities and social sciences. Scientific research at UNAM is divided between faculties, institutes, centers and schools, and covers a range of disciplines. All research centers are open to students from around the world.
Program requirements: Participants may do independent research and concurrently take courses at UNAM for one semester. The academic year runs from early August through early May. Applicants must demonstrate high proficiency in Spanish and have a clear research agenda that UNAM can accommodate.
If you are selected as IU's nominee, you must then complete and submit an application to UNAM. IU's exchange coordinator will send that application to you when UNAM makes it available. The deadlines for that application are April for fall semester visits, and October for spring semester visits. That application requires documentation of the necessary knowledge of Spanish for your proposed research project, a three- to four-page description of the research project with a detailed schedule of research activities, and an acceptance letter from an academic contact at UNAM. For the latter, IU's Global Gateway office in Mexico City can help nominees identify a contact. The relevant academic program at UNAM will review the application and determine if a nominee can be admitted. This admission process can take several weeks, with the decision often made just weeks before the semester begins. As a result, nominees should have backup plans in case they are not admitted.
Program funding: IU covers the cost of round-trip economy airfare and provides a stipend for board and lodging for a standard semester (financial support for stays shorter than one semester will be pro-rated).
Program duration: One month
Number of participants selected each year: One
About the host institution: Jagiellonian University (JU), founded in 1364, is the oldest university in Poland. It is located in the historic city of Krakow and has close to 50,000 students. JU has leading programs in law, philosophy, linguistics, Polish language and literature, and natural sciences.
Program requirements: Applicants must have a clear research agenda that Jagiellonian University can accommodate. Polish language proficiency is required only if the research project requires it. Participants have some flexibility in the start and end dates of their visit, but this is ultimately at the discretion of Jagiellonian University.
Program funding: IU covers the cost of round-trip economy airfare. Jagiellonian University provides a stipend for board and lodging for one month and will help the IU participants locate housing. Students who secure their own funding may be able to extend their stay.
Program duration: One month
Number of participants selected each year: One
About the host institution: University of Warsaw (UW) is Poland’s largest university with close to 60,000 students and is one of the top universities in Poland. The university is located in downtown Warsaw, the capital of the country. UW has strong programs in Polish Studies, social sciences, linguistics, and a variety of research institutes.
Program requirements: Applicants should have a clear research agenda that University of Warsaw can accommodate. Polish language proficiency is required only if the research project requires it. Participants have some flexibility in the start and end dates of their visit, but this is ultimately at the discretion of University of Warsaw.
Program funding: IU covers the cost of round-trip economy airfare and provides a stipend for board and lodging for one month. University of Warsaw will help the IU participant locate housing. Students who secure their own funding may extend their stay at University of Warsaw.
Program duration: Up to one semester
Number of participants selected each year: One
About the host institution: Consistently ranked among Turkey's top research universities, Boğaziçi University offers academic programs across six faculties (Arts and Sciences, Communications, Economics and Administrative Sciences, Education, Engineering, and Law) and two schools (Applied Disciplines and Foreign Languages). With the exception of foreign, the vast majority of instruction is in English.
Program requirements: Applicants must have a clear research agenda that Boğaziçi University can accommodate. The typical length of stay will be one semester, but participants may have some flexibility in their start and end dates if approved by Boğaziçi University.
Program funding: IU will cover the cost of round-trip economy airfare, board, and lodging for a standard semester (financial support for stays shorter than one semester will be pro-rated). Boğaziçi University will help the IU participants locate housing.
Program duration: No more than two weeks. Participants can extend this exchange duration so long as additional funding sources are secured.
Number of participants selected each year: Two
About the host institution: England's first civic university, the University of Manchester is one of the largest single-site universities in the United Kingdom and among the 30 most prestigious and international universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2022, THE World University Rankings 2022). The university offers world-class teaching and research opportunities to more than 40,000 students. There are 25 Nobel Prize winners among the university's current and former staff and students und its vast network of 500,000 alumni spans more than 190 countries.
Program requirements: Applicants must have a clear research agenda that University of Manchester can accommodate. Participants have some flexibility in the start and end dates of their visit, but this is ultimately at the discretion of University of Manchester.
Program funding: IU covers for the cost of round-trip economy airfare and provides a stipend for board and lodging for no more than two weeks. As mentioned above, participants are welcome to secure additional funding from other sources to support the extension of their exchange at University of Manchester.
Applications for the 2023-2024 academic year are still being accepted for programs that are marked "open" above. Please note that proposed dates of participation should fall between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024. Before you apply, check with Seth Walker at partner@iu.edu to be certain the program of interest to you is still open.
To apply, you may be a graduate student from any discipline, department, or IU campus and must be making normal academic progress.
You must be enrolled at IU while you are abroad and have sufficient funds to cover any enrollment costs. These exchange programs do not include fee remissions or other financial aid to cover the costs of enrolling in courses or research credit hours.
If you previously participated in an OVPIA-administered exchange program, you may reapply; however, priority is given to applicants who have not previously participated. Please be aware that some partner universities limit extensions or repeat participation.
Meet with your academic advisor to discuss the pros and cons of participating in the exchange program, including whether it will be beneficial to your degree progress and/or academic and professional goals. Also consider the timing of your potential participation and any obstacles or challenges that might affect your choice. On your application, you will be asked to indicate that you met with your academic advisor.
If you are an international student at IU, you must ensure that you qualify for a visa in the destination country for the exchange program. You must meet with an international services advisor on your campus to determine if you are eligible to participate and to find out the enrollment requirements to maintain your visa status while you’re abroad. On your application, you will be asked to confirm that you have met with an international services advisor and are eligible for a visa to study or do research in the country where the program is located.
If foreign language proficiency is required for the exchange program and you are not a native speaker of that language, you must ask a qualified evaluator (e.g., a current or former instructor) to submit an online language evaluation form attesting to your foreign language proficiency. The evaluation form must be submitted by the application deadline. Scores from a language assessment exam offered by a foreign language department/program are a reasonable substitute; scan and upload a copy of your scores with the application as prompted. Native speakers are not required to provide documentation of their language proficiency.
Determine whether you have sufficient financial resources to maintain enrollment at IU while you participate in the exchange. Ask your department about how your participation might affect any existing financial support you’re receiving from IU or other sources, such as scholarships, fellowships, or assistantships. Research your eligibility for other financial aid. Be sure to consider other costs, such as subleasing your apartment and storing your personal possessions while you are abroad.
On the application form, you will upload a proposal of 600–900 words (double-spaced, 12-point font, one-inch margins) describing your intended activities for study, research, and/or professional development. In the proposal, you should make a compelling case for how the exchange program will constitute an integral part of a well-conceived graduate degree program. If you plan to focus on research, you should identify in your proposal a faculty member(s) at the partner institution with whom you would like to work during your stay. Be sure to include any additional information required by your desired program.
You should ask two faculty members (preferably at IU) to write letters of recommendation for you. On the application, you will be asked to provide the name and email address of both recommenders. Once the application is submitted, the recommenders will receive an email with a request to send their letters to the Office of the Vice President for International Affairs. We suggest that you follow up with your recommenders to confirm that they sent their letters.
Questions? Contact Shawn Reynolds at partner@iu.edu.
Double-check to be certain you have all of your materials before you start the application.
If you are selected to participate in an exchange program, you will receive funding to cover most of your expenses, including round-trip economy airfare, board, and lodging. For all programs, Indiana University will enroll you in an international health insurance plan, currently GeoBlue.
All funding support from IU will be posted as a fellowship award to your student (bursar) account approximately ten days before the start of the semester in which you will be traveling abroad. Any outstanding charges on your student account will be deducted from the fellowship award, and you will receive a refund on any remaining funds. You are responsible for ensuring that you have direct deposit set up for your refund. The Office of the Vice President for International Affairs will not handle any refund checks issued by the bursar. There are no exceptions to this policy.
If you are nominated for and/or formally admitted to participate in a graduate exchange program, you are required to complete certain forms and provide required documentation.
