The exchange program offers students a unique opportunity to experience other cultures and perspectives while pursuing their educational goals.
The National Student Exchange program is a coalition of colleges and universities in the United States, Canada, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands that provides opportunities for undergraduate students to study for up to one year at another NSE member college or university. Participation in this program is coordinated by the MTSU NSE Coordinator, Jennifer Danylo.
MTSU is a Home Pay Payment Plan only school. This means that an outgoing MTSU student will pay tuition and fees to MTSU but pay room, meals, and other applicable fees at their host school not covered under the host school tuition and fees. For financial aid purposes, students in this program are treated like they are enrolled at MTSU. Enrolling in the NSE Program Home Pay Payment Plan allows you to use all of your aid and scholarships awarded at MTSU (except Federal Work-Study) just like if you were enrolled at MTSU.
The 2025-2026 application is February 25th for Fall, Summer 2025, and Spring 2026. If you have missed this deadline and are still interested, please contact the MTSU NSE Coordinator, Jennifer Danylo.
Selection as a part of the Outgoing MTSU NSE cohort exchange is based on these criteria:
$150 non-refundable application fee paid directly to NSE
Resume
The NSE application requires a current resume. Your resume helps the NSE Coordinator understand your community involvement, interests, work history, and potential connection to the school you wish to be placed at. You are strongly encouraged to work with the Career Development Center to create or update your resume.
Academic Approval Form
The NSE application requires approval from your home academic department (the Academic Advisor and the Academic Dean or whoever the Dean designates must sign this form). This form must be completed and uploaded as part of the application process.
Personal Meeting
Once your application is submitted, the MTSU NSE Coordinator will contact you to schedule an interview.
Unofficial transcript
Download and save from your MTSU Pipeline account. This must be completed and uploaded as part of the application process.
Application Fee
This is required, paid directly to National Student Exchange, and is non-refundable. Once the NSE Application is completed in its entirety, the MTSU NSE Coordinator will send a direct payment link.
Outgoing MTSU students pay tuition and fees to MTSU but pay for room and meals at the host campus, along with any other special academic fees or general services not covered under the host school tuition and fees. Since you will be paying tuition to MTSU, the financial aid and scholarships you receive at MTSU may still apply.
A one-time, non-refundable application and processing fee of $150 is due to NSE with your application.
Make sure you know what additional fees are required when you are researching schools. You can find this information on a school’s profile page or on the NSE website.
If you are considering exchanging through NSE, it is crucial that you think about what courses will transfer back to MTSU and meet often with your academic advisor. Research course options during the application process, as availability varies from institution to institution.
Speak with Your Advisor
Talk with your advisor about how NSE will fit into your degree program before submitting the application. After being accepted into an NSE school, you should speak with your advisor again to fill out the MTSU NSE Advising Agreement.
Be flexible about the courses you want to take. You can view availability in the NSE Directory and in the exchange institution’s course catalog. For courses to transfer back to MTSU, you must send your transcript from the exchange school to the MTSU Admissions Office at the conclusion of the semester you exchange.
Check Accreditation
Certain majors and programs at MTSU have additional accreditation from associations in their academic area. If you are a student in one of these majors or programs and would like to take major classes while on exchange, the school you are interested in must also have the same level of accreditation.
Please note that lists are subject to change, and your academic advisor should verify all accreditations.
Grades Transfer
If you have completed the steps above and have received approval from your academic department, you can have credits transferred back to MTSU. Courses completed on exchange will be recorded on your MTSU transcript with the course names, equivalent hours and grades posted with a leading ‘T’ of the host campus. Still, they will NOT be calculated in the overall or overall combined GPAs. The MTSU transcript will indicate that the work at the host campus was accomplished through the National Student Exchange, along with the name of the host campus.
Students with disabilities should contact the NSE Office at the potential host school about what options and processes are in place to assist them with their needs.
Improve your Spanish while you take in the area culture at a number of schools in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico. No passport is required, and the currency is the same. You may be required to take a language proficiency test. A minimum of 4 semesters of college Spanish is suggested.
French Immersion Experience
If you want to advance your skills with the French language, consider studying in Quebec, Canada. You will need a valid U.S. passport and may also be required to take a language proficiency test. A minimum of 4 semesters of college French is suggested.
Honors Exchange
The honors courses that you take at other institutions will transfer back to MTSU if you are enrolled in the honors program at MTSU. If you are interested in honors exchanges, contact Judy Albakry in the Honors College at [email protected].
