Academic units at IU can collaborate on international activities, programs, or projects with institutions of higher education or other organizations in a variety of ways. The descriptions of the more common collaborative activities on this page can help IU faculty and staff assess the feasibility of a collaboration before proposing a new agreement.
Contact the international partnerships team at partner@iu.edu to schedule a consultation.
Undergraduate, graduate, and faculty exchange programs each have a number of requirements and factors to consider.
Exchange programs for undergraduates should be tuition neutral. IU students pay their regular tuition and mandatory fees to IU. Those costs are waived for incoming exchange students, who pay tuition and fees to their home institution. It is, therefore, imperative that equity in exchange participation be maintained over a three-year period.
Participants from a partner university must apply and be admitted to Indiana University as nondegree students. They must meet all standard admission requirements, including English language proficiency. During their stay at IU, students must maintain full-time enrollment (a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester).
Exchange programs for graduate students may be configured for two types of students: nondegree students who maintain full-time enrollment and visiting research scholars.
This type of program follows the requirements for undergraduate exchanges. Students must maintain full-time enrollment (full time for graduate students is a minimum of 8 credit hours each semester).
This type of program generally follows the requirements for faculty exchanges. Visiting research scholars may enroll in or audit one or two courses as long as such courses are not the primary purpose of their visit.
Scholars who intend to enroll in courses for credit must apply to the University Graduate School’s continuing nondegree program and must also pay application fees, international services fees, credit hour fees, and mandatory fees. Scholars who intend to audit courses should review the registration instructions for auditing.
Academic units at IU may seek approval for faculty exchange programs with current or prospective partners.
Collaborative education programs can offer student recruitment opportunities, increase IU’s visibility in other countries and with international institutions of higher education, and foster faculty research collaboration. Academic units at IU may consider any of the following to diversify their international engagements.
Academic units may structure opportunities for students at international institutions of higher education to earn a degree at Indiana University.
Dual and joint degrees pose reputational risks to IU and, therefore, must be carefully considered. Such degrees are approved only with primary partners of IU or with leading peer institutions that have parallel strengths in a particular field of study. These programs involve a two-way flow of students, meaning that they are open to students from both IU and the partnering institution, and require substantial collaboration between faculty members. Joint degrees involve collaboration by an IU academic unit and a partner institution to offer a degree program that neither would have the resources to offer without combining expertise and instruction; upon completion of a joint degree program, both institutions' names appear on the diploma. Joint degrees are considered new degrees and must be approved by the Board of Trustees. Because of their complexity and the time commitment required for their development and approval, joint degrees are rarely considered by IU academic units.
Cooperative education programs, or facilitated transfer programs, are designed to make the transfer process easier for international students who are interested in earning a degree at IU. A student's home institution, at its discretion, may accept the credits that the student earns at IU and confer a separate degree. These programs may be done with existing partners of IU or in affiliation with a non-partner institution.
Concurrent enrollment in undergraduate programs, with specified courses counting toward degrees conferred by the partner institution and IU. Students must complete at least 50 percent of all credit hours required for the degree while in residence at IU.
Concurrent enrollment in master’s degree programs, with specified courses counting toward degrees conferred by the partner institution and IU. Number of transfer credits permitted at IU must adhere to the academic program’s established transfer policy.
Only one IU academic unit currently offers a joint degree. These degree types are exceptionally rare. Concurrent enrollment at both IU and the partner institution, with specified courses completed at each institution counting toward the established requirements for the joint degree. Students receive one diploma.
