IvyPlus Exchange Scholar Program

Participation in this program requires the timely review and approval of both the student’s home institution and of the host university.  For Stanford doctoral  students, participation requires the discretionary approval of the student’s advisor and degree program; degree programs are not obligated to approve such requests. All approvals must be obtained two months before the registration date at the host institution. 

Differences between the academic calendars of the home and the host institutions should be taken into consideration when planning an exchange under this program.  For example, differences between institutions with semesters, as opposed to quarters, can affect the timing of visits, periods of insurance coverage, and the provision of financial support to the student.

Registration Status

Exchange Scholars will be registered by the home and host institutions in whatever category ("in absentia," "in residence," "special student," "Exchange Scholar") is appropriate at each institution. 

The Office of the Registrar considers outgoing Stanford students who will be Exchange Scholars as full-time students during each quarter of the exchange. The Exchange Program will be notated on their student record, and after completion of the exchange, the transcript will be updated to reflect course enrollment information.

Enrollment Requirements

Exchange Scholars should read the below information regarding the different types of enrollment available to them during their exchange period. Each participating institution determines its own exchange program enrollment policies, not all institutions require an exchange student to enroll in coursework or research units. 

Stanford students participating in this program should discuss in advance with their advisor, degree program, and with the host institution whether and how to enroll at the host institution and/or Stanford. 

Outgoing Stanford students who have not reached TGR status

Stanford students must have an enrollment status during the exchange. Enrollment may be fully at the host institution, at both Stanford and the host institution concurrently, or only at Stanford (e.g., conducting research at the host institution without enrollment). In all cases, students should enroll as approved by their home degree program to ensure that coursework and/or research align with academic progress expectations.  

The units completed at the host institution will be evaluated by the Office of the Registrar and by the Stanford degree program for inclusion on the student’s Stanford transcript; units completed in a system other than the quarter system will be calculated and posted at an appropriate ratio of equivalence.  Units earned in this way will be counted as Stanford units (as opposed to external transfer units) for the purpose of completing program and residency requirements. 

Outgoing Stanford students in TGR status

Stanford TGR students who will be an Exchange Scholar at a host institution are required to continue their TGR enrollment at Stanford during the period of the exchange. If these students enroll in units at the host school, they may choose to have those units recorded on their Stanford transcript; units completed at the host institution cannot be used to satisfy any Stanford degree requirements consistent with policy for students in TGR status. These students will be billed for TGR tuition during the period of the exchange.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Tuition will be charged and collected by the student's home institution. Stipend support, if any, is ordinarily paid only by the home institution.

 Tuition will be billed based upon the student’s enrollment at Stanford during the exchange:

• If the student is not enrolled at Stanford (i.e., only enrolled at the host institution) or enrolled at Stanford for 10 units or less during the exchange, tuition will be billed at the 8-10 unit tuition rate. 
• If the student is enrolled for 11-18 units at Stanford during the exchange, tuition will be billed at the 11-18 unit tuition rate.

Degree programs that wish to provide financial support to a Stanford student participating in this program and in residence at another institution may do so. Any aid provided will be disbursed to the student on the Stanford academic calendar schedule, rather than on the schedule of the host institution. 

Health and Hospitalization Coverage

All students participating in an IvyPlus Exchange program are required to have insurance coverage through their home institution (or through a source that provides coverage comparable to that required by the home institution) that will provide coverage while the student is at the host institution.

The host institution will be responsible for assuring that hospitalization and health services are locally available. However, the host institution may either charge the student for such services or require that the student purchase health insurance coverage from the home institution.

Benefits

At the host institution, IvyPlus Exchange Scholars will be accorded all the benefits of that institution's resident students. They will receive a student ID card which permits access to the host institution's libraries, labs, health facilities, athletic facilities, housing (as available) and other services as identified by the host institution. Where these services entail fees in addition to tuition, the host institution will charge Exchange Scholars the same fees it charges its own graduate students. Host institutions reserve the right to limit Exchange Scholars’ access to resources that are specifically dedicated to their own students who are pursuing a degree program or for which such students have priority. 

International Students

International students are understood to be under the continuing sponsorship of their home institution. All US Immigration Services are performed by an international student advisor at the home institution. International students on F-1 visas should note that they are not allowed to work at the host institution unless they obtain prior written approval from their international advisor at the home institution.

Stanford students participating in this program are responsible for informing Stanford’s Bechtel International Center of their plans to be in residence at a host institution. 

Records

Upon completion of the IvyPlus Exchange, an official transcript from the host institution may be sent to the student’s home institution. Administrative contacts from the home institution should confirm this process with the host institution; in some cases,  students or administrative contacts may need to request the transcript.

In the event that the host institution does not automatically send the transcript to Stanford, students who have  enrolled  in units at a host institution must request that a transcript of their course of study be sent to the Office of the Registrar at Stanford. You can submit official transcripts using either of these methods:

• E-transcripts — send to exchangeout@lists.stanford.edu
• Sealed paper transcripts — deliver via mail to the Student Services Center at  459 Lagunita Dr, Suite 7, Tresidder Memorial Union, 2nd Floor Stanford, CA 94305  

Stanford only accepts official transcripts via direct submission from the external institution; no transcripts received directly from a student are accepted.

 The institution attended, units awarded, and the Exchange Program status are reflected on the transcript. Units recorded in this way are counted as Stanford units (as opposed to being counted as external transfer units) for the purpose of satisfying Stanford residency requirements when the participating Stanford student is not yet TGR at the time of the Exchange. Normally this information will include the course record (title, number, instructor, credit or class hours and grade received) and credit achieved for research conducted under the auspices of a faculty member if the student enrolled in and completed research units. The information will then be posted on the student's academic record or made part of the record as appropriate to the home institution.

IvyPlus Participating Institutions